[Halifax] The Sister Sites | 2X29 m | 2X9 floors | Completed

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by portapetey

I like the overall design, shape, massing, what have you. I think it fits the neighbourhood well. A bit more setback with a patio level at the third floor would have been nice, but overall it's pretty decent.

I just wish the cladding wasn't so all over the place.

Yeah, I don't mind it so much either. Good for the area.

I mostly dislike the fact TexPark/Twisted Sisters remains a grown over parking lot years after it was sold to a private developer to develop.

Halifax City Gov is absolutely terrible at doing tendering.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Whenever I see this thread "bolded" for new posts, I get excited thinking it's the "Twisted Sister site" (ie Tex Park / Skye site), and then I realize it's this one.

I must remember to give that thread a "bump" one of these days.

"Psych!" for CF. (it was a popular saying back in the '80s... )

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I must remember to give that thread a "bump" one of these days.

"Psych!" for CF. (it was a popular saying back in the '80s... )

I'll flip.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

I walked by two days ago and it looked like a pretty complete store inside. They've also completed the sidewalk around the entrance to the NSLC, so it appears as if they are indeed serious about opening soon.

And yeah... those materials. Just... wow.

I happened to be in the area today and took a look. Holy crap. What a sh*tshow.

The construction fence is still in place. I had assumed for some reason that the NSLC was on the Queen St side, facing the library, but no, to my surprise I see they are on the corner of Birmingham and Clyde. At least that is the only side with signage so I presume they do not take up all the space - or maybe there is still signage to be installed opposite on Queen, I do not know. I could not get close enough to take a good look.

Clyde St was blocked off in front of the bldg with large trucks and you could not pass. Meanwhile over on Birmingham there was a crew with cherry pickers trying to install various components of the facade. The building is still unfinished on the outside in sections and of course none of the other interiors are close to ready. Parking was nowhere to be found in the area - even the soon to be dug up lot on Dresden was full. The lineup to pay and get out was 6 deep.

I am becoming convinced that this may be a huge debacle for the NSLC at least. The more the building gets closer to being finished, the more it remains hideously ugly. I will stay away from this store for a while until the dust (literally) settles.

[hollistreet]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I happened to be in the area today and took a look. Holy crap. What a sh*tshow.

The construction fence is still in place. I had assumed for some reason that the NSLC was on the Queen St side, facing the library, but no, to my surprise I see they are on the corner of Birmingham and Clyde. At least that is the only side with signage so I presume they do not take up all the space - or maybe there is still signage to be installed opposite on Queen, I do not know. I could not get close enough to take a good look.

Clyde St was blocked off in front of the bldg with large trucks and you could not pass. Meanwhile over on Birmingham there was a crew with cherry pickers trying to install various components of the facade. The building is still unfinished on the outside in sections and of course none of the other interiors are close to ready. Parking was nowhere to be found in the area - even the soon to be dug up lot on Dresden was full. The lineup to pay and get out was 6 deep.

I am becoming convinced that this may be a huge debacle for the NSLC at least. The more the building gets closer to being finished, the more it remains hideously ugly. I will stay away from this store for a while until the dust (literally) settles.

The NSLC is located on the south west section of the building. The construction fence in front of the NSLC will be down tomorrow. The enterance side close to middle of the building on the south side. They and employees and dignitaries in there today.

[Flatland Metropolis]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Whenever I see this thread "bolded" for new posts, I get excited thinking it's the "Twisted Sister site" (ie Tex Park / Skye site), and then I realize it's this one.

To think what could of been

[macgregor]

The new NSLC store opened yesterday. They're calling it the "Port".
Looks good, and good selection. Access from Clyde St.

[IanWatson]

Originally Posted by macgregor

The new NSLC store opened yesterday. They're calling it the "Port".
Looks good, and good selection. Access from Clyde St.

I walked past on my way home from work today and they were having their grand opening, so I stopped in. It's pretty darn swank. If you want a $2000 bottle of wine or a $4000 scotch (seriously, they have those things), this is the place to go. They also have a tasting room, and machines where you can buy small tastings of different wines. The wine selection is pretty amazing, but I'm super disappointed by the beer; it's simply the higher-end selection from the regular NSLC lineup rather than unique beers.

As Keith predicted, it's super awkward with the building still under construction. They have about a million large "Now Open" signs, but you have to navigate construction fencing and go under scaffolding to get in. They did have velvet ropes though...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

I walked past on my way home from work today and they were having their grand opening, so I stopped in. It's pretty darn swank. If you want a $2000 bottle of wine or a $4000 scotch (seriously, they have those things), this is the place to go. They also have a tasting room, and machines where you can buy small tastings of different wines. The wine selection is pretty amazing, but I'm super disappointed by the beer; it's simply the higher-end selection from the regular NSLC lineup rather than unique beers.

As Keith predicted, it's super awkward with the building still under construction. They have about a million large "Now Open" signs, but you have to navigate construction fencing and go under scaffolding to get in. They did have velvet ropes though...

I am hearing some disquieting things about what is going on with the NSLC lately. The multi-thousand $ products are one symptom. I can pretty much guarantee they aren't selling much of that stuff. Even more disquieting is their new promotional campaign using their VP of Marketing as their product expert picking certain products. On the face of it that is a conflict of interest as he is supposed to treat all vendors more or less the same, so one has to wonder how he can shill for certain products. I suspect customers have no clue who he is anyway. This store is another piece of the puzzle. There are some very big ego trips going on there lately, spending lots of money - taxpayer money - on lots of very questionable marketing and store initiatives that are not resulting in increased profits, but rather which are stroking the egos of some NSLC executives.

