Quote:
Originally Posted by stringedbean
Can anyone speak to the long term commercial viability of Osborn? News of the Toad doesn't seem to bode well (are they paying exorbitant rent?), and a number of Osborn institutions have closed in the last few years. There's also the location on the corner of Osborn and Stradbroke that appears to be cursed.
If you're building SROs, who for, and what about the area is a selling point?
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Yes the Toad is paying ridiculous rent so they're making a smart business move to a building they own across the street. Osborne Village's main problem right now is a couple of landlords who get used to being able to charge whatever they wanted back when there was no competition from the Exchange or West Broadway. Residential development is chugging along on all the side streets so I don't know why we're always panicking.
Also I'm not sure exactly which "institutions" have been lost but whatever they were they've certainly been replaced by more appealing businesses already. The Zoo? Sure when I was 19 I liked to go party there and grab a 24 at the vendor on the way home. The village is more mature now and maybe now the same place we remember partying in our youth but I don't think it's declined in any way, frankly the Zoo was gross. Papa George's was also gross and the only thing good about it was that it was open after the bars closed, Cornerstone is much better. The Basil's site is not cursed except by the aforementioned landlord, Basil. Movie Village/Music Trader? Surely you guys aren't shocked that a CD and movie rental place is not viable in 2019....
Most of my favourite spots in the village now are new-ish places that didn't exist when I first moved to the area - Little Sister, Super Deluxe, Nuburger, etc...