Continuing the Portland Valley Shopping Pocket
I remember when Eisner Drive was was a long farm dirt road we used to drive down to buy our eggs. Things really changed in the late 80′s when SuperStore built it’s 2nd Metro store after Sackville and it was a monster the whole area was a superstore with department store goods and small little mall part that had a Cleve’s and Dunkin Donut (then Mr. Donut) in it and few other shops, eventually the SuperStore scaled back and the right side was taken over by Zellers. Once Zellers left for the abandoned Eatons space at Mic Mac. The space was converted over to a Nubody’s and now is a Good Life and Kara’s Day Spa. Superstore eventually took over the Mall Area and you have the store as it is today. on the little out crop strip mall there was a Consumers Distributing and a Target, the Target was a variety store like bi-way but complete with red and white symbol though not affliated with the US chain, it quickly failed and was replaced by a video store and vet. Beside the SuperStore there was Empire 6 to directly compete with Famous Players Penhorn 5 but when Empire took the Atlantic monopoly for movies both merged into Empire Dartmouth Crossing. The little Grey Building sitting by itself was built as a failed franchise of US’s Sizzler.
The Corner at the lights Portland St was a strip mall with Pizza Hut on one End and Midas on the other and Tim’s then opened up in the parking lot, and an Esso. In that plaza the once had Bulldog Fitness which was and awesome kids gym. With the SuperStore opening the by then Loblaws owned Capitol on Portland closed but I do miss that slanty store where you constantly could get shopping carts careening out of control. Beside that was a Honda and Mazda dealer and then Subaru but that land is currently being redeveloped.
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Area 1: SuperStore is the lions share with NSLC, GoodLife Fitness and Kara’s Day Spa, AccessNS was here for years but just recently relocated to Baker Dr. and a Winners that many people say is their favourite Winners. there is also a poor decision furniture rental store.
Area 2: Halifax Regional Library long housed in Woodlawn Mall, HRL took over this abandoned Empire Theatres and turned into a long overdue Library improvement for the area and had the insight to keep one of the theatres in tact for programs.
Area 3: The car dealers are gone but a franchise of Camp Bow Wow doggy daycare is there. Shoppers is building a giant store complete with American style drive thru prescriptions (I believe the first in HRM) and a CIBC.
Area 4: interesting little stripmall with predatory loan shop, tanning, eye clinic and UPS store. A Dartmouth favourite and allegedly the best Chinese in HRM HK Wong’s Palace roost here as does a branch of Cora’s and part of the Hamachi family Hamachi Grill is located here. There is also a branch of the Head Shoppe and Tim Hortons. When the Esso pulled out I suspected that land would stay dormant for years but Superstore opened a gas bar right there.
Area 5: This space seemed to materialize out of nowhere but now houses a Major Discount car repair, a Rubber Duck car wash and The Perfect Pour pub
Area 6: Is the massive MacPhee Chev, formerly Pontiac, which got bigger when GM discontinued the Pontiac brand and MacPhee merged it’s Forbes owned dealership into it , also in this spot is the long term Dartmouth staple of the Steak and Stein which I have never liked but many many disagree with me based on the parking lot full of LeSabre’s and Impalas and Minivans.
Source: http://halifax.retales.ca/pveisner/
