Winnipeg | Retail

[esquire]

Originally Posted by OTA in Winnipeg

The closures are everywhere too.

Maryland and Ellice
MacGregor and Selkirk
Salter and Aberdeen and Sargent and Isabel a few years ago
William and Isabel

I wonder of the one at Arlington and Ellice is still open. They're always getting robbed.

I don't ever remember there being one at MacGregor and Selkirk... are you thinking of another street?

IIRC the Salter and Aberdeen location which closed some 20-odd years ago was the first inner city location to shut down due to crime.

I've noticed that the remaining central locations have fairly little inventory on hand. Those stores do not look like the suburban ones.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by esquire

I don't ever remember there being one at MacGregor and Selkirk... are you thinking of another street?

IIRC the Salter and Aberdeen location which closed some 20-odd years ago was the first inner city location to shut down due to crime.

I've noticed that the remaining central locations have fairly little inventory on hand. Those stores do not look like the suburban ones.

Yeah I don't think there was ever a 7/11 there. There was a Mac's at Selkirk and Arlington which is now an off brand convenience store.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by cllew

Also looking at the 7/11 web page for Winnipeg I was surprised to see that about half of their locations have reduced their hours over the last little while to 5am to midnight.

I have heard it elsewhere that CERB is making it challenging to staff some lower paying jobs. Nothing specific to 7-11 there but I had heard in the past the overnight shift was more challenging to staff. It wouldn't be surprising to see it related.

As for the 7-11/gas station news, that does sound like something I might have posted in the past. Doing a quick search turns up news from 2016 like this:

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/7-...of-imperial-oil-locations-571444681.html

[esquire]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Yeah I don't think there was ever a 7/11 there. There was a Mac's at Selkirk and Arlington which is now an off brand convenience store.

The weirdly named "Ur's Convenience Store"

I used to go there for slurpees when I was a teenager and it was a Mac's. I haven't been in there to see what it's like now, though.

Speaking of former Mac's stores, what's the one on Central Park called now?

[OTA in Winnipeg]

^Yep. Wrong location, wrong store. I should have googled it.

[esquire]

Interesting news about the Kenaston power centre... one of the units is going to have a pool installed and it will become the Aqua Essence Swim Academy.

https://www.chrisd.ca/2021/06/24/aqua-essence-swim-academy-winnipeg/

I always thought you needed a purpose built structure to handle the humidity levels of a pool, but apparently not?

It's hot on the heels of the H20 Academy which recently completed its facility nearby just off McGillivray.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by esquire

I always thought you needed a purpose built structure to handle the humidity levels of a pool, but apparently not?

No. Easy, but not cheap, to upgrade the ventilation for that space. High capacity HRV. May need to do a special paint on the walls too.

[buzzg]

I'm honestly shocked they're filling these spaces and not just starting over and redeveloping into residential mixed use of some sort. That part of the area is horrendous. Do something like the Polo Park plans or even what's happening near Outlet Collection... such a waste of space.

[morty]

Originally Posted by esquire

Interesting news about the Kenaston power centre... one of the units is going to have a pool installed and it will become the Aqua Essence Swim Academy.

https://www.chrisd.ca/2021/06/24/aqua-essence-swim-academy-winnipeg/

I always thought you needed a purpose built structure to handle the humidity levels of a pool, but apparently not?

It's hot on the heels of the H20 Academy which recently completed its facility nearby just off McGillivray.

It's definitely smart on their part to be leasing the space rather than owning it, but as long as it's well maintained and properly renovated to support a pool they should be ok. It looks like it'll be a very small teaching pool which should help to control humidity. The AHUs in probably over 50% of the City's pools don't even work properly; it really all comes down to proper maintenance and upkeep.

It'll be interesting to see how these private pool situations work out. These types of providers currently make ridiculous amounts of money as the lessons aren't cheap and they use the City's pool space at (heavily subsidized) normal admission rates. Making the numbers work once the City is no longer indirectly covering a huge portion of your operating costs will be a bit more difficult. Great quality swim lessons though, so I hope it works out for them.

