All jokes aside, I definitely agree with supporting local businesses first. But I also agree with supporting national and international brands that give our city a chance. But, yes, local first.

St. John's does local business on a bigger scale and, in my opinion, better scale than most cities our size. We've got a lengthy list of the top-rated X, Y, and Z in Canada, from restaurants to lingerie shops.

I agree it needs to be a mix and I would like to see some more large chains downtown as well

Just bring it all on hahaha

I don't think it's irrational at all. Our economy is great and we, as a city, are doing exceptionally well for ourselves - every week the papers have a story or two about ho we're leading Canada in this way or that.

We have one of the most beautiful cities in the country, by far, and the largest and best-preserved old town core and commercial district east of Quebec. We have the largest university east of Quebec City, a world-famous entertainment district, our own distinct culture, dialect, history, traditions, identity...

There seems to be this misconception in Halifax that it is, beyond compare, the best city in every category in Atlantic Canada. Or that it's closer to, say, Toronto than to Moncton. It's not. Pointing that out, even with objective facts, seems to not go over well. And then if you get into the subjective ("I don't think Halifax is a very pretty city"), it gets even worse. There seems to be a Halifax attitude, especially as it relates to St. John's, that's instantly recognizable. I've mentioned before, for example, that I've lived in most provinces between here and Manitoba and Halifax is the only city where people ever said Newfie jokes with obvious cruel intentions; the only place where it was very clear from their tone that they didn't expect me to laugh but were just being mean.

There's lots of OMG we're OBVIOUSLY the BEST in St. John's as well but not to the same degree. My guess is we're not used to being No. 1 so we're less inclined to be unable to accept it.

So, yes, Halifax is a bigger city, it's going to have more exclusive chains. Lots of people from the Maritimes will go there to shop. That's all great for the whole of Atlantic Canada. But it's not as though we're suffering. We've got a great little city. And it's doing very well, punching far above its weight right now. And we're thrilled about it. It's not irrational at all.

Brought from the halifax thread:

It cannot all be going away, we are the only "have province" in well eastern Canada

Which means we do not have the need for equalization payments and do not receive them


just as some background reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equaliz...ents_in_Canada

Oh, and thanks for explaining RE: what the population number in that list of unemployment rates meant!

What are you talking about?

:rolleyes:

The population of St. John's on that link to the unemployment rates.

Someone123 said it's 162,000 because they count the Metro population but ONLY those 15 years of age and up. I couldn't figure out where 162,000 was coming from because the city is 106 and the Metro is 198.

right got ya

One other thing... living on the mainland definitely changed my perspective about these sorts of things. Since moving back, the regional prejudices in Atlantic Canada seem hilarious.

The only one that gets to me more than the idea that St. John's has a inferiority complex regarding Halifax is that Townies/Baymen are deeply different. They're both horribly inaccurate and seem petty once you're far enough removed from them to see the bigger picture.

The "Walmart" sign is now up on the new location at Hamlyn Road. An large "opening soon" banner is also posted up outside on the building. Guess they will be open just in time for the Christmas rush.

Noticed this today as well

Yeah, it's nice to see them back in central St. John's. I live nearby there and hate having to go all the way in Mount Pearl or the east end if I wanna shop at Walmart.

In the Avalon mall the new Envy store is open, it's much bigger than the old one, also foot locker is going through major renovations.

I noticed that tehre are a lot of kiosks around now! much more than ever before and downstairs in the "marketplace" it looks very nice now and filled with kiosks.

The place everyone thought jump plus was going, across from body works upstairs .. has a for lease sign on it :S and the door was open so I could see in and there isn't anything there to prepare for a store .. I wonder what's going on with them? :shrug:

Arrakis I'm moving into the area soon too so a walmart close by will be nice :)

I was in the Village the other day and I realized how much more I like the layout than the Avalon .. It's very open and very very high ceilings.
too bad the avalon wasn't that layout, it would seem huge, It would have to be at least 4 floors to fit in what currently exists in the Avalon or like 3 floors with 2 more wings lol

:previous: I'd say that space will be leased in no time, the Avalon Mall still seems to be a premier place to shop in the city (and province for that matter).

