Downtown Update

[thistleclub]

Locke South seemed like it was more antique stores than kitsch stores. In recent years James North has made attempts at selling decor accessories, but not furniture pieces as a main focus -- a video store might sell you a coffee tables and a used record/book store might sell you a lamp.

[hammerton]

There's a sign for a new commercial development at Queen and Main (SW). Anyone know what's the story behind that?

[jgrwatson]

Originally Posted by DC1983

LMAO!!! I believe it means "nicnacs and trinkets".

Back in the day (late 90's, easly 2000's), Locke St had a couple of these stores, replaced w/in the last 2 years or so with Yuppy shops. Most recently, Discount Emporium closed and turned into a Beauty Supplies outlet.

That said, I can (sadly) see this happening to JamesNorth. It's only a matter of time Starbucks sees The Mulberry's success and forces itself onto the street. Rumour of one at 118 JamesNorth were false, however.

"sadly"? Are you nuts? Starbucks in dt Hamilton would be the best thing that could happen to this city. Starbucks, whether we like it or not, brings a 'class' to an area, it is actually studied to be a revivial indicator. In fact, Starbucks has shown to INCREASE existing coffee business on the street.

[LikeHamilton]

Originally Posted by jgrwatson

"sadly"? Are you nuts? Starbucks in dt Hamilton would be the best thing that could happen to this city. Starbucks, whether we like it or not, brings a 'class' to an area, it is actually studied to be a revivial indicator. In fact, Starbucks has shown to INCREASE existing coffee business on the street.

I think your right. A Starbuck’s downtown and on James Street North would most likely entice the people from the burbs that are afraid of downtown and think it is dangerous.

[thistleclub]

I understand and respect the enthusiasm for James North, but Starbucks is famously picky about where it sets up franchises. Locke South was pretty thoroughly domesticated before they opened up shop in 2008. They weren't lured there by the lineups at Locke Street Bakery. They were drawn by rising property values, conspicuous lifestyle spending and a wealth of upmarket boutiques (their location was formerly a posh mens' clothier). That's why downtown Dundas may see a Starbucks – not because of Detour Cafe, but because the street is swimming in disposable income. Even Westdale doesn't rate a Starbucks.

By way of an illustration, here's the local map-scatter of Starbucks.

The local economy of James North in 2011 is a bit like Locke South in the late 90s – plenty of buzz and cool cachet but still finding its feet as a business environment (maybe 20% commercial vacancies, lots of part-time storefronts). There's also the residential density issue, the configuration of householders and the socioeconomic profile of that community. Kirkendall/Durand is not just a more privileged area than Beasley/Central, but it's professional couples and young families – James North has some of that, but the residential stock is mostly geared to single people in character-rich converted spaces, and the neighbourhood is still in the tentative stages of “bourgeois bohemia” that have spurred investment interest in comparable areas in Toronto. And that's somewhat intentional: "We want to make sure we market it as a destination, as an experience.... James Street isn’t about coming down and buying things, it’s about coming down and experiencing things..."

IMHO, the fastest shortcut to a Starbucks on James North is to open a Longo's there.

[markbarbera]

I always thought the ground floor of the Victoria Building in Gore Park would be a good spot for a downtown Starbucks

[palace1]

Not sure if this has been discussed here before, Tim Hortons and A&W at the new Hamilton General mega-parking lot?

The City agenda for the July 7th Committee of Adjustment has a request for minor variance and severance at 186 Ferguson N and 201 Robert St for a Tim Horton's and A&W restaurant.
http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...110707JULY.pdf

Funny that they allot a total of five minutes for each agenda item, it took me longer than that to figure out which way was north/south in the attached diagrams.

[palace1]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

By way of an illustration, here's the local map-scatter of Starbucks.

There's a Starbucks at the Clappison's Corners business park?

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by palace1

There's a Starbucks at the Clappison's Corners business park?

Dunno. Google might be screwy. The company's site shows two franchises in Stoney Creek, two in Ancaster, three in Hamilton (including one in Mohawk's Learning Exchange) and one in Waterdown. There seem to be eight Starbucks locations in Burlington.

The company has shown itself to be very sensitive/responsive to store performance and keenly aware of opportunity cost. Starbucks closed 900 US stores between January 2008 and January 2009, along with 61 in Australia, and had legal wrangling over claims “alleging that the Seattle coffee giant owes them money for rent or other expenses on properties where the company has shut down a store or decided not to open one after entering a lease” – suggesting that if the chain gets nervous, they’ll pull the plug before they even open.

