From meeting Darth Vader to eating at the food court, Waterloo region shoppers remember Hudson's Bay

John Dalusong · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

With Hudson's Bay approaching its past fewer months, shoppers successful Waterloo region reminisced astir fond memories of the store, from gathering Darth Vader to eating astatine the store's Arcadian Court.

Earlier this month, Canada's oldest retailer, Hudson's Bay Co., filed for creditor extortion and said it intends to restructure the business. All but six stores volition beryllium liquidated.

All 3 stores successful Waterloo region — those located astatine Cambridge Centre, Kitchener's Fairview Park Mall and Waterloo's Conestoga Mall — volition close.

Ian McDonald, a shopper astatine the Kitchener store, said going to The Bay arsenic a kid was "kind of an event" and it's bittersweet to spot a Canadian "icon" close.

"I'm hopeful they tin unrecorded on," helium said. "We've got a batch of the HBC stripe worldly astir the house."

Jon Kutt and his woman were buying astir Waterloo's store, looking astatine location decor items, this week. Kutt says he thinks the Bay's closing is bittersweet considering however overmuch of his puerility helium spent there.

"My ma utilized to enactment astatine the Bay mode backmost successful the 1970s and 80s," helium said. "I saw Darth Vader astatine the Bay successful the 70s close aft Star Wars came out. David Prowse was astatine the Fairview Bay." 

Kutt besides remembered eating astatine the Arcadian Court.

"I'd bent retired and hold for my ma to decorativeness work. I'd bargain each my toys and get my apparel there," Kutt said.

"It's a storied franchise," Kutt added. "But it's not what it utilized to beryllium erstwhile it got sold."

Kaitlyn Roberts was besides successful the Waterloo store looking for a woody connected apparel and said while losing the Bay is sad, she understands wherefore it is happening.

"They person specified a ample ceramic and mortar footprint, which is ace costly to maintain," she said. "I deliberation they really fell down from a idiosyncratic acquisition standpoint with their online beingness and their website and their mobile app."

Deal? No deal

Barbara Morrison who was astatine the Kitchener store said she seldom shopped astatine the Bay successful caller years due to the fact that of its steep prices. 

"In the past mates of years, the stores person been unkept, astir messy. It didn't consciousness similar it was precise good organized to me," she said.

What's adjacent for the Bay

On Wednesday, Hudson's Bay asked an Ontario tribunal to o.k. a restructuring statement that volition springiness the company a fewer much days to prevention the six stores that are not among those to beryllium liquidated.

The statement volition springiness the institution other clip to find a woody that would assistance them wage elder secured lenders. Otherwise, the institution volition person to liquidate the last six stores.

Ashley Taylor, a lawyer for Hudson's Bay, told CBC News the agreement, portion not perfect for the company, is the champion statement it could find.

The Bay's liquidation income volition wrapper up by June 15. The Bay is expected to vacate their locations by June 30.