Dell Shopping Center

The Shopping Center

The Dell Shopping Centre still exists today, but did you know there used to be a Dell Hotel? And that the original Dell Shopping Centre opened in 1960?

Dell Hotel in Whally in 1960s — Dell Hotel in Whalley, [196-]. W. W. Hastings Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, WH.1350. The outside of the Dell Hotel, ca. 1960s.

1955: The Opening of the Dell Hotel

Whalley always had many motels in the area, but the Dell Hotel was Whalley’s first ultra modern hotel. The hotel officially opened for business in the summer of 1955.1 It had a banquet hall that could be used for celebrations and various events, and a coffee shop that was open for twenty-four hours a day.1 Fun fact: Chuck Millman, a star defenceman with the Vancouver Canucks in the 1940s, ran the banquet and café in the hotel.2

[Dell Hotel], 1971-[198-]. City of Surrey Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, SACR2002.001.749. The Dell Hotel in Whalley. It was known as the Dell Motor Hotel in the 1970s.

Did you know that the first Pizza Hut was in Surrey? A realtor named Jack Johnson brought Pizza Hut to Canada, and the first ever Pizza Hut location was at Surrey Place mall.

The wells in Surrey Place allowed consumers to observe activity in the mall as well as provide spaciousness to the lower level. Inside Surrey Place Lotto Kiosk, 16 Mar. 2000. Cathy Jennings photo, Surrey 2000: Captured Time Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, CT.041.02.

A contestant from the Miss Surrey Contest. — Miss Surrey Contest, 6 July 1963. Surrey Leader Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, SA1992.036.299. A contestant from the Miss Surrey Contest that was held at the Dell Hotel, 1963

1973: The Opening of the Dell Cabaret

In 1973, the Dell Cabaret opened at the hotel. It was a dine and dance hall in the hotel that offered live music, and the first band to play there was the Sparkling Apple. Even if people were not staying at the hotel as guests, many people would go to visit the dine and dance hall.

80s & 90s: The Dell Hotel’s Wild Days

The cabaret became a second home to many, as locals would frequently visit with their friends. It was especially popular in the 80s and 90s with groups of people always getting together to grab a few drinks. The Dell was known to have a bit of a rowdy crowd at times, and patrons were even featured in some episodes of To Serve and Protect, a Canadian reality crime television show.

[Dell Shopping Centre sign], [Between 1960 and 1969]. City of Surrey Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, 2014.0049.426. View of Dell Shopping Centre parking lot, ca. 1960s

1960: The Opening of the Dell Shopping Centre

Eventually, a shopping centre opened near the Dell Hotel in 1960. Located at what was once the Trans-Canada Highway and is now King George Boulevard, Dell Shopping Centre was the first one-stop shopping centre in Whalley.3 It was a huge strip mall that covered 7 acres of land and included big name stores such as Zellers, Cunningham Drugs and Woolworths. It was a popular spot for people in the community to visit on a daily basis, so much so that traffic became an issue in the surrounding area.4

Dell Shopping Centre, 1962. City of Surrey Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, SACR2002.001.575. The outside of Dell Shopping Centre. You can see the Zellers, Super Value, and part of Cunningham Drugs, 1962.

The opening of the shopping centre was a big and exciting event. There were prizes and balloons being given out at the grand opening, with the top prize being a brand-new Austin 850. People that lived in Whalley viewed the opening of the Dell as a pivotal moment for the community. It was a place that changed shopping from being purely transactional, to becoming a fun and social event.

Dell Days at Dell shopping Mall, 13 June 1963. Surrey Leader Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, SA1992.036.1480. Advertising shot for Dell Days, taken at Reitmans. Dell Days was a four-day stretch of sales at the Dell Shopping Centre, 1963.

Many locals have very fond memories of the shopping centre. In the 60s around the holidays, the community would come together to welcome Santa Claus who would visit the Dell via helicopter.

Helicopter Santa Arriving at the Dell Shopping Mall. — Helicopter Santa Arriving at the Dell Shopping Mall, 17 Dec. 1964. Surrey Leader Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Surrey Archives, SA1992.036.3144. Santa Claus emerging from a helicopter to meet a large crowd at Dell Shopping Centre, 1964

Current Day

Currently, the Dell Shopping Centre still exists in the same area, but is now more of a retail park than a strip mall. Some of the retailers it includes are Lucky’s Supermarket, Dollarama, Planet Fitness and Pet Solutions supermarket.

Foot Notes.

¹ ‘Whalley’s first hotel opens on Friday’, The Vancouver Province, 1955, pp. 14

² Jane K. Watts ’Mostly forgotten – ice exploits of times past’, Opposite the City, 2014, https://oppositethecity.wordpress.com/page/45/, (accessed 26 July 2021).

³ Surrey Leader, January 21, 1971, para 1 and 2.

‘New shopping centre readies for opening’, Columbian, 1960.

‘Dell Shopping Center — getting to be a habit’, Columbian, 1961.

‘New shopping centre readies for opening’, Columbian, 1960.

’Dell Shopping Centre Changes Business Aspects of Whalley’, The Surrey Leader, 1960, para. 1.