Busiest Downtowns in Canada

[hipster duck]

The destination areas of Toronto used to be more defined.

The big record stores were all on the Yonge street strip. These were already disappearing by the time I came of age, because I grew up in a post-Napster world, but they're completely gone now.

The camera stores were at Church and Queen. After digital photography and, especially Smart Phones, they all bit the dust too.

There were a few outdoor adventure stores around King near Spadina. MEC left (MEC also became more of a lifestyle brand store, but that's another story), and Europe-bound and some of the other stores packed it in earlier than that.

There still is a textile and fabric district around Queen and Spadina. I'm always amazed that one clings to the life, but that's not a sub-culture I participate in, so who knows?

[goodgrowth]

Originally Posted by GreyGarden

I agree, Winnipeg is the least gentrified city in Canada that one would think would have experienced more gentrification by now. The inner city of Winnipeg has excellent bones. West Broadway, Wolseley and the West end all have nice grid streets with clear high streets that have transit on them. But its shocking how run down these streets/areas continue to be. Its actually hard to understand when you look at whats going on in the rest of the country.

The West End in Winnipeg is actually laid out in a really similar way to West Toronto, with North-South residential streets and then East-West streets leading into downtown. Yet, despite the location and walkable "bones", the area has remained really stagnant. Whenever I look at Winnipeg, I always think that the West End should be way nicer and more expensive than it is.

Winnipeg has a bit of a weird layout when you look at it on a map.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

There were a few outdoor adventure stores around King near Spadina. MEC left (MEC also became more of a lifestyle brand store, but that's another story), and Europe-bound and some of the other stores packed it in earlier than that.

I didn't realize that's all gone now, with MEC relocating to Queen Street at well (is this what it's like to feel old?). In Vancouver there was a similar spot along Broadway east of Cambie but MEC has left that location too.

It's a bit counter-intuitive because people will often think of stores being competition for each other but the clustering is much better for shoppers. Overall it's probably a net win for specialty retailers. I wonder if MEC made the right decision in relocating in both bases; maybe they had no choice. I have a hard time seeing the smaller outfitter shops getting storefronts along 2020's Queen Street or in the brand new developments around 2nd St in Vancouver, in among the dentist offices and organic juiceries.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

The destination areas of Toronto used to be more defined.

The big record stores were all on the Yonge street strip. These were already disappearing by the time I came of age, because I grew up in a post-Napster world, but they're completely gone now.

The camera stores were at Church and Queen. After digital photography and, especially Smart Phones, they all bit the dust too.

There were a few outdoor adventure stores around King near Spadina. MEC left (MEC also became more of a lifestyle brand store, but that's another story), and Europe-bound and some of the other stores packed it in earlier than that.

There still is a textile and fabric district around Queen and Spadina. I'm always amazed that one clings to the life, but that's not a sub-culture I participate in, so who knows?

Some destination areas are relatively new. Thinking of the Entertainment District and the Distillery District.

[wave46]

Originally Posted by goodgrowth

Winnipeg has a bit of a weird layout when you look at it on a map.

It was 12 or 13 (?) municipalities that grew into each other. Each probably started off as their own grid laid out from the river.

You'd think it would have a Oklahoma City-like layout given its topography, but it doesn't.

[softee]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

The camera stores were at Church and Queen. After digital photography and, especially Smart Phones, they all bit the dust too.

Henry's is still there.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by softee

Henry's is still there.

Downtown Camera too - they just relocated a few doors down.

[lio45]

Still, camera shops (and record stores) are both now ultra-niche businesses, as opposed to being mainstream ones in the 1980s and 1990s.

The number of camera shops and record stores serving Toronto (or any other city) has greatly fallen in the last three decades, that's guaranteed.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Downtown Camera too - they just relocated a few doors down.

Originally Posted by softee

Henry's is still there.

I wouldn't be surprised if those were typical cases of old, stubborn owner-operator (of both the store and the building) in a building that's been paid off a long time ago.

Business is down to a tiny fraction of what it used to be, but the guy doesn't feel like retiring yet, and doesn't really need any money or customers to put food on his table.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by lio45

I wouldn't be surprised if those were typical cases of old, stubborn owner-operator (of both the store and the building) in a building that's been paid off a long time ago.

Business is down to a tiny fraction of what it used to be, but the guy doesn't feel like retiring yet, and doesn't really need any money or customers to put food on his table.

There's still a demand for what they're selling, albeit reduced to as you said, a niche crowd.

I'm at Downtown Camera often enough though, and it always seems busy (these are fairly large operations too, with probably a few dozen employees each). A more accurate assessment would probably be that these were the dominant camera stores in the film age; but as all the other, smaller shops have been forced to close, their clientele has coalesced around the two remaining stalwarts.

The nice thing about a city like Toronto, is that no matter how niche something becomes, there will always be enough people to support at least a small handful of commercial viable endeavours.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by lio45

I wouldn't be surprised if those were typical cases of old, stubborn owner-operator (of both the store and the building) in a building that's been paid off a long time ago.

Business is down to a tiny fraction of what it used to be, but the guy doesn't feel like retiring yet, and doesn't really need any money or customers to put food on his table.

Henry's is a national chain, not a mom and pop. I did not expect them to survive this long but then again there's probably room for a niche business that does nice prints and sells higher end equipment for professionals and enthusiasts. Most of the old camera market was people buying cheap point and shoots and film in pharmacies and that has evaporated. Henry's has probably carved out something like 1% of that old market.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by someone123

I didn't realize that's all gone now, with MEC relocating to Queen Street at well (is this what it's like to feel old?). In Vancouver there was a similar spot along Broadway east of Cambie but MEC has left that location too.

It's a bit counter-intuitive because people will often think of stores being competition for each other but the clustering is much better for shoppers. Overall it's probably a net win for specialty retailers. I wonder if MEC made the right decision in relocating in both bases; maybe they had no choice. I have a hard time seeing the smaller outfitter shops getting storefronts along 2020's Queen Street or in the brand new developments around 2nd St in Vancouver, in among the dentist offices and organic juiceries.

MEC Vancouver has done this twice. It's first real store, on 8th and Yukon, also had its own little ecosystem of smaller outdoor sport shops. (Now that I think about it, so did REI at its old location). When MEC moved to Broadway, it dragged a lot of those outfits with them. But this move is different. I think you are right: the leasing options near the new store are considerably more expensive and under development pressure. It is too bad, and will be a loss to the city.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

There still is a textile and fabric district around Queen and Spadina. I'm always amazed that one clings to the life, but that's not a sub-culture I participate in, so who knows?

Costume-makers and designers don't like buying online. Fabric is a tactile thing, and districts like this often offer prices competitive with Alibaba or whatever anyway. Something like Walthamstow Market is vastly superior to online.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by lio45

Same here.

... does it still count as "destination streets" if the only people out there who are aware that they're destination streets are local Hamiltonians?

Hess is definitely known well beyond Hamilton. It's a semi regular option for friends of mine in Norfolk when they want some big-city partying.