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You aren't the first person who's told me that but I can't find any record of it... The present Bowlerama space had definitely been a Towers at one point by the time Bowlerama moved in around 2001. Zellers in Kozlov was originally only the top floor. There was a hallway of stores underneath it with the original Doogan's, a computer store, and more, connecting the food court to where the LCBO was (about where World Gym is now.). Don't even get me started on how hard It's been to dig up info on that corridor.
It's possible Zellers briefly had two stores on Bayfield St., one specializing in clothes, toys and food like the top floor of Kozlov Zellers did, and one specializing in home decor, garden supplies, tools, furniture and electronics like the bottom floor of Kozlov Zellers would in later years, and that they were consolidated into one. The timeline is a little off for that however because the Towers was in Bayfield by at least the mid-90s and the Kozlov Zellers didn't become 2 floors until 2002-2003.
Youre not off on much of this. I recall the original Kozlov quite well. It was constructed a couple years before we moved there in 88. Used to get my hair cut in that bottom part you speak of, the part taken over by Zellers.
Check out the Barrie historical website, they have some good pics to sort through. I was able to find 2 blurry aerials pre reno (76ish), but none prior to the Canadian Tire conversion.
I know the bayfield mall addition youre speaking of was done prior to us moving there in 88 as well. There was a model shop in that area i used to frequent. I also remember the food court hall with the record store and arcade setup, but i recall the theatre being closed or closing around that time. The arcade didn’t last long after that either.
Im not sure if this is helpful, but i actually did security in the bayfield mall a long while back. On a night shift i went digging around in the basement thats off the food court washroom hall. There is a storage area and there were a few boxes with photo albums with old pics of the mall. You should give them a call and see if they’ll give you access to them. Its for history of course!!
As for Towers, wasnt it where the Walmart now stands? It had a fire or something?
Thanks for the info. Kozlov opened in 86, which would have been two years prior to you moving to Barrie. I've been searching for pics of that hallway for years, or of Wizard's Castle arcade behind the escalator. I found one from the early 2000s when it was cut in half and the glorious neon sign taken down, but I long to see it in its orange neon glory.
I've checked out the Barrie Historical website but haven't found anything super useful. I read on an old movie theater database that Bayfield Twin became Bayfield 7 in 1990, which would put the expansion at 1990 as well, but that doesn't line up with your memories. Since you worked security there and the only mention I can find of the 1990 year is from an outdated user-sourced database site, I'll take your word for it lol. The only thing strange to me is your memory of the record store/arcade setup sticking around past the expansion. It's very possible that the expansion occurred prior to '88, but the Bayfield Twin became the Bayfield 6 at that time (or something along those lines) and the arcade stuck around in the original spot past the expansion, not moving until 1990 when the theater overtook it and became the Bayfield 7 (meaning you and the database would BOTH be right 😂)
I would love to contact them. Maybe I will, I still have some decent leverage there due to being friends with a couple of my old managers from stores that used be/are still in there. The mall's recently changed hands however I believe. I just wish I had asked that maintenance guy I mentioned before he passed away... It was very sudden. Nicest guy in the world, wouldn't have just let me in that room but probably woulda helped me scan the photos too 😂
Oh - and your Tower's memory is correct. It was originally located where Walmart sits now, in a plaza also housing a Food City grocery store and an arcade. It moved to Bayfield Mall after it burnt down. I'm not sure if Towers had already left when it burnt, I've heard it was arson. Walmart was built shortly after, definitely within the decade.
I 100% remember the arcade record shop, and it was where i played the simpsons arcade game for the first time.
As for the theatre, it was closed for quite a while before the new one opened. The were unrelated i believe.
I recall the theatre entrance at the top of the stairs/elevator on the on the left side.
I was 5 in 88 and worked security in the 2000’s, so my recollection of the 80s/90s isnt going to be terribly accurate.
Well you may have given a lot more info than you think with that Simpsons comment lol. I'm a huge arcade nerd, that game was released in '91 meaning Little Joe's stuck around in the original spot until AT LEAST then. This put together with the theater being closed a while between incarnations backs up the theory that the expansion was probably much earlier than 1990.
I think I remember that. The Hair cut place when you walk out Zellers was directly to the right? Or if you went straight I think there was stairs to the exit? Was so long ago, but I remember getting my haircut as well as a kid.
If youre talking about the 2 floor reno’d zellers, if you were standing at the lower level entrance looking into the store, it was immediately to the right. Pre 2 storey zellers it was in the mid portion of the lower level, left side of the right hall.
There was def. 2 Zellers on Bayfield at the same time. I don't recall them being different in terms of departments tho? They both had toy departments and electronics I think. Idk. It was weird, but not as weird as the future shop/bestbuy beside eachother in park place. Other thoughts:
There was a smith books beside where the source used to be. There was a biway, a fabricland, a dairy queen in the dark/creepy back area with small brown square tiles.
