Perkins Madison Polo Park Location Closes

Can anyone be surprised? Another Perkins has closed suddenly on Madison. Last year it was Kenaston and Fermor locations closing. This year it is Henderson and now Madison locations. Three more Perkins remain on Portage, Regent and McPhillips. Can they be the next to go?

Is one IHOP location and a few Pancake Houses crushing Perkins? Is it Skip the Dishes? By the way, Perkins works with Skip but are people just ordering everywhere and not going out?

The parent company Perkins and Marie Callender is in bankruptcy again. They are closing stores. However, keep in mind the last time they had problems, the last Winnipeg owner of Perkins kept things going. She seemed to have the pulse of the city despite whatever woes happened in the U.S.

The new owner is Calgary-based and used to be president of Smitty's. I'm assuming the former Winnipeg owner of all the Perkins in the city much be gobsmacked that the locations here are in such trouble considering that Smitty's continues to be doing okay.

The restaurant business is as tough as they come. For every place that goes on for decades, there are a many who don't make the year. My defunct restaurants of Winnipeg post is the top post this blog has seen with hundreds a week looking it up.

Guess everyone will be keeping an eye out on the remaining locations. Never want to write a place off because we have seen some comebacks in both retail and restaurants. However, losing a prominent location like Polo Park is huge.

Main Street 1920s and 1930s and Goodbye to Bank of Montreal

There wasn't much colour in cars. They were pretty much all black in 1920s. The wide roads made Winnipeg tailor-made for cars. Although that same argument cold be made for mass transit. As clearly shown, streetcars ride up and down very wide Main Street just fine.

This picture taken at the corner of Portage and Main shows angle parking along the street. One street in the downtown has brought back reverse angle back in parking.

Despite the wide roads, it is hard to find parking along Main Street now. Rush hours means clearing all the streets for diamond lanes

Banker's Row doesn't exist anymore. Some buildings have been re-purposed. Other's denied other uses like the Canadian Bank of Commerce when Cowboys from Calgary wanted to turn it into a nightclub. Saviours came to stop it and the building mostly stays locked save for the sometime event.

We have a lot of good people trying to save the past and sometimes it is worth it, especially when we see decades long surface parking lots where the owner cry when they are told they can't use them or have to pave them and put trees in. However, we also deny a true re-purposing that can bring a vitality to the street instead of demolition.

Show an old picture of Winnipeg and have people coo about the good old days. It can easy forget the bad old days of blood on the street from the Strike. Or the Depression which had the city taking over property after property for unpaid taxes. Two world wars took some of our best people. The Spanish Flu and Polio kicked our asses. The Red River Flood reminded us we live in a flood plain.

Still, Winnipeg has survived and grown. Sometimes our growth has been very slow but in recent years it has been steady. We don't lack for head offices but they are spread out like much of everything in the city. Population is spread out as well which increasingly stretches infrastructure and and services.

The Bank of Montreal has indicated they are abandoning their old building at Portage and Main. They have faithfully kept it running and beautiful all this time. However, all of the rest of the banks have moved to the towers on the corner or even further afield.

I don't think we have reply on Cowboys to come to rescue. Nor do we need saviours who will turn it into a locked museum with fewer events than a Bomber season. The building has been in place since 1913 and truly is the last of Banker's Row. But it is orphaned. It is surrounded by a wall, connected to a failing Concourse and damned hard to get to.

The hotel on Portage Avenue East is still planned for 2020 but that doesn't really help Bank of Montreal re-purpose itself. Meeting be called soon to do hear proposals.

I do have one proposal. Move Explore Manitoba and Manitoba Tourism's 8000 square feet of space into the bank building. The Forks space is valuable enough that it could be re-purposed to a restaurant or retail.

Still...orphaned building isolated on an island. Tourism probably doesn't want to move from high profile Forks either. The city has stepped in in the past. The Bank of Hamilton building down the street is an example. But it has more true office space. The Bank of Montreal building is more of a cathedral.

The sad thing is that while people will say it is a beautiful building they are likely to veto any private or public use for it.