I was wondering about Jump Plus location at the Avalon mall so I did some searching around. On their website it states they will going into unit 0265. From the Mall's floor plan unit 0265 is the current location of Showcase. I believe Showcase is still there, so unless it's closing soon this may be a mistake on Jump Plus website.

I've attached the floor plan to the Avalon Mall:

http://www.crombiereit.ca/en/lease_f...an.aspx?PID=54

I wasn't sure if New Envy was Envy or not.

I really need to elevate my shopping habits, it seems. I recognize none of these names. I only ever go to the Avalon for AE, Empire 12, Fog City, Winners, and window-shopping. lol

Both malls have pros and cons. I use to like the Village when it had Sears and Walmart. You could walk through the mall for sometime before having to backtrack over areas you have already been. You can't really do that any more so I get bored there and rarely ever shop there anymore. Plus, no record store, no electronics store. The Coles book store there is pretty dreary. Too bad book sales are are in decline. A nice Indigo store at the Village would be nice. Turn Labels into an Old Navy if you want to draw people in. I have only seen about 5 customers at the most in Labels at any given time. Can't imagine how much they are paying per square foot for that huge space they occupy and no customers.

The Avalon Mall should have carried the two-floor scheme all the way down to Sears and open up the ceiling much like Eaton Centre. Most of the mall reminds me of the Toronto path/subway concourse. Low ceilings and not much light getting in. Avalon Mall is a hodge-podge of architectural styles too going off in every direction. But at least you can walk around without having to backtrack over areas you have already been and got a nice variety of stores. Though I would say Sears days are numbered in Canada once Target opens and takes hold. I predict that Sears will be the next big chain to close up shop in Canada over the next several years. I doubt it will be able to compete with Target unless it changes its strategy big time but it is almost too late for that now.

Luckily, I couldn't possibly care less about Canadian brands like Sears. I still support Bowring over Stokes, of course, even though the Bowring family has been removed from the chain for some time...

But Sears, etc. Good riddance. Target I welcome. I'm sick of paying extra for Canadian smugness. Same with Air Canada. Let'em f***ing go bankrupt. I'd much rather support companies that don't make us feel like we should be honoured to buy from them.

I was actually surprised about how many people were in the Village, MUCH more than there use to be, on a normal day it's like what old normal days in the avalon or (xmas at the village) haha still doesnt mean its bumping but it doesn't feel like they are closed at like 5 hahaha

The Village is getting a little better though since they lost their major anchor tenants like Sears and Walmart. Bed, Bath and Beyond is a nice addition. But they still need to get better large tenants rather than the likes of Rossey or Labels or the stupid call centre which does not belong in a shopping mall. Nor does the Telegram offices. I know the mall owners just see dollar signs when they can rent out spaces but you have to realize what the building is made for. It's not an office building. It's a shopping centre. They should have divided up the old Walmart space into many other smaller spaces for others stores to give the mall a better pedestrian flow and not rent out all of the floor space to non retail businesses. Bring back the fountain too. LOL.

See, whenever I walk into the Bowring store at Stavanger, I always get that vibe of total smugness there. Like "you can't afford that, go somewhere else".

Yes. The village died for me when the fountain was removed. What about all their years of advertising the slogan "meet me at the fountain" guess that was thrown in the toilet :haha:

Maybe someday the fountain will return!

Hate how they keep sticking big store signs on the exterior of the building every time a notable tenant opens up there. It's kinda the equivalent of those tacky roadside signs. Eventually the Village is gonna be covered with those lit signs. Kinda mesmerizing at night.

Has anyone heard the rumor that the current Keg location on Harbour Drive is going to become an Olive Garden and the Keg owners will build a bigger Keg next door? Any truth to this or is it just hearsay? This restaurant project seems to have stalled and there hasn't been any activity there for some time.