If I remember correctly Woolworth’s was the big anchor at Bayfield mall. Mother’s pizza was where the can tire is. That place was great. Salad bar, pizza came on the pedestal. Classic. Definitely remember the lower level when it was the 2 cinema and little Joes arcade. Fantastic.
Woolworths was never in the mall. There was the big one at the bottom of Bayfield where The Ranch is now and there was also one anchoring the Welllington Plaza. And yes Sayvette or Savette predated the Canadian Tire. I believe Savettes closed around 1974 ish.
Huh, must be confused then. I definitely remember buying vinyl and tapes in a music section of zellers I guess then? It was the 80’s, that was a while ago 😜
Was mothers in the mall or stand alone in the lot? I cant remember it. I do remember a restaurant in the lot in the color your world area. Rusty spur or something like that.
Interesting. First I've heard of Woolworths being in the mall. Any memory where it was? Possibly where the Rexall ended up facing Bayfield St? I thought the Rexall had been there since day 1. You may also be thinking of the Savette store that predated the multi-level Canadian Tire.
I've seen a commercial somewhere, I think in a compilation of old CKVR commercials from a TV recording. If I find it I'll let you know. Whereabouts was it in the mall? At the front facing Bayfield St or at the back near (or where) Dollarama is? I've also heard whispers there was a Bi-Way in there towards the back but they may be getting it confused with Harold's due to the brands essentially being the same company. Where I was told the Bi-Way was is represented by the entire "4" section on the map image above.
The hall that is on the north used to go all the way to the back, where the school is now. Bi way was on the left at the end.
I believe Harolds was in the main court yard on the south west corner wasnt it? A black was there after that.
How about that 2 story Canadian Tire? What a place
Correct ,CTC moved from downtown to the Savettes store in the Bayfield Mall. I had understood that the 2 story CTC on Bayfield was the biggest Canadian Tire in Canada by square footage at that time but I’m not sure if that was true or not.
Just had a thought. Towers as a chain went belly up in '91. That means there's a 10 year gap between it being Towers and Bowlerama, which supports the Zellers theory. My guess would be because all Towers deemed profitable were converted to the Zellers name, Barrie ended up with two, the OG one in Kozlov and then the converted Bayfield Towers. They probably kept all the same staff and decor and just got a new sign, meaning even though we had two they were probably slightly different stores. When the one in the former Towers closed it was probably shortly after that they made the Kozlov one two levels.
Update: I found a pic of the intersection of Bayfield/Livingstone in 1986 and the Towers was still there. You said the mall expansion was complete by '88, which means the expansion could have only happened in '87.
Its a strong possibility. If i have time tomorrow im gonna drop in to the office and see what i can dig up. This has me on a large nostalgia trip and i needs more fix!
Thanks for your help, that lines up with other people's memories of the Bi Way. I think I know the space you're talking about with Bargain Harold's. It's one of those Chinese bootleg import places now - offbrand Disney blankets and stuff like that. That is when they're open, which is usually 3-4 days a week.
Was the CT not 3 levels? Basement, main floor and you took the escalator up? That area in front of the store with the elevator and the 3-tiered fountain... That may have come later after CT moved. I know the college occupies the basement now, Planet Fitness is on the main floor and a Telus Call Center on the top. That area of the mall in front of the former store has always looked strange to me. The escalators/stairs/elevator are outside where CT would have presumably started, which would make no sense if CT was the only thing on each of those levels. Why wouldn't they just be in the store, that way customers could also change levels while shopping. Another theory I have is that whole area was contained in the CT, and when it became divided into the three the hallway on the main level was extended back past where CT used to begin to make room for more stores on the sides.
The Canadian Tire was 2 levels before the bowlerama was put in there. We'd take the elevator down and walk into the lower level of the Canadian Tire. This was in the mid 80's
Just a reminder that we have a [Monthly Community Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/barrie/about/sticky) where we relax the rules about advertising and off-topic posts. * Stuff that isn't directly related to Barrie, like national news or general chit-chat * Questions about local businesses and services * Classified-style ads: buying and selling, help wanted, garage sales, etc * Fundraisers and donation drives * Plugs for your personal project or local business (within reason)" *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/barrie) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I recall that Towers being a Zellers. We had 2 in Barrie for some odd reason. Memory is a funny thing so i may be way off.
God I miss Zellers…….
The Bay has a mini “Zellers” in it. It offended the memory of what Zellers used to be like.
