[David A]

If you live in around the downtown core, I suppose you can take the LRT to Kingsway, but it is really not easily walkable, so no that does not really count as "downtown" IMO although the free parking part is correct.

The owners of Kingsway also owned City Centre at the time and they SCREWED the later to benefit the former (which had a lot of space open up because Target closed). It led to the decline of City Centre and the state it is in now.

There are sad stories and explanations for all of this and more, but I just chose a few common examples of things that are in the downtown cores in several other Canadian cities but not here.

My real point is we are in a very deep hole and we need to get out of it by rebuilding retail and services downtown, even if it starts with smaller things like a nail salon in a prominent location that has been empty for a while.

 

[IanO]

But again, Club, Sportchek/Atmo and a few others would not have been in ECC if not for Oxford pushing them to be there in exchange to also be in Kingsway.

 

[Edmcowboy11]

I just hope that with a few other of the buildings that will be built or renovated or converted in the next year or so that at least a few more small businesses decide to set up shop and continue to fill all the vacancies that are in the downtown area.

 

[David A]

Actually that is news to me, first time I have heard that, although of course they are not there now

 

[Gronk!]

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.

 

[bodsbods9090]

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.

Agree on the second part of your post. A hardware store will go a long way.

I don't think start-ups will draw people downtown to shop. The big chains will. Sprinkle in some start-ups and that'll go well if you draw people downtown. But going with just start-ups won't attract people, IMO.

 

[IanO]

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.

 

[TAS]

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.

 

[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.