Nhi B.
Yelp
It's really difficult to review a mall, since it's a building with various businesses that I may or may not have been to; but I liked Jackson Square.
Yes, there are homeless people just sitting there and, yes, they may ask you for money; but I didn't really have a problem with them. Mostly, they just sat and stared at me while I felt guilty for walking out with shopping bags. However, if you want to avoid them, go in through the library.
I just love how convenient it is.
Here's a list of some things you can find in the mall (or connected to it):
- The Hamilton Public Library: super modern and updated
- Nations Supermarket: your one-stop shop for grocery items and cool Asian foodstuffs
- The Hamilton Farmers' Market: open year-round on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays
- LCBO: a liquor and wine store
- a movie theater
- a pharmacy/drug store
- various banks and ATMs
- a gym
- a surprisingly diverse food court consisting of more than just a Taco Bell and a generic Chinese takeout place
- pretty decent shopping with fair prices
- cool specialty boutiques
- lots of restaurants and coffee shops
- a dollar store for snacks and small essentials
During my ten-day stay in Hamilton, I gotta say that 10% of my trip was spent at this mall. I actually liked it more than Lime Ridge. And to anyone saying that it's a dead mall -- I beg to differ -- come to Lake Wales, FL and see what a real dead mall looks like (I'm looking at you, Eagle Ridge Mall). Jackson Square is definitely on the rise and they're renovating; many places look very new, but there are wings that look like they hailed from another era. The upper levels seems to be occupied by various companies and schools.
My only tiff is that the layout is very weird. It took me a couple visits to really know where I was going, but I wish they'd planned it better. I guess they just kept expanding and building as time went on.
Overall, worth a visit and very convenient.
Pro-Tip: This is probably very "American" of me, but there's no free sampling allowed in the food court (they stared at my cousins and me like crazy when we asked to try the Sweet Chicken at the Chinese place in the food court). However, there are free refills for certain places, so there's that.