THUNDER BAY — The weekend before Christmas is always one of the busiest times of the year in Thunder Bay.
Thousands of residents rushed to the Intercity Shopping Centre to finish their last-minute holiday shopping on Saturday.
Val LeBoeuf was among the many shoppers at the mall, finishing up the last bit of shopping for her grandkids.
“I went to Showcase and I picked up some Huggy Wuggys and a basketball net. You buy three, you get three free, pretty good deal and I went to … Sportcheck to get those mystery sticks, but they’re always sold out. They’re such a big hit,” said LeBoeuf.
With many people resorting to online shopping to get gifts, LaBoeuf said seeing everybody at the mall on Saturday was amazing.
“I haven’t seen it like this in a long time and it’s so nice to see everybody back at the mall and shopping and supporting all of our business people,” said LaBoeuf.
'It's nice to see everybody shopping locally again' with the postal strike, she added.
Sterling Finlayson was also at the mall to do some Christmas shopping for his nephews and nieces. As a people person and extrovert, he agreed that he loved how busy the mall was this weekend.
“This time of season gets exciting. I know some people really feel depressed sometimes during Christmas and you know I try to avoid that because I know I think about family members that have gone on, but I try to stay stationary with the ones that are here so I enjoy the Intercity mall with all the people,” said Finlayson.
He said he usually visits the mall once a week for a coffee, but this time, his family will be in town and since they’re all coming to shop, he hoped to meet them in about half an hour.
However, shoppers were not the only ones with hopes this holiday season. Many local vendors were also showcasing their stalls at the mall this weekend.
Vik Wilen, also known as the artist behind Vik Wilen Art, was at the mall to set up and showcase her work and what she does. She said she has a little Goods & Co Market store that has been around for about three years and is just trying to reach the general public.
“My goal as an artist every holiday season is to try to reach as many people as I can with the art that I make and the product that I make. It’s inspired by Lake Superior and our regions, so my goal is just to spread that love and the beauty that we have here through art,” said Wilen.
She added she is getting a different type of clientele base at the mall.
“It’s not as busy as I think a lot of the storefronts because I’ve just set up in the hallway with a little booth, but overall, it’s been really successful and I am glad that I did it,” said Wilen.
Others, like Kenny Burrows and his parents, visited the mall not only to shop but also to take pictures with Santa Claus.
“Well, Christmas is approaching really quick and we needed to get our last-minute gifts,” said his mother, Lauren.
He said it was ‘very fun’ to get his picture with Santa Claus.
While he was initially unsure what to ask Santa, he said he wanted a ukulele.
Intercity Shopping Centre is open until 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day.
