Regina Retail

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by LittleBoy

After further research, looks like one of those spaces is being filled by a cafe called "Dovetail Cafe" unless I'm mistaken

Mortise and Tenon:


Dovetail:

[aberrant]

Originally Posted by Festivus

The Bay is one of the few places in Regina to carry a good selection of Levis jeans (specifically 511, 512, and 513s), so I hope it sticks around.

Where the heck are you finding the 512s? I can't find them in there.

[aberrant]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

Queen City Cakes has taken the Avord Tower small retail space on the Victoria Avenue facing side. Perfect spot for this and will compliment Brewed Awakening.

Yes, small retail storefront, while still maintaining their main location in Brownstone Plaza.

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by LittleBoy

After further research, looks like one of those spaces is being filled by a cafe called "Dovetail Cafe" unless I'm mistaken

If I'm not mistaken, Dovetail Cafe is the name of the coffee bar inside Mortise and Tenon, which would explain the similar name. I'm hoping new businesses entirely explain the activity adjacent. It seems that West 11th is becoming a thing.

[one_brick_at_a_time]

Originally Posted by cityboy

If I'm not mistaken, Dovetail Cafe is the name of the coffee bar inside Mortise and Tenon, which would explain the similar name. I'm hoping new businesses entirely explain the activity adjacent. It seems that West 11th is becoming a thing.

I love the sound of West 11th. I want more businesses along that stretch ❤️

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

I love the sound of West 11th. I want more businesses along that stretch ❤️

Me too!

[one_brick_at_a_time]

Originally Posted by cityboy

Me too!

West 11th Street Signs.

[Draftsman]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

West 11th Street Signs.

Um, no. First of all it is 11th Avenue.
Secondly, 11th Avenue goes quite a bit further west. 11th Avenue terminates at the RCMP Depot/Royal Regina Golf Club. In fact, the address of the Royal Regina is 5401 11th Avenue West. You can't begin calling 11th Avenue 'West' in the downtown area.

[BrutallyDishonest2]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

Um, no. First of all it is 11th Avenue.
Secondly, 11th Avenue goes quite a bit further west. 11th Avenue terminates at the RCMP Depot/Royal Regina Golf Club. In fact, the address of the Royal Regina is 5401 11th Avenue West. You can't begin calling 11th Avenue 'West' in the downtown area.

You're misreading that West 11th - Street Signs.

Also, Regina doesn't use 'west' in any addresses. The city lists it as 5401 11th Ave.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by one_brick_at_a_time

West 11th Street Signs.

That is how they pronounce their roadways in the US. Why would you want something that sounds so American?

[Draftsman]

Originally Posted by BrutallyDishonest2

You're misreading that West 11th - Street Signs.

Also, Regina doesn't use 'west' in any addresses. The city lists it as 5401 11th Ave.

Well, I beg to differ on this. Go to the Royal Regina's webpage and it shows their address as 5401 11th Ave W., so if this is not correct maybe you should tell them?

https://royalregina.com/

[Stormer]

Maybe since 11th in not contiguous (it disappears between Albert and Lewvan) it is OK to call the segment west of Lewvan "11th West". Also a lot of people call addresses on south Albert "South". It may be superfluous, but it helps out those who are geographically challenged.

[cityboy]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

Um, no. First of all it is 11th Avenue.
Secondly, 11th Avenue goes quite a bit further west. 11th Avenue terminates at the RCMP Depot/Royal Regina Golf Club. In fact, the address of the Royal Regina is 5401 11th Avenue West. You can't begin calling 11th Avenue 'West' in the downtown area.

Simply a branding tool on the part of the businesses that exist there to bring some identity and recognition as a shopping area. I'm pretty sure we don't need to get too excited about it.

[cityboy]

Regent Park Safeway to be converted to Freshco. I wonder if Vic Square is not far behind it.

[spictacular mcluvin]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

It's a shame that this store has gone so far downhill. Regina's original Bay store on 12th Avenue & Hamilton (now Century Plaza) was a beautiful store. It was a nice, modern department store, especially when compared to the old Simpsons Department store on 11th & Hamilton. It was like comparing apples to oranges with the dumpy Eaton's store on 7th Avenue & Hamilton. When Eaton's built their new store at the Cornwall Centre, it was the nicest department store in Regina (by far). Unfortunately, by the time Eaton's had closed that store needed renovations, of which the Bay did very little in my opinion, before moving in. If any of you are old enough to remember the Eaton's store downtown, it occupied all three floors above ground. At the top of the escalators on the third floor was a large skylight surrounded by angled mirrors that let natural light into the store and down the escalators. At Christmastime, they would put their Christmas department (trees and decorations, etc) around one side of the 3rd floor escalators, of which they always had several and all were very nicely decorated. Closing off the third floor and turning it into call centre space (StarTek and eHealth) which really did nothing for the store. I personally feel that they should have kept the upper three floors and turned the basement into offices. You don't need windows in a call centre as you are too busy on the phones to look around (I have worked in two call centres - not the two mentioned above). I understand that the receiving dock for the Bay is in the basement, but I am sure they could have come up with a design that would have satisfied both a call centre and receiving/storage.
I thought that when Sears closed its doors that it would be a better location for the Bay. They would have needed to redo the store (HVAC/escalators for example) but the smaller space would have been better for their store, and to be honest, I think the old Sears store was a better location, being off the food court, and being attached to the Delta Hotel and the casino. I know they get a lot of foot traffic from the SGI tower but that is only Monday to Friday.

