Winnipeg Retail

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Really

it's gotta start somehow! make h&m work downtown an experiment for this new downtown biz shopping czar i say. it will cost less than another arena or hydro tower and might have more bang for buck...

[rrskylar]

^ Wasn't Mountain Equipment supposed to do that? Before that A&B...

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

^ Wasn't Mountain Equipment supposed to do that? Before that A&B...

a&b closed cause the company was going tits up nation wide had nothing to do with winnipeg.

[Kitty Surprise]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger@Heart

You lure H&M to Portage...watch the crowds of people...

H&M is exactly the type of retail we need downtown. It will not only attract the daytime student/office worker crowd, but will draw evening & weekend shoppers (e.g. before a hockey game or concert), and act as a catalyst - attracting other similar businesses to the area.

Just don't bury them in the gallows of Portage Place; they need a street level storefront that sizzles.

[yopaul]

Originally Posted by Kitty Surprise

H&M is exactly the type of retail we need downtown. It will not only attract the daytime student/office worker crowd, but will draw evening & weekend shoppers (e.g. before a hockey game or concert), and act as a catalyst - attracting other similar businesses to the area.

Just don't bury them in the gallows of Portage Place; they need a street level storefront that sizzles.

totally! H&M has high-profile downtown locations all over the world, and its arrival could be a catalyst for similar retailers like Urban Outfitters etc.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by Kitty Surprise

H&M is exactly the type of retail we need downtown. It will not only attract the daytime student/office worker crowd, but will draw evening & weekend shoppers (e.g. before a hockey game or concert), and act as a catalyst - attracting other similar businesses to the area.

No it won't.

If a couple retail outlets were the answer to downtown Winnipeg, you would have seen it turn around when MEC moved in.

Unfortunately the revival of downtown Winnipeg does not start with retail expansion.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger@Heart

You lure H&M to Portage...watch the crowds of people...

Any outside retailer would take one look at downtown Winnipeg and say "Not a chance." Sorry guys, I'd like to see downtown grow too but the bums have to go first.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Any outside retailer would take one look at downtown Winnipeg and say "Not a chance." Sorry guys, I'd like to see downtown grow too but the bums have to go first.

Every major city I've been to has homeless people in the downtown... I don't think that that is the major deciding factor...

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by Bdog

Every major city I've been to has homeless people in the downtown... I don't think that that is the major deciding factor...

Unfortunately the bums (including the general riff raff hanging out in Portage Place) currently outnumber the people wearing ties in downtown Winnipeg.

[1ajs]

ur example fails to work though u had a company that went bust along with most of ur music stores at that time......... also a&b is just best buy now

calgarys downtown location closed around ours i remember this cause i shopped at both winnipeg and calgarys downtown locations, and shoped at the big blow out in calgary's.............

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

ur example fails to work though u had a company that went bust along with most of ur music stores at that time......... also a&b is just best buy now

calgarys downtown location closed around ours i remember this cause i shopped at both winnipeg and calgarys downtown locations, and shoped at the big blow out in calgary's.............

The A&B Sound in downtown Calgary went under because the building they occupied was sold.

If you don't like my example with A&B Sound what happened to all of the higher end retailers that left Portage Place and were replaced by a big box Staples and locations of the dollar store and other discount retailers?

Why is the Holt Renfrew location nothing more than a makeup counter? Meanwhile in Calgary it has expanded to the size of a department store.

Why is The Bay a hell hole with no merchandise and no shoppers?

Regardless. Retail in downtown Winnipeg will continue to struggle until there are enough people working downtown and the core becomes an attractive place to hang out and shop.

Right now the only people spending time downtown outside of business hours are the people that loiter in the Portage Place food court nursing a small coffee from Tim Hortons to get out of the cold.

I wonder what would happen to the downtown core if you actually saw beat cops walking the streets on a regular basis?

My guess is that anyone with anything to hide (outstanding warrants, drugs in their backpack etc) would flee like cockroaches out of fear that they would be recognized or busted. Its nice to have the Winnipeg BIZ or the generic rent-a-cops but they don't really do much except ensure things don't get completely out of hand.