The Forks in Winnipeg

Some people recently asked: John, why are you so angry at The Forks? This is likely in regards to my comments about Portage Place.

The truth is that I love The Forks. I go there often enough for dinners, entertainment, festivals and the like. But that is true for North Portage for me as well. Many a Jazz Fest performance just off Central Park.

Above picture from 1956 when CNR was very much a working railway with operations in the East yards downtown. Note the amount of cars parked on site. Today a good portion of the old yards is still surface parking as noted by the picture below from 2014. The parking lot has actually gotten bigger.

The CN East Yards at the The Forks had its start in 1888 when Winnipeggers began to tire of the powerful Canadian Pacific Railway controlling everything. Eventually, the province went into businesses with Northern Pacific & Manitoba Railway that had a line down to Emerson at the border and a cross line from Morris to Brandon. Railway building were built on empty Hudson's Bay Company lands near Water Street and stretched into what comprises what became the East Yards,

The new railway built the Manitoba Hotel along Main Street that was one of the grandest in the land in 1890.

The above picture is 1897 and the site if where the present Federal Building stands. Alas, the railway was losing money and the posh hotel burned down in 1899. However, the land, buildings and rolling stock were of such value that everything was sold to the Northern Railway which took control and built an extension of the line to Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) with provincial assistance.

By 1918, shorter non-national lines were hard pressed to keep up. The Panama Canal was also to change how things got to the west coast. And World War I took its toll on everyone. Canadian National Railway integrated everything into their nation-wide system and the East Yards became the first of a their expansion into Winnipeg. Fort Rouge Yards, Symington Yards and Tuxedo Yards all followed.

Symington was built in 1962 and this was the beginning of the end for East Yards as it was used after for freight storage and passengers. This was still a considerable amount of business but most investment went into Transcona.

The picture above in 1970s shows an active railyard and it was. However, railways began to reduce how many people were working. Intermodal was just starting to make inroads allowing railways to move cargo and do quick seaport and truck loading which required far few people loading boxcars.

The 1970s was still huge in terms of shipping grain so a lot of traffic headed out in all directions. But when you looked at the downtown as a whole, it looked like a one horse town with the Richardsons sitting at the top at Portage and Main as the picture from 1970 shows below.

Winnipeg's growth was slower than some of our western provincial counterparts but it wasn't completely dead. It was slow and steady and the one horse town became more diversified if not more spread out. That spreading out meant that the Symington Yards in Transcona became more important.

I have written a number of times that 1980 was Winnipeg's worst year economically. The Winnipeg General Strike was a body blow politically and economically in 1919 but the beginning of the 1980s was crushing for Winnipeg has the recession hit very hard and structural changes in the economy had businesses shutting down or moving.

By 1982 The East Yards were shut down and the discussion of what was to come next began. In truth there were fires all over the city, especially in the downtown. Things were deteriorating fast. Thankfully, an activist federal government was amenable to a tri-partite agreement called the Core Area Initiative. From that sprang North Portage Development Corporation and Forks Development Corporation. Picture below is 1984 and then rails are being pulled out of the site.

Since 1994 the Forks has used parkade money to fund its operations and expansion, The sale itself will put an additional $47 million into The Forks. The nearly $75 million already has helped fund massive building in The Forks while keeping free parking till very recently. The additional money will probably go a long way to getting the last surface parking lots developed although my concern is they will hold off as they use money earned from the lot to build up a reserve.

Meanwhile the talk in Portage Place will get a $300 million investment following its purchase. That may be but it only part of the North Portage mandate.

The Forks is likely going to continue to be a success but it seems the future of where it goes once the final surface parking lots are developed will have to be analyzed. Certainly some money could be used for debt payment and maintenance as well as programming. However, one look at the picture above from 2014 shows a lot of surface parking lots. Will they remain so for additional decades?

And what of North Portage? Beyond Portage Place there is Central Park and quite a lot of housing and public housing. What supports there? Is the mandate to support it over? Has it been over for a while?

