There are those in Newmarket who might remember the day that actress Brooke Shields flew into town by helicopter to cut the ribbon for the new Tannery boutique mall.
The ornately restored mall in the shell of a former tannery on Davis Drive opened in 1987, an 85-store complex with offices, two restaurants, a supermarket and a four-storey atrium.
Despite the fanfare and optimism on that day decades ago, today the Tannery Mall is a legendary story of doomed decline and steady failure.
Riley Woolley grew up hearing stories of what the Tannery once was. Her mother, who grew up in Newmarket and used to work in the mall, told her how it used to be a place where young people hung out.
But those days are long gone. Walking through it today, most of the spaces are empty. Even the central cafe space that used to serve GO commuters is abandoned now, with no food service available anywhere to be seen.
“Our demographic hasn’t had the opportunity to enjoy the Tannery the way our parents' demographic did,” Woolley said. “The stores don’t speak to our age group and don’t allow for us to hang out in there anymore, and it’s really sad because the architecture is beautiful.”
The Tannery Mall has steadily become more desolate over the years, and now the majority of its office and retail spaces are available for lease. Signs that were never taken down showcase the departure of the many businesses and services that have moved on, including the provincial traffic court.
Nadil Zeiadin works at the Centre of Arthritis Excellence clinic, one of the remaining services in the mall. He has worked at the clinic since 2022, though said he worked for another clinic at the mall dating back to 2018.
Zeiadin says the current state of the Tannery is sad.
“It’s a beautiful building. Architecturally, it’s probably one of the nicer buildings in Newmarket,” he said. “I remember coming here when it was much younger, and it used to be much more vibrant … Really, what I’ve noticed, is it’s become empty. Less and less used over the years.
“Even in 2018, the mornings, the GO train, used to be quite full,” he added. “Now, you hardly see anyone in here.”
The building has its roots in the Davis Tannery Co., a longstanding leather business and major employer in town.
Production closed in 1962 and the 114,000-square-foot building remained mostly vacant except for short periods when small businesses leased a portion of it until it was purchased in November 1985 by developer Alberto DoCouto, who had approached town council with a proposition for a $6-million shopping mall development.
He purchased the surrounding four acres, as well, and gutted the somewhat derelict building, maintaining the shell to transform it into the exclusive retail and office space that opened in 1987.
The GO Transit station across the street moved to be part of the new development.
However, within 15 years, one store after another, and the restaurants, closed and a series of government offices, training schools and provincial offences court were the main tenants.
Its opulent balconies and marble pillars remain a favoured location for wedding photos, judging by social media posts — where it also has the dubious distinction of being in the top-five list of "dead malls" in the GTA.
DoCouto made headlines after being found guilty of securities fraud in the U.S., first charged in 2007. He was sentenced to more than six years in jail.
In 2007, Anthony Lang transferred the title ownership to Bonseph (Tannery) Ltd. for $18.25 million, according to records.
That company is still listed as the owner of the building today.
Village Media reached out to the leasing agent for the building, but did not receive a reply for a request for comment from ownership before the publication deadline.
Zeiadin said the arthritis clinic remains in the building as it has become well known to their patients and there are not many places out there for a large, open-space clinic like theirs.
He said services moving out of the building have hurt it in the long run, and COVID-19 hurt the mall, as well. But he said he would love to see the building vibrant again.
“I know it’s hard with the lack of foot traffic. It’d be nice to see the coffee shop and lunch space open again,” he said. “I’m hoping it remains functional and it doesn’t turn into a condo building.”
Several Newmarket residents commented about the state of the building in a popular Facebook post in August, garnering 236 comments. The post suggested demolishing the building, with others suggested other uses like a hotel, affordable housing space or even a new library building.
“What a waste of space,” one local wrote about the current condition of the building.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor also weighed in on social media to make clear the Tannery is not something the municipality has a direct say in.
“Do you believe the Town has or should have the ability/right to demolish privately owned structures?” he said.
Newmarket resident Andrew Mercer has known the mall for a long time and said it has been maintained well but is quiet compared to what it used to be.
Keswick resident Talon Hicks said his mother and aunts told him about how they used to work at a Baskin-Robbins outlet in the mall years ago.
“It’s kind of disappointing, in general,” he said. “We know what it used to be like and now it’s just turned into a train station … Only using it to get to Toronto and to get to other locations and it’s kind of sad to see.”
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