Starbucks was obviously still opening stores during the 2008-2009 period (Locke South being one of them), but not as many as they had hoped to. In November, they announced plans to open 500 stores by October 2011, 400 of those outside the US, with China a major emerging market; Starbucks outlets apparently make up 59 percent of the specialist coffee shops in China, a country whose middle-income and affluent consumers – Starbucks' dream demographic – are expected to almost triple in number by 2020.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by markbarbera

I always thought the ground floor of the Victoria Building in Gore Park would be a good spot for a downtown Starbucks

Aesthetically, perhaps. The most secure site would probably be a block west, wedged in alongside a high concentration of banks and law firms, between City Hall and the Lister Block, plus the residential bump of the Pigott building and superior intersection visibility. But downtown Hamilton has a long way to go before it hits the "Locke South 2008" yardstick.

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by hammerton

There's a sign for a new commercial development at Queen and Main (SW). Anyone know what's the story behind that?

Rumoured Real Estate Office. I'll get a pic.. there's a 'what could be' render posted there.

Originally Posted by palace1

Not sure if this has been discussed here before, Tim Hortons and A&W at the new Hamilton General mega-parking lot?

The City agenda for the July 7th Committee of Adjustment has a request for minor variance and severance at 186 Ferguson N and 201 Robert St for a Tim Horton's and A&W restaurant.
http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...110707JULY.pdf

Funny that they allot a total of five minutes for each agenda item, it took me longer than that to figure out which way was north/south in the attached diagrams.

I thought this was turned down before the HHS Parking Lot was approved?

[thistleclub]

From 24/7 Wall St.: Ten Brands That Will Disappear In 2012:

"2. A&W
A&W All–American Food Restaurants. A&W Restaurants is owned by fast food holding company giant Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) which has had the firm for sale since January. There have been no buyers. The chain was founded in 1919. The size of company grew rapidly, and immediately after WWII 450 franchises were opened. The firm pioneered the “drive in” fast food format. A&W began to sell canned versions of its sodas in 1971 – the part of the business that will survive as a container beverage business which is now owned by Dr. Pepper/Snapple. The A&W Restaurant business is too small to be viable now. It had 322 outlets in the U.S and 317 outside the U.S at the end of last year. All were operated by franchisees. By contrast, Yum!’s flagship KFC had 5,055 stories in the U.S. and 11,798 overseas. Two massive global fast food chains are even larger. Subway has 35,000 locations worldwide, and McDonald’s has nearly as many. A&W does not have the ability to market itself against these chains and at least a dozen other fast food operators like Burger King. And, A&W does not have the size to efficiently handle food purchase, logistics, and transportation cost compared to competitors many times as large."

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

From 24/7 Wall St.: Ten Brands That Will Disappear In 2012:

"2. A&W
A&W All–American Food Restaurants. A&W Restaurants is owned by fast food holding company giant Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) which has had the firm for sale since January. There have been no buyers. The chain was founded in 1919. The size of company grew rapidly, and immediately after WWII 450 franchises were opened. The firm pioneered the “drive in” fast food format. A&W began to sell canned versions of its sodas in 1971 – the part of the business that will survive as a container beverage business which is now owned by Dr. Pepper/Snapple. The A&W Restaurant business is too small to be viable now. It had 322 outlets in the U.S and 317 outside the U.S at the end of last year. All were operated by franchisees. By contrast, Yum!’s flagship KFC had 5,055 stories in the U.S. and 11,798 overseas. Two massive global fast food chains are even larger. Subway has 35,000 locations worldwide, and McDonald’s has nearly as many. A&W does not have the ability to market itself against these chains and at least a dozen other fast food operators like Burger King. And, A&W does not have the size to efficiently handle food purchase, logistics, and transportation cost compared to competitors many times as large."

I saw this article as well. A&W All-American Food Restaurants is a separate company from A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. The former is part of Yum! Brands and is struggling while the latter is in a much better position with over 700 locations across Canada (McDonald's has 1400 Canadian locations, Burger King and Harvey's each have 300), and the company's growth plans are now focusing on increasing its urban presence.

A&W may be at risk of disappearing in the United States, but it is growing here in Canada.

