Longtime florists bid farewell to Polo Park
Broadway's owners, brothers Ernie and Costa Cholakis, bought Villa Flora and took over the River Heights store July 1.
They're not moving because they want to. Ernie Cholakis said they were informed by Cadillac Fairview, the mall's owner, they wouldn't be able to renew their lease at their current location because a new tenant was moving in. Instead, they were offered a considerably smaller space at the other end of the mall.
The proposed 600-square-foot space between People's Jewellers and Scotiabank would have been a far cry from its longtime home, which had 1,000 square feet in the mall plus double that amount in the basement.
"We had coolers down there for storage. That's where all the delivery work is done. We wouldn't have been able to service our customers the same way. We would have needed an off-site facility," Cholakis said.
He said he's disappointed with the way Broadway was treated, particularly since it has been a loyal tenant since his grandfather, Ernest, opened the store. "I'm not bitter, that would just be wasted energy. We're looking forward to our move. That's the way Cadillac Fairview does business. It was a take it or leave it deal," he said.