Interesting rumor. I can't confirm or deny. The last I heard about the restaurant next door, was that PF Chang was back on the table, along with another restaurant. None the less, I'd welcome an Olive Garden downtown :tup:

EDIT: Did a bit of searching, sounds like a sad rumor. Olive Garden would probably put a location in Toronto (which it appears they do not have) before St. John's. Boo.

A bigger Keg would be smart.

Funny, there use to be an Olive Garden in Toronto. I have eaten there but there is no listing for a Toronto location now. Unusual. Guess it all depends on how much cash the franchisee has I suppose.

Olive Garden is amazing AND cheap. I really don't know what else you'd ever need in a restaurant.

Nope its deff not an Olive Garden, it will indeed be a PF Changs and Legros & Motti http://legrosmotti.com/, which is an original concept french italian spot. It was supposed to be started the summer but any day now is what they are saying, the hold up is getting on the companies on the construction side lined up.

:previous:

Fantastic! I wouldn't bother going to Olive Garden but this place looks interesting! Thank you for the update.

i didn't know we had pf changs in canada - people from vancouver go crazy for them in seattle - i don't get it myself you can get better food at a cheapy asian place in richmond

I ate at a PF Chang's recently while I was in California over the summer. Honestly, it surpassed my expectations. I'm not sure about elsewhere, but it was certainly a whole lot better than the Chinese food we get around here! :haha:

I thought the new Travellers on Kenmount Rd was getting an Olive Garden, or was it just hearsay?

Not sure. I never heard that rumor. But I imagine if we were to get an Olive Garden, it would be is standalone location as it would probably be pretty popular!

:previous:

awesome description!

http://legrosmotti.com/

You know, at this point in the game it could be anything. From what I understand, that project was approved ages ago and there still is no movement after all this time. I doubt we will truly know what's going there until the buildings are almost finished.

sounds right to me

yeah i've had it a couple times its good - but i guess in vancouver with a large asian population we are spoiled and have many many good places with chinese food and has been said probably the best chinese food in the world

whenever i eat chinese food anywhere else its pretty bad and "westernized" i guess you could say

I heard that Walmart is opening this weekend at Hamlyn Road. Anyone have confirmation?

You are right. I'm pretty sure I saw the flyer at home saying it was opening this weekend.

Hey, I was at the new Walmart on Hamlyn Road today. Some folks said that because they were leasing from the Sobey's group (who own the building) that Walmart would not be selling groceries there. Well I can tell you have groceries there and it seemed like they have more food and groceries there than the other stores do. And even though its probably a smaller store (sq ft) than the others, they have all the main departments there. It was kinda nuts there this afternoon as you can imagine. But just had to check it out anyway with a walk through. What a difference seeing that many cars out front compared to when Zellers was there.

Wing n’ It soaring
 

Business seems to be booming for Wing n' It. One will be opening up soon in Bay Roberts and there's two more scheduled to open in Clarenville and Corner Brook. There's even interest for franchising in Goose Bay, Charlottetown, Moncton, Halifax, and out west.

The Telegram, Nov 10, 2012.

http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/...n-It-soaring/1

^ Quite the success story.

Yes, always good to hear about local business ventures succeeding. Just be careful not to try and expand too quickly.

Was out and about driving around today and drove into the new streets of the Field Power Centre off Torbay Road where Empire Cinemas is building a new cineplex. Discovered another roundabout. Here is a pic of it.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...93944983_n.jpg

Here are some other photos from the Field Power Centre. They have several streets off of the main street which I assume is White Rose Drive.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...12142049_n.jpg

here is another shot take from the roundabout at the Field Power Centre

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...08781028_o.jpg

The Steele is going up for some of the new big box stores in the Harvey Power Centre behind Dominion on Stavanger. Banana Republic, Golf Town, Stokes, and other. This is also on White Rose Drive.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...55849740_n.jpg

Anyone got any idea what store or restaurant this might be? It's on the parking lot at Walmart between Swiss Chatet and Buck or Two.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...39979574_n.jpg

This construction is at the entrance of the new Field Power Centre where the cinemas are going. This kinda looks like the fittings for a drive-thru for one of the several restaurants planned to go there.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...68307316_n.jpg