Winnipeg | 300 Main St.- Phase II / 360 Main St. | ~142M | 465 Ft | 42F | U/C

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Did you visit Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens?

I guess that's the problem with using anecdotal evidence to develop opinions, I never did end up in that part of Toronto. I didn't really go that far north in my limited time there.

Though if that is one of just a couple of large grocers in all of downtown that would still be no greater distance than Fort Garry Place to the Safeway on River.

[dmacc]

Next page;

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by dmacc

I guess that's the problem with using anecdotal evidence to develop opinions, I never did end up in that part of Toronto. I didn't really go that far north in my limited time there.

Though if that is one of just a couple of large grocers in all of downtown that would still be no greater distance than Fort Garry Place to the Safeway on River.

Except you can easily get there by subway there are also lots of grocery stores connected into the underground PATH which makes a huge difference in winter, rain or blistering hot days.

-----------------------------------

Cam stills:

[BuildUpWpg]

Excitement at Winnipeg Square today (or maybe it was just me that got excited). The hoarding has been removed to reveal the new escalators, the new skylight area, and some of the main level of 330.

[bomberjet]

Oooooh, ahhhhhh. Those windows are pretty small as we noticed before.

I'm trying to orient myself. Seems the escalators go perpendicular to the mall corridor?

[robertocarlos]

I was there on Sunday around 2 pm and it's much brighter inside when the sun is shining than it is in these photos.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by dmacc

a couple years ago when I visited Toronto, I didn't notice any big name grocers. There were more boutique grocers. There was definitely nothing along the lines of a big box grocer in the heart of downtown Toronto like people here seem to suggest is require for a thriving downtown.

I have no idea what you saw cause there are several..Let us begin with...Loblaws @ former Maple Gardens is enormous, in the very heart of their downtown....Not to mention 3 No frills, 3 downtown Metro stores, 3 Sobeys Urban Fresh... smaller fresh stores and hundreds of smaller grocers that have nice produce...decent bakery products..

[robertocarlos]

No grocery store seems to be the right decision. Parking is the problem, it's not free. If you work downtown you just want to go home at the end of the day and do your shopping closer to home so the ice cream doesn't melt waiting for that guy in a wheelchair to cross Portage and Main.

The Family Foods on Donald makes money even with the theft problem. Most of the customers arrive on foot and those that came by car park in the loading zone and are gone in 10-20 minutes. Or there is a metered spot right out front.

If I wanted to live well downtown I'd move into TNS and never shop for food again. It's a much better option than 300 Main. You just need money.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

I have no idea what you saw cause there are several..Let us begin with...Loblaws @ former Maple Gardens is enormous, in the very heart of their downtown....Not to mention 3 No frills, 3 downtown Metro stores, 3 Sobeys Urban Fresh... smaller fresh stores and hundreds of smaller grocers that have nice produce...decent bakery products..

The Loblaws is a bit of an exception in terms of size (there is the other huge one at Harbourfront as well). It depends on how big you want to make "downtown" but most of the grocery stores are between small to about the size of an IGA or something.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Andy6

The Loblaws is a bit of an exception in terms of size (there is the other huge one at Harbourfront as well). It depends on how big you want to make "downtown" but most of the grocery stores are between small to about the size of an IGA or something.

Yeah, what people forget is that urban living typically means making do without the suburban massive big box supermarkets. Sure Paris has a grocer on nearly every corner, but those grocers are typically between the size of a 7-Eleven and Giant Tiger's grocery section... you aren't getting a Real Canadian Superstore located downtown.

As has been pointed out many times on this forum, there is no shortage of places downtown to buy groceries (Family Foods, Giant Tiger, small independents), as well as places that are not technically downtown but are so close that they might as well be like the various Safeways and No Frills surrounding downtown. That isn't even getting into the increasingly popular delivery services. It just isn't a real issue.

[BuildUpWpg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Oooooh, ahhhhhh. Those windows are pretty small as we noticed before.

I'm trying to orient myself. Seems the escalators go perpendicular to the mall corridor?

Correct...I was surprised by the way they were oriented too.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by armorand93

It still sucks, how the anchor store in the new construction, is just some random gym... maybe in the future, some grocery retail would be nice?

Unless the Exchange has landed a grocery store, since i left Winnipeg two years ago?

I wouldn't call GoodLife random, they're probably Canada's most prominent gym. While unfortunately no grocer, that's a huge asset to a mixed use development by which I mean not just the apartments but the office tower, and all neighbouring towers.

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Downtown grocers have been courted for all the recent major developments and none of them bit. Must be a reason.

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

If Selkirk, Winkler, Portage La Prairie and Steinbach can support a grocery store, i don't see why downtown Winnipeg could not.

Not to whine, but does nobody listen to me on this board???

For over a year, I've said: Grocery has fallen flat across the country. A very select few of brands have stayed strong (ie loblaw's and save-on) where others have close up a bunch of stores or rebranded existing. The strong brands are taking over existing, vacated locations, if any at all.

Nobody was coming to downtown Wpg when grocery was hot. Now it's cold, so that should paint the picture. Apparently they got real close though.

These other stores are only appropriate comparisons if 300/330 was launching atthe same time as them, which is definitely not the case.

Originally Posted by robertocarlos

No grocery store seems to be the right decision. Parking is the problem, it's not free. If you work downtown you just want to go home at the end of the day and do your shopping closer to home so the ice cream doesn't melt waiting for that guy in a wheelchair to cross Portage and Main.

The Family Foods on Donald makes money even with the theft problem. Most of the customers arrive on foot and those that came by car park in the loading zone and are gone in 10-20 minutes. Or there is a metered spot right out front.

If I wanted to live well downtown I'd move into TNS and never shop for food again. It's a much better option than 300 Main. You just need money.

I'm not sure I quite agree...

A strong chunk of the shoppers at any proposed 330 store already pay for parking. If I had to grocery shop after work, I'd rather go straight to 330 than into my car, another crowded suburban lot, back to my car, and then home. Store then home, bam, easy.

As for outside shoppers, it's not hard to get them to park for free for groceries.

Originally Posted by BuildUpWpg

Correct...I was surprised by the way they were oriented too.

There was an original escalator base already there, so perpendicular was the only option, unless they wanted to waste money.

[Wpg_Guy]

https://twitter.com/MarwestGroup/sta...524366848?s=20

[esquire]

That's a lot of plain white drywall up there...

[BigG]

It does seem much brighter in there now. Thanks for the photos.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by esquire

That's a lot of plain white drywall up there...

A large hanging art piece would help.

[buzzg]

Judging by the sprinklers I'd have to think that's not the finished product.

[BuildUpWpg]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Judging by the sprinklers I'd have to think that's not the finished product.

Looking at in person, I got the feeling it's the finished product. It's nice and bright, that's the most important thing.

[optimusREIM]

Looks like the big restaurant space just got its main structural steel put up, meaning the only thing left to do is to enclose the podium I believe. Can't wait for that space to be finished. Should look rather spectacular.

[BuildUpWpg]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Judging by the sprinklers I'd have to think that's not the finished product.

Looking at in person, I got the feeling it's the finished product. It's nice and bright, that's the most important thing.