A new furniture and decor store for Moncton, and it’s a first for New Brunswick.
Canadian-owned Urban Barn opened its new location on Friday in the Mapleton Centre on Wyse Street.
The store spans more than 6200 square feet and includes home decor for every room.
It also employs 11 people from across Greater Moncton, ranging from Managers to customer service staff.
Urban Barn is found in 55 locations across the country, but this is the only location in New Brunswick.
“The opening of our Moncton store signifies Urban Barn’s continued growth as a brand and a business,” says Sebastien Fauteux, Creative Director and General Merchandise Manager, Urban Barn.
“We’re very excited to be a part of a new community in Atlantic Canada and bring our beautiful, well-made furniture and décor to design enthusiasts in Moncton and New Brunswick as well as throughout the region. They’ll be able to shop beyond the screen, in person, all while being immersed in our inspirational store experience.”
The retailer has also chosen a local charity of choice. It is Crossroads for Women, which helps to provide shelter to women and children fleeing domestic violence in the Moncton area.
The company that helped Walmart enter the Canadian market has plans for a new retail development in Quispamsis.
SmartCentres is in the process of purchasing and developing land at 25 and 39 Millennium Drive, an area that includes a pair of gas stations, a grocery store and a retirement home.
There’s been no indication what kind of business or businesses would be coming to the site.
Acadia Broadcasting requested an interview with a representative of SmartCentres regarding the property.
The company responded with the following statement:
“SmartCentres national development program is underway with plans to build new shopping centres in communities across Canada, in response to demand from local residents for more value and convenience for their everyday shopping needs.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the Town of Quispamsis as we deepen our already considerable investment in the Atlantic provinces. More details will be shared in the near future.”
Planning advisory committee hears application
On Monday, Quispamsis’s planning advisory committee held a special meeting to hear an application for several variances needed to build on the site.
Greg Zwicker of Dartmouth-based architecture and planning firm zzap appeared before the PAC on behalf of SmartCentres.
The development needs a reduction in the number of parking places, the number of required loading bays and a front yard setback variance to build a 13,230-square-metre retail centre.
Zwicker said because of the size of the requested variance – from the required 15 metres down to three metres along the street line – there has been discussion of additional landscaping in an area where the store would be close to Millennium Drive.
“This was put forward to planning for consideration to see what we can do to reduce that impact along that section of streetscape,” he said.
Zwicker also noted concerns had been raised about traffic, so a consulting firm was brought in and found that trimming some trees and bushes would allow for proper sightlines.
Planning and development services manager Dwight Colbourne said in the case of the parking and loading bay requests, they were coming to the PAC simply because of the need for the variances.
“When we do a jurisdictional scan across various other municipalities, you’re getting differences in parking stall requirements from a 450 range up to a 600 range,” Colbourne said.
“What we found is these types of developments, when it comes to parking stalls, essentially what it means is that if the parking isn’t there, then obviously it impacts the business in terms of patrons that attend.”
Colbourne also detailed some environmental issues that would need to be addressed.
He said a water course runs through the property, and added the developer has been in contact with the Department of Environment about that.
According to Colbourne, there is also utility infrastructure that will need to be relocated.
Traffic is also an issue that would need to be addressed.
Colbourne said the ideal scenario would involve a solution that doesn’t introduce new traffic concerns or affect pedestrian movement.
“Just because of the volume of traffic that goes through there, our reports are coming back essentially saying that during peak times, you’re getting … about 14,000 vehicles through there, that lower section,” he said. “So that’s where our focus is right now moving forward.”
The committee voted to unanimously to approve the variances, subject to a number of conditions.
That includes an environmental review, infrastructure relocation and repair by the developer, and ensuring safe public access to the town’s satisfaction.
The new owners of Brunswick Square say they are ready to invest to revive its retail space.
Ravelin REIT — the former owner of Brunswick Square — was acquired by Halifax-based real estate firm Clarke Inc. two months ago.
Following the acquisition, Ravelin REIT Atlantic managing director Jeremy Kaupp said Clarke is ready to make “aggressive deals” to redevelop the space.
“We are willing to put a lot of money in terms of capital dollars to build out spaces; we are willing to provide very low rental rates to attract user groups who don’t necessarily need the capital injection,” he said.
Jeremy Kaupp is Ravelin REIT Atlantic managing director. PHOTO: JEREMY KAUPP/SUBMITTED.
In recent years, Brunswick Square has struggled to retain and attract tenants. Figures from early 2024 showed a vacancy rate of about 48 per cent in the shopping centre and 45 per cent in the office tower.
