‘Bringing fun and energy back’: New leasing team aims to revitalize Saint John’s Brunswick Square

Brunswick Square in Saint John welcomed a new tenant earlier this week.

A new leasing team has been appointed to oversee Brunswick Square and they are wasting no time bringing tenants back to the uptown hub.

Dots Event Planning will be moving into the second floor of the centre by the summer. The space will offer arcade style games, a dedicated room for birthday parties, and ride on plush toys that have become popular at malls.

“We’re thrilled to be part of bringing fun and energy back to Brunswick Square,” says owner Tosin Ezekiel. “We hope to inspire others to join us in creating a space that welcomes families and children.”

The announcement of the new tenant comes just a few days after Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic, a commercial brokerage, put out a news release inviting business owners to be a part of revitalizing the space.

Last April, the Brunswick Square had an overall occupancy rate of 54 per cent – 55 per cent of office spaces were being used, while 52 per cent of retail spots were filled.

Brunswick Square was once the heartbeat of the uptown core, first opening its tower in 1976, followed by the retail portion of the property and parking garage over the next few years. However, a present-day stroll through the shopping areas reveals most of the storefronts to be empty.

That led to the Square going up for sale a year ago. Stephanine Turner, with Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic, says her team has a renewed commitment to the property and hopes to fill both the storefronts in the mall and the office spaces within Brunswick Tower.

“The landlord, Ravelin Properties, they have recently restructured,” says Turner. “So, they’re more internally managed, they’ve reduced their overhead and so they can pass those savings on to tenants so they will be a lot more aggressive in doing deals.”

Turner says her team has been in discussions with potential tenants for both the retail and office space.

“There’s so much opportunity,” says Turner. “The property is positioned perfectly in the pedway, it’s very convenient for people, people are walking through all the time so it’s a captive audience. We think that there’s an opportunity to bring some tenants back.”

The prospect of new tenants is also exciting for Saint John residents.

“I would like to see maybe a music shop where people can buy musical instruments, strings, that type of thing,” says Steve Hickey, who adds a store that sells frames for paintings would also be a welcome addition.

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon says the prospect of Brunswick Square “bouncing back” is exciting.

When Brunswick Square is full of life, Reardon says it benefits the entire uptown.

“With this anchor, then you get all of that overflow from that and people start to roam around through your uptown area,” says Reardon. “They visit other shops, they drop into your restaurants. This is huge for us and it’s in a prime location, so it’s really exciting news to hear that we’re going to have some new tenants in there.”

The mayor admits it has been difficult in recent years with the lack of activity inside, especially when cruise ships are in town and the first place they visit is the uptown malls.

“We’re open to all kinds of creative ideas,” says Turner. “Brunswick Square is ready for a new chapter, and we’re here to help make it happen.”

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