Avenuer said:
Agreed, there is oodles of room there for a market and built-in loading facilities for vendors. Just depends if Canderel can give them a good lease rate and term, unlike Five Oaks, and of course, the Market Board would need to be interested in the first place.
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They are getting $NIL for the space now which has been empty for a couple of years and unlike the current space the market is using it is not really old with potentially high maintenance costs.
 
"Have you visited our newest (and perhaps shiniest) store yet? GLAM Shoes offers everything from stylish summer kicks to glamorous girls' night shoes."

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#yeggers #yegdt #yegfashion #edmontonshopping | Edmonton City Centre

Have you visited our newest (and perhaps shiniest) store yet? GLAM Shoes offers everything from stylish summer kicks to glamorous girls' night shoes. #yeggers #yegdt #yegfashion #edmontonshopping
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I don't know why they will no longer be hosting the Int'l Film Fest. I suppose its relevant because it is coming up soon, but I don't think having it or not will make a big difference for the theaters or the mall.

There are more people working and coming downtown in the last several months and downtown is noticeably busier even though it is summer. A few new stores have come in, or are coming, which is nice. In the end gradually filling up the retail space a bit more is the crucial thing, but it will take time.
 
The_Cat said:
City Centre Mall has added more security and it looks busy at lunch. I’m sure there will be more stores coming when the Valley Line opens.
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I am not so sure. Having returned to Edmonton for 6 weeks in May for a visit and having a place in the core - we walked around the core, Chinatown, Oliver every day several times with our pups. Homeless, drunks and drugged people seemed the majority of people on the streets especially near ECC while litter, garbage and vandalism is everywhere. I can't see people coming by train to shop at ECC unless people feel downtown is safe, attractive and has something to offer. The mall is DEAD. As a long time resident of the core (very long) I am hard pressed to recommend visiting Edmonton downtown to anyone under the present circumstances. City Council has failed to clean up the heart of Edmonton -while spending freely this year on environmental issues per this EJ news piece: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/po...es-edmonton-visit-with-transit-worker-meeting

"The mayor pointed to the most recent Edmonton budget, which included $16 million for an energy transition strategy, $53 million to energy retrofit city facilities and $34.5 million supporting a district energy network strategy and nodes."

Clearly there is money to spend - and it's a question of priorities. Sohi and his friends on Council do not really give a rats ass about downtown Edmonton.
 
I suppose one could as just easily blame the provincial government that refuses to add more permanent homeless shelter spaces, even though it has billions more money than the city, rather than the mayor.

Why does Calgary have more permanent homeless shelter spaces than Edmonton, even though the problem is worse here? Can anyone explain that, I have asked this question before and got no answer. The problems in Chinatown are related to this so I this is why I bring this up, but back to the mall.

Yes, there are problems throughout downtown but they differ in severity considerably depending on the specific area, but I would not conflate City Centre Mall which has quite a bit of security and is a controlled indoor space with Chinatown which is quite different. Also not sure if you are still here, or have been downtown since May, but in the areas I go (not Chinatown) regulary things have generally improved since then.
 
I honestly just do not see a a way in which ECC continues to be a traditional retail mall. As a city of 1.4 million we have our retail needs more than covered (an area we far exceed our peer cities in, Ottawa and Calgary, regarding store offerings and shopping experience). How can ECC compete with nearby Kingsway (which got a refreshed look and is doing quite well), Southgate (a really respectable and solid mall offering) and WEM (the largest mall on this continent)?

I really believe that ECC needs to let go of the idea of being a retail mall and shift its focus elsewhere. Yes, I know the untold sums of money that would need to get dumped to make this place some other type of venue or destination, but if ECC is to do it's part in helping revitalize the core, it has got to become something else (maybe evaluate if condo towers can be built, try to attract entertainment venues like the Rec Room etc.). I'm just spitballing ideas here.
 
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