I love The Forks and the years of it being an industrial yard are gone. We have been very protective its growth since 1989 and most have been pleased with the result. Think there is agreement that they last few areas should be carefully assessed for their fit with that area.

At the same time legitimate questions have to be asked about how the rest of the downtown is faring. The drug crisis make us assess our response to security as well as prosperity. The Forks is not an oasis surrounded by desert. The long term success of it requires the rest of the downtown does not fail.

One of the reasons The Forks has been successful is that we have been slow and methodical about getting it right. I'd hate to see continued hasty moves with deadlines we haven't seen before.

Boeing Aircraft in Winnipeg

We often get questions from elsewhere such as: What do you do in Winnipeg? It isn't innocent question. It is a loaded one that generally suggests that the person can't figure out how anyone lives in Winnipeg. In other words, what jobs exist there?

Well, the answer is that Winnipeg has a diversified economy. We have needed it to protect us from the vagaries of commodity prices, booms and busts in different business enterprises, a more difficult climate and geographic isolation.

In other words, we sell insurance to the point that a number of our companies are the nation's biggest. Over the decades we have come to dominate bus manufacturing. We have strong positions in ag manufacturing, services, trading. The e-commerce side has taken off. We punch above our weight in TV, film and production. Medical research is quite prominent.

We also build and repair aircraft. We have done it a long time. We're good at it. So much so that one of the biggest and most successful aircraft manufacturers Boeing has one of the biggest plants in North America here in Winnipeg. Not Montreal, not Toronto, not Calgary or Vancouver. Winnipeg.

Boeing is going through a patch right now but rest assured, Winnipeg will be part of its recovery. And they will always have the company of several other big players in the air business here.

So when someone asks what we do in Winnipeg, tell them we do everything here. And that's just the business side. You should ask about our weekends.

Hudson's Bay Company Store 1960 Winnipeg

In this picture the Bay Parkade is only 3 storeys. It was built in 1954 to 1955 as two floors only. It proved so popular they added a third floor later in 1955.

In 1959 the Winnipeg Clinic added 6 floors to their medical building next door. It is the taller building in the foreground.

This photo is 1960. It would another four years before the Bay Parkade would have an additional fourth floor added for a 800 car capacity in 1964.

The Bay sold the Parkade in 1987. Estimates are that it takes in between $2 and $3 million a year profit. It is very likely that if HBC continued to own the parking lot that the building and lot would have been sold together for development.

Portage and Main 1967

In 1967 Portage and Main was preparing for the development of Canada's famous corner, For decades its stood as a gas station and parking lot when the Great Depression stalled plans for a building for Manitoba's richest family: The Richardsons.

Following World War II there was growth in all aspects of the economy as soldiers returned from overseas, went to school or entered the workforce and then had families. Downtown Winnipeg remained the center of activity even as the suburbs grew through the 1950s and 60s.

Still, it took a long time for gas station/parking lot to become what we now know as the Richardson Building. The announcement came in 1967 and by 1969 the 34 storey building was complete. It became the first of a number a towers at Portage and Main but retained the tallest title until 1987.

Prior to being built though, it was possible to see billboards from a long distance away. Coca Cola took advantage of that and built a clock billboard that that can be seen in the picture, Another clock/billboard is in the foreground and can be seen by anyone coming down north Main Street.

Billboards of this kind were banned in later decades by City Hall for the downtown area.

The Fate of Pantages

There are not a lot of Pantages theatres left in North America. They once numbered 75. Ours is in remarkable shape and still being used. The city did own it and with some justification they sold it so that deeper pockets could maintain and possibly expand it. Or so they sold it. This was to have happened in March with a 120 day due diligence taking place.

The city says it hasn't been sold yet and the 120 day period has not yet begun. This is while the building remains empty and unused.

This seems typical for the city. The deal is not really a deal.

Meanwhile, arts groups who would book are now left scrambling.

City Council is in the dark. The asking price was something over $500,000. Have we got developers only interested in demolishing it and putting up a parking lot? Where is the city's due diligence? How about a non-refundable deposit for serious bidders.

It is hard not to be cynical when a working building is shut down with no plan, no comment and no answers.

