Zedi the bear. Meal at Skillet. These are just a few of the central memories the Canadian has of shopping at his Zellers, once an iconic Canadian retailer.
The Hudson's Bay Company, which owns the Zellers brand, announced on Wednesday plans to revive the department store at some of his current HBC stores and online.
The announcement has sparked excitement among past customers eager to relive the nostalgia of browsing the Zellers aisles again. The Canadian wrote to her CTVNews.ca about Zeller's fondest memories of his store and what he's most looking forward to coming back.
For many, the Zellers played a major role in their childhood education. Some recalled dining at the in-store restaurant, a quintessential part of the Zellers shopping experience. Later renamed Zeller's Family Restaurant, The Skillet was a 1950s-themed diner that offered shoppers a place to eat at several locations.
Dongo from Halifax, New South Wales. I remember browsing through the clothing aisles as a kid after eating at a 50's themed diner.
"I vividly remember sitting in a large section of a shopping cart when my mother showed me around the store when I was little. From the food to the drivers around the store, Zellers was It was the place of my childhood,” Ngo wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. is talking about neon lights playing.
"In all chrome and neon lights. The trademark 50's theme always awed my eyes and the atmosphere was always completed with the right music of the era."
Some shoppers said the department store also had clothing from various Canadian designer brands, such as Alfred Sun.
} "I miss the Zellers stores. It was a Canadian company for Canadians. It's great to see them back," wrote Alexandra Bickerton of Hamilton, Ontario.
Zeller's mascot, "Zeddy the Teddy Bear," was the familiar face most kids who grew up in the '80s and '90s remember from the toy counter. Some stores even had a small mechanical Ferris wheel for children to ride.
"When I was younger, I used to go to Zeller's with my mom and was excited to ride the Zeddy Mini Ferris Wheel when we got there," said a member of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Whitney Echam said.
Former employees also shared their excitement about the return of department stores.
"It was a great place to work with loyal customers. Good prices and plenty of inventory. I really enjoyed my time at Zellers," said a former cashier. Colleen Williams of Mississauga, Ontario writes:
Former restaurant manager his manager called working at his in-store diner one of his "highlights" in life.
In 2013, most of her Zellers stores across Canada closed, and only a few remained open as liquidation stores until 2020. Department stores in Ontario and Quebec.