It's Not Kansas . . .

When the huge 'upscale' mall opened just down the road a couple of months ago it was packed to the rooftops with wallet-bulging shoppers. However, this week's below-freezing weather has seen the 'streets' remarkably short of shoppers. They've either spent all their loot or, more likely, the weather's keeping them at bay.

It'll be interesting to see how the open-street concept works when the really crap weather arrives . . . perhaps the American owners missed the bit about Canadian winters with snow and minus 30 wind chills. On the other hand, shoppers will do almost anything to snap up 'brand-name' bargains at half price - even if their husbands freeze to death on the trendy chairs outside.

We'll see . . .