[esquire]

The City is reviewing the opaque window bylaw for cannabis shops

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/...t-opaque-business-windows-574713282.html

I like this, the frosted windows that these shops are required to have make the units look vacant. You really notice it in pedestrian areas like Osborne Village.

I also wish something could be done about The Joint, whose stores are probably among the ugliest ones in Winnipeg. It is as though they are made deliberately hideous...

[buzzg]

I totally think we should get rid of the opaque window rule – however it sounds like both those councillors don't actually want that. One wants to force the opaqueness to be "art" and the other wants to make some ridiculous rules about where stores can be.

The rule is so dumb – liquor, wine and beer stores can have clear windows, and in those stores they can actually display the product! You can't actually have weed out in the shops here, so what exactly is the window rule trying to hide? Makes no sense. Also, those stores can even advertise on the outside of the building, where cannabis can't. Whether a minor can see into a window of what is clearly a cannabis store is going to have zero effect on them doing... whatever people seem to be afraid of.

This is probably a good one to write your councillor about.

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by esquire

The City is reviewing the opaque window bylaw for cannabis shops

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/...t-opaque-business-windows-574713282.html

I like this, the frosted windows that these shops are required to have make the units look vacant. You really notice it in pedestrian areas like Osborne Village.

I also wish something could be done about The Joint, whose stores are probably among the ugliest ones in Winnipeg. It is as though they are made deliberately hideous...

The one on St Mary's just makes me cringe. It was bad enough they took a beautiful red brick historical building and painted it grey. But then the big ugly as sin signage.

I don't know who owns that chain. But I'd think you'd want to make your business not stand out like a word thumb

[AccordTR]

Originally Posted by esquire

Interesting news about the Kenaston power centre... one of the units is going to have a pool installed and it will become the Aqua Essence Swim Academy.

https://www.chrisd.ca/2021/06/24/aqua-essence-swim-academy-winnipeg/

I always thought you needed a purpose built structure to handle the humidity levels of a pool, but apparently not?

It's hot on the heels of the H20 Academy which recently completed its facility nearby just off McGillivray.

This is a growing trend. The old Best Buy in Fargo became a swim school.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by AccordTR

This is a growing trend. The old Best Buy in Fargo became a swim school.

Interesting. I guess a business opportunity has arisen in places where municipal governments have done such a weak job of maintaining pools and adding new ones. Which may well be the case in Winnipeg... have there been any new public pools built since the 1980s?

[AccordTR]

Originally Posted by esquire

Interesting. I guess a business opportunity has arisen in places where municipal governments have done such a weak job of maintaining pools and adding new ones. Which may well be the case in Winnipeg... have there been any new public pools built since the 1980s?

I think you nailed it. There is more and more private ice rinks now too so pools/swimming seems inevitable.

[cllew]

The ChrisD news feed is saying that is going to be a stainless steel tank and the installers will be coming from Czech Republic later this year. This will only be the 3rd pool of this style in Canada

[bomberjet]

The City has plans for a rec campus in waverley west, which I believe includes a pool. They've been trying to get a new YMCA built in Transcona as well.

I think the City overall has taken a stance on not expanding services, but trying to maintain what exists.

I keep going back to it, but holy 🞵🞵🞵🞵 that Police budget is huge, while everything else suffers.

[drew]

The ChrisD news feed is saying that is going to be a stainless steel tank and the installers will be coming from Czech Republic later this year. This will only be the 3rd pool of this style in Canada

^ hopefully it's a salt water pool...

[cllew]

New Bianca Amour liquidation center is opening soon in the Eastgate Shopping center at Panet and Narin.

With Princess Auto and Peavy Mart also in the same 1/2 km strip on Panet there will be all sorts of tools and other stuff available at low prices.

[horrorbro123]

Well Bailey Nelson Is Coming To Polo Park