current forum:Winnipeg Urban Issues & Provincial Affairs

[Northender]

One thing would be to improve services for commuters who use active transportation. There should be more secure bike parking.

Thats a small step in the right direction.
But did I read something about another store closing in Portage place.
Manitoba Hydro dumped hundreds of new employees (and potential customers) right across the street from the Portage Place mall about 6 months ago. And stores are still closing.
I am sorry but something more drastic is going to have to be done to make shoppers feel more safe about shopping in that mall.

The retail mix is wrong and not very appealing to the majority of people who work Downtown.

Lunch hour shoppers are looking for convenience and fast service. Having PP flanked by Staples on one end and the food court on the other appears to meet that need, but the shops inside seem to be geared to young people, when most of the downtown workforce are older.

I don't know this from statistics but what from what is obvious to see. When I was 20 I would have shopped at Le Chateau, but not now. The clothes are too young. And the rest are the same. Pennington's would be better!

What I shop for most Downtown is speciality and gift items, eyewear, pharmacy, cards, food and liquor. If I shop for clothes, I usually go to Winners first and there isn't one Downtown. I sometimes go to the Bay for clothes, but the displays are a mess and I don't have time to go through all the stuff to find what I want. It takes too much time.

What I would like to see is quality grocery like you see in Europe - things like fresh bread and pasta, ready to eat appetizers and a bottle of wine you can pick up on the way home from work on a Friday night, because it is convenient. Why is there a liquor store in City Place? Food and liquor go together. So it makes sense they should be located next to each other, but no such location exists Downtown.

[cancelbot]

I don't know if building residential towers is the answer. People looking for condos and anybody with decent disposable income will probably prefer something closer to the river or exchange. The market they would probably capture with apartments would be the same as with Place Promenade: lower income folks mostly. That won't do much to make Portage Place more desirable or successful IMO. I personally wouldn't want to live above Portage Place even though I work near by.

That's why a hotel would be ideal - a nice new full service hotel (think along the lines of a Westin or Hyatt, perhaps 10 to 20 storeys tall) would bring a lot of visitors into the area. They would generally be people with disposable income who would be inclined to shop.

For instance, Edmonton City Centre has a Westin attached to it, and I would think it makes a big difference in terms of keeping the place busy on a quiet Thursday night - even if only 25 people from the hotel wander through the mall buying something, that would make a big difference.

Some of you might remember when work began on a new Radisson Hotel on top of the east end of Portage Place back in the early 90s, but work stopped when the immigrant investor financing fell apart.

[cancelbot]

What I shop for most Downtown is speciality and gift items, eyewear, pharmacy, cards, food and liquor. If I shop for clothes, I usually go to Winners first and there isn't one Downtown. I sometimes go to the Bay for clothes, but the displays are a mess and I don't have time to go through all the stuff to find what I want. It takes too much time.

It is surprising that PP never attracted a Winners store. Like it or not, Winnipeg is really a Winners kind of city, and a store like that would attract a lot of the middle class shoppers who might normally pass on shopping at PP.

[Ex-Pat_Pegger]

Build a high rise jail on the pads at Portage Place!

[Northender]

Some people would cringe, but a Downtown Walmart would be a huge draw for residents and commuters alike.

They have one Downtown Toronto, and it is designed for commuters.

[StBPegger]

What I shop for most Downtown is speciality and gift items, eyewear, pharmacy, cards, food and liquor. If I shop for clothes, I usually go to Winners first and there isn't one Downtown. I sometimes go to the Bay for clothes, but the displays are a mess and I don't have time to go through all the stuff to find what I want. It takes too much time.

It is surprising that PP never attracted a Winners store. Like it or not, Winnipeg is really a Winners kind of city, and a store like that would attract a lot of the middle class shoppers who might normally pass on shopping at PP.

Didn't it have a Hangers? I know, crappier quality but same idea.

[Northender]

Hangers isn't the same as Winners. I was at a Hangers once and really couldn't tell it apart from a Value Village, except it smelled better.

[cancelbot]

Hangers isn't the same as Winners. I was at a Hangers once and really couldn't tell it apart from a Value Village, except it smelled better.

Agreed.

From what I can tell, Hangers is basically on par with Giant Tiger for quality, just that they have a lot more stock.

[StBPegger]

Ah, my mistake.

I've been in Winners a few times, but in Hangers only once. Didn't really take enough of a look to see the difference.

[sputnik]

An army of social workers.

A couple dozen beat cops would probably suffice.