Downtown’s Hamilton City Centre mall set to close after Christmas

Vintage sellers, artists and other vendors are coming together Saturday for a day of nostalgic mall vibes" at an iconic downtown building.

Hamilton Flea, a curated collection of local vendors, has decided to give Hamilton City Centre, a long-ailing mall connected to Jackson Square set to close after Christmas, a proper send-off," reads a poster for the event.

It's not going to be in existence anymore, and that made me really sad," said Whitney McMeekin, co-founder of Hamilton Flea. It's such a relic of its time."

Store owners who remain in the former Eaton Centre have until Jan. 10 to move out, after which the mall will be demolished to build four residential towers with street-facing commercial space.

Darryl Firsten, president of IN8 Developments, said the company made a conscious decision" to let tenants stay through the holiday season. Demolition is expected to begin in February, but likely won't be visible from outside until March, he said.

For now, it's still a mall - and Hamiltonians can celebrate its 32 years of life this weekend.

More than 40 vendors, including those who sell food, vintage clothes, records, handmade goods and art, will populate the quiet" halls of the bottom and first floors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A stroll around the building - an homage to the mall-walkers you would see before stores opened," McMeekin said - starting on the top floor will kick off the event. At 2 p.m., folks young and old will walk a runway for a vintage-inspired fashion show.

Later in the day, join an '80s and '90s dance party at the old HMV store, which has been closed for years.

We really want people to feel like they've gone back in time," she said.

For decades, malls have been a place to shop, but also a place to work, have lunch and meet friends or a date. The dying brick-and-mortar breed is unique," McMeekin said.

A mall is a common space. Anyone can walk through it, anyone can sit in the food court," she said. There are so few spaces like that in Hamilton."

McMeekin said the Nov. 19 event aligns with Hamilton Flea's ethos: taking spaces that aren't being used or have been kind of forgotten about and breathing new life into them."

It's been really tough for (store owners) so we're really hoping that people to support them, as well," she said.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com