The building was also put up for sale in 2024 by Ravelin REIT, formerly known as Slate Office REIT, before the company underwent a strategic restructuring in 2025.
Following the firm’s restructuring, the company took the building off the market and brought in a leasing team from Cushman & Wakefield Atlantic to revitalize and reimagine the complex.
Built in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Brunswick Square accounts for most of the city block bounded by Union Street, King Street, Chipman Hill and Germain Street.
The building includes a three-storey shopping centre, a 250-room Delta hotel, a 19-storey office tower and a nine-storey parking garage with about 730 spaces.
In a previous article last year, Cushman & Wakefield associate vice-president Stephanie Turner told Acadia Broadcasting that the firm’s priority was to fill vacant spaces in the office tower, as well as the pedway and lower levels on the retail side.
At the time, Turner said there were no plans to focus on the third level of the mall, noting that most foot traffic is concentrated on the pedway and lower levels.
She also noted the firm was considering other potential uses for vacant mall space beyond retail, such as entertainment.
New owners prioritizing retail area, but say uptown grocer not possible
However, Kaupp said Clarke’s priority is to fill the retail space, with plans to focus on office tower vacancies later.
“Right now, we have 150,000 square feet of retail space that we need to focus on to help transform the property but also help with the transformation of uptown [Saint John] as well,” he said.
While Kaupp said there are no concrete plans at this time, he noted that revitalizing Brunswick Square will require a “transformative industry in the market.” With that in mind, the company is exploring a range of non-retail uses for the vacant spaces, building on concepts considered during previous redevelopment efforts.
Kaupp said possibilities include marketing and educational facilities, innovation hubs such as laboratories, research and medical facilities, and community-focused spaces like libraries and community centres.
When asked whether Clarke was considering a grocery store as an anchor tenant, Kaupp said the company has discussed the idea with several retailers, including Sobeys and Loblaw. However, he said many were reluctant to invest in a Brunswick Square location, citing a lack of residential density in uptown Saint John to support a grocery store.
“Until there is a critical mass of residential density in uptown, I think the uptown grocer is going to sort of hinge on that,” he said.
Kaupp said that because Clarke only recently acquired Ravelin, the company is still assessing the property, developing ideas and engaging with all levels of government, local real estate brokers and other stakeholders to identify potential opportunities through a series of brainstorming sessions.
He added that Clarke is open to hearing suggestions, including from residents. Kaupp said people are welcome to contact Brunswick Square through Ravelin’s website to share their ideas.
“We are in the business of owning real estate, developing and redeveloping real estate; we are not in the occupier’s space,” he said. “We need those occupiers to come forward, and we’ll bend over backwards to make it happen.”
A new committee focusing on downtown Fort Frances has been formed.
The Business Recruitment and Downtown Revitalization Committee is looking at ways to attract new businesses, support existing ones, and make the downtown more vibrant.
One of its first steps is gathering public comment through an online survey.
Angela Halvorsen-Smith of the Rainy River Future Development Corporation says that input will determine their next steps.
“I think it’s going to give us a really good idea of the types of businesses that we would then go out and try to recruit or try to entice to come to the area,” says Halvorsen-Smith.
“We’re going to summarize that in a way that whatever seems to come out as the most prominent, then maybe that’s where we’ll start as far as any kind of recruitment or marketing towards businesses of those types and then sort of go from there.”
Halvorsen-Smith says it will also give them some information to use on the development of potential incentives that could be developed to encourage investments in the downtown core.
“The town of Fort Frances is going through a community improvement plan exercise right now, and part of that community improvement plan may be to be able to give some incentives,” says Halvorsen-Smith.
“So that’s sort of what also is part of this, is coming up with what do we want to see as a committee? What do we want to bring to the town and say this is what we would like the town to be able to do?”
Halvorson-Smith notes that RRFDC already offers support to those interested in starting a business, including loan programs and help with business plans.
There have been previous studies done.
Halvorsen-Smith says they may look back at those to review the recommendations to see if they are still applicable today.
“You know, things that may have worked 20 years ago may not work now or vice versa. Maybe things that didn’t work or wouldn’t work 20 years ago would work now because things have changed.”
“Through COVID, people got very used to shopping online and being able to access things from outside of the area. So, if there are things that we can bring here to give that opportunity for people to shop locally, then obviously that would be our goal.”
The survey can be found on the Rainy River Future Development Corporation’s Facebook page.
