[EdmTrekker]

I've always found that Craft has been out of the loop on Downtown and RHW events over the years; unsure why that's the case.

Calgary based.

 

[Glenco]

Well, not just us. If anything I feel we have started to turn the corner recently, especially with bringing more events and activities that draw people downtown .

Interestingly, more density while helpful does not seem to solve all the problems.

Downtown decline: Is Vancouver on the brink of becoming a retail dead zone?​

MSN

A robust public transportation system is also fundamental to a vibrant downtown. Even Vancouver’s transportation is not enough most people who want to visit downtown drive and parking is at a premium. I was in Seattle about three weeks ago and I can assure anyone who has never been this is a model we don’t want to emulate. Lots of people visiting their market in fact absolutely jam packed and not much else. Stopped in Target to look for something and to my surprise a lot of their goods were in lockers. Stuff like laundry soap and toothpaste totally bizarre. Couldn’t wait to leave unfortunately on a Sunday afternoon heading north the traffic was backed up as they were doing some road maintenance. We were creeping along the highway for about an hour and a half.
Will Edmontonians by inclined to take public transportation to go shopping downtown? I guess it remains to be seen but if they are inclined to take The Valley line to WEM then why not downtown?

 

[IanO]

Really? According to our all-seeing all-knowing guru from Canmore, @IanO, density is the absolute be-all and end-all of everything that ails us. Maybe it's an urbanist myth?

When an article leads with a 'high-end luxury consignment store', you gotta ask a few questions. They then reference a who gives a F brand store and a generic beauty bar?

Holt
Harry
Lulu
Prada
Tiffs
Canada Goose

L’Occitane​

Sephora​

Herschel​

Indigo​

Arc’teryx​

Aritzia

Athleta​

Banana Republic​

Brown’s Shoes​

Foot Locker​

NIKE
OVO
Roots
Steve Madden
Zara

Just to name a few...

 

[Barnaby]

Downtown can only support higher end menswear. All other clothing retail will most likely go to WEM or Kingsway until ECC improves.

ECC definitely needs density to survive in the long run though.

I'm fine with DT Edmonton being primarily a restaurant and bar destination for the time being. The options are really great.

 

[IanO]

I'm not.

If you cannot find basic retail for clothing, shoes, work and the like in a major Downtown, something's wrong.

 

[SimonCo]

The Stanley Cup Finals are bringing a lot of eyes to Edmonton. The downtown has never been this clean haha. It's going to be a wild couple of weeks. Next Saturday is going to be insane with the Elks game, Oilers home game and Farmers market debut on 104.

 

[Barnaby]

I'm not.

If you cannot find basic retail for clothing, shoes, work and the like in a major Downtown, something's wrong.

The last thing I want is big retailers coming in and pulling out. You and I agree on density and people living in the area is the best way to get retail DT.

I think ECC needs to step up and build residential on the old BAY building. To help themselves.

 

[Greenspace]

ECC won't do anything with the Bay, but they could sell to a developer that will.

So many things happening Downtown today, too bad about the weather.

 

[Greenspace]

Going to Seattle in a week and a half......you wanna see an empty DT - I've been looking to see what is there from pre-COVID - half of the restaurants and stores are shut permanently. Hard to even find a decent restaurant......I'll take a bunch of "empty store front" pics and post.

I can confirm some friends from Van went to Seattle a few months ago and hadn't been since before the pandemic and were shocked at how little retail and restaurants there were. They couldn't find a decent restaurant to go to from their hotel. Vancouver downtown is a vibrant and alive by comparison.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

Well that's why we need things in the core that are unique to the downtown but aren't overly pricey. Too bad that amusement park couldn't be there longer. Visually very active.

 

[Coprolite]

Downtown can only support higher end menswear. All other clothing retail will most likely go to WEM or Kingsway until ECC improves.

ECC definitely needs density to survive in the long run though.

I'm fine with DT Edmonton being primarily a restaurant and bar destination for the time being. The options are really great.

ECC has been aggressively ignoring and making itself inconvenient to the market on its immediate doorstep for ages in the name of chasing the oh so lucrative market of getting suburbanites who have nothing better to do between 9-5 to drive down there.

 

[David A]

ECC has been aggressively ignoring and making itself inconvenient to the market on its immediate doorstep for ages in the name of chasing the oh so lucrative market of getting suburbanites who have nothing better to do between 9-5 to drive down there.

Sounds like their marketing from the early 2000's to around 2018 or so where they were trying to make it seem so upscale, but really just many of the same stores as typical suburban malls.

It seemed slick, but I don't know if anyone really believed it except those trying to sell it. I strongly feel the problems started because the previous owners were disconnected from reality and the market.

I suspect they also didn't value some of their tenants that were not upscale enough, but brought in decent traffic and hoped to replace them with more upscale ones. If so that was a total failure.

 

[Coprolite]

Sounds like their marketing from the early 2000's to around 2018 or so where they were trying to make it seem so upscale, but really just many of the same stores as typical suburban malls.

It seemed slick, but I don't know if anyone really believed it except those trying to sell it. I strongly feel the problems started because the previous owners were disconnected from reality and the market.

I suspect they also didn't value some of their tenants that were not upscale enough, but brought in decent traffic and hoped to replace them with more upscale ones. If so that was a total failure.

For a while they did some interesting things like the renovation where a bunch of stores got doors you could access from the outside, and having tenants in said space like Four Rooms that would stay open late and host live music, which wasn't an everyday mall thing. But the new owner did things like seal off those entrances, lock the pedways after office hours, cut already short open hours, and converted everything they could into parking. Then they have the only first run movie theatre in the core, but make it that if you want to get in in the evening you have to enter the building from worst entrance.

It also didn't help that two of their three anchor stores also had changes of ownership and went all in on enshittification of their ECC locations.

 

[emirvel]

 

[Gus Haynes]

Then they have the only first run movie theatre in the core, but make it that if you want to get in in the evening you have to enter the building from worst entrance.

I'm very pleased to inform you that this is no longer an issue as of at least a few months ago. You can access the mall from 102 Ave in the evening hours now. They have a security guard posted by that entrance to keep an eye on things, too. This was a huge gripe for me, too, as someone who goes to that movie theater pretty regularly.