Cloverdale Mall
A community shopping centre in Toronto's Etobicoke district, operating since 1956.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Cloverdale Mall is a community shopping centre in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 250 The East Mall, near the junction of Dundas Street West and Highway 427, and serves surrounding residential neighbourhoods in the city's west end. The centre opened on November 15, 1956, as an open-air shopping plaza built on land associated with Eatonville farm. Its original configuration had an open concrete courtyard and 34 stores, combining food retail, department-store and discount retail, apparel, specialty merchandise, personal services and banking. Early tenants included Dominion, S.S. Kresge, Laura Secord Chocolates, Tip Top Tailors, United Cigar Stores, the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Bank of Commerce. The mall expanded during the early 1960s. Morgan's, a two-storey department store, opened at the centre in August 1960 and subsequently became The Bay after Morgan's was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company. This gave Cloverdale a major department-store anchor and helped establish it as a significant shopping destination for Etobicoke. During the 1980s, the open-air plaza was enclosed and expanded, transforming the property into a more conventional enclosed shopping mall while retaining its community-oriented role. The centre's anchor mix changed repeatedly in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2005, The Bay location was replaced by Zellers, a discount department-store format operated by the Hudson's Bay Company. Zellers used the lower or main level of the former department-store premises, while the upper level was not brought back into regular retail use. Winners and Kitchen Stuff Plus later occupied space associated with the former Zellers operation at the southern end of the property. Cloverdale Mall also underwent substantial renovations in 2006, and the Dominion grocery store was rebranded as Metro in late 2008. Zellers closed in September 2012 after its lease was transferred to Target. Target opened in the lower level of the former Zellers space in March 2013 as part of the American retailer's short-lived Canadian expansion. Target announced in January 2015 that it would withdraw from Canada and close all of its Canadian stores within several months. The Cloverdale premises then remained vacant for years. In February 2024, Fairgrounds Public Racket Club opened a pickleball facility in the former Target space, giving the large vacant area a recreational and experiential use rather than returning it to traditional department-store retail. Cloverdale Mall has also been considered in the context of broader urban redevelopment. QuadReal Property Group, identified as the property's owner, proposed replacing the existing mall with a mixed-use development across approximately 32 acres while retaining the Cloverdale Mall name. The proposal contemplated a substantial change in land use and site organization, although the referenced material does not establish that the redevelopment was completed or that a final rezoning approval was granted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a portion of the property was prepared as a large-scale clinic for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Toronto. This reflected the mall's ability to support community and public-service functions beyond conventional shopping. Today, Cloverdale Mall remains an active retail and community property rather than a single-brand product company. Its identity is defined by convenient neighbourhood shopping, grocery and general merchandise, services, food and beverage, and evolving leisure uses. The centre's history illustrates the transition of Canadian suburban retail from an open-air plaza to an enclosed mall and, more recently, toward a mixed-use and experience-led destination.
History
Cloverdale Mall opened on November 15, 1956, in Toronto's Etobicoke district as an open-air shopping plaza developed on land associated with Eatonville farm. The original centre contained 34 stores and was organized around an open concrete courtyard. Its early tenant list combined national and regional retail names with financial and everyday-service providers, including Dominion, S.S. Kresge, Laura Secord Chocolates, Tip Top Tailors, United Cigar Stores, the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Bank of Commerce. The property expanded in August 1960 when Morgan's opened a two-storey department store. After Morgan's was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company, the location was converted to The Bay, adding a prominent department-store anchor to the centre. During the 1980s, the plaza was enclosed and expanded, reflecting the wider movement in Canadian suburban retail toward climate-controlled indoor malls. A major later change occurred in 2005, when The Bay was replaced by Zellers. The discount chain occupied the lower or main retail level of the former department-store premises, while the upper level was not returned to regular retail use. Winners and Kitchen Stuff Plus subsequently occupied space associated with the former Zellers operation at the southern end of the mall. The property received major renovations in 2006. Dominion, one of the original grocery anchors, became Metro in late 2008 after the Dominion banner was retired in the market. Zellers closed in September 2012 after its lease was sold to Target. Target opened in the lower floor of the former store in March 2013, but its Canadian operation was short-lived. In January 2015, Target announced its withdrawal from Canada and the closure of all Canadian locations. The former Target space at Cloverdale Mall remained unused until February 2024, when Fairgrounds Public Racket Club opened a pickleball venue there. The mall's later history also includes redevelopment planning and public-service use. QuadReal Property Group proposed replacing the existing shopping centre with a mixed-use development covering approximately 32 acres while preserving the Cloverdale Mall name. The available reference material indicates an intention to submit a rezoning application in 2020, but does not confirm final approval or completion. In 2021, a portion of the property was prepared as a large vaccination clinic during Toronto's COVID-19 response. These developments show the site evolving from a traditional retail plaza into a property capable of supporting shopping, recreation, community services and potentially mixed-use urban development.
- 2024
Pickleball facility opens
[1]Fairgrounds Public Racket Club opened in the former Target space in February.
- 2021
Vaccination-clinic preparation
[1]A site at the mall was prepared for use as a large-scale COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
- 2015
Target exits Canada
[1]Target announced its Canadian withdrawal and the closure of its Cloverdale Mall store.
- 2013
Target opens
[1]Target opened in March in the lower level of the former Zellers premises.
- 2012
Zellers closes
[1]The Zellers store closed in September after its lease was sold to Target.
- 2008
Dominion becomes Metro
[1]The long-standing Dominion grocery operation was rebranded as Metro in late 2008.
- 2006
Major renovations
[1]The mall underwent a substantial renovation program.
- 2005
Zellers replaces The Bay
[1]The Hudson's Bay Company replaced its The Bay department store with a Zellers discount store.
- 1980
The plaza is enclosed and expanded
[1]During the 1980s, Cloverdale was converted from an open-air plaza into an enclosed and expanded shopping mall.
- 1960
Morgan's department store joins the centre
[1]A two-storey Morgan's department store opened in August, strengthening the mall's anchor offering.
Products and positioning
A convenient community shopping centre serving Etobicoke and Toronto's west-end neighbourhoods, with a tenant mix spanning everyday retail, grocery, services and emerging recreational uses.
Shopping centre · 1956
Neighbourhood retail centre
Cloverdale Mall provides a multi-category retail environment for residents of Etobicoke and nearby Toronto communities. Its role has historically included grocery shopping, apparel, general merchandise, household products, food and beverage, banking and personal services. The tenant mix has changed over time as department-store and discount anchors have been replaced or repurposed.
Recreation · 2024
Fairgrounds Public Racket Club
A pickleball and racket-sports venue occupying the former Target space. Its opening represents a shift toward experience-based and recreational uses within a large former department-store footprint.
Brand decisions
2024
Repurposing of former Target spaceOtherBackground
The former Target premises had remained vacant after Target withdrew from Canada in 2015.
Action taken
Fairgrounds Public Racket Club opened a pickleball facility in the space in February 2024.
Aftermath
The conversion introduced a leisure and experiential use into a previously vacant department-store area.
2020
Proposal for mixed-use redevelopmentStrategyBackground
QuadReal proposed replacing the existing mall with a mixed-use development covering approximately 32 acres while retaining the Cloverdale Mall name.
Action taken
The owner planned to pursue a rezoning application for the redevelopment. The available material does not confirm final approval or construction.
Aftermath
The proposal positioned the property for potential transformation from a conventional enclosed mall into a mixed-use site, but its final outcome is not established in the supplied sources.
Sources2 sources
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