Canadian Retail Thread - Page 79

SpongeG · #**1561** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 3:31 AM**

I love sephora - its like a little slice of cologne heaven without pushy asians - that store on robson - shifeon - is so annoying they won't stop harrassing you once you set foot in the door

and the snobby people at holt renfrew won't even look at let alone help you

at least at sephora you can test colognes and products while be left alone

Coldrsx · #**1562** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 5:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

You are concerned we dont have a sephora? What are you doing on your weekends Sponge?

Maybe you could do some research into the stores Vancouver has which Calgary doesnt, you might be surprised...

haha

and

bingo

SpongeG · #**1563** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 11:08 PM**

i didn't say calgary had better shopping

i just said its becoming a mecca now

it was clearly lacking before and all of a sudden wham its getting good

Doug_Cgy · #**1564** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 11:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i didn't say calgary had better shopping

i just said its becoming a mecca now

it was clearly lacking before and all of a sudden wham its getting good

Thanks Sponge!! I agree, while Calgary still has a few areas to improve on...The shopping scene is really picking up here!! I find it refreshing that someone from the outside can recognize that, and not just hate on us because it seems to be "the cool thing to do"

LeftCoaster · #**1565** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 11:39 PM**

Who was hating on Calgary?

SpongeG I have a feeling everything you require to be defined a shpping mecca could be found a subruban Duluth shopping mall.

kirjtc2 · #**1566** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 11:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Who was hating on Calgary?

SpongeG I have a feeling everything you require to be defined a shpping mecca could be found a subruban Duluth shopping mall.

Hasn't stopped Moncton from calling itself that.

miketoronto · #**1567** Posted **Feb 11, 2009, 11:53 PM**

Calgary will never become a great metropolitan city if the city is excited about a mall opening up on the outskirts that has stores you can find in every single mall in every single city in the world or atleast North America.

Calgary should be putting focus on it's downtown retail and making a great urban shopping district like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver have.

blake10 · #**1568** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 12:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Calgary will never become a great metropolitan city if the city is excited about a mall opening up on the outskirts that has stores you can find in every single mall in every single city in the world or atleast North America.

Calgary should be putting focus on it's downtown retail and making a great urban shopping district like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver have.

Well, many of us actually like these "malls with stores you can find in every single mall in every single city in the world". I am not going to waste my time driving downtown, dealing with parking etc just to visit "unique" (aka: overpriced) stores. I'd much rather drive to a nice big mall with a big parking lot which has everything under one roof. I'm very excited about this new development taking place in Calgary.

Doug_Cgy · #**1569** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 12:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Calgary will never become a great metropolitan city if the city is excited about a mall opening up on the outskirts that has stores you can find in every single mall in every single city in the world or atleast North America.

Calgary should be putting focus on it's downtown retail and making a great urban shopping district like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver have.

Hmmm...So the Core reno's won't breathe life into our downtown?? Fashion Central, and the revitalization of Stephen Avenue is all just a dream?? 1st Street Southwest transformation with new retailers, and existing areas such as 17th & Kensington mean nothing as well?? Calgary is doing alot to bring people to the core. I'm not say we can't make improvments, and I don't think anyone is excited about the "mills" concept...Just a few of the "first to Calgary" stores it will bring. Trust me I (and I'm sure many others) would rather have the stores downtown!!

miketoronto · #**1570** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 12:53 AM**

Calgary has to decide what it wants. Because they can't keep trying to fix the downtown core and then allow all these malls on the outskirts that just will suck life from downtown. The city has to decide what it wants.

Jay in Cowtown · #**1571** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 12:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by blake10

Well, many of us actually like these "malls with stores you can find in every single mall in every single city in the world". I am not going to waste my time driving downtown, dealing with parking etc just to visit "unique" (aka: overpriced) stores. I'd much rather drive to a nice big mall with a big parking lot which has everything under one roof. I'm very excited about this new development taking place in Calgary.

Thank you!

Some of us like 3500sq ft houses in the burbs, gas guzzling SUV's and weekend shopping at malls filled with stores like Lucky Brand and Bed, Bath & Beyond without having to ride a fucking train or battle traffic to get there.

