You literally could shop till you drop at Tsawwassen Mills on Canoe Pass Way in Delta, BC. It's a shopper's paradise where the familiar and not so familiar stores, are filled with fashion, food and so much more. This was my first visit there.
The mall sprawls comfortably over 1.2 million square feet, all on one floor, atop what used to be some 1,000 acres of farmland owned by First Nation's Tsawwassen band.
The stores are varied with lots of window gazing opportunities. I found a pair of rain boots I'd been looking for. More than shopping, though, it was the atmosphere that attracted me and the Native/nature inspired art throughout.
There were several entrances ... not as overwhelming as you might think. Artwork at one entryway captured light so beautifully that shimmering shapes changed with every move and angle. My camera failed to convey the magic.
Artists Ken Zawislak and Jeremy Gascho designed the sculpture of two leaping salmon (above), symbolizing local Coast Salish traditions. The bronze assembly symbolizes woven baskets. The over 240
dichroic (meaning two-coloured) glass panels of fantastical reflections represent fish scales.
Inside, elements of wood and whimsy were around every corner and high above.
I saw only a small portion. I might not have appreciated all the shops had I wandered a bit more. There were environmental concerns about building the mall. Local wildlife, no doubt, would have preferred foraging for food at the original farmland/wetlands.
But the beauty of some features such as the seating (above) cannot be denied.
The flooring was magnificent in some places.
To top it off, rows of umbrellas were bouquets on the ceiling in honour of the West Coast climate. If the outside gets dreary this mall offers a great escape indoors.
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