Winnipeg | Osborne Village & Fort Rouge

[CoryB]

The Village really needs a retail rent structure that favours startups with heavily reduced rates that allow places to grow into paying higher bills. I still remember when the Toad was a tiny corner of the space it occupies now. Part of what made the Village special was that it had many smaller, independent places that offered stuff you really didn't find anywhere else. In the Village of old something like American Apperal would never have happened. It really needs to get back to that focus where someone with a vision can open something up and try something new without needing deep pockets to bankroll that idea through the high risk startup period.

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by CoryB

The Village really needs a retail rent structure that favours startups with heavily reduced rates that allow places to grow into paying higher bills. I still remember when the Toad was a tiny corner of the space it occupies now. Part of what made the Village special was that it had many smaller, independent places that offered stuff you really didn't find anywhere else. In the Village of old something like American Apperal would never have happened. It really needs to get back to that focus where someone with a vision can open something up and try something new without needing deep pockets to bankroll that idea through the high risk startup period.

I would say a variety of retail interests make it great, chains and non-chains.

[Ando]

Great, it's controlled by two-bit developers with no vision. Bowling alley in the basement? Because there's such demand for that. Super disappointing.

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by Ando

Great, it's controlled by two-bit developers with no vision. Bowling alley in the basement? Because there's such demand for that. Super disappointing.

Yeah, I couldn't believe they suggested a bowling alley in the basement. What is this 1960? When was the last time somebody opened a new bowling alley?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Yeah, I couldn't believe they suggested a bowling alley in the basement. What is this 1960? When was the last time somebody opened a new bowling alley?

I think it tells you how totally out of gas these guys are. I guess if there was an auction sale somewhere with a bunch of old bowling equipment that could be had for a couple of grand, they'd give it a try.

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Yeah, I couldn't believe they suggested a bowling alley in the basement. What is this 1960? When was the last time somebody opened a new bowling alley?

Perhaps they'll "appeal to today's youth" by bringing back Bowling for Dollars as a YouTube channel.

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Yeah, I couldn't believe they suggested a bowling alley in the basement. What is this 1960? When was the last time somebody opened a new bowling alley?

1. La Verendrye, offers 10-pin, opened in 2013 (according to Archive.org) (St. Boniface)
   
2. The Travelodge Hotel (St. Vital) has a 5-pin bowling alley. I think that just opened in the past year (but I could be wrong).
   
3. Academy Lanes West (Assiniboia)...5 and 10-pin lanes. Opened in the past 5 years or so.

And I've watched bowling since I was little, in the early 1970s, and continue to watch 10-pin PBA on ESPN on YouTube. Played 5-pin Adult Mixed at Academy 2006-10, 151 Avg.

The thing I didn't like closer to the end in 2010 when I played was the Millennials loved to txt in between their shots, which looked really rude to me. And the league kept increasing their weekly fees...Started at $12 in 2006 and went to $14 or so by 2010.

At that point I quit, and besides I got laid off from Ag. Canada the next year, so could no longer afford the $300+ a season to play.

Still I like to watch it on the tely.

[Kinguni]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

1. La Verendrye, offers 10-pin, opened in 2013 (according to Archive.org) (St. Boniface)
   
2. The Travelodge Hotel (St. Vital) has a 5-pin bowling alley. I think that just opened in the past year (but I could be wrong).
   
3. Academy Lanes West (Assiniboia)...5 and 10-pin lanes. Opened in the past 5 years or so.

All have been around longer than I've been alive. The only lane to open in the 50 years was St Vital lanes at St Annes and Bishop Grandin, which has since been replaced by an office building.

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by Kinguni

The only lane to open in the 50 years was St Vital lanes at St Annes and Bishop Grandin, which has since been replaced by an office building.

And that opened in 1980 at the absolute latest.

[Urban recluse]

If this was planned for the Balmoral, hey, have at her, but the Village? Really?

[blueandgoldguy]

When 300 Assiniboine opened weren't there apartments renting for $900 a month in for 400 - 450 square feet? And that is a high rise right beside the river. These folks propose $1000 per month for a 275 square foot bachelor pad in a three story building. Who the hell would rent at those rates!?

[BAKGUY]

Osborne Village Inn plans..What a disaster and disappointment. A MICRO MESS!
We were hoping for a mid scale hotel with a few retail spots and a restaurant or 2.
This sounds horrid and who will pay near $1000.00 for 275 ft2? $1400.00 for $450 ft2?
Furnished with what, Ikea krap? people who can afford that will want more space and better value.

[Riverman]

La Verendrye has been open a long time, I've bowled there in the 70s.

[buzzg]

The "historic" line is hilarious. Sure, the music venues were iconic, but nothing about the building is. With the venues now closed for good, I can't imagine a single person being sad to see the building itself gone, since the venues will be gutted anyway.

Also, the bowling line isn't that far off base, the owners of Pizzeria Gusto signed on to open an Italian restaurant in the hotel, with bocce courts in the basement. Not sure if they're still on board with all the delays.

Also bowling is very trendy again, Winnipeg is just shockingly behind the times. Other cities have hip new alleys opening up all over the place. Generally more of a bar-alley hybrid with 5-10 lanes as opposed to massive alleys. Ping Pong is also huge right now; shocked no one here has really gone after that.

http://www.highrollersbanff.com/

http://www.theballroom.ca/

[Urban recluse]

Yuck.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

Yuck.

The whole thing would have been a lot less disappointing if they had just sold it from the start as a minor renovation project. "You know, clean up the exterior, maybe put in a patio, that kind of thing." Then we'd all have been happy with it.

However, this constitutes a major letdown and the latest in a series of Osborne Village letdowns.

[buzzg]

That's even worse than the first bad one.

[Biff]

Looks totally updated and modernized....all they did was have to paint the white portions dark brown and "BLAMO" the 1960-70's is instantly transformed into something from the Jetson's.

[esquire]

^ I wonder if the downscaling of this project to not much more than a fresh coat of paint is simply a reaction to the stasis that is setting in in Osborne Village? I'm not sure how keen I'd be to jump into Osborne Street with a big investment right now seeing the way things are going around there.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I wonder if the downscaling of this project to not much more than a fresh coat of paint is simply a reaction to the stasis that is setting in in Osborne Village? I'm not sure how keen I'd be to jump into Osborne Street with a big investment right now seeing the way things are going around there.

I don't know, the residential boom is still going strong in OV. I think it's more of an issue of a bad developer. I'd imagine a teardown and rebuild with a larger condo/apartment building (with main floor retail) would have no issues selling out in a heartbeat.