SpongeG · #**1572** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 12:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Who was hating on Calgary?

SpongeG I have a feeling everything you require to be defined a shpping mecca could be found a subruban Duluth shopping mall.

no

bellingham does though

miketoronto · #**1573** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 1:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay in Cowtown

Thank you!

Some of us like 3500sq ft houses in the burbs, gas guzzling SUV's and weekend shopping at malls filled with stores like Lucky Brand and Bed, Bath & Beyond without having to ride a fucking train or battle traffic to get there.

From what I have heard there is no traffic going into downtown Calgary on weekends, because everyone is at the suburban malls. So the traffic is not an issue.

If Calgary to build up a vibrant core and be at some level a big city on par with Vancouver and other large Canadian cities, than the core must be built up more at some expense of suburbs.

A Mills mall is really nothing to celebrate. Does not make Calgary any better of a city. And just increases the sterotype of Calgary as a giant suburb with skyscrapers.

If the city is serious about making an exciting and vibrant core, than there is going to have to be some restrictions on the suburbs. Put the stores going into the Mills mall into downtown.

brentwood · #**1574** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 1:25 AM**

Actually, the Crossiron Mills mall is outside the city of Calgary's boundaries. The city has no more control over it than the city of Toronto had over the Vaughn Mills mall being built.

Jay in Cowtown · #**1575** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 1:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brentwood

Actually, the Crossiron Mills mall is outside the city of Calgary's boundaries. The city has no more control over it than the city of Toronto had over the Vaughn Mills mall being built.

Besides that, Calgary is doing just fine at making downtown more vibrant and livable... I'm sure if you were to shrink Toronto down from 5 mill to 1 mill it's core would have about as much "vibrancy" as Cowtown has.

The only thing Crossiron is going to do is take away the congestion that already exists at the rest of Calgary's suburban malls.

I hope like hell another mall is built on the west side of Calgary around Springbank soon!

miketoronto · #**1576** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 2:03 AM**

Considering the size of Greater Calgary its downtown/inner city should be just below Vancouver in terms of vibrancy and offerings. But it is much smaller and this has to do with the fact that the city followed much more suburbanization and malls like Crossiron.

SpongeG · #**1577** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 2:22 AM**

I wouldn't call downtown Vancouver vibrant

haven't been in downtown Calgary since the 80's so can't really compare

shopping malls go where people want em or are willing to go and downtown is scary to a lot of of folks - i know for myself parking is a pain in downtown vancouver, its way too expensive and limited - rather park for free in the suburbs

LeftCoaster · #**1578** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 2:24 AM**

This promises to be a good one!

Doug_Cgy · #**1579** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 2:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Considering the size of Greater Calgary its downtown/inner city should be just below Vancouver in terms of vibrancy and offerings. But it is much smaller and this has to do with the fact that the city followed much more suburbanization and malls like Crossiron.

The GVRD has about 1 - 1.5 million more people than us too. We're a young city, and I stand behind my statements that ALOT is being done in our CBD and surrounding areas to increase the vibrancy. 5 years from now when alot of these projects finish, it will be a different story. Also, while we might not have the crowds of Vancouver/Toronto on weekends, it is increasing with every passing year. If Crossiron is the nail in our coffin, why does it differ for Vaughn Mills in T.O and to a lesser extent Metrotown in Vancouver?? Aren't those "core killers"???

SpongeG · #**1580** Posted **Feb 12, 2009, 2:36 AM**

Great American Cookies to expand into Canada

Great American Cookies, a USA based cookie retail franchise, has signed a Master Franchise agreement for Canada. Cam Inglis has signed the Master Franchise agreement with the company, which will see 40 outlets open in Canada within 10 years. Great American Cookies, which is owned by NexCen Brands, was founded in 1977 and has outlets across the US.

Kenneth Hall, NexCen Brands CEO, said: "We believe this new development agreement for Great American Cookies in Canada demonstrates the broad strength of this brand and more generally our ability to expand the international reach of all our franchise brands."

http://www.franchise-net.com/DE/Inte...E11396.htm?b=1