McIvor Mall Henderson Highway

Is there life for an old mall? The answer is yes. We have seen rejuvenation for Northgate, Grant Park, Charleswood and biggest turnaround Unicity over a number of years. McIvor Mall, built in 1980, had been a less glamorous mall than River East to the south on Henderson.

The mall had a Marketplace Co-op grocer, a restaurant, Blaine's Books and served its local community. Over the years though this has not been enough and a number of businesses have closed and the mall, like the fore mentioned, needed a re-fresh.

Sadly, Blaine's won't be part of it as he will retire after outlasting every other music retailer out there except Sunshine Records.

The most important part of of the rejuvenation of McIvor Mall is that a No Frills store will be an anchor. The Loblaw's franchise are independently owned grocers with supply agreement from the company. In some ways this might be better than what was there before because a local owner might have his finger on the pulse of the neighbourhood a lot better.

A Rexall pharmacy anchors the other side which is good since every community needs a drug store. Inside the mall so far are services, dry cleaner, Pizza Hotline, Subway, a fitness center and some restaurants. It will be the other shops that set up that will that distinguish it as a success or not but a good grocer goes a long way. There will also be a roadside restaurant which could be a keep to the mall's future success.

So many stores have closed lately but some places that have a combination of staples and local attractions will still bring people in.

Prime Review: Jack Ryan

Amazon Prime is going up head to head with Netflix. To do this requires more exclusive material. To that end they acquired TV rights to one of feature films most popular characters over the last few decades who wasn't a superhero. Jack Ryan, the CIA agent from novelist Tom Clancy book series, has been played by some of Hollywood's leading actors including Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Prine. Joining that list is John Krasinski who not only had the lead role but server as one of the producers of the show.

Season 1 aired in 2018 and was so successful that a second season and then a third was ordered by Amazon. The first season ran as an origin story for Jack Ryan which we have seen a little bit of in the feature films but with an eight episode arc, the audience gets to see a little more of a how a CIA agent begins dating the woman who will becomes his future wife.

The series differs from the books and movies in that Ryan in the book/movie past had a Soviet profiling job in the CIA whereas in a contemporary setting he is a financial analyst tracking money. His girlfriend Cathy works in infectious diseases rather than as an eye surgeon. Other back stories of some of the characters have changed according to present day threats.

The first season runs eight episodes and show how Jack goes from low level financial analyst to full CIA operative out in the field in pursuit of a terrorist. John Krasinski as Jack Ryan and Abbie Cornish as Cathy Mueller make for compelling characters as they begin to intersect both romantically and professionally.

The action cross crosses the world and the threat remains elusive as to whether it is chemical, biological or something else. All the while, the politics in CIA and elsewhere threaten to put Jack on the shelf.

Second season on Prime is coming soon as 8 episodes went all too fast. Look forward to where they take this version of Jack Ryan in coming seasons.

Long and McQuade Coming to Henderson Highway

There are two streets in Winnipeg that are known for a number of music related businesses along them, some in close proximity. Quest Music, St. John's Music and Long and McQuade are all along Portage Avenue or just off of it. There used to be three more stores as well but the market is tough, especially for piano sales.

Another road that has an abundance of music related businesses is Henderson Highway. It is there that you will find Croft Music and Mar Schells Music in terms of instrument sales.

Now we learn that Canada's biggest music seller is adding heft to Henderson Highway. Presently cladding is up around the former location of River City Sports. The sports equipment retailer that once had multiple locations in the city has consolidated at their St. James location across from Polo Park. Founded in 1991, it may have expanded too fast and their location at Seasons of Tuxedo probably was a bridge too far.

The building at 1074 Henderson Highway has Akman Construction busy gutting and re-building the 10,000 square feet inside. The exterior will be getting a new glazing replacement with the famous colours of Long and McQuade. 

The store itself will be very open in concept and concentrate on sales, rentals, lessons and repairs. The basement will be staff related and repair related.

Henderson Highway has quite the mix of businesses along it despite how busy it can get. In that way it is like portions of Portage Avenue with right to the curb businesses.