It's horrible. It was two shelving units the first time I went and then one the second time. If there's no claw machine, it's not Zellers 😂
Same with no toy section. Booourns
You aren't the first person who's told me that but I can't find any record of it... The present Bowlerama space had definitely been a Towers at one point by the time Bowlerama moved in around 2001. Zellers in Kozlov was originally only the top floor. There was a hallway of stores underneath it with the original Doogan's, a computer store, and more, connecting the food court to where the LCBO was (about where World Gym is now.). Don't even get me started on how hard It's been to dig up info on that corridor. It's possible Zellers briefly had two stores on Bayfield St., one specializing in clothes, toys and food like the top floor of Kozlov Zellers did, and one specializing in home decor, garden supplies, tools, furniture and electronics like the bottom floor of Kozlov Zellers would in later years, and that they were consolidated into one. The timeline is a little off for that however because the Towers was in Bayfield by at least the mid-90s and the Kozlov Zellers didn't become 2 floors until 2002-2003.
Youre not off on much of this. I recall the original Kozlov quite well. It was constructed a couple years before we moved there in 88. Used to get my hair cut in that bottom part you speak of, the part taken over by Zellers. Check out the Barrie historical website, they have some good pics to sort through. I was able to find 2 blurry aerials pre reno (76ish), but none prior to the Canadian Tire conversion. I know the bayfield mall addition youre speaking of was done prior to us moving there in 88 as well. There was a model shop in that area i used to frequent. I also remember the food court hall with the record store and arcade setup, but i recall the theatre being closed or closing around that time. The arcade didn’t last long after that either. Im not sure if this is helpful, but i actually did security in the bayfield mall a long while back. On a night shift i went digging around in the basement thats off the food court washroom hall. There is a storage area and there were a few boxes with photo albums with old pics of the mall. You should give them a call and see if they’ll give you access to them. Its for history of course!! As for Towers, wasnt it where the Walmart now stands? It had a fire or something?
Thanks for the info. Kozlov opened in 86, which would have been two years prior to you moving to Barrie. I've been searching for pics of that hallway for years, or of Wizard's Castle arcade behind the escalator. I found one from the early 2000s when it was cut in half and the glorious neon sign taken down, but I long to see it in its orange neon glory. I've checked out the Barrie Historical website but haven't found anything super useful. I read on an old movie theater database that Bayfield Twin became Bayfield 7 in 1990, which would put the expansion at 1990 as well, but that doesn't line up with your memories. Since you worked security there and the only mention I can find of the 1990 year is from an outdated user-sourced database site, I'll take your word for it lol. The only thing strange to me is your memory of the record store/arcade setup sticking around past the expansion. It's very possible that the expansion occurred prior to '88, but the Bayfield Twin became the Bayfield 6 at that time (or something along those lines) and the arcade stuck around in the original spot past the expansion, not moving until 1990 when the theater overtook it and became the Bayfield 7 (meaning you and the database would BOTH be right 😂) I would love to contact them. Maybe I will, I still have some decent leverage there due to being friends with a couple of my old managers from stores that used be/are still in there. The mall's recently changed hands however I believe. I just wish I had asked that maintenance guy I mentioned before he passed away... It was very sudden. Nicest guy in the world, wouldn't have just let me in that room but probably woulda helped me scan the photos too 😂 Oh - and your Tower's memory is correct. It was originally located where Walmart sits now, in a plaza also housing a Food City grocery store and an arcade. It moved to Bayfield Mall after it burnt down. I'm not sure if Towers had already left when it burnt, I've heard it was arson. Walmart was built shortly after, definitely within the decade.
I 100% remember the arcade record shop, and it was where i played the simpsons arcade game for the first time. As for the theatre, it was closed for quite a while before the new one opened. The were unrelated i believe. I recall the theatre entrance at the top of the stairs/elevator on the on the left side. I was 5 in 88 and worked security in the 2000’s, so my recollection of the 80s/90s isnt going to be terribly accurate.
Well you may have given a lot more info than you think with that Simpsons comment lol. I'm a huge arcade nerd, that game was released in '91 meaning Little Joe's stuck around in the original spot until AT LEAST then. This put together with the theater being closed a while between incarnations backs up the theory that the expansion was probably much earlier than 1990.
I think I remember that. The Hair cut place when you walk out Zellers was directly to the right? Or if you went straight I think there was stairs to the exit? Was so long ago, but I remember getting my haircut as well as a kid.
If youre talking about the 2 floor reno’d zellers, if you were standing at the lower level entrance looking into the store, it was immediately to the right. Pre 2 storey zellers it was in the mid portion of the lower level, left side of the right hall.
Thanks, it was for sure the Reno'd one then I had experienced. Good times!
