Rumour Mill

[beanmedic]

Originally Posted by mattgrande

I don't think that's what's going in there. On The George is on George Street, I'd be surprised if it moved. Ditto Pour House, and I'd be surprised if we can support a second Hooters in this city.

I agree. The pour house is at upper ottawa & fennell. And hooters is in the same building as the job fair. Maybe reading too much into this?

[thistleclub]

Maybe they're just going to install a sidewalk-level billboard on the east facade. Nothing would surprise me with that building anymore.

[drpgq]

Any one else heard the rumour about an Apple Store opening in Limeridge?

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by drpgq

Any one else heard the rumour about an Apple Store opening in Limeridge?

If Apple opened a store in Jackson Square, the impact would be fantastic.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by drpgq

Any one else heard the rumour about an Apple Store opening in Limeridge?

Two-thirds of Ontario Apple Stores were opened between July and September.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto: May 2005
Eaton Centre, Toronto: May 2006
Sherway Gardens, Toronto: Sept 2006
Fairview Mall, Toronto: Sept 2009
Square One, Mississauga: Aug 2009
Rideau Centre, Ottawa: July 2009
Upper Canada Mall, Newmarket: Sept 2010
Conestoga Mall, Waterloo: Aug 2011
Mapleview Mall, Burlington: Sept 2011
Masonville Place, London: June 2012
Bayshore Shopping Centre, Ottawa: Sept 2012

Q3 makes sense from a market perspective, since they're reliably driving year-end value.

[mattgrande]

On Wellington Wentworth Street South, there's a (formerly) gorgeous old mansion beside a four storey walk-up apartment. Both are boarded up, and have been for years. Does anyone know if there's anything planned, or if they're just sitting there rotting?

Google Maps Link: http://goo.gl/maps/kSVJm

[movingtohamilton]

I see that mansion nearly every day, and have wondered the same thing. Hard to believe it hasn't been brought back to its former grandeur, unless it was allowed to decay.

Since moving here I have been gobsmacked by the countless lovely homes in downtown Hamilton.

[drpgq]

Originally Posted by movingtohamilton

If Apple opened a store in Jackson Square, the impact would be fantastic.

I live downtown and would prefer it at Jackson. One benefit would be that it would be easily accessible to Mac students, plus the increasing numbers of Columbia College. That said right now if it was going to go anywhere, it would be Limeridge.

[movingtohamilton]

I know that the likelihood of Apple (or any world-class brand) opening a store in Jackson Square is slim to none. But a rising tide does float all boats. Imagine an Apple Store there. In a heartbeat, other retailers would be competing for retail space, given the volume of consumers with spending power that Apple would draw.

With an Apple Store, Jackson Square would be transformed, more thoroughly than bringing in a grocery store.

[Frankenrogers]

Originally Posted by mattgrande

On Wellington Street South, there's a (formerly) gorgeous old mansion beside a four storey walk-up apartment. Both are boarded up, and have been for years. Does anyone know if there's anything planned, or if they're just sitting there rotting?

Google Maps Link: http://goo.gl/maps/kSVJm

Looks like it is on Wentworth. Cool mansion though, I never go on that stretch between Main and Delaware so haven't seen it. Would love to see the inside.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by drpgq

I live downtown and would prefer it at Jackson. One benefit would be that it would be easily accessible to Mac students, plus the increasing numbers of Columbia College.

Burlington Transit's new express bus will get you from King and James to Mapleview in just over 20 minutes. Lime Ridge is just under 20 minutes by HSR from King and James. But it might also be that the GHA is seen as adequately served. Apple has traditioanlly been quite good at maintaining demand, and too many stores might be counterproductive. (Then again, post-Jobs, stores have apparently been paring back.)

On the face of it, LRM makes infinitely more sense than JS. Apple Stores (and other prestige brands) are not about dispensing social justice for BIAs or breaking open emerging neighbourhoods so much as about tapping into existing prosperity. They locate where disposable income is pooled deepest.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by thistleclub

...On the face of it, LRM makes infinitely more sense than JS. Apple Stores (and other prestige brands) are not about dispensing social justice for BIAs or breaking open emerging neighbourhoods so much as about tapping into existing prosperity. They locate where disposable income is pooled deepest.

