For the community, this was front page news on May 5, 1976 in the Comox District Free Press newspaper:
“The ribbon has been cut and the doors are officially open at the new shoppers’ mall in Courtenay.
The grand opening of Driftwood Mall took place at nine this morning when Courtenay mayor Bill Moore cut the ribbon for the $5.5 million centre and let the first customers in.
The mall has 23 businesses either already in residence or in the nearly completed stage. According to Harold Dixon of Nanaimo Realty there is still approximately 50,000 square feet of store space that has not been rented.
The mall opening has been plagued by bad weather and delays in construction. The original opening date had been set for April 28. Even now, some of the businesses will not be opening for as long as a month.
A sneak preview of the mall was given to some invited guests yesterday with a free showing of the building and its businesses.
The businesses that will be setting up shop in Driftwood Mall are: Jean Burns Ltd., Copp and Shoe Man, Reitman’s Ladies Wear, Kings Pianos and Organs, Nanaimo Realty, International Delicatessen, Smoke Shop, Covalle Carpets, Beejays Boutique, His and Hers Jewelry, Black Forest Boutique, Courtenay Florist, ABC Family Restaurant, Telemark Ski Shop, Tamblyn Drugs, New World of Awards, Hairport by New Look, Kellers Jewelry, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Palm Dairy Ice-Cream Bar, Zellers and Overwaitea.”
With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.