Long and McQuade has had many locations and now multiple ones in recent years but Henderson Highway might be its most intimate street location in the city.

Portage Place...the Future

This is what was envisioned for Portage Place way back. Many people don't seem to realize it was built to have towers on the east and in this picture, the west pad. This is an office but the talk now is that it will be residential, possibly student housing.

TV and Movie Reviews Snapshot...Chernobyl

With so many competing streaming services, cable and premium channels and regular TV, it could generally be said peak TV has arrived. Streaming is even competing with movies now with a short window in theatres and then exclusive rights on Netflix or Amazon or whatever.

I occasionally review movies here but don't get to as many as I once did. That's the price of work and also trying to do other recreational things within and outside the city. Time and a budget are always at a premium.

In the days of fewer channels, the shared experience of watching things together at the same time on TV or theatres was huge in its immediacy. Now, only live sports is that immediate. Video recording starting in the 1980s changed things a lot but it was more about the speed than total loss of immediacy. For example, recording TV usually meant you tried to watch the recorded program within a short timespan. The reasoning behind that was that blank tapes were not exactly cheap in the beginning.

TV series were rarely rented or sold on tape as they would take up so much space.  I remember how the only video cassettes I often saw of series were Seinfelds.

Streaming has killed both the video rentals market as well as downloads. The only recordings people make now are with PVRs for TV. Even that is not really owned by you. It is digitally stored and has some limits. It can expire and delete. You can reach maximum amount of storage. It is not the same as having the movie or TV series in your hand. But then again people seem to have accepted that.

My big complaint about cable has been and still is that despite so many channels there is not as much international TV series or movies on it. Netflix and others in the never ending drive to feed content goes everywhere to find as well as fund it. And now other streamers are doing it too.

Truth be told the big studios and broadcasters are all reaching a convergence where they do everything from theatrical releases, DVDs, Video on Demand, network and cable, streaming and downloads. And working with partners to create bigger productions, shared budgets or access to other markets including broadcast and production.

HBO has become more than a premium cable channel. In Canada it is now an anchor for Crave TV in Canada for their streamer. Game of Thrones has been an important part of driving traffic to the channel in recent years. However, it is not the only quality program that has come from there. In some ways HBO originally faced the same accusation that it mostly made money from movie content produced by other studios including its own. If that was once true, it isn't the case now. They have produced their own material from all the way back to the 1980s. In 1983, they produced Fraggle Rock which was filmed in Canada in partnership with CBC.

Following Game of Thrones many wondered if HBO still had the chops to draw eyeballs to their network. That has proved true with Chernobyl.

Chernobyl

This is a five part mini-series based on the real event of the explosion in a nuclear plant in the USSR in 1986. It is by the far the scariest series I have ever seen. The first episode I could only take in short amounts. So deep was my sense of dread that I winced every time a decision was made that was truly and curled up in fear as it unfolded.

There has been a great deal made about how authentic the series is. Complaints and kudos are all over the place. The producers went to great lengths to tell the story and make it look and feel like 1986. However, it is a dramatization and some characters are a composite. And the dialogue is at best a guess as the interactions among the players. 

While there is a large cast, there main focus is on three. The actors are Jared Harris, Stellan Skargard and Emily Watson. Essentially, the represent the political and scientific response to the nuclear disaster. Quite simply the performances by the stars is simply the best are are likely to be forgotten during award season.

As for the story, the first episode starts off with a bang and confusion and absolute terror. That horror comes from the fact that no one seems to know what happened or how bad it is. There is denial even as evidence of people being exposed to huge doses of radiation is exhibited. Once the extent of the continuing disaster happens, the story in future episodes tells what the response is in terms of evacuations, putting the fire out and the capping the damage.

The continued exposure and deaths of those responding to the crisis weighs even as the investigation goes on side by side of the response to the explosion. And throughout this, the oppressive and secret Soviet society denies, covers up or otherwise inhibits the truth until it threatens all the Soviet Union and Europe.