When you look at past experiences where execs have become the marketing face of businesses, it usually has not gone well. Think of Dave Nicoll, the face of President's Choice at Loblaw until he got fired. Iacocca at Chrysler became so infatuated with his own image he neglected to run the company after a while. Vanity is a dangerous thing, and I suspect this is largely a vanity project for the NSLC execs. One wonders if this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and leads to some big changes being imposed upon them by the govt.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by IanWatson

They also have a tasting room, and machines where you can buy small tastings of different wines. The wine selection is pretty amazing, but I'm super disappointed by the beer; it's simply the higher-end selection from the regular NSLC lineup rather than unique beers.

So it sounds like it will be a great addition to the neighborhood.

It seems that the beer selection must not be complete yet, as I remember reading that they were going to have a large selection of local craft beer.

I bet it will be a dismal failure just like the library has been...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I bet it will be a dismal failure just like the library has been...

The only way it will be a success is if they make their products free like the pile o' boxes across the street.

Of course, Åsa (with a ring) Kachan and her well-paid band of minions will likely enjoy spending their inflated salaries on some of those 1%er products across the street on cheque day now.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

On the face of it that is a conflict of interest as he is supposed to treat all vendors more or less the same

That's doesn't sound like a conflict of interest to me - it sounds like good business: choosing the best products to sell to customers. All vendors are not created equally, nor are all their products the same.

However, if he were buying products from a vendor that he had a personal stake in - that would be conflict of interest.

Iacocca at Chrysler became so infatuated with his own image he neglected to run the company after a while.

Nah, Iacocca was always just a sales guy, regardless of starting his career as an engineer.

If you look at the history of Chrysler, they have always been hanging on a pendulum that cycled between success and bankruptcy - waiting for the next big market success to temporarily keep them afloat. 2008 wasn't the first time the US government bailed them out and their problems continue to this day.

Iacocca (and Sperlich) actually pulled Chrysler out of the toilet with the K car and its most successful variant, the minivan, but the same old problems still persisted, with aging plants, highly-paid factory workers and lack of product (development) depth to be able to quickly change to meet the desires of a fickle marketplace. They simply have never had the resources to compete on the same level as GM and Ford, nor have they had the ability to change and evolve like other successful smaller companies.

To look to one point in history and try to pin it on Iacocca's ego is an oversimplification. Their problems have always run much deeper than the actions of one person.

Vanity is a dangerous thing, and I suspect this is largely a vanity project for the NSLC execs. One wonders if this will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and leads to some big changes being imposed upon them by the govt.

Ha! Even your story didn't sound like an exaggeration, the current provincial government has shown absolutely no sign that they would be capable of even recognizing a problem, much less of imposing any kind of changes that would lead the NSLC to improved profitability.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

That's doesn't sound like a conflict of interest to me - it sounds like good business: choosing the best products to sell to customers. All vendors are not created equally, nor are all their products the same.

However, if he were buying products from a vendor that he had a personal stake in - that would be conflict of interest.

As a liquor monopoly they do have an obligation to treat vendors fairly and equally. There is no other place for a vendor to sell their product. That what makes them different from Loblaws or Sobeys. If you get shut out by the NSLC you are out of business in NS. So perhaps you need to pony up to send someone on a trip to some exotic place where the products you represent are made. Suddenly your product (which is pretty much interchangeable with all the other similar products on the market) can become "the best" and be touted as such. Has it happened? Who knows....

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

As a liquor monopoly they do have an obligation to treat vendors fairly and equally. There is no other place for a vendor to sell their product. That what makes them different from Loblaws or Sobeys. If you get shut out by the NSLC you are out of business in NS. So perhaps you need to pony up to send someone on a trip to some exotic place where the products you represent are made. Suddenly your product (which is pretty much interchangeable with all the other similar products on the market) can become "the best" and be touted as such. Has it happened? Who knows....

Actually, as I understand it, the 'vendors' are actually distributors who act as representatives/sales agents for a number of brands. While I'm not an insider, I have spoken to a number of distributors in the past and have never heard any references to anyone being shut out of the marketplace.

I have heard, though, that there are product sampling events that take place in Nova Scotia during which products are judged on such things as flavours, quality, and pricepoint, in order to bring good products into our market in all price ranges. This seems like good business practice to me.

As far as the rest of it all goes, it sounds like you have no grounds for your assertions and are merely introducing speculation as reality. So...

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

Actually, as I understand it, the 'vendors' are actually distributors who act as representatives/sales agents for a number of brands. While I'm not an insider, I have spoken to a number of distributors in the past and have never heard any references to anyone being shut out of the marketplace.

You obviously have not talked to the right assortment of representatives.

I have heard, though, that there are product sampling events that take place in Nova Scotia during which products are judged on such things as flavours, quality, and pricepoint, in order to bring good products into our market in all price ranges. This seems like good business practice to me.

When you are selling a product that is ingested, it is probably a good idea to taste it first.

The troughers at the NSLC live off the hospitality accounts of suppliers. They likely keep several high-end restaurants locally in business.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

When you are selling a product that is ingested, it is probably a good idea to taste it first.

On that we agree.

[RoshanMcG]

[Keith P.]

I wonder how they are going to do the cladding/brickwork on the north wall next to that old house? There seems to be very little space there.

Still a long, long way for this to go.

[Hali87]

Untitled by Hali87, on Flickr

[mr.wheels]

Not sure what the original estimated completion date of this project but i hope the developer will be sued for incompetence if anything.