Downtown

[Kosy123]

Every empty CRU filled is a step towards getting a big retailer in the future. Plus we're apparently getting some movement towards Rice Howard Place tenant wise from what people on this site have said so it makes sense foot traffic wise. The less vacancies, the better tbh.

 

[David A]

Rather than trying to lure the big chains such as H&M, why not continue to attract diversified start-ups in the downtown area?

Downtown needs a hardware store. Currently, you need to drive to Canadian Tire on Kingsway Ave or to Home Depot in the Westmount shopping centre.

I used well these known names of examples of what is missing downtown that is common in other cities downtown, but I fully agree with your point.

We need a hardware store and a Canadian Tire would meet a lot of needs, but no reason it couldn't be a Home Hardware or something else that is not a chain.

So if those big chains are not willing to step up, lets fill the gaps with other things, local and independent could actually be even be better.

We already saw with Starbucks closing several locations downtown, that some actually nicer mostly local coffee places then popped up to fill the gaps.

 

[David A]

After a weekend in Canmore, stopped at Lacombe on way home - love their historic downtown.

Of course this town of 15,000 has a nice hardware store to serve its population. I think the former farmer's market/Army Navy site on 97st would be great for a hardware store here.

View attachment 707671View attachment 707672

Nice! Actually, the nearby restaurant space at Jasper Ave and 97 Street was a quite decent hardware store like this for many decades.

However, I agree the Army and Navy building could be a better spot now for something like this.

 

[David A]

Does it though? The Bay had a small tools/urban hardware needs store that flopped.

The days of a 3000 sqft Home Hardware are long gone (which would have been ideal) and I honestly do not think that it would work. Now, could the Home Depot roll out those urban stores again and add it in with an urban CDN tire with 500 units on top in the North Edge, maybe, but they have moved away from these for the most part.

Well the Bay also flopped selling shirts, dresses, coats and shoes, so maybe the problem here wasn't the product.

 

[Gronk!]

I'm in favor of resurrecting the W.W. Arcade hardware store! They can reopen in the former downtown farmers market building.

 

[AntonK]

Yes and even for people who live downtown or people who actually want to come downtown, retail has become so sparse over the last 5 years that they often have to end up going elsewhere.

Want to go the H&M in downtown Edmonton? You can't because it isn't there. Years ago, London Drugs used to have a store in Edmonton Centre, it is not in the downtown core now either.

It’s a vicious cycle. My wife and her friends go down to Calgary fairly often for shopping trips but rarely go to downtown Edmonton.
It’s not that they’re afraid of downtown, downtown Calgary also has crime and homeless people, but they claim in downtown Edmonton there aren’t enough options. I don’t profess to know women’s shopping habits but I know them going to Calgary to shop isn’t helping.

 

[Markyeg]

It’s a vicious cycle. My wife and her friends go down to Calgary fairly often for shopping trips but rarely go to downtown Edmonton.
It’s not that they’re afraid of downtown, downtown Calgary also has crime and homeless people, but they claim in downtown Edmonton there aren’t enough options. I don’t profess to know women’s shopping habits but I know them going to Calgary to shop isn’t helping.

The only store I can think of that Calgary DT has that can’t be found anywhere in Edm is Holts, and even before ours shut down it was a dumbed down version of what you’d see in Calgary, Van, Toronto etc.

 

[yeggator]

The only store I can think of that Calgary DT has that can’t be found anywhere in Edm is Holts, and even before ours shut down it was a dumbed down version of what you’d see in Calgary, Van, Toronto etc.

I know they have a dedicated Patagonia store too. I believe we used to have one on Whyte Ave, though I’m not sure why it closed.

 

[IanO]

Simons
Banana Rep.
Aritzia
Browns
Club Monaco
H&M
Gap
Harry Rosen
MAC
LaVie
Indigo
Birks
MaxMara
Miniso
Rocky Mountain Soap
Rolex
Sephora
TipTop
Thrifties
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
..
.
.

 

[IanO]

I know they have a dedicated Patagonia store too. I believe we used to have one on Whyte Ave, though I’m not sure why it closed.

That they do. There was one on Whyte, who also owns the Calgary and Banff stores. I had scotch with him one night and his Edmonton store was doing 1/3 what his Calgary store was doing and so he moved it away from what he thought was 'our main cool urban street' to SEC.

 

[Gronk!]

That they do. There was one on Whyte, who also owns the Calgary and Banff stores. I had scotch with him one night and his Edmonton store was doing 1/3 what his Calgary store was doing and so he moved it away from what he thought was 'our main cool urban street' to SEC.

I hope his SEC store is an epic fail.

 

[yeggator]

That they do. There was one on Whyte, who also owns the Calgary and Banff stores. I had scotch with him one night and his Edmonton store was doing 1/3 what his Calgary store was doing and so he moved it away from what he thought was 'our main cool urban street' to SEC.

I see. Well, that’s unfortunate, although it doesn’t help that with the mountains so close, there are more people in Calgary investing more into mountaineering equipment. Tourists too. That being said, why South Common instead of WEM? I’m sure Patagonia would fit right in alongside Arc’teryx and LL Bean.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

If I only had the money I would bring this chain to Edmonton Mr. DIY

 

[AntonK]

The only store I can think of that Calgary DT has that can’t be found anywhere in Edm is Holts, and even before ours shut down it was a dumbed down version of what you’d see in Calgary, Van, Toronto etc.

They only go once or twice a year, and she does most of her shopping in Edmonton. It isn't so much for the stores itself, but more to have a 'downtown' shopping experience I think, for example the last time they went, she came back with bags of stuff from Simons and H&M, and we have a Simons 10 minutes from us at Londonderry Mall, and WEM is only 20 minutes away. .
As far as actual retail products she has said in the past that Calgary has better choice for things like purses and shoes. Things I don't know much about and couldn't care less about. Most other things are probably the same things you can get here in Edmonton.

 

[David A]

I see. Well, that’s unfortunate, although it doesn’t help that with the mountains so close, there are more people in Calgary investing more into mountaineering equipment. Tourists too. That being said, why South Common instead of WEM? I’m sure Patagonia would fit right in alongside Arc’teryx and LL Bean.

Yes, the mountains being close probably does increase demand for stores like this there. Not exactly the same as Patagonia, but we do have a nice Mountain Equipment Company store fairly close to downtown.

So that is a lot closer than SEC, which I also generally avoid like the plague partly because it is not easy to get to from the more central areas.