Toronto malls in need of makeovers: Centerpoint Mall

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Centerpoint Mall definitely wins for most improved. The last time I strolled the mall was probably close to 10 years ago. If memory serves me correctly, I had dangerously wandered off from the line at the Pickle Barrel during peak traffic time (5 p.m. on a Sunday). My sauntering was risky; with the flocks of short-sighted bubbies whizzing by on their scooters, I was most certainly toying with bodily injury. But I wanted to catch a glimpse of the stores I'd never heard of, and run down the nearly abandoned aisles. Somehow, I lived to tell the tale.

I returned to Centerpoint recently to see how the North York Mall had fared over all these years. And to my surprise, it was bustling--both with walking and electronic scooter traffic. Granted, there were little hints of its former self: a missing "C" from the Centerpoint sign (yes, American spelling), a group of fedora and bucket hat-clad men snoring away in mid-mall leather chair lounges, and an old Zellers, complete with the vintage slogan "Because... the lowest price is the law!"

But overall, Centerpoint struck me as fairly bright and pleasant. Filled with lots of natural sunlight, there was everything from People's Jewellers, The Bay, Bentley, Trade Secrets, Le Chateau, and more. Granted, you probably won't find a Lacoste or Armani Exchange in a place like this, but it was far cry from the type of downtrodden Toronto malls chock full of stretchy neon clubwear and dollar stores galore.

Centerpoint's food court--and yes, there is a food court--has all you'd expect from a typical mall. McDonald's, New York Fries, Subway, and that sort of thing, but also a Fit For Life and Freshly Squeezed, which I imagine must be more recent arrivals. But alas, the past still looms with a Cash for Gold cart parked mere metres away from the banana bunches at Freshly Squeezed. I suppose you can't change a tiger's stripes. I'm not sure the bubbies would have it any other way. And yes, they're still there.