‘I just lost it:’ Flooding at Halifax mall causing financial pain for some stores

Generators were humming and restoration workers busy Monday morning at Halifax’s Scotia Square. The downtown mall was extensively damaged on Saturday after a reported water main break.

Jessica Bowden, who owns UbU4U, received a text early Saturday morning warning of the flooding at the clothing store. That’s when she knew there was trouble. It’s her third experience with a leak in the past year.

“We opened the gate and that’s when I just lost it,” she said, after she described finding water pooled down all over her merchandise. “What are you supposed to do? You see your products there, it’s now Black Friday — probably the biggest day getting ready for Christmas.”

Even if the rest of the mall re-opens soon, it won’t be easy for Bowden since some of her products are still drenched.

“Yes you have insurance but it costs you money for insurance,” she said. “I’m now the one footing the bill for the insurance, I’m footing the bill for the deductible. If God forbid I have to use it again, my bill is going to go up even higher.”

Much of the mall was closed Monday, and the Duke Street Tower entrance was shuttered.

John Abbass, who owns Econo Color, is appreciative that the photography studio being relocated elsewhere in the mall.

“Got a call around 5 o’clock in the morning. The store was being flooded. I came down and the ceilings were pretty well gone, there was so much water coming through the ceilings,” he said. “We covered everything in plastic but the store is pretty well … it’s toast.”

Meanwhile, the owner of Spice Nails & Spa estimates cancellations at the salon are costing her $1,500 to $2,500 of lost revenue daily.

“We want to open as soon as possible … we lost a lot of business,” said Kimthy Tran.

A spokesperson for the municipality says the construction on the Cogswell District project was not the cause of the water main break, but deferred other comment to Crombie Reit, which owns Scotia Square.

A spokesperson for the mall said there is no comment at this time.