[Moncton] Retail Thread

[rcarr311]

Great site, CBC had on the news this morning that Graffiti's restaurant on Main St. is closing because their kitchen is CN Rail land, and they won't let them renovate their kitchen. The owner is looking for another location

[MonctonRad]

Victoria's Secret and Pink have been uncrated at Champlain Place. The storefronts look quite nice. Grand opening is this weekend.

Of course, as a male, I won't be investigating the stores or else I will be accused of being a lecherous old man……

[dtherio]

It seems that Crystal palace is closing on september 1st and both McGinnis Landing and Ramada Plaza Hotel will received their last clients on october 31st. Bass Pro Shop will setup shop there. So now we know where it will go!

Edit- A few people beat me to it, sorry for the repost

[bigrivernb]

I have read the same thing, Cadillac fairview has been looking to offload crystal palace for some time. too bad about the Ramada, also going to miss the Sunday brunch buffet at the restaurant....and true we now know where BPS is going. defiantly going to stir some debate in town with fans of the crystal palace.

[OUIR@random]

Re: Crystal Place

I'm quite surprised by this, but I checked the Crystal Palace website and there's an announcement.
I also checked for November & December 2014 at the Ramada Crystal Palace and there is no rooms available...
I imagine Chapters will stay?

Just my 2cents, but I believe Cabela's will do better and is better known that BPS around our neck of the woods anyway.

[rcarr311]

The release I read said that the company that owns Magic Mountain bought all of Crystal Palace's assets, wonder if they'll build an indoor park somewhere??

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by rcarr311

The release I read said that the company that owns Magic Mountain bought all of Crystal Palace's assets, wonder if they'll build an indoor park somewhere??

That's what I and a lot of other people are hoping.

It would be nice to see Magic Mountain expand to be a year round amusement park with indoor and outdoor attractions, eventually growing to something akin to "Canada's Wonderland East" or something ideally. With the Zoo and the (woefully underused) concert grounds all on site, and the Casino in spitting distance, that should be a major entertainment hub for Moncton.

[OUIR@random]

Adding some rides at Magic Mountain is good news. Zoos, amusement parks and waterparks are made to work together, however I would not expect a Canada's Wonderland of the east, we don't have the capital and tourist numbers to support this, Canada's Wonderland attracts over 3 millions visitors per year. However, it it will give a run for their money... to PEI's Cavendish or Upper Clements Park in Nova Scotia.

[Monctoncore]

The company that owns MM also owns sandspit and shining waters on pei... so sadly we might not see any of these rides stay in NB and all could end up on pei.

[mctnguy]

Originally Posted by OUIR@random

I would not expect a Canada's Wonderland of the east, we don't have the capital and tourist numbers to support this.

I would never have guessed we'd have the population density or spending power to be able to support a Bass Pro Shop *and* a Cabela's either. But we're getting both. I still can't believe it.

Seems to me that if a lot of people from around the region will travel here to shop at these two stores, then they might also visit Magic Mountain/Zoo/Crystal Palace 2 at the same time. I can definitely see this bringing a lot of people and money into the city.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Monctoncore

The company that owns MM also owns sandspit and shining waters on pei... so sadly we might not see any of these rides stay in NB and all could end up on pei.

This is quoted from the Crystal Palace Facebook news release:

we are deeply saddened by the closure of this portion of the Crystal Palace Complex. This complex has been an iconic fixture in our community for 24 years and has been a great tourist attraction. We are pleased to share that we are working with Magic Mountain to ensure the rides remain part of the community for years to come.

I would take this to mean that the rides are destined for Magic Mountain and not for the amusement properties on PEI.

This is Magic Mountain's big chance to build a year round entertainment and amusement facility. Here's hoping they seize upon this opportunity.

Carpe diem!!

[Monctoncore]

Perfect! Im glad to hear that

[MonctonRad]

Well, with Bass Pro Shops set to replace Crystal Palace, this will put pay to all the grumbling out there that Champlain Place is becoming nothing more than a female focussed fashion mall........

[OUIR@random]

Why does this mean that this will be a year round attraction? Adding some rides from an indoor park doesn't mean they will build an enclosure for the rides, all amusement park or carnival rides are meant to be outside and just closed during the winter. I think Magic Mountain will build a small ride area (theme park area) for the rides and games near the waterpark and it will be a dual-park and will add a new ride every other year to keep things interesting. This is good news because, not much has been done to Magic Mountain for the past few years.

[OUIR@random]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Well, with Bass Pro Shops set to replace Crystal Palace, this will put pay to all the grumbling out there that Champlain Place is becoming nothing more than a female focussed fashion mall........

Yes, but we can't always be in hunting and fishing apparel 24/7 and not every man likes hunting, camping and fishing. This location will be quite large compared to Cabela's... more than twice as large actually. As patrons, it will be nice to see BPS and Cabela's go at it against each other, all this will be good for the consumer.

[micks5477]

With the news of BPS moving into Crystal Palace/Ramada/McGinnis, I wonder if they got the jump on a sooner Grand Opening date than Cabela's. With Cabela's not even putting steel up yet and BPS now having an existing building with interior remodeling only needing to be done. I am thinking BPS will now be open sooner than Cabela's.

