The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[WarrenC12]

If the recent vote is any guide, the people complaining about the end of civilization in downtown Vancouver were the vocal minority. Sam Sullivan's "tough on crime" stance got him booted out of office in Van-False Creek.

[svlt]

I’m pretty sure it’s more that the BC Liberals are tarnished and that in a provincial election there are far more pressing topics that people are thinking of, such as the NDP’s admirable handling of the pandemic and balanced approach to provincial coffers. Very few probably looked at their choices and said to themselves “nah, homelessness and rampant crime and open drug use isn’t a problem and isn’t a voting issue” rather than “BC NDP good, BC Libs bad, vote not-Wilkinson’s party”.

If you think this isn’t becoming a serious problem then you are out to lunch. I expect if today’s trends continue in CoV we will see a massive shift in the municipal elected officials in 2022 where these kinds of issues are front and center.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by svlt

I’m pretty sure it’s more that the BC Liberals are tarnished and that in a provincial election there are far more pressing topics that people are thinking of, such as the NDP’s admirable handling of the pandemic and balanced approach to provincial coffers. Very few probably looked at their choices and said to themselves “nah, homelessness and rampant crime and open drug use isn’t a problem and isn’t a voting issue” rather than “BC NDP good, BC Libs bad, vote not-Wilkinson’s party”.

If you think this isn’t becoming a serious problem then you are out to lunch. I expect if today’s trends continue in CoV we will see a massive shift in the municipal elected officials in 2022 where these kinds of issues are front and center.

Really? Sam Sullivan highlighted crime, drug use, and the new safe injection site in Yaletown (his riding), as being huge problems that need addressing. He lost pretty badly to the NDP.

I'm not saying these things aren't problems, I'm saying this forum and others can be a bit of an echo chamber.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Really? Sam Sullivan highlighted crime, drug use, and the new safe injection site in Yaletown (his riding), as being huge problems that need addressing. He lost pretty badly to the NDP.

I'm not saying these things aren't problems, I'm saying this forum and others can be a bit of an echo chamber.

I think that many NDP supporters are also concerned with these issues but aren’t willing to sell out their other priorities to vote exclusively on that mandate. Nor do I believe that the Liberals would have necessarily done a better job on that front.

Compare this to American evangelicals who will literally vote for the least Christian-acting people because of wedge-issues like abortion or so-called “law and order”.

Canadian conservatives need to be very careful about saying things that harken, even slightly, to that form of political manipulation.

[jlousa]

Starbucks in Waterfront centre has closing permanently.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Starbucks in Waterfront centre has closing permanently.

There's a few other ones in the restaurant thread that recently closed.

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Starbucks in Waterfront centre has closing permanently.

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9068287&postcount=1801

Ron.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jlousa

Starbucks in Waterfront centre has closing permanently.

I question whether Starbucks isn't going to far in extrapolating long term trends based on a time of pandemic. This is from a TO blog:

With the global pandemic forcing so many office workers to do their jobs from home, it's never been more important to have a reason to get outside — even if it's only once a day, just for coffee. Just to see the sun.

For downtown Toronto condo dwellers, whether apt to admit it or not, Starbucks serves this purpose well: The chain is ubiquitous, its atmosphere is comforting, and its products are consistently good (or at least higher in caffeine than what a Tassimo can put out.)

And those perpetually-chatty baristas? They've come to sub in for the friendly co-workers we now only interact with through Slack. Even the most introverted among us can some small talk on an otherwise silent, screen-filled day...

...That Seattle-based coffee giant did announce in June that it would be closing as many as 200 stores in Canada over the next two years due to financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starbucks told investors at the time that it would be restructuring the business to focus more on grab-and-go options, notably those with drive-thru service....

https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2020/10/starbucks-stores-closed-toronto-residents-shook/

Of course in Vancouver that will run head up against our virtue-signalling city government and they won't be able to open drive-thrus. I'd say SBUX is underestimating their customers desire to get out of the condo. Smaller coffee retailers should be eying some of these abandoned locations and trying to score a good lease rate.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Of course in Vancouver that will run head up against our virtue-signalling city government and they won't be able to open drive-thrus. I'd say SBUX is underestimating their customers desire to get out of the condo. Smaller coffee retailers should be eying some of these abandoned locations and trying to score a good lease rate.

Possible. I notice the SBUX locations around me are pretty busy, but also restricting in-house seating (none in some).

If they need to, I think they can jump in and spin up a new location pretty quickly. I've heard anecdotally that business is still down significantly.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Possible. I notice the SBUX locations around me are pretty busy, but also restricting in-house seating (none in some).

If they need to, I think they can jump in and spin up a new location pretty quickly. I've heard anecdotally that business is still down significantly.

I think that certain markets, such as downtown, were oversaturated with locations.

Thankfully everyone else is thriving!

Tim Hortons has been unable to compensate for the loss of morning sales as commuters stay home and pandemic-related restrictions on the hospitality sector return to some regions, according to a quarterly update on Tuesday.

https://financialpost.com/news/retail-ma...f-customers-returning-to-morning-commute

[WarrenC12]

Tim Hortons can DIAF.

[dreambrother808]

Starbucks just released their Q4 results.

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/starbucks-reports-q4-fiscal-2020-results/

Still turning a profit in spite of COVID. Doomed!

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Tim Hortons can DIAF.

There's always hope!

[SpongeG]

I was on Fraser street today and there is that Hardware/homeware store down around 44 or so. It has a letter on the door that it will be remaining closed and something to the effect of we aren't going to make people sick by staying open basically. So it looks like it's been closed since the shutdown months ago.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I was on Fraser street today and there is that Hardware/homeware store down around 44 or so. It has a letter on the door that it will be remaining closed and something to the effect of we aren't going to make people sick by staying open basically. So it looks like it's been closed since the shutdown months ago.

I guess it used to be a Home Hardware and they left the system and changed the format of the store. I'm surprised they haven't been sued for using their HH logo.

https://www.homewares.ca/

[SpongeG]

California Closets is opening on South Granville in the old Bell store space. I seem to recall they had a store further north somewhere near the Brick.

2020-11-03_06-21-31 by snub_you, on Flickr

2020-11-03_06-21-36 by snub_you, on Flickr

[teriyaki]

Sort of off-tangent, but how no one has capitalized on the name Closets! Closets! Closets! Closets! is beyond me

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

California Closets is opening on South Granville in the old Bell store space. I seem to recall they had a store further north somewhere near the Brick.
r

Ugh, that name “Project Skin” creeps me out. Sounds like a B grade horror movie.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Ugh, that name “Project Skin” creeps me out. Sounds like a B grade horror movie.

... or a 🞵🞵🞵 shop

[SpongeG]

Pelaton is opening a store in half of the old J Crew space at Park Royal.

Also Polestar is opening there but their space is very small, there is no way they can display a car inside it, perhaps they will use the mall space if they plan to have a car on display.