[1ajs]

stop being so blutty negitive about our city we need to stop looking at the negitive shit from the last decade and take note of alot of positive we have an opertunity to make downtown the hub of the core of the city for shoping like the suburban shoping areas are for those regons and i feel thats what downtowns shoping needs to focus on being the hub to fill a whole thats there

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

stop being so blutty negitive about our city we need to stop looking at the negitive shit from the last decade and take note of alot of positive we have an opertunity to make downtown the hub of the core of the city for shoping like the suburban shoping areas are for those regons and i feel thats what downtowns shoping needs to focus on being the hub to fill a whole thats there

If you want downtown Winnipeg to be a shopping hub it will first need the following:

- Cops WALKING the beat. None of this driving around in circles eating donuts crap. Cops making eye contact with people makes those with something to hide nervous. The cop may have no idea who that person is, but chances are if they have something to hide they will want to be out of sight from the police and hang out where the cops aren't (which is currently downtown). This will ultimately make the downtown core a much better place to be and make people more comfortable hanging around.

- More people working downtown. Manitoba Hydro was a great start but the core will need another 20,000+ people working downtown before anything major starts happening. Adding more people working downtown adds to the potential for retailers as it brings in business during the work week. It also jacks up the price of parking and makes transit a more regularly used alternative.

- More people living downtown. As traffic clogs due to the commute downtown, people will be more interested in living downtown to avoid the drive. Developers will actually start to see a demand for housing and condos will be built. Those with more money will buy in Wolseley, West Broadway, The West End and perhaps even the North End and Point Douglas thus gentrifying these communities. The gentrification leads to higher land values and slumlords start to sell off their properties and low rent welfare recipients leave the areas.

AFTER this is done you will see downtown Winnipeg as a vibrant shopping core because you will have people shopping during the day (workers), people shopping at night (residents) and all of which doing so without having to share the mall with the riff raff that currently occupies it most of the time with the additional police presence in the mall and on the streets.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by h0twired

If you want downtown Winnipeg to be a shopping hub it will first need the following:

- Cops WALKING the beat. None of this driving around in circles eating donuts crap. Cops making eye contact with people makes those with something to hide nervous. The cop may have no idea who that person is, but chances are if they have something to hide they will want to be out of sight from the police and hang out where the cops aren't (which is currently downtown). This will ultimately make the downtown core a much better place to be and make people more comfortable hanging around.

- More people working downtown. Manitoba Hydro was a great start but the core will need another 20,000+ people working downtown before anything major starts happening. Adding more people working downtown adds to the potential for retailers as it brings in business during the work week. It also jacks up the price of parking and makes transit a more regularly used alternative.

- More people living downtown. As traffic clogs due to the commute downtown, people will be more interested in living downtown to avoid the drive. Developers will actually start to see a demand for housing and condos will be built. Those with more money will buy in Wolseley, West Broadway, The West End and perhaps even the North End and Point Douglas thus gentrifying these communities. The gentrification leads to higher land values and slumlords start to sell off their properties and low rent welfare recipients leave the areas.

AFTER this is done you will see downtown Winnipeg as a vibrant shopping core because you will have people shopping during the day (workers), people shopping at night (residents) and all of which doing so without having to share the mall with the riff raff that currently occupies it most of the time with the additional police presence in the mall and on the streets.

hub for the region of the city not just downtowns pop but the inner
city cops do walk the beat theres more people downtown at all hrs of the day
the cops have CCTV downtown in many locations now
i feel safer downtown then i do on selkirk ave(witch is dead and where downtown was during the 90's)

[Kinguni]

Selkirk Ave. is very depressing after business hours.

Downtown - the police and downtown watch presence is very noticeable at all hours.

The Bay - been walking through it every day to get to the skywalk/Portage Place. Menswear dept is a mess.

Portage place - needs destination stores. H&M would be a good fit for Kennedy court on 2 floors.

People working downtown - plenty of them but they don't stick around after work to shop for the most part.

Whatever happened to the idea of converting some of the one way downtown streets back to 2 way streets? So many studies on ways to help downtown, lauded and then ignored. Make it easier for the suburbanite to get around downtown and they might be more likely to come back. Maybe after that last report they'll start to replace some of the surface lots with parkades.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

stop being so blutty negitive about our city

Nobody wants to be this way - I do everything I can downtown, all shopping except Rona, groceries and Cdn Tire. Every time I go it's noticeably worse. I'd like to see downtown improve as much as anybody - I just don't think it's going to happen.

