Walmart will complement Ottawa Street, say vendors
http://www.thespec.com/news/business...et-say-vendors
Another Walmart is coming to Hamilton.
The U.S. mega chain, the largest retailer in the world, has taken out a city building permit for a $7.7 million project at the corner of Barton and Ottawa streets — The Centre on Barton Street big box mall.
Where the appearance of a Walmart has often caused shivers of fear to run up the spines of small local merchants, the latest store is a matter of “indifference” for the executive-director of the Ottawa Street Business Improvement Area.
“It’s not going to hurt us, in fact anything that drives more traffic to that intersection can help us,” Patty Despinic said. “What our stores sell you can’t get at Walmart.”
Once known primarily as a hub of fabric stores, Ottawa Street’s offerings have diversified in recent years to attract antiques dealers who find trendy Locke Street too expensive for them.
“Walmart doesn’t have antiques or specialty fabrics of exotic food,” Despinic said. “They don’t run award-winning festivals either.”
The new store, all 8,255 square metres of it, will take up the space formerly occupied by Canadian Tire.
The Walmart project is one of several million dollar commercial-industrial projects getting under way in the city.
The latest report of building permit figures from city hall shows permits issued for a $2 million expansion of the LIUNA Gardens banquet centre in Stoney Creek, a $1.5 million project by Beverly Greenhouses in Flamborough and a $1.3 million expansion for E.D. Smith in Winona.