The final episode takes place in a court and re-creates how and why the explosion takes place. It is still frightening but intercut with explanations that make it more clinical. In the end, the story concludes with vignettes about the players in the story.

All in all it is great television. The best. I suspect the ending might have been more conclusive with an a death estimate but even now there is controversy in regards to it all in both the east and the west. Still, great television on a subject you would not expect such great writing and acting from.

Popeyes Coming to Crossroads Station

A short time ago I mentioned that Popeyes was going to built in the former Hakim Optical on West Portage. Now we have a Popeyes announcement for the east of Winnipeg on Regent at Crossroad Station.

The closing of Payless Shoes across North America left a glut of real estate in many communities including Winnipeg where we had several locations. Some of those locations are attracting interest while others sit empty as most of the continent looks to find new uses for retail space.

In the case of Crossroad Station the wait for a new use came quick. The popularity of Popeyes in Winnipeg is evident any time you drive past Seasons of Tuxedo. The location there is always busy both inside the store  and the drive-thru. There is no doubt that the location on Regent will be extremely popular.

Also part of the complex where Popeyes will be located is an EB Games and an Ultracuts.

Zoning is just going through so expect a few months to pass before we see Crossroad Station Popeyes go up but should be ready for fall/winter of 2019.

Movie Review: Spider-Man Far From Home Review

In fifteen years we have seen a lot of Spider-Mans. Sony has done origin stories with two different actors and the first started well and ended off worse and the second didn't gain traction. Good but quite enough for the marquee hero of the Marvel universe. More concerning for Sony/Columbia Pictures was that their asset was on the outside looking in at Marvel Entertainment/Disney's 22 film enterprise with dozens of superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This is no longer the case as Marvel Entertainment bridged the gap between Spider-Man's two studios, Sony and Disney, and made it possible for Spider-Man to be with his Avenger superhero friends. As of the time of this review, Far From Home has scored one of the most successful 4th of July openings in history. Already it is being talked about as possibly saving the summer box office as the latest X-Men and Men in Black franchises fizzled.

The young actor chosen to play Spider-Man Tom Holland was put under the wing of Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr. both figuratively and literally.  The two had real chemistry together in the first Spider-Man movie Homecoming as well as the Avengers movie. For those not wanting to be spoiled read no further. The new movie Far From Home is how young Peter Parker/Spider-Man is coping with the loss of his mentor Tony Stark/Iron Man. He is mourning and wants to take a break from the monstrous responsibility of being an Avenger.

The timeline of Spider-Man makes it a direct follow-up of Avengers: Endgame. Not only does Peter Parker have to still cope with high school, he has to cope that like half his class, he didn't age during "the snap." This means he goes back to school where he left off five years later with kids who would have been in junior high when half the universe disappeared. A funny scene in the movie demonstrates how students from the marching band appear in the gym when the snap is undone. Everyone is bumping into one another as it is so unexpected and sudden.

Suffice to say everyone is still adjusting to the new world including Peter Parker. All he would like to do is going on a field trip and tell the girl he likes how he feels and perhaps kiss her for the first time. If only Nick Fury as played by Samuel Jackson would let him. He and former SHIELD member Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders) need Spider-Man as the ranks of the Avengers are depleted due to deaths and other assignments. Peter dodges the calls even as Happy (Jon Favreau) warns him Fury won't be put off. Happy, Iron Man's best friend and still working for Pepper Potts at Stark Industries looks out for Peter and gives him a gift of Tony's glasses as per the inventor's last request. To confuse things more it appears that Happy and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) might be dating.

Peter continues to ghost Nick Fury even as the world seems to be fighting off a new threat known as the Elementals. Since it seems far away, Peter concentrate on his European trip and his plan to get next to his crush MJ played by Zendaya who capture the awkward, geeky but beautiful girl perfectly. At every turn his plans seem to be thwarted and his best pal Ned (Jacob Batalon) who said they should be bachelor's in Europe suddenly has a girlfriend even before their flight arrives.

