CF Fairview Park Mall facts for kids

CF Fairview Park, also known as Fairview Park Mall, is a large shopping center in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It's home to around 120 different stores! The main big stores, called "anchor stores," are Hudson's Bay and Walmart. There's also a space where Sears used to be, and there are plans to build something new there in the future.

Fairview Park Mall is located near Kingsway Drive, Wilson Avenue, Fairway Road, and Highway 8. Over the years, the mall has helped turn Fairway Road into a busy street with many businesses. Out of the four main malls in the area, Fairview Park is the biggest, covering about 730,000 square feet.

This mall is also a super important spot for public transportation in the Waterloo Region. Fairway station, which is right next to the mall, is where many Grand River Transit buses start and end their trips. It's also the southern end of the Ion rapid transit system, which started running in June 2019.

Who Owns Fairview Park Mall?

CF Fairview Park is owned and managed by a company called Cadillac Fairview. This company deals with commercial real estate, which means they own and manage many big buildings like malls. Cadillac Fairview has its main office in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They own more than 50 malls across Canada!

A Look Back: Mall History

Fairview Park Mall first opened its doors in 1966. Before the whole mall was finished, a big department store called Simpsons-Sears opened in August 1965. The rest of the mall was then built around it.

When it first opened, the main stores were Simpsons-Sears at one end and a Zehrs supermarket at the other. In the early 1970s, a new section was added with a store called Woolco and 20 other shops. Later, in the early 1980s, Simpsons was added on the other side, bringing 40 more stores.

Over time, these stores changed names. Simpsons-Sears became Sears, Woolco turned into a Walmart, and Simpsons became The Bay. The small Zehrs supermarket moved to a different location, and its old space was turned into the mall's food court and a pharmacy.

In 2007, the mall got a big makeover that cost $33.4 million. This renovation brought a brand new food court and updated the inside of the mall with higher ceilings. Even the parking lot was improved! It was the first major update the mall had seen since 1986.

What's New: Mall Expansion

In 2019, Cadillac Fairview announced exciting plans for a $70 million expansion at Fairview Park Mall. This big project is called the CF Grand Market District. The goal is to give the area a fresh, modern look that will attract both visitors and new people moving into the neighborhood.

The expansion plans include adding more spaces for offices, shops, and homes. There will also be more parking for everyone who visits the mall. The first part of this construction started in 2020 on the south side of the mall. The new market district is expected to open sometime in late 2021.

Hungry? Check Out the Food Court!

Fairview Park Mall has a large food court with many different kinds of food. You can find everything from classic American fast food to delicious East Asian dishes. Some popular places to eat include KFC, A&W, Famous Wok, Tim Hortons, Subway, and Bourbon Street Grill.

Inside the mall, you can also find restaurants like Jack Astor's and PI CO. Pizza Bar, which are located near the south entrance. The mall used to have a very popular McDonald's inside the Walmart store, but it has since closed down.

Where is Fairview Park Mall?

Fairview Park Mall is located on Fairway Road, close to the Traynor/Vanier and Centreville neighborhoods. It's only about a 5-minute drive from downtown Kitchener, Ontario. This area is home to about 14,000 people, making it one of the biggest neighborhoods in the region. This location is perfect because it gives many residents quick and easy access to a major shopping center.

Getting Around: Transit Hub

Fairview Park Mall is also a major spot for public transportation. There used to be a bus terminal right next to the southwest entrance of the Hudson's Bay store. This was a main hub for Grand River Transit (GRT) buses, with many routes starting or ending there.

Now, the Region's Ion rapid transit system also serves this area at the Fairway station. This station has its own bus connections. When the Ion station opened in June 2019, the old bus terminal closed.

This transit hub is very important for the neighborhood around the mall. The Traynor/Vanier area has many new immigrants and working-class people in Kitchener. Many of them rely on the bus every day to get around. Buses leaving from Fairview Park can travel all the way to Southern Cambridge and Northern Waterloo, making it a central point for transportation in the Tri-Cities area.