The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[officedweller]

Probably visibility from passing cars.
It used to be that malls had very little exterior signage (just the department store anchors)
- now every medium-sized tenant has a sign on the outside of the mall.

[Pinion]

Park Royal North still looks a little underwhelming. I wish they'd expand it closer to the road and have underground or roof parking. I think the weird diagonal reserve boundary line through the current parking lot has something to do with that though.

I don't generally like malls of any kind but love Park Royal village and visit it all the time. It's more of a food/exercise thing for me (seawall start and end point). I never go to Capilano Mall, or Lynn Valley Centre, and only go to Metrotown or Pacific Centre a few times per year. The new Brentwood will be enticing hopefully.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by Pinion

Park Royal North still looks a little underwhelming. I wish they'd expand it closer to the road and have underground or roof parking.

I believe that is coming in future phases.

The north/south connection Trattoria currently borders on will be extended across the street to help bridge the two malls.

I'd be quite surprised if that was not the next phase.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

I believe that is coming in future phases.

The north/south connection Trattoria currently borders on will be extended across the street to help bridge the two malls.

I'd be quite surprised if that was not the next phase.

Isn't that just a covered canopy like in the rendering of the North mall?

Any other suburban malls have 15-20K space sitting empty right now that would be suitable for Uniqlo?

Or going really crazy.. HBC closes and revamps into a Saks?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Klazu

What's with the unbounded love for open-air shopping centres?

I think it's all meant to create a "market" or a "streetscape" in many cases. Also, it's 'green and eco-friendly' in a town obsesed with all that.
And in fact, closed malls can be rather in-hemming in feeling, and I'm thinking of malls near the eastern suburbs esp.

Just too bad they never took inspiration from Milan and its Galleria, and such as even in Cleveland. You can build it successfully indoors, especially with a lot of style and light. Other cities have proven this (although history may - and may not- play a heavy role in design.) Examples:

Milan, of course

http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/06/GalleriaVittorioEmanueleII-e-0604.jpg

Cleveland
http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/06/ClevelandArcade02-e-0604.jpg

London, The Burlington Arcade



and in Australia... Sydney


http://s3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/D8TnxFIy-EMDIv74WxiO1Q/348s.jpg

Perth

http://www.buchan.com.au/images/uploads/lalaport_f_mall.jpg


and elsewhere (going ultra modern)

http://www.buchan.com.au/images/uploads/emporium5016.jpg

[tarrance17]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I think it's all meant to create a "market" or a "streetscape" in many cases. Also, it's 'green and eco-friendly' in a town obsesed with all that.
And in fact, closed malls can be rather in-hemming in feeling, and I'm thinking of malls near the eastern suburbs esp.

Just too bad they never took inspiration from Milan and its Galleria, and such as even in Cleveland. You can build it successfully indoors, especially with a lot of style and light. Other cities have proven this (although history may - and may not- play a heavy role in design.) Examples:

Milan, of course

http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/06/GalleriaVittorioEmanueleII-e-0604.jpg

Cleveland
http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/06/ClevelandArcade02-e-0604.jpg

London, The Burlington Arcade



and in Australia... Sydney


http://s3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/D8TnxFIy-EMDIv74WxiO1Q/348s.jpg

Perth

http://www.buchan.com.au/images/uploads/lalaport_f_mall.jpg


and elsewhere (going ultra modern)

http://www.buchan.com.au/images/uploads/emporium5016.jpg

Those malls look awesome! Although we do have something pretty nice in Richmond, Aberdeen centre. Nothing compares to the one in Milan though.

[Klazu]

As much as Uniqlo loath takes place on this forum, I was both interested and surpised to see how common they were in Hong Kong and Taipei. They did have great and central locations, but to me the stores didn't look anything special. Actually, H&M is what came to my mind from their appearances.

Perhaps they have flagship stores somewhere that I didn't notice, but I still don't see the reason for all the hype. Uniqlo seems like a very mainstream store in Asia.

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by officedweller

BINGO! Park Royal article from BisNow today:


https://www.bisnow.com/vancouver/news/re...ficedweller%40gmail.com&utm_medium=email

WOW!!...and now for this Friday's winning lotto-max numbers!!

...it did seem to be the direction, however, I doubt they would have left the orphan half-mall for long.

I predict, down the road, Hudson's Bay, will relocate to the south-side, perhaps where Best Buy and Staples are now, ironically, this was the originally location for The Bay back in the 70's. They don't seem to be making any improvements to the Park Royal store will be incompatible with the vision for Park Royal North.

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I think it's all meant to create a "market" or a "streetscape" in many cases. Also, it's 'green and eco-friendly' in a town obsesed with all that.
And in fact, closed malls can be rather in-hemming in feeling, and I'm thinking of malls near the eastern suburbs esp.