The gift that Peter gets from Tony is the man's glasses which we learn is tied to an Artificial Intelligence called E.D.I.T.H. that controls the database and battle drones of Stark Industries. In his haste to remove a potential rival for MJ's attention, he almost has a drone strike do the job for him. It once again affirms to him that he is over his head.

The humour and action are never far away and even as Nick Fury highjacks his school trip and even gets him a superhero disguise which gets dubbed the Night Monkey. He fight the Elemental threat with the aid of Jake Gyllenhaal's character of Beck/Mysterio. It is then in desperation to shake the unworthiness, he gives Beck Tony's glasses and the key to the database.

It is only after in the presence of MJ where she reveals to him that she knows he is Spider-Man that he sees evidence that Mysterio is a fraud and how dangerous he is. This inevitably sets up a high profile clash, various turns and surprises and incredible CGI action.

For an audience, it never completely overwhelms because Tom Holland makes you believe everything you see and hear with an authenticity and humour throughout. It feels like this movie is both the close of story behind and a representation of the story ahead. In other words, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in good hands.

Double secret spoiler ahead!

The mid credit scenes have so many twists and funny parts and action that it is a shocker when Spider-Man is outed as Peter Parker.

And in the very end credit, we see Nick Fury in a funny scene in space. Only seeing it will somehow explain it.

Barstool Pub and Eatery Coming to St. James Hotel

The St. James Hotel has been undergoing a pretty extensive rehabilitation. A fire in 2017 could have been the end of the 1928 built hotel. The second floor damage included smoke and water damage to the Fox and Hounds pub on the first floor. It certainly looked like curtains for the landmark historic building that greeted people as they passed down Portage Avenue to St. James.

One of the frequent questions as people drove by was whether the classic British style pub The Fox and Hounds would rise from the dead. The answer is no. A pub shall return but it will come with a new name: Barstool Pub and Eatery.

The marquee sign gets a digital upgrade as well for Portage Avenue drivers advertising the fare inside.

More to report as we get closer to it all being done.

Portage Place and Parkade for Sale?

Portage Place can stir up some raw emotions in Winnipeg. As a mall it has been barely hanging on. The Vancouver-based owner has few ways to make real money there and no incentive to do anything. Why? Because they don't own the land or the parking lot.

The parking lot and other parts of the land earn the The Forks, owner of the parkade, a whopping $3 million a year. In 1994, The Forks was borrowing money just to pay staff. It is not a stretch to say Portage Place saved The Forks and made it what it is today.

There is 1000 parking spaces at Portage Place and they are used all the time. At Jets and Moose game and concerts, the place is packed and customers pay premium parking. It is a cash cow. And the milk has gone to The Forks. In 2017, The Forks started charging for parking at its parkade and then surface parking lots. The parkade is around 300 cars. Forks Market is around another 100 around meters and Railside has just shy of 600. No recent tally of how much parking brings in at The Forks takes in but let's say it is significant. It may even be more than Portage Place takes in given we're talking about almost the same amount of spaces.

And that is fine. Some people said they will never go to The Forks again if they have to pay for parking. Seems pretty drastic and raises the question of whether their boycott is in effect for sports, concerts and the like where free parking may be difficult to find in proximity to an event. I won't even go into hospital parking and its costs. Suffice to say it is unavoidable if you drive a car. Build 2000 spaces for parking and you will find people park free all day. Like The Forks once had happening.

In any event, The Forks now has two revenue streams...North Portage parking and Forks parking. And life is good. However, they also have two mandates which is to promote and develop not just The Forks but North Portage. To that end, North Portage has been neglected.

The owner of the mall, Peterson Group from Vancouver, bought the mall for around $20 million from Consolidated who bought it for around $45 million from Cadillac Fairview who built it for $92 million. That is quite the depreciation since 1987. Still the mall stumbles along. It has a number or stores that service the businesses in the Monday to Friday day hours. The food court which has been the source of scorn and danger makes money. However, the owner has NO incentive to do more.

There have been some conversion of retail into offices. That has helped. However, the west and east pads atop the mall remain undeveloped because any business or hotel would want to have parking. And that is owned by The Forks. Moreover, the land is not even owned by Portage Place. It is also owned by North Portage/Forks. Portage Place only has a long term lease and agreement to turn everything over for $1 after it expires.

