Station Mall owners in the Sault quiet about their future plans

The owners of Station Mall in Sault Ste. Marie are keeping tight-lipped about their plans for the former Sears store.

Construction crews have been working inside the space, which has been vacant since 2017. And now the parking lot in front of the structure is blocked off and a message posted on the Station Mall Facebook page said "something exciting" was happening on the site.

Beyond that, mall owners Cushman & Wakefield have shared no details about their plans. However, the Station Mall Merchants Association is optimistic about the long-term viability of the mall.

"Yes, they are developing it (and) we are going to see some new stores coming into play," said association president Melissa Whalen.

"It's really a fun and exciting time for Station Mall and I'm very proud to be a merchant in the mall right now."

Savoy's Jewellers has been a tenant of the mall for more than 40 years. Co-owner Nicholas Rosset said he's also optimistic about the future.

"We consider it a partnership, our business with the mall owners, and we're willing to invest and push our business forward, just like they're doing," Rosset said.

"It's reciprocal and we appreciate that. So, when we see big things happening, that keeps us moving forward, as well."

Rosset said the mall has seen its ups and downs over the years, but he's encouraged by the number of customers the mall is seeing and by the recent upgrades and renovations by mall management.

"We've got a new floor recently, new food court and now there's renovations going on in one of the previous big box locations," said Rosset.

"So we're excited to see what they come up with keep things moving forward."

Meantime, Whalen said this is a banner year for Station Mall.

"We're actually turning 50 this year, so we are going to be having some celebrations for our 50th anniversary," she said.

"With that is going to be coming some new development, new stores are going to be joining us, and opening up, hopefully, in the fall."

The Merchants Association is of the impression that the former Sears property will be divided up among several retailers and they say an announcement about the site could be coming within the next couple of weeks.

Mall management turned down a request for comment.