When the Bay goes, that'll be it.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Nobody wants to be this way - I do everything I can downtown, all shopping except Rona, groceries and Cdn Tire. Every time I go it's noticeably worse. I'd like to see downtown improve as much as anybody - I just don't think it's going to happen.

When the Bay goes, that'll be it.

the bay... i duno whats going on their but they have been putting money into the building at least. if u have no idea what i am mumbling about they did work on the chimney last year and replaced some recruitment on the roof so i would suspect its not going anywhere........

[Biff]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

the bay... i duno whats going on their but they have been putting money into the building at least. if u have no idea what i am mumbling about they did work on the chimney last year and replaced some recruitment on the roof so i would suspect its not going anywhere........

That is all necessary building code stuff needed to keep the building open. I don't think they are spending anything on improving the store or it's image. Really too bad.

I was in there last week for the first time in years and it was really depressing, not how i remembered it at all. It almost looks like it is heading for a closure by neglect type of scenario - let the store become unappealing, resulting in lower profit, then corporate can say it is not performing and say it is not profitable to operate anymore.

Sad

[Riverman]

It is so sad. When I was doing my xmas shopping there were tiles missing, several escalators were broken and the ones that were running sounded like they would fail soon. Only two employees on the housewares floor too, and no customers. I'll give it a year.

[1ajs]

Downtown Transcona to undergo makeover

By Jolie Toews
Canstar News

Jan. 21, 2010



A neighbourhood with a small-town vibe and buildings dating back as far as the early 1900s is set to undergo some major changes this year.

Downtown Transcona’s business district along Regent Avenue will soon undergo a makeover that proponents hope will attract new businesses and clientele to the strip.

The area between Winona and Kanata streets will be the focus of a major revitalization plan that is expected to cost more than $2 million. The aim of the project is to inject new life into the area while retaining its historic charm.

Some of the proposed improvements include lighting powered by solar energy and wind turbines, a walk of fame, an entrance archway and storefront and streetscape improvements.

The Transcona Business Improvement Zone and Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt are spearheading the revitalization effort.

Wyatt said the BIZ’s Downtown Streetscape Revitalization Strategy 2009, funded by the city and province, is expected to begin this summer following the Hi Neighbour Festival. Work is expected to wrap up in the fall.

“My hope is that this will encourage new businesses to locate into downtown Transcona and encourage existing businesses to expand and improve,” Wyatt said.

Several local business owners say they agree with the plan, as long as the character buildings in the region don’t lose what makes them unique. They say making significant changes to the exterior of the buildings would strip downtown Transcona of its spirit.

Just ask Boyd Newton. The owner of the renowned Royal George Hotel on Regent recently made changes to the 97-year-old building to better reflect the way it looked when it was still new.

“I wanted to modernize the building and the business, but also respect the historical integrity of the building,” said Newton, referring to the new awnings and illuminated signage.

An old, black-and-white framed photograph of the building hanging inside the hotel bar shows similarities between how it looks now compared to back then.

Newton said he hopes Regent will be able to boast an impressive nightlife one day.

“I’d like to see the strip turn into a mini-Corydon,” he said.

Jean Delorme, owner of Another Look Bridal Fashions in downtown Transcona, agreed that changes need to be made for the area to flourish again.

“It needs revitalization, yes,” Delorme said. “Some of the buildings need fixing up, they really do. They’re kinda old and getting rundown. Some, I hate to see change.”

Downtown Transcona was once a bustling hub of activity when the city’s most northeastern community was growing thanks to a booming railway industry.

As big box stores began to open in west Transcona, family-owned business in the downtown area began to feel the pinch. Quality service and loyal customers helped some locally-owned stores hold their own while others suffered.

The BIZ report outlines concerns over downtown Transcona’s image, a problem that has been exacerbated by aging and vacant buildings.

It also states that the area is no longer a “one-stop shopping destination” and is in need of a better retail mix.

However, the report states there is a potential for increased activity in the area with the growth of residential property development in Transcona.

An open house for the proposed project was held last May.