Rideau Street has had its share of major development and redevelopment spanning over three decades. Prior to the typical appearance of shopping malls, the characteristic sign of modern suburbanization commonly seen as North American cities increase in size and population, Rideau Street west of King Edward was a popular shopping area of Ottawa. For many years, Rideau Street was one of Ottawa's primary retail thoroughfares, containing department stores such as Freimans, Ogilvy's, Woolworth, Caplan's and Metropolitan. Although the local department stores are gone, Rideau Street still features The Bay department store, the Rideau Centre shopping mall, and the street is adjacent to shops of the Byward Market.