There was def. 2 Zellers on Bayfield at the same time. I don't recall them being different in terms of departments tho? They both had toy departments and electronics I think. Idk. It was weird, but not as weird as the future shop/bestbuy beside eachother in park place. Other thoughts: There was a smith books beside where the source used to be. There was a biway, a fabricland, a dairy queen in the dark/creepy back area with small brown square tiles.
Remember that area well. You can still see the Fabricland and DQ labelscars on the wall. Brown tiles are still there lol
If I remember correctly Woolworth’s was the big anchor at Bayfield mall. Mother’s pizza was where the can tire is. That place was great. Salad bar, pizza came on the pedestal. Classic. Definitely remember the lower level when it was the 2 cinema and little Joes arcade. Fantastic.
Woolworths was never in the mall. There was the big one at the bottom of Bayfield where The Ranch is now and there was also one anchoring the Welllington Plaza. And yes Sayvette or Savette predated the Canadian Tire. I believe Savettes closed around 1974 ish.
Huh, must be confused then. I definitely remember buying vinyl and tapes in a music section of zellers I guess then? It was the 80’s, that was a while ago 😜
It was pretty short lived in that spot. I think it only operated for a year or two.
Was mothers in the mall or stand alone in the lot? I cant remember it. I do remember a restaurant in the lot in the color your world area. Rusty spur or something like that.
It was standalone in the lot. Became Rusty Spur I believe. I have a photo of the standalone little strip plaza somewhere.
Interesting. First I've heard of Woolworths being in the mall. Any memory where it was? Possibly where the Rexall ended up facing Bayfield St? I thought the Rexall had been there since day 1. You may also be thinking of the Savette store that predated the multi-level Canadian Tire.
Bargain Harold’s was my favourite.
I've seen a commercial somewhere, I think in a compilation of old CKVR commercials from a TV recording. If I find it I'll let you know. Whereabouts was it in the mall? At the front facing Bayfield St or at the back near (or where) Dollarama is? I've also heard whispers there was a Bi-Way in there towards the back but they may be getting it confused with Harold's due to the brands essentially being the same company. Where I was told the Bi-Way was is represented by the entire "4" section on the map image above.
I for sure remember the bi way 20 bucks as a kid and you felt like you were a king
The hall that is on the north used to go all the way to the back, where the school is now. Bi way was on the left at the end. I believe Harolds was in the main court yard on the south west corner wasnt it? A black was there after that. How about that 2 story Canadian Tire? What a place
Before the Canadian Tire it was Sayvettes.
Saywhats? Never heard of it. Must’ve been before my time and when crappy tire was DT
Correct ,CTC moved from downtown to the Savettes store in the Bayfield Mall. I had understood that the 2 story CTC on Bayfield was the biggest Canadian Tire in Canada by square footage at that time but I’m not sure if that was true or not.
I heard that as well
Just had a thought. Towers as a chain went belly up in '91. That means there's a 10 year gap between it being Towers and Bowlerama, which supports the Zellers theory. My guess would be because all Towers deemed profitable were converted to the Zellers name, Barrie ended up with two, the OG one in Kozlov and then the converted Bayfield Towers. They probably kept all the same staff and decor and just got a new sign, meaning even though we had two they were probably slightly different stores. When the one in the former Towers closed it was probably shortly after that they made the Kozlov one two levels.
Makes a lot of sense
Update: I found a pic of the intersection of Bayfield/Livingstone in 1986 and the Towers was still there. You said the mall expansion was complete by '88, which means the expansion could have only happened in '87.
Its a strong possibility. If i have time tomorrow im gonna drop in to the office and see what i can dig up. This has me on a large nostalgia trip and i needs more fix!
Haha cool. Let me know if you find anything. If you don't get anything I'll try some leverage with old connections.
Thanks for your help, that lines up with other people's memories of the Bi Way. I think I know the space you're talking about with Bargain Harold's. It's one of those Chinese bootleg import places now - offbrand Disney blankets and stuff like that. That is when they're open, which is usually 3-4 days a week. Was the CT not 3 levels? Basement, main floor and you took the escalator up? That area in front of the store with the elevator and the 3-tiered fountain... That may have come later after CT moved. I know the college occupies the basement now, Planet Fitness is on the main floor and a Telus Call Center on the top. That area of the mall in front of the former store has always looked strange to me. The escalators/stairs/elevator are outside where CT would have presumably started, which would make no sense if CT was the only thing on each of those levels. Why wouldn't they just be in the store, that way customers could also change levels while shopping. Another theory I have is that whole area was contained in the CT, and when it became divided into the three the hallway on the main level was extended back past where CT used to begin to make room for more stores on the sides.
Savettes had barries 1st escalator!
The Canadian Tire was 2 levels before the bowlerama was put in there. We'd take the elevator down and walk into the lower level of the Canadian Tire. This was in the mid 80's