A Saskatchewan business owner who sells locally made products says she was blindsided by a letter from Midtown Plaza terminating her lease. Janelle Anderson, owner of Handmade Saskatchewan, said she received notice at the end of March giving her 30 days to vacate. “They are stating that there is a permanent vendor or tenant who wants to come in and use our space,” Anderson told CTV News. For the past five years, Anderson said the store has been operating under a “specialty leasing” program at Midtown, which allows the mall to terminate the lease with 30 days’ notice. Anderson said she’s tried to secure a permanent lease, but was told her business model wasn’t sustainable. “I could never even get a rate out of them,” she said. She calls the decision unfair, noting the store was profitable and never missed rent. Shop Makers coming to Midtown Plaza CTV News asked Midtown Plaza who will take over the space and why the lease was terminated. “Midtown is unable to comment on the situation as we are not authorized to comment on behalf of our tenants or on the terms of our contracts,” a spokesperson said in an email. Shop Makers confirmed it plans to open at Midtown Plaza in late spring or early summer, and is also expanding to Regina’s Cornwall Centre. The retailer sells locally made products, with more than 15 stores across Canada. Owner Adam Sharanewych could not confirm what space his store would be moving into at Midtown. “We totally understand how upsetting it would be for any business to feel like they were kicked out of a mall, or didn’t have their lease renewed,” Sharanewych said. “These decisions are firmly in the hands of the mall.” He said Shop Makers is happy to co-exist with other handmade stores and does not use non-compete clauses in its Canadian leases. “We may seem like a bigger company, but at the end of the day, we’re a small business,” he said. Calgary store reports similar experience A Calgary-based artisanal store says it faced a similar situation to Handmade Saskatchewan. After about five years at the Core Shopping Centre, Marketspot owner Emma McCaul said she was also told to leave. “I was gutted,” McCaul told CTV News. She said it’s unusual not to be offered another space in the mall. “When we were asked to actually leave the mall, we know that that’s for another reason,” she said. Shop Makers confirmed it’s also opening in the Core. Marketspot and Handmade Saskatchewan operate on commission, while Shop Makers charges rent for shelf space — starting at $275 a month in Regina. McCaul said most Marketspot vendors can’t afford that model. “By us leaving the mall, there is nowhere for those artists to go,” she said. The Core and Midtown are both managed by real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.
