Splendid China Mall is the newest of the three Asian malls in the Kennedy/Steeles area, and the only one on the Toronto (south) side of Steeles Avenue. The old name "Splendid China Tower" still graces the main entrance. Why it was called that is well beyond me, for it is obviously not a tower structure at all--more like Splendid China SPRAWL.
Built on what used to be a Canadian Tire, the mall developers must have had splendid megalomaniac ambitions to compete with Market Village and also the world-famous Pacific Mall and its micro-retail experience. Apparently what the area needs is MORE OF IT.
The resultant product is a half-assed, two-storey stillborn attempt at replicating the Pacific Mall experience, warehoused literally inside a splendid warehouse. The mall design seemed more motivated by cheap thoughtless economics than anything else--no windows, endless sprawling corridors that seem to lead to dark corners. No wonder the Mall is not doing well, and tenants are suffering from its fundamental flaws.
The parking lot is always packed, which I bet is because Pacific Mall/Market Village shoppers park here to avoid the parking lot hell across the street. It gives a false impression of the Mall itself, which upon entering, yeah, this is definitely the place to be (*insert cricketing sounds here*). Empty and failed storefronts are a dime a dozen, scattered and sprawling everywhere, a homage to the effects of what poor atmosphere and architectural design can do to foot traffic--the dead and deep gridded corridors have the feel of a sketchy alley.
Of the businesses that do stick around, some look like they haven't seen a customer in days, others may keep irregular hours. The variety are almost the same as with the other two malls--many cell phone accessories and repair shops, automobile parts, electronics and Asian bootleg movies, imported Asian confectioneries and herbs, castaway Asian fashions--nothing standing out. There's also a restaurant. The Mall has quite a handful of beauty salons that seem to do better business than most others here. There's also a Chinese bakery stall under the escalator--yes, it's an Aroma Bakery that serves one of the last remaining decent lo poh banh in the GTA.
Upstairs at the southwest corner lies the Mall's sad excuse of a food court. All it is really is a bunch of empty arranged tables with a TV in a corner. There are stalls set up for quick-service food business, but only a couple appear to be still operational enterprises, including one selling printer ink refills. Yeah, I'll drink that with tapioca, please.
At the building's centre lies a performance space courtyard like you'd find in most other GTA Asian malls, where most remaining signs of life is concentrated. They do put on events here, especially during Lunar New Year. Such splendid shows however have little effect on life in the deep corners of the mall.
I look at Splendid China as a case study in how poor design can affect the performance of a shopping mall, because it is obvious that the way it is set up contributes much to its "splendid" atmosphere and ability to compete with the more established malls across the street. When it first opened, the developers were proudly advertising plans for a phase 2 expansion. Chances are obvious that it will never happen, or ever.
Perhaps there is a saving grace for this Mall that still remains open. With the cheaper rents that come with less desirable difficult-to-fill retail space, perhaps an opportunity exists for the more pioneering of Toronto's hipsters to escape the downtown scene and set up shop here, far far away from the downtown-centric gaze of BlogTO.com writers and tastemakers. Hey, once the gwai-lo hipsters and yuppies that so love to fetishize and appropriate Chinese culture are done gentrifying both old downtown Chinatown and East Chinatown, they can come up here and start a new scene. Fuck food trucks and fly-by-night pop-up restaurants and vintage shops; the next big thing in hipsterdom start-up entrepreneurship is micro-retailing in depressed suburban Asian malls! To hell with being close to the subway; Milliken GO train station is right behind the Mall!
That might be more splendid an idea than what it is right now: a knockoff Pacific Mall with little hope, and little reason to visit other than potentially cheaper stuff than P-Mall. And old wife cakes. read more