SUMMERSIDE — With Holland College moving into the Waterfront Mall, some retailers in the shopping centre are waiting to hear if they'll have to move out.
Several store owners had already made the decision to leave by the time the sale of the once-thriving mall to the Charlottetown-based college was confirmed Friday.
Others, like Mike Scanlan, are hoping to stay if Holland College allows for some retail space.
"I would like to see if I could get a retail space here," said Scanlan, who owns The Market.
"We all knew the college was going to be coming in here... and it's a good thing for Summerside. I'm not sad about it, it doesn't bother me."
Scanlan, who's been a tenant at the Waterfront Mall for over seven months, said he'd pack up his shop and move to another location in the city if there's no space for him.
College officials confirmed months of speculation Friday with an announcement of a $9.4-million renovation of the mall.
Aside from what some store owners called the "big three" retailers - the liquor store, Price Chopper and Home Furniture - there will be limited space for retail after the new campus is created.
Wild Impulse recently closed its doors in anticipation of the announcement, while Lou Lou's clothing store held its last sale on Saturday.
Other owners like Scanlan, Abegweit Books and photographer Oliver Childs will have to wait to find out if they fit into the college's plans.
Childs said he uses his space as a workshop more than a storefront, and would simply move to his home basement if he couldn't stay in the mall.
Meanwhile, Corey Arsenault is actually expanding his operation at the mall. The owner of Stretch Fitness Studio has been a tenant for just over three months and has a lease agreement until September.
He is taking over the Lou Lou's space next door to add over 2,000 square feet to the 24-hour gym.
But he does have a backup plan if Holland College decides they don't want Stretch Fitness in the building.
"If we can't stay, we have other space we've already scouted out (in Summerside)," said Arsenault. "The bottom line is we do want to stay in our current facility; if it doesn't work out that we can, we're all ready to move.
"They did say some retail would be staying, and we believe we'd be a good match. Other people were more shy to stay around, so they left earlier and found other space. We did the best we could with not knowing what was going to happen."