[markbarbera]

Originally Posted by palace1

Not sure if this has been discussed here before, Tim Hortons and A&W at the new Hamilton General mega-parking lot?

The City agenda for the July 7th Committee of Adjustment has a request for minor variance and severance at 186 Ferguson N and 201 Robert St for a Tim Horton's and A&W restaurant.
http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/...110707JULY.pdf

Funny that they allot a total of five minutes for each agenda item, it took me longer than that to figure out which way was north/south in the attached diagrams.

There was another item on the agenda that caught my eye - an 3-storey infill development planned for the parking lot at 547 King Street East.

[mishap]

Originally Posted by markbarbera

A&W may be at risk of disappearing in the United States, but it is growing here in Canada.

I'm not surprised. I remember going to one at the Walden Galleria 20 years ago, and I was really unimpressed with the offerings. The biggest thing... no burgers! I can't even imagine an A&W not offering Mozzas, Teens, Mommas, Poppas, Uncles, Step-Cousins, etc. The US and Canadian operations are very different things, and while there a lot of things from the States I wish we had here, I think we've got it right with A&W.

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by mishap

I'm not surprised. I remember going to one at the Walden Galleria 20 years ago, and I was really unimpressed with the offerings. The biggest thing... no burgers! I can't even imagine an A&W not offering Mozzas, Teens, Mommas, Poppas, Uncles, Step-Cousins, etc. The US and Canadian operations are very different things, and while there a lot of things from the States I wish we had here, I think we've got it right with A&W.

I sure wish Wendy's/Dave Thomas hadn't messed around w/ Tim Horton's. I miss fresh donuts/timbits, and the Cakes.. oh how I loved those sugary, sugary cakes. And Eclaires! Do they even sell eclaires any more!?

Thank God for Grandads!

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by DC1983

Rumoured Real Estate Office. I'll get a pic.. there's a 'what could be' render posted there.

I have confirmed w/ my source that the rendering is the actual plan, not a 'what could be' rendering. I'll try and snap a shot ASAP.

[DC1983]

Only 2 weeks until the opening of Smoke's Poutinerie HAMILTON in Hess Village!!! o

via @poutinerie www.twitter.com

[thistleclub]

Public Works PR:

Part of King William Street to close next week

HAMILTON, ON – June 29, 2011 – Beginning Wednesday, July 6th, the City of Hamilton’s Public Works Department will close King William Street between Hughson and James Streets in order to facilitate ongoing construction work. This portion of the road will remain closed for two months. Hughson Street between King Street and King William Street will also be closed during this time as there will be no allowance for any turning movements. During construction, King William Street will be converted to two-way traffic between John and Hughson Streets to provide access to the businesses and parking lot.

The contractor, New Alliance Ltd., is scheduled to complete this project by fall 2011. Every effort will be made to complete this work in an expeditious manner and to keep any inconvenience to a minimum. The Public Works Department thanks the community for their patience and cooperation as we work proactively to enhance Hamilton’s infrastructure.

[DC1983]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

Public Works PR:

Part of King William Street to close next week

HAMILTON, ON – June 29, 2011 – Beginning Wednesday, July 6th, the City of Hamilton’s Public Works Department will close King William Street between Hughson and James Streets in order to facilitate ongoing construction work. This portion of the road will remain closed for two months. Hughson Street between King Street and King William Street will also be closed during this time as there will be no allowance for any turning movements. During construction, King William Street will be converted to two-way traffic between John and Hughson Streets to provide access to the businesses and parking lot.

The contractor, New Alliance Ltd., is scheduled to complete this project by fall 2011. Every effort will be made to complete this work in an expeditious manner and to keep any inconvenience to a minimum. The Public Works Department thanks the community for their patience and cooperation as we work proactively to enhance Hamilton’s infrastructure.

What's going on w/ our underbelly downtown? JamesNorth is constantly dug up in sections, and has been for the better part of a year. I know they were lining the sewers or something a couple months back, but it gets dug up in random sections every couple of weeks, sometimes days.
Have they made errors they need to keep coming back to correct? It's becoming a nuisance as it creates traffic congestion, and those on scooters are beginning to use the ROAD as the sidewalks are sporadically blocked.

Hughson, near KingWilliam has been closed for MONTHS! Now they're closing King William? What's going on that takes this long?