Just too bad they never took inspiration from Milan and its Galleria, and such as even in Cleveland. You can build it successfully indoors, especially with a lot of style and light. Other cities have proven this (although history may - and may not- play a heavy role in design.) Examples:

Sadly, Pacific Centre was conceived and built during the era of 'the underground city' inspired in large part, by Montreal's efforts in the late 60's to put the make the majority of downtown retail from the frigid winters, hence, Pacific Centre is similar in scale to Place-Ville-Marie.

I think if our downtown mall had happened a few years later, the 'galleria influence' would have created something more akin to Eaton Centre in Toronto. Many of our malls added a galleria-style roof in the 80's, Oakridge, Lougheed Mall and Richmond Centre are examples.

[officedweller]

Pacific Centre was Fairview Corporation's "test case" before it built Toronto Eaton Centre.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by tarrance17

Those malls look awesome! Although we do have something pretty nice in Richmond, Aberdeen centre. Nothing compares to the one in Milan though.

Milan, of course not! And Cleveland benefits from being an older city, as does London very obviously, even Sydney.
But the bottom two malls are nice and airy, as in the first one, and the second one is the definition of ultra modern chic.
They seem to do some pretty good stuff in Australia.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by connect2source

WOW!!...and now for this Friday's winning lotto-max numbers!!

...it did seem to be the direction, however, I doubt they would have left the orphan half-mall for long.

I predict, down the road, Hudson's Bay, will relocate to the south-side, perhaps where Best Buy and Staples are now, ironically, this was the originally location for The Bay back in the 70's. They don't seem to be making any improvements to the Park Royal store will be incompatible with the vision for Park Royal North.

Well, it would be stupid to bet against you but I don't see that move happening.

As for Uniqlo, just because it's common place in Asia doesn't really mean anything for there stores here. They have lots of Uniqlos in other department store as well, so I think they prefer to have deep penetration in all those cities.

They have quite a few flagship stores.



Credit: traxontechnologies.com



Credit: traxontechnologies.com



Credit: hype.my



Credit: dnainfo.com

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I think it's all meant to create a "market" or a "streetscape" in many cases. Also, it's 'green and eco-friendly' in a town obsesed with all that.
And in fact, closed malls can be rather in-hemming in feeling, and I'm thinking of malls near the eastern suburbs esp.

Just too bad they never took inspiration from Milan and its Galleria, and such as even in Cleveland. You can build it successfully indoors, especially with a lot of style and light. Other cities have proven this (although history may - and may not- play a heavy role in design.) Examples:

Milan, of course
http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/06/GalleriaVittorioEmanueleII-e-0604.jpg

Cleveland
http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/06/ClevelandArcade02-e-0604.jpg

London, The Burlington Arcade



and in Australia... Sydney


http://s3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/D8TnxFIy-EMDIv74WxiO1Q/348s.jpg

Perth

http://www.buchan.com.au/images/uploads/lalaport_f_mall.jpg


and elsewhere (going ultra modern)

http://www.buchan.com.au/images/uploads/emporium5016.jpg

...and this is so different?

http://www.insidevancouver.ca

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by Klazu

As much as Uniqlo loath takes place on this forum, I was both interested and surpised to see how common they were in Hong Kong and Taipei. Perhaps they have flagship stores somewhere that I didn't notice, but I still don't see the reason for all the hype. Uniqlo seems like a very mainstream store in Asia.

You're not the first person to comment on how ordinary the concept is but the usual suspects here won't hear of it-to them 'life is elsewhere'.

[Spork]

Uniqlo has nice fitting, inexpensive, medium quality basics. It is a bit like the quality of Zara (which I perceive to be above H&M), but far more basic designs. Or the designs of American Apparel (I think?), but less expensive. Or like Joe Fresh, but better fitting and higher quality. I wouldn't shop my entire wardrobe there, but it does round out my wardrobe.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Spork

Uniqlo has nice fitting, inexpensive, medium quality basics. It is a bit like the quality of Zara (which I perceive to be above H&M), but far more basic designs. Or the designs of American Apparel (I think?), but less expensive. Or like Joe Fresh, but better fitting and higher quality. I wouldn't shop my entire wardrobe there, but it does round out my wardrobe.

Exactly, if they don't screw up their pricing it should do well in that segment.

[officedweller]

Those Uniqlo pics really tell me that its store should be on Granville St. - not Robson St.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Sheba

...and this is so different?

Add Aberdeen Centre to that as well - it's a nice atrium space too.


By Matunos on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/agaudio/3327347835


http://pinterest.com/pin/173459023122749148/

[osirisboy]

Wow that looks pretty good!!

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Klazu

What's with the unbounded love for open-air shopping centres?

True, there is a reason why Oakridge and Parkroyal switched from the outdoor to the indoor concept in the first place, but I guess these malls are getting pretty old now and ventilation/HVAC system just isn't providing the best air flow in them. Shoppers want to venture outside again, forgetting that this city is often inundated with rain. I can also imagine that indoor malls are also a lot more expensive to maintain.

Question is, how are they going to open up the mall with the parkade structure right above it?