General Retail News

[Harley613]

In 'least surprising news' category, Uniqlo is opening at Bayshore


https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/uniqlo-opening-a-second-store-in-ottawa-1.6682380

[OTSkyline]

Great news for me as I love Uniqlo and Bayshore is much more closer & convenient for me to get to.

Not so great news for Rideau as it was one of the only reasons I HAD to go, because it was unique to that mall. There's less and less difference in retail offerings between Rideau & Bayshore I find.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Great news for me as I love Uniqlo and Bayshore is much more closer & convenient for me to get to.

Not so great news for Rideau as it was one of the only reasons I HAD to go, because it was unique to that mall. There's less and less difference in retail offerings between Rideau & Bayshore I find.

Isn't that a biased perspective? Your choice of mall would be subjective based on your proximity to either. Personally Rideau is much closer to me so I'll usually go there.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

Isn't that a biased perspective? Your choice of mall would be subjective based on your proximity to either. Personally Rideau is much closer to me so I'll usually go there.

Rideau is half the distance of Bayshore from me, but I MUCH prefer going the extra 12 minutes to Bayshore these days. $5 minimum parking and seeing people shooting up on the bathroom floor at Rideau has worn on me.

[huntclub]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Great news for me as I love Uniqlo and Bayshore is much more closer & convenient for me to get to.

Not so great news for Rideau as it was one of the only reasons I HAD to go, because it was unique to that mall. There's less and less difference in retail offerings between Rideau & Bayshore I find.

One of the major differences between Rideau and Bayshore for me is Rideau has a Simon’s and urban outfitters (across the street). Two really big stores I like to shop at that Bayshore does not have.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by huntclub

One of the major differences between Rideau and Bayshore for me is Rideau has a Simon’s and urban outfitters (across the street). Two really big stores I like to shop at that Bayshore does not have.

Same with me - Simons is a big difference that would bring me to Rideau. I've been there quite a lot lately (teenage daughter will do that) and I haven't had any of the negative experiences that are being mentioned here. Perhaps I'm using the wrong bathroom?

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by phil235

Same with me - Simons is a big difference that would bring me to Rideau. I've been there quite a lot lately (teenage daughter will do that) and I haven't had any of the negative experiences that are being mentioned here. Perhaps I'm using the wrong bathroom?

You must mean that you are using the RIGHT bathroom The last time I went to Rideau I saw paramedics using naloxone on someone passed out on the bathroom floor, the time before I saw five security guards tackle a guy running through the mall.

[DTcrawler]

Undesirables can certainly be a problem at Rideau but not to the extent I used to witness at the Eaton Centre when I lived in Toronto. To me it's really a non-factor when visiting the mall. I'd also say I'd rather deal with the odd fellow dealing with addiction issues at Rideau than the swarms of neighbourhood youths who frequent Bayshore and can sometimes ruin the experience (e.g. crowding an area of a store and not-so-discreetly shoving stuff into their backpacks).

All this being said, I'm not trying to start a mall war. Rideau and Bayshore are undoubtedly the region's premier indoor shopping destinations. You can't really go wrong either way. That being said, Growing up in the west-end and now living in Centretown, the Rideau Centre has always had a certain allure of being Ottawa's signature mall, being centrally located and having a slightly more premium and upscale feeling than Bayshore, IMO.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

Undesirables can certainly be a problem at Rideau but not to the extent I used to witness at the Eaton Centre when I lived in Toronto. To me it's really a non-factor when visiting the mall. I'd also say I'd rather deal with the odd fellow dealing with addiction issues at Rideau than the swarms of neighbourhood youths who frequent Bayshore and can sometimes ruin the experience (e.g. crowding an area of a store and not-so-discreetly shoving stuff into their backpacks).

All this being said, I'm not trying to start a mall war. Rideau and Bayshore are undoubtedly the region's premier indoor shopping destinations. You can't really go wrong either way. That being said, Growing up in the west-end and now living in Centretown, the Rideau Centre has always had a certain allure of being Ottawa's signature mall, being centrally located and having a slightly more premium and upscale feeling than Bayshore, IMO.

Indeed, since the city managed for years with a third world drug bazaar operating at one of its principal entrances, I don't see why the occasional miscreant inside the mall would discourage shoppers.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

Undesirables can certainly be a problem at Rideau but not to the extent I used to witness at the Eaton Centre when I lived in Toronto. To me it's really a non-factor when visiting the mall. I'd also say I'd rather deal with the odd fellow dealing with addiction issues at Rideau than the swarms of neighbourhood youths who frequent Bayshore and can sometimes ruin the experience (e.g. crowding an area of a store and not-so-discreetly shoving stuff into their backpacks).

