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Making The Hub the place to be: Truro Mall rebrands, teases new stores, restaurants, community events
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS
TRURO, N.S. — With one swift snip of the scissors, the ceremonial ribbon was cut, signifying the Truro Mall’s rebrand to The Hub Shopping Centre.
Business owners, politicians, and frequent shoppers stopped by the mall on the morning of Thursday, May 25 to witness the event, which is to be followed by a full weekend of events put on by The Hub.
And while those at the announcement showed their enthusiasm with roars of applause during the ribbon cutting, it was co-owner Arnold Hagen who was perhaps the most excited to have this grand rebranding unveiled.
“It’s nice to have it behind us, to tell you the truth,” said Hagen in an interview with SaltWire. “It has been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of years here since we bought the property, but it has gone really well.”
Hagen, who also owns Home Hardware stores in both Truro and Bible Hill, purchased the mall alongside co-owner Doug Doucet back in June 2021. Since then, the mall has been managed under Doucet’s PMco property management company, which has managed to fill out the mall with more businesses while also revitalizing the food court.
“I’ve got a great partner with a vision, and it’s certainly a pleasure to get to this point,” said Hagen.
During his speech prior to the ribbon cutting, Doucet made it clear The Hub has no plans on slowing down just yet – in fact, it’s more like they’re just now revving up their engines.
Doucet mentioned several businesses that were soon to make The Hub their new home, including Grant Thorton, Burnside Brewing Company (which will serve alcoholic beverages out of the food court), Mary Browns (which is currently in the process of hiring staff), Freshii (who serves salads, wraps, and smoothies), as well as the Coverdale Clinic. The latter two will be operating out of the professional building, which is currently under construction.
“We’re going to make this hub the place to be,” said Doucet.
The same day that the mall was rebranded, Philthy Philly’s opened up in the food court, selling burgers, poutines, and cheesesteaks.
The co-owner also teased that more businesses would be coming in the next while and they are considering opening a community space in one part of the mall.
In terms of new developments, The Hub has a pop-up space with short-term leases for businesses interested in testing out their business. They also have a pop-up food truck in the food court that operates similarly.
Also on their docket is a series of community events that they’ve dubbed Final Friday, where The Hub plans to host something special on the last Friday of each month. For May, the mall will be gathering together workers from each of the clothing stores to put together a fashion show.
“Many would say malls are a dying breed,” said Hagen. “I think we argue that one.”
Supporting the community
While the pop-up spaces signal that the mall is interested in community support, it’s the events, such as those scheduled to take place over the weekend following The Hub ceremony, that make their intent crystal clear.
One such event was a vendor sale that occured after the ceremony on Thursday. Small business owners set up shop around the mall, either at their own tables or from the pop-up spaces.
Krystle Gordon, who runs her own small business called Quirky K’s Custom Crafts, was one vendor at the mall on Thursday. She said the process to sign up for the mall’s rebrand was quick and easy.
“I saw it on Facebook, and I’m always looking to get my name out there,” said Gordon. “I just sent them an email and asked if I could come.”
Gordon started her business three years ago, using heat transfer dye to make mugs, cups, and blankets with funny phrases and photos.
“We focus a lot on adult humour. Funny things to try and make people laugh,” Gordon explained.
She voiced excitement when asked about being a part of the mall’s rebranding.
“I grew up in Truro, so seeing the rebrand of the mall, seeing a lot of new stores … I really like what they did with it, and I’m excited to be here today.”
According to Hagen, hosting vendors like Gordon is only one way of revitalizing the mall. He spoke of his philosophy when it came to The Hub interacting with the wider Colchester community.
“We need activities to bring people, give them a reason to come to the mall,” said Hagen. “They can come, look around, and by constantly doing new things, we’ll hopefully entice people to stop by and check it out.”
Home Hardware
Alongside the grand rebrand of the mall was the grand opening of Home Hardware, which acted as a preface to the mall’s ribbon cutting.
And what a preface it was, with an early morning line formed from the front door of the storefront, all the way down the sidewalk.
The hardware store held sales on a variety of products to celebrate the occasion – most notably garden chairs, which many rushed in to purchase once the doors opened at 8:30 a.m.
Hagen commented on the grand opening.
“That store, the magnitude, and the size that it really is … it’s a real boost for our business. It can only be done with the support we get from the community of Colchester.”
For more on The Hub and what it’s got planned, check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/truromall.ca. And for more on the rebranding and weekend events, keep visiting saltwire.com and check out next week’s edition of the Truro News.