True indeed. But I would think that a prestige tenant would get a rock-bottom lease rate as an enticement. Funny thing that in a city like Hamilton the pool of deepest disposable income is a short drive from JS. The Apple store at Sherway draws customers from a very wide catchment area, and no one walks to that mall

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by Frankenrogers

Looks like it is on Wentworth. Cool mansion though, I never go on that stretch between Main and Delaware so haven't seen it. Would love to see the inside.

Yes, it's on the east side of Wentworth. We live reasonably close by and walk that stretch often.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by movingtohamilton

True indeed. But I would think that a prestige tenant would get a rock-bottom lease rate as an enticement. Funny thing that in a city like Hamilton the pool of deepest disposable income is a short drive from JS.

Yale doesn't even have a JS website. That's not exactly going to recommend them as a tech-savvy node to the folks in Cupertino. (JS couldn't even hold on to a Bell Store.) But EcDev does offer a profile of downtown Hamilton, and to put it delicately, it's not much of a demographic match for Burlington. And again, Mapleview is close enough to Hamilton that it might be seen as adequate to meeting the market demand. Hamilton couldn't support independent Apple dealer Light Computer, post-Apple Mapleview, and that benefitted from Locke South. JS would be a much harder sell.

[fuller]

The Corktown Pub is for sale. The listing says it would make a great recording studio (it would, too) or maybe a condo development. I wonder why it's being sold; the Slainte people seemed to be doing a good business there, though perhaps not as big as their other location. I've always enjoyed both the food and the entertainment at the Corktown. It would be a real shame to lose this valuable neighbourhood amenity. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/images/smilies/cheers.gif

This better not be your fault, Corktown NIMBYs! (shakes cane in air)

But seriously, I wonder why it's been put on the market, unless it's not as successful as I had assumed.

[coalminecanary]

It was terribly managed from the start. For every good experience you had, I probably had 5 bad ones. Kitchen closed at 8pm, showing up on a Saturday and finding the doors locked, being told to "drink up fast" cause the staff wants to close early... the list goes on. The problem is, it was left as an afterthought to slainte's and was managed for a long time by one person who I think just didn't have enough experience or drive. It's a huge job to keep a place like that full every day. It spends so many hours empty that i'm shocked it lasted this long.

I wish someone would buy it and let a proper restaurant manager handle the food side, a proper bar manager for the drinks and then get a professional booking agent to run the stage. Managed properly (by a dedicated team), that building should be full of people 6 days a week, with a dinner crowd melding into the concert crowd. It should be like Hamilton's horseshoe tavern - plus food.

[matt602]

I agree. I never had a good experience at the Corktown. The shows were lousy, overpriced and the bar drinks were exceedingly expensive. The service was also disinterested at best. I actually find Slainte to be the same. For a proper pub experience I just go to the Winking Judge, Cat and the Fiddle or Rebels Rock.

In my opinion the best live music venue in Hamilton is by far This Ain't Hollywood. I did hear that Corktown was a lot better about 15 years ago, though.

[mattgrande]

So, anyone want to loan me $900 grand?

[Duckyboy]

Originally Posted by matt602

I agree. I never had a good experience at the Corktown. The shows were lousy, overpriced and the bar drinks were exceedingly expensive. The service was also disinterested at best. I actually find Slainte to be the same. For a proper pub experience I just go to the Winking Judge, Cat and the Fiddle or Rebels Rock.

In my opinion the best live music venue in Hamilton is by far This Ain't Hollywood. I did hear that Corktown was a lot better about 15 years ago, though.

That's because the Corktown was run (booked, at least) by the one of the owner's of This Ain't Hollywood! I'm friends with the owner's, and their intention with buying The Saint was to "re-create" the atmosphere of the Old Corktown.

And yes, Rebel's Rock is a fantastic place... has been for years.

[movingtohamilton]

Originally Posted by matt602

...For a proper pub experience I just go to the Winking Judge, Cat and the Fiddle or Rebels Rock...

Looks like a good lineup of live music at Cat & Fiddle. But can't the owners sneak in one, just one decent beer?! The tap list is the usual shite.