Winnipeg | Osborne Village & Fort Rouge

[marcerickson]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Could be Good Earth? Does Blenz exist outside of the GVRD?

"...Blenz has since grown to over 60 locations across British Columbia, Japan and the Philippines..."
http://blenz.com/about-us/

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by buzzg

It's Anytime Fitness.

Gross. It's sad that we can't attract good sustainable tenants for what is arguably the densest and most urban neighborhood in town.

[Urban recluse]

Vibrant neighborhoods need a mixture of businesses, so I am elated another gym will open. It is not as if there is a waiting list...

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

Vibrant neighborhoods need a mixture of businesses, so I am elated another gym will open. It is not as if there is a waiting list...

Fair point, although another gym doesn't exactly scream urbanism, especially at a prominent location like this.

[buzzg]

I would actually say a gym definitely screams urbanism, especially one with no parking lot. - it means there's a need from a permanent residents to do something that is an essential part of most peoples' lives.

Sure, it's not as sexy as a restaurant or clothing store, but it will be busy (or at least open) 24-7, and provides a good service to residents in the area. Plus, as a landlord, you're happier taking something like that, which you know will be around for a long time, instead of a restaurant or store that could be closed in a year.

[Jets4Life]

Just make sure to shower quickly. At the YMCA downtown too many creeps tend to loiter around the shower area.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by buzzg

I would actually say a gym definitely screams urbanism, especially one with no parking lot. - it means there's a need from a permanent residents to do something that is an essential part of most peoples' lives.

Sure, it's not as sexy as a restaurant or clothing store, but it will be busy (or at least open) 24-7, and provides a good service to residents in the area. Plus, as a landlord, you're happier taking something like that, which you know will be around for a long time, instead of a restaurant or store that could be closed in a year.

It's a good thing for a neighbourhood to have for sure, but it is a bit of a disappointment for one of Osborne Village's most prominent storefronts.

[buzzg]

I'd agree with you if there wasn't a significant amount of vacancies or underutilized properties on the strip right now.

[esquire]

^ Well yes, but that's the whole problem here. Having a massage therapist's office in the Desart space would be better than nothing, but the fact that the space couldn't attract a better tenant would be indicative of a problem. And so it is with the gym in the former American Apparel.

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Just make sure to shower quickly. At the YMCA downtown too many creeps tend to loiter around the shower area.

Yep. Took a lot of willpower to not knock them out.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Just make sure to shower quickly. At the YMCA downtown too many creeps tend to loiter around the shower area.

Ive never noticed that during the lunch hour.

[Urban recluse]

I went in the evenings, mind you that was 10 years ago.

[EndoftheBeginning]

Thought there was a thread dedicated to this building, but couldn't find it after a quick search. Anyway, Dennistoun House is gone and the piles are going in for the new building.





That's this puppy.

[Urban recluse]

It's a lovely seniors home.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

"Western based coffee house" = Blenz?

In any case, I hope they tear down the green metal thing and install a patio as the last renders had suggested. That stretch could use it.

I hope not. Blenz is Starbucks' unemployed stoner brother that won't move out of his parents' place.

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

Gross. It's sad that we can't attract good sustainable tenants for what is arguably the densest and most urban neighborhood in town.

A lot of quality national tenants are very ignorant to Winnipeg's successful micro-markets, like Osbourne. They'd sooner go to a shitty place in the GTA than Osborne because of "Toronto" instead of "Winnipeg".

While we as a city can do more, it's definitely not all our fault. We've been written off and climbing back up is happening, but sometimes akin to pulling teeth.

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

Vibrant neighborhoods need a mixture of businesses, so I am elated another gym will open. It is not as if there is a waiting list...

A gym, while not a retail business, is evidence of a growing residential business, and also evidence of residents more likely to invest in themselves as well as spend.

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Just make sure to shower quickly. At the YMCA downtown too many creeps tend to loiter around the shower area.

Drastically different neighbourhoods...

[biguc]

Osborne has to be one of the most gym saturated neighbourhoods on earth. Counting martial arts schools and yoga studios, there were once at least 10 gyms along its southern edge. It's a great neighbourhood for gyms too--lots of places to crush recovery meals and drink away your gains.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by biguc

Osborne has to be one of the most gym saturated neighbourhoods on earth. Counting martial arts schools and yoga studios, there were once at least 10 gyms along its southern edge. It's a great neighbourhood for gyms too--lots of places to crush recovery meals and drink away your gains.

Have you been to Toronto? They're like coffee shops in Seattle.

Martial arts, yoga, and other specialized classed-based fitness venues are very different then gyms. They also often will attract more out-of-area visitors, where gyms tend to be more localized, and as mentioned before - reflect a healthy residential population (healthy as in high in number; pun actually not intended upon writing).

[biguc]

Toronto has a lot of gyms but I never noticed it to be especially gym dense. You make a good point about the difference between martial arts/yoga places and regular gyms, but at least 2 of Osborne's gyms would fall on the destination side of things. Mcdole's and Pro(AG)gressive (douchy name) are both specialized gyms for sports performance.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by biguc

Toronto has a lot of gyms but I never noticed it to be especially gym dense. You make a good point about the difference between martial arts/yoga places and regular gyms, but at least 2 of Osborne's gyms would fall on the destination side of things. Mcdole's and Pro(AG)gressive (douchy name) are both specialized gyms for sports performance.

Yeah fair, I wouldn't really lump those in with the "drop-in" gyms of the world though, for the reasons you mentioned. Mostly athletes and physio clients.

--

On another note, what the hell is going on River where the Manitoba Housing complex was torn down? Has there been a hint of a plan from the province? It's currently a gravel parking lot - I don't even understand where the 20-30 cars parked on it every day are coming from, or why they're allowed there at all?!?!

[Wolf13]

regardless, the world is short on gains, and I welcome more gyms.