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VIDEOS: North Island Mall continues to thrive with local events, shops opening up

The Diroms continue their hard work as the North Island Mall revitalizes.
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North Island Mall photo The North Island Mall continues to host a number of events, including last Saturday’s Christmas Craft Market.

The Diroms are hard at work again to revitalize the North Island Mall. Carol, Bruce and Dylan Dirom put on a Christmas Craft Market, also called a free market, at the North Island Mall, Nov. 10. The market, which boasted a turnout of 60 vendors, ran most of the day.

Carol Dirom noted that the family is committed to “small town values” and is open for business. They take a hands-on approach when working with a variety of clients, often going the extra mile in their services. When renting out Rendezvous Place, the Diroms also cater the events and workshops, Dirom mentioned.

The Dirom family has made continuous efforts to brand the North Island Mall as a hub for Port Hardy residents. They rent out office spaces to local businesses with 11 units in the mall. One of the bigger units, which spans over 5,000 square feet, is vacant when tenants promptly left after having renovated the space, which cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Many new shops are opening, including Bab’s Fruit and Veggie Truck (open Thursday and Friday of each week) and Stellar Jay Organics, which is planned to open after the owner’s application for operating a cannabis business is approved.

Another space, which is currently being used as Rendezvous Place, which is over 15,000 square feet, is also available since January 2018. Rendezvous Place is a short-term rental unit for professionals looking for boardrooms, meeting spaces or rooms to host workshops. The Diroms are always looking to rent out office space to any kind of client, noted Bruce and Carol.

In fact, Bruce noted that one of the spaces in Rendezvous Place is about to be rented out to Wuikinuxv First Nation. He stated that “it gives a clear indication where things could go with the other spaces we do have available in this facility. We do have other rooms that can be rented to people that are here in town.”

The North Island Mall is a family owned and managed facility. The family has worked in Port Hardy for over 25 years, operating Hardy Buoys Smoked Fish Inc., and are committed to their new project, the North Island Mall, which they started in 2016.

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THOMAS KERVIN PHOTO One vendor, out of 60, offers gluten-free products to the North Island. She eagerly set up shop at the North Island Mall during the market.