[Good2go]

Originally Posted by micks5477

With the news of BPS moving into Crystal Palace/Ramada/McGinnis, I wonder if they got the jump on a sooner Grand Opening date than Cabela's. With Cabela's not even putting steel up yet and BPS now having an existing building with interior remodeling only needing to be done. I am thinking BPS will now be open sooner than Cabela's.

If this Cabela's is anything like the one in Maine, it is just a steel box with a facade on the outside and row upon row of tables and shelves on the inside.

BPS won't be able to begin the reno work until November 1, after the hotel and restaurant have closed.

My money is on Cabela's opening first.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Good2go

If this Cabela's is anything like the one in Maine, it is just a steel box with a facade on the outside and row upon row of tables and shelves on the inside.

Cabela's maintain an outdoorsy theme within their stores and the interior design can frequently be quite elaborate. Here are a few photos gleaned from the web:







Our Cabela's may not be as elaborate as the above examples, but hopefully it will be a bit more than just a "steel box with shelves'

Originally Posted by Good2go

BPS won't be able to begin the reno work until November 1, after the hotel and restaurant have closed.

My money is on Cabela's opening first.

Absolutely. Cabela's foundation is already in, and I would hope that structural steel will be up in the next few weeks. Cabela's should have a good head start and I suspect it will be open by late spring next year.

Meanwhile, BPS will only be able to get started by the beginning of November, and, although they might be able to salvage a bit of the frame of Crystal Palace, I'm banking on a lot of demolition work before they actually start on construction. BPS has their own architectural style, which is incompatible with the form of Crystal Palace. Most of Crystal Palace will get torn down.

I suspect that construction of the BPS will only begin in early 2015, and that the opening will be no sooner than late fall (probably November). Cabela's therefore will have a 4-6 month head start on BPS which, given the fact that it will be only half the size of BPS, may be critical on building brand loyalty in our market.

In any event, having both Cabela's and BPS in Moncton will be huge in terms of destination and retail tourism. Anyone in the Maritimes who is interested in camping, the outdoors, birdwatching, fishing or hunting will naturally think about coming to Moncton in order to comparison shop between Cabela's and BPS. Comparison shopping is the precise reason why both BPS and Cabela's might be able to coexist in our market.

BPS and Cabela's will be the biggest revolution in retail in greater Moncton since the arrival of Costco 20 years ago………..

[micks5477]

Maybe BPS can use the existing restaurant site (McGinnis Landing) for one of their 6 different restaurants they have at some of their stores. The below pictures is the restaurant and bar I have ate at in their Bolingbrook, Illinois location (outside Chicago).

[IMG]10[/IMG]

[IMG]33[/IMG]

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[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

This is quoted from the Crystal Palace Facebook news release:

I would take this to mean that the rides are destined for Magic Mountain and not for the amusement properties on PEI.

This is Magic Mountain's big chance to build a year round entertainment and amusement facility. Here's hoping they seize upon this opportunity.

Carpe diem!!

I may have been a bit presumptuous.

This is an article from the Charlottetown Guardian today, and the Islanders seem to be laying claim to our rides!!!

Moncton's loss could be Cavendish's gain; Crystal Palace closing
Dave Stewart
Published on July 31, 2014

Cavendish could be getting some new midway rides.

Cadillac Fairview announced this morning that a portion of Crystal Palace in Moncton is closing Sept. 1.

The closure involves the amusement park, the Ramada hotel and convention centre and McGinnis Landing Restaurant.

The midway rides inside Crystal Palace have been acquired by Maritime Fun Group, which owns Magic Mountain in Moncton as well as Shining Waters Family Fun Park and Sandspit in Cavendish.

Matthew Jelley, president of Maritime Fun Group, said the deal came together very quickly and that a number of decisions still have to be made.

“We are considering all of our options,’’ Jelley said. “It could include a new facility in Moncton, it could include expansion on Prince Edward Island, it could include projects elsewhere in the region.’’

Jelley said his family will be putting a plan together in the next four to six weeks.

The amusement park in Crystal Palace will close Sept. 1 while the hotel and restaurant will shut down Oct. 31.

Bass Pro Shops, an outdoor retail leader in camping, nature gifts, outdoor cooking and more, will be moving into the Crystal Palace complex, encompassing about 110,000 square feet of space.

The main takeaway is that the Jelley family have bought the assets of Crystal Palace, but have not yet decided what to do with them.

The City of Moncton should be getting on the phone tomorrow to try to convince the owners that the rides belong in Moncton, if not for purely sentimental reasons, then for sound business reasons.

There is only an 8-10 week tourism season in Cavendish. If an appropriate facility were built at Magnetic Hill to house the rides, they could be guaranteed a much longer season. The synergies between an amusement park, a water park and a zoo cannot be ignored. There are as many people living in greater Moncton as in all of PEI, and we have far more year round visitors than they get on PEI. Cavendish is great in the summer, but is a backwater for 42 weeks of the year. There is much more economic opportunity for a permanent amusement facility in Moncton. The Jelley's must be aware of this…...