Winnipeg | Osborne Village & Corydon area

[Wpg_Guy]

Third store for local entrepreneur
Village the only place for Coy’s businesses
By: Danielle Da Silva Posted: 08/7/2019 3:50 PM

It’s no small feat to consecutively operate three retail storefronts in Osborne Village, but a determined Judy Coy has done just that with the opening of her latest business venture.

Coy is the owner of the popular jewelry and accessories shop Silver Lotus and neighbouring Rooster Shoes. In July, she added another member to her growing retail family on Osborne Street — Small Mercies.

"We thought, what does the Village need, and what can we add to the Village to bring more people here," Coy said, sitting at a cafe table in the courtyard adjacent to Small Mercies (111 Osborne St.).

"The way we survive is on community and it’s the people who live in the Village who really support us."

The new shop is not a traditional retail space, Coy explained. In the front, artisan goods and hand crafts hang from the walls of the open sales floor. Hammered brass wind chimes, woven baskets, handmade pottery and art are on offer alongside jewelry cases and antique, vintage decor.

Through a set of wide doors, the shop opens into a rustic cafe adjacent to the airy private courtyard, where people can spend some time with a cup of coffee or tea. And farther into the store, plants and fresh-cut flowers are for sale next to homemade soaps and linens.

Small Mercies will also be home to pop-up shops, meditation and yoga sessions, live music and spoken word poetry, and non-profit, animal welfare outreach events, Coy said.

"We thought what can we add to the mix that’s not treading on anyone else’s toes, nor our own? How can we have growth without repeating ourselves?" Coy said.

Across the three spaces, Coy estimates her shops occupy about 4,500-square-feet — a presence she’s been building slowly over the years. For over three decades, Coy has chosen Osborne Village as the home for her businesses: the first was Gilded Lily’s (where Urban Waves now resides) which closed and made way for Silver Lotus (now at 103 Osborne St.), then Rooster Shoes (which operated on River Avenue and moved to Osborne Street in 2014), and now the latest sister store, Small Mercies.

Over the years, her three daughters have also become involved with the businesses, working in the shops, providing digital marketing and online retail support, and in the case of Small Mercies, taking on the role of operator. Coy’s youngest daughter Arden will be handling the day-to-day operations of Small Mercies and steering the ongoing use and development of the space.

Even with some of the challenges associated with retail in the neighbourhood — high turnover, long term vacancies, and parking — Coy said she will always choose the Village as the home base for her livelihood.

"I don’t want to be anywhere else and I don’t want to move the stores anywhere else. I think the charm of it is the feeling of discovery."

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ou...526114041.html

[buzzg]

Wow, that's great. I've never been in that courtyard before – looks awesome!

[pspeid]

I love her comment "I think the charm is the feeling of discovery". A form of that should be used by Winnipeg Tourism agencies.

That courtyard space is very eye catching. I could see this area being used as locations for film and TV at some pint.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by pspeid

I love her comment "I think the charm is the feeling of discovery". A form of that should be used by Winnipeg Tourism agencies.

That courtyard space is very eye catching. I could see this area being used as locations for film and TV at some pint.

Yeah that courtyard looks totally foreign, almost something you'd see in the tight streets of Rome or something.

[Andy6]

This really takes one back to the flower-power beginnings of Osborne Village 50 years ago. Very nice!

[buzzg]

City/BIZ really need to figure out a way to get more greenery/decoration on that narrow stretch - it often feels quite barren, especially in spring or after rain, the sidewalk is so small the buildings are just so filthy and dusty from the road. I was disappointed with the new sidewalk lighting, a huge missed opportunity to do something really unique to Osborne, maybe incorporating suspended greenery, rope lighting between poles, etc.

The South Osborne streescaping is in dire need of repair/replacement. Would love to move these new globe lights south and do something colourful on the strip. Something that ties in the LED light boxes that haven’t been on all year...

[wardlow]

Very cool! That little courtyard is such a charming space - glad to see it getting the treatment it is.

"I think the charm is the feeling of discovery" is brilliant. That's certainly part of the experience of walking around the various corners of the Osborne, Exchange, Point Douglas, etc. for the first time.

I wasn't around for the '60s, Andy6, so I'll have to take your word for it. Though I know from looking at newspaper archives (and my church's parish history book, of all places) that the Osborne St. area was where the first counterculture-oriented shops opened up as early as 1967, and the neighbourhood was a magnet for hippie types.

[Authentic_City]

I think some of the holdout property owners in the village that we like to grumble about were some of the original counterculture types who moved in back in the 60s.

I like chatting with the woman who runs Vintage in the Village. She goes back to that time period, and she can tell you all about the history of the village.

[buzzg]

Changing gears, I really hope Great-West Life keeps its big neon sign on Osborne, or at most just changes it to say Canadá Life in the exact same style. I love the sign, it’s iconic to me... so perfectly 60s. With the ongoing exterior restoration, I’d imagine they will be switching out signage to Canada Life pretty soon.

[buzzg]

Anyone know if any of the Evergreen Pl buildings are able to support more towers on their lots? Parents moved into 1 Evergreen and love it, but wow walking through that sea of parking and weird level changes to get there is depressing, and a huge waste of space. Pretty much that entire area has parking below.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Anyone know if any of the Evergreen Pl buildings are able to support more towers on their lots? Parents moved into 1 Evergreen and love it, but wow walking through that sea of parking and weird level changes to get there is depressing, and a huge waste of space. Pretty much that entire area has parking below.

The architecure foundation says its old name was "Hycroft Tower #1". I think it sounds plausible there was meant to be a second tower? Winnipeg certainly doesn't lack for completed phase 1s and missing phase 2s

[morty]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

The architecure foundation says its old name was "Hycroft Tower #1". I think it sounds plausible there was meant to be a second tower? Winnipeg certainly doesn't lack for completed phase 1s and missing phase 2s

Interestingly, I can't find any mentions of that name in the Free Press Newspaper Archive. What does the WAF usually use as their sources?

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

The architecure foundation says its old name was "Hycroft Tower #1". I think it sounds plausible there was meant to be a second tower? Winnipeg certainly doesn't lack for completed phase 1s and missing phase 2s

Could 7 and 11 Evergreen be phase 2 and 3?

It does seem odd to go from 1 to 7, then only to 11. Maybe there was to be a 3 or 5 at some point. Also weird that they're all odd numbers when the access points are on different sides of the street.

[headhorse]

^ it seems like the stretch along Osborne would be a good spot for a hotel

[Wolf13]

It would be.

[buzzg]

The lease signs are down again from the old Mini Mart on Corydon and Hugo

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The lease signs are down again from the old Mini Mart on Corydon and Hugo

Saw that -- looks like new windows on that building, too?

Also, the storefront next to Tea Story at confusion corner no longer has its for-lease sign... wonder what's going in.

Drove by and saw some construction at the Tablespace (wework type space) on Osborne where Oxfords Salon was.

[cllew]

Plans for the old Osborne Village Inn site are posted as part of a variance/conditional use hearing at the Sept 17 City Center Community Committee.
http://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/View...onId=&InitUrl=

See 6pm hearings #2 thru 8

[EndoftheBeginning]

Not much for fancy renderings in the documents; here is the Osborne facing elevation for 160 Osborne.

[bomberjet]

So they are tearing down and rebuilding now?