By Michelle Bailey (@MichelleBailey1)

Signage is now up at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre for the new Marshalls and Home Sense stores. (MICHELLE BAILEY / CHRISD.CA)
Showing off shiny new washrooms complete with combo wash/dryer faucets may not sound like a big deal. However, for Kildonan Place customers, the loo area ranks high on the list of recent additions made at the 37-year-old-shopping mall.
“You’d be amazed at how excited people are, including our tenants, that another set of washrooms are a part of this expansion to the mall,” said Kildonan Place general manager Sandra Hagenaars. “We’ve only ever had one set of washrooms here, and having this is really significant,” she chuckled.
After Target left the Regent Avenue building roughly two years ago, the hunt was on to find tenants to make that space work and not have it sit empty. While it took a lot of time and hard work, Hagennars couldn’t help but smile knowing the opening of this new wing is mere sleeps away.
“I can now tell people, including other mall tenants who are all looking forward to this expansion, we are ready to open for business,” she said. “Everyone is excited and I can now stop having to answer questions from everyone, friends and family included, as to when they can start shopping at the new stores.”
On Thursday, crews were putting the final touches on what will become approximately 120,000 sq. ft. of retail space that includes Marshalls/HomeSense (opening May 16), H&M (opening May 18), Urban Planet & Urban Planet Kids (opening mid-June). CAA Manitoba, Skechers, Hakim Optical, Transat Travel and HUB Insurance will make their debut this summer.
A media/VIP tour of the new wing on Friday provided a sneak peek of the bright and expansive mall area that now house the new retail outlets along with what will become a comfortable, soft seating area for Kildonan Place patrons who need to take a load off.
While there is still some space to be leased in the new addition (approximately 1,200 sq. ft.), Hagenaars is confident they will find tenants soon.
The public is being invited to check out the new wing this Sunday, May 14. Those who are there for 11 a.m for the toilet paper ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the new washrooms can find out for themselves what all of the fuss is about. Promotions for Mother’s Day will also take place throughout the day.