Anyway, I hope they don't close the Bay, our last old-style department store.

Me and my older brother used to LOVE going to The Bay on Hamilton & 12th. It was one of the trendiest stores for boys & mens clothes in the late 80s/early 90s. After going to The Bay we would walk down to The Boys Shack and Pant Shack and then head to The Galleria which also had a couple of good fashionable stores before going to the Cornwall Centre last.

[Draftsman]

Originally Posted by spictacular mcluvin

Me and my older brother used to LOVE going to The Bay on Hamilton & 12th. It was one of the trendiest stores for boys & mens clothes in the late 80s/early 90s. After going to The Bay we would walk down to The Boys Shack and Pant Shack and then head to The Galleria which also had a couple of good fashionable stores before going to the Cornwall Centre last.

Yeah, it was a great store. Every department was great. I bought a lot of clothes and shoes, even a lot of furniture from there. They had a really good (and popular) restaurant on the lower level, and they also had the Malt Shop under the escalators in the basement (great malts and hot dogs) plus a great music department back when people actually bought records. Plus, they built their own parkade attached to the store. I loved the heated ramp going in - you could see the steam rising on a cold day when the ice & snow were melting, and the spiral ramp to exit. Nothing like the long waits to exit the parkade at Christmas because they were so busy.
Too bad Hudson's Bay thought they should purchase other retailers, and start new stores (hello Home Outfitters? Where are you now?) before re-investing in their run down stores. I worked for a large company that followed a similar path (it was not a retailer) setting up an American arm that dragged them down, eventually ending up in bankruptcy and putting thousands of people out of work. When will large corporations learn to look after what had made them rich and famous in the first place?

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by Draftsman

Yeah, it was a great store. Every department was great. I bought a lot of clothes and shoes, even a lot of furniture from there. They had a really good (and popular) restaurant on the lower level, and they also had the Malt Shop under the escalators in the basement (great malts and hot dogs) plus a great music department back when people actually bought records. Plus, they built their own parkade attached to the store. I loved the heated ramp going in - you could see the steam rising on a cold day when the ice & snow were melting, and the spiral ramp to exit. Nothing like the long waits to exit the parkade at Christmas because they were so busy.
Too bad Hudson's Bay thought they should purchase other retailers, and start new stores (hello Home Outfitters? Where are you now?) before re-investing in their run down stores. I worked for a large company that followed a similar path (it was not a retailer) setting up an American arm that dragged them down, eventually ending up in bankruptcy and putting thousands of people out of work. When will large corporations learn to look after what had made them rich and famous in the first place?

My grandma worked down in the Malt Shop when I was a kid back in the 70s so we often stopped in for a malt when we were downtown. I liked that old Bay store with the spiral ramp parkade.

[djforsberg]

Ah, memories of when the middle class actually had buying power. Then voodoo economics, de-regulation, stagnant incomes, Walmart and the race to the bottom came... At least we have a Dollarama and Money Mart in every neighborhood now!

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

Ah, memories of when the middle class actually had buying power. Then voodoo economics, de-regulation, stagnant incomes, Walmart and the race to the bottom came... At least we have a Dollarama and Money Mart in every neighborhood now!

I would like to see actual stats on this as it does not ring true for me. Maybe it is true in the U.S., but I do not believe this is correct in Saskatchewan. I would suggested that average household disposable incomes have increased dramatically since the 70s and 80s in real terms. Also households are smaller so they should have more discretionary income.

[djforsberg]

Originally Posted by Stormer

I would like to see actual stats on this as it does not ring true for me. Maybe it is true in the U.S., but I do not believe this is correct in Saskatchewan. I would suggested that average household disposable incomes have increased dramatically since the 70s and 80s in real terms. Also households are smaller so they should have more discretionary income.

“Doesn’t ring true for me so it must not be true” is such a typical Boomer response lol. Here’s a start for you but how much more evidence do you need than what I already said in my original comment? (plus the rise of right-wing populism, household debt and drug addiction - which are all connected with economic inequality caused by globalization and automation, which are necessary and inevitable) The fact housing and post-secondary costs have FAR outpaced incomes, coupled with the fact real incomes have barely increased in the past 40 years, should make it obvious why department stores that catered to the middle class have died or are dying and are being replaced by Walmarts and dollar stores (Walmart and the like also caused an off-shoring of good paying jobs that have yet to be fully replaced, further weakening the middle class). It’s not the fault of the internet because places like Sears and Eaton’s were dying well before Amazon came about. Even if real incomes in Saskatchewan have improved, housing and post-secondary costs have still risen more dramatically and our small province isn’t enough to keep places like Hudson’s Bay alive.

I just want to mention that economic inequality is the most significant issue facing the West, including Canada, only behind climate change. Its obvious that otherwise intelligent posters are ignorant to the realities facing a large portion of people today. This is expected when we are living in an ever-more isolated world caused by social media and information bubbles. If you want to learn more about how economic inequality is going to affect us and for details of one of the solutions, I invite you to listen to a podcast Sam Harris did with tech-investor and Democratic presidential nominee, Andrew Yang.