Construction is underway to increase Dollarama’s retail space by about 1,500 square feet at the Huronia Mall and create a sole front entrance that leads to the parking lot.

The move to seal up the mall entrance to the store is not sitting well with merchants but it’s just a matter of “going with the flow,” says Dollarama regional manager Bryon MacDonald.

“Basically, we’re taking our stock room and making that sales floor and it’s going to make a longer store,” he explained to Simcoe.com.

“To have a check out on the mall (side), the flow wouldn’t have been right for our counters and to run two openings is just not viable.”

MacDonald added having more than one store entrance increases the chance of theft.

“It’s not the perfect situation and any retailer will tell you, you avoid it at all costs, if you can.”

Other merchants in the mall, which is owned by Effort Trust, are upset the mall entrance to the store will be sealed off, noting the change will affect not only their businesses but warned the viability of the mall, itself, could be in jeopardy.

 “We don’t begrudge them expanding but let’s keep this a mall not a plaza,” said Nancy Vincent of Stewart Vincent Photography.

In a letter to Effort Trust, signed by a majority of the merchants in the mall, they state: “Our clients have voiced strong objections to this change and have indicated that they would find no purpose in visiting other retail spaces within the mall, if this were to take place. The decision to close off the entrance within the mall will be the beginning of a slow death to the retailers that are leasing space here.”

The letter points out that Giant Tiger had also faced the same decision a number of years ago but opted for a double entrance to allow longer hours than the mall and still cater to the needs of customers who want to access all of the stores from inside the mall.

Currently, only Bulk Barn – a store that cannot open into the mall because it sits on the other side of Giant Tiger – has a single entrance on the outside of the building. Stores such as Rogers Video, the Town Grill restaurant and Mac’s convenience store have two entrances.

MacDonald says he has not heard any concerns about the change and predicts it won’t be as bad as the retailers think.

“It’s not like we’re leaving the mall. We’re going to still be there and I think their traffic is not going to drop off as much as they think it’s going to,” he said. “The people are going to have to park in the parking lot, anyway. They’re going to come in to go to the Giant Tiger … it’s not like we’re separating from the mall or going to a different parking lot. They still have to get out of their cars. When they go into our entrance, what’s the mall entrance, another 20 feet?”

Ultimately, it’s the walk-by traffic that will be decreased, affecting the business of other stores, merchants claim. Although Patricia MacMillan of Patricia’s women’s clothing store doesn’t expect the change to affect her business, she says she is not in favour of the move and acknowledges that it may prevent her from meeting new customers.

A petition that started circulating within the mall on Monday afternoon had already garnered dozens of signatures from customers by Tuesday afternoon.

Dollarama took over the former Biway location at the mall when the chain went bankrupt about four years ago.