All this being said, I'm not trying to start a mall war. Rideau and Bayshore are undoubtedly the region's premier indoor shopping destinations. You can't really go wrong either way. That being said, Growing up in the west-end and now living in Centretown, the Rideau Centre has always had a certain allure of being Ottawa's signature mall, being centrally located and having a slightly more premium and upscale feeling than Bayshore, IMO.

Indeed, since the mall coped for years with a third world drug bazaar operating at one of its principal entrances, I don't see why the occasional miscreant inside the mall would discourage shoppers.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

Undesirables can certainly be a problem at Rideau but not to the extent I used to witness at the Eaton Centre when I lived in Toronto. To me it's really a non-factor when visiting the mall.

Maybe that’s it. I used to work in the Eaton Centre, so any issues at the Rideau Centre seem decidedly pedestrian by comparison. But I haven’t seen any issues at all in my many visits over the past couple of years, so I guess I am using the right bathroom.


I don’t like malls in general, but I really detest the suburban mall surrounded by parking setup, so I’ll always lean towards the urban mall when forced to go. The possibility of escaping to the Market for a drink has a certain allure as well.

[rocketphish]

Stella Luna shuts down its Wellington location

Catherine Morrison, Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 23, 2023 • Last updated 37 minutes ago • 3 minute read

Stella Luna Gelato Café was to permanently close its Wellington Street West location on Saturday after announcing last week that it was laying off almost all its staff.

In a Facebook post, the European café said Friday it was having a closing sale at the west-end location to commemorate that shop’s final day. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Stella Luna said all products would be 40 per cent off.

“It’s been our honour to serve the Wellington West community and (we) hope to see you at one of our other locations in the New Year,” the post said.

The closure came just over a week after Stella Luna announced publicly that the family business, “along with countless others” across the country, was struggling.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/stella-lunas-wellington-location-closes-its-doors

[Marshsparrow]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Stella Luna shuts down its Wellington location

Catherine Morrison, Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 23, 2023 • Last updated 37 minutes ago • 3 minute read

Stella Luna Gelato Café was to permanently close its Wellington Street West location on Saturday after announcing last week that it was laying off almost all its staff.

In a Facebook post, the European café said Friday it was having a closing sale at the west-end location to commemorate that shop’s final day. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Stella Luna said all products would be 40 per cent off.

“It’s been our honour to serve the Wellington West community and (we) hope to see you at one of our other locations in the New Year,” the post said.

The closure came just over a week after Stella Luna announced publicly that the family business, “along with countless others” across the country, was struggling.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/stella-lunas-wellington-location-closes-its-doors

Had a great product / offering - played a dangerous game and never went back after that Fox news appearance and support to the clownvoy.

[rocketphish]

Maybe the Sharpfle Waffle croffle place can move back in now? Letting them stay there in the first place might have drawn extra business to Stella Luna.

https://obj.ca/sharpfle-waffle-reopens-hintonburg-after-dispute-wellington/

[Admiral Nelson]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Had a great product / offering - played a dangerous game and never went back after that Fox news appearance and support to the clownvoy.

It's crazy how much community goodwill they threw away. Sure, the owner was entitled to choose to double down on her support to the convoy and also to make appearances on Fox News, but my friends and I - formerly regular customers - spoke back with our wallets.

[YOWflier]

She’s very wealthy and the business lives on at other locations. The unfortunate losers are the laid off staff. This is the collateral damage of cancel culture.

[LarryW]

Originally Posted by YOWflier

She’s very wealthy and the business lives on at other locations. The unfortunate losers are the laid off staff. This is the collateral damage of cancel culture.

While unfortunate the laid off staff can find other equivalent jobs (likely close by given everything we hear about stores/restaurants having trouble hiring workers).

It is important to "vote with your wallet" on issues such as support for the convoy occupation. Not doing so is easily viewed as support.

[YOWflier]

If that’s important to you then sure, have at ‘er. Just be sure of who you’re actually hurting.

[Harley613]

I'm glad those staff members will be out of there and on to greener pastures. Short term pain for long term gain. This local chain is know to be a nightmare to work for. I hope Bank St and Merivale are next.

[YOWflier]

One would think nightmares would translate into horrible ratings on those employment sites. Indeed has them at 3.8/5.