The Forks has no interest in investing in Portage Place as they don't own it. And the present owners are not interested in buying the lease out. They just want out. Winnipeg may only get to know after the weekend what's what as a closed door session with the city in planned with the major principals involved.

It is quite possible that what we'll here is that someone is interested in buying Portage Place, the parking lot and the lease. If this is the case, it is likely to trigger a major investment atop the two pad of Portage Place. A hotel, presumably a new Westin, will go up on the east side and offices or residential units or both will go up on the west side. The food court is toast. A hotel lobby, meeting rooms and ballrooms are likely to take up the first three floors. The overpasses will be preserved as well as the mall corridor. If residential goes up, I suspect we see a grocery store go up. A street presence and patios is no doubt a possibility.

Assuming a hotel goes up, the rear drive behind Portage Place will be the obvious valet pick-up/drop off and check-in space. The whole dynamic behind the building changes to serve two potential towers. A new owner would know that $3 million would be coming in annually just from the parking. That's a lot of lettuce.

How do we know this will work? It works because this is exactly what happened with Winnipeg Square parking. The 900 spaces there made oodles of money for the city. When they sold the parking lot, it was an incentive for a owner to own both the tower, the mall and the parking lot together. Lots of incoming cash. Enough for the owner to completely re-do the building and then plan for Winnipeg's tallest tower, a new gym and a grocery store (if the renderings are accurate) on the two unused pads behind Trizec tower. One can make an argument that CityPlace also was more lucrative for any owner because of the parkade inside.

This looks to be the biggest obstacle to seeing Portage Place be something different than how it is viewed now. A new owner can make money and do things with the property. No, it won't result in the whole building being torn down. No, it won't result in housing for below $1000 a month. But we will see changes that have density, serve new business and public access needs and probably more people living right on site. And very likely a less hostile street presence.

And let's not forget...there will be millions from the sale of the parking lot. Everyone and their dog will want a say on it. Not all of it should be sent to The Forks. It should be well planned out with the goal of bringing self sufficiency and prosperity to both the areas it was created to serve.

Za Pizza Bistro Finally Coming to Osborne Village

It took 12 months. Yes, you read that right. From the time it was first talked about to the sign going up in the window, it took 12 months to say Za Pizza Bistro is coming to Osborne Village. Why? Who knows. But all of the buildings have problems borne of being many decades old. Electric, water, false ceilings, multiple layers of flooring, heating and cooling and the big one in the Village: landlords. Most of the landlords were once business operators themselves who transformed the community and led beloved stores and restaurants. Today, they own high rent assets that have seen little infrastructure improvement and newer entrepreneurs who look further down Osborne or Corydon or Sherbrook or Sargent.

A few things have happened though. Some landlords have sold their buildings and new landlords have arrived. Some new business people have come to revitalize once proud corners of Osborne Village with a new restaurant concept. A few gyms have opened in spaces deemed to big for stores but useful to a growing community where apartments and condos abound.

And then there is the cannabis stores. The deep pocketed cannabis stores have grabbed large retail spaces in the last year. That has left a few gaps where some new businesses see an opening. Some new immigrants have opened some ethnic restaurants that could be set to take off. Everyone you look there are opening soon signs.

However, where Second Cup once stood for many years, the first floor has been vacant and waiting for the the promise of a licensed pizza restaurant. Some said it would never come. And then the sign went up. Za Pizza Bistro Coming soon.

Osborne Village had a very successful Canada Day event. Moreover, since Assiniboine Park pretty much shut down at 7 PM on the big day, it left very few late night places to celebrate. The Forks did its job, of course, but Osborne felt like it was reaching a tipping point to being a busy, social and successful street once again.

At some point possibly in August, we might see very few vacancies for a few blocks. Some notable exceptions though...The Osborne Hotel remains closed and with no obvious work being done. What a waste for a place that lived on music, a busy beer vendor and restaurant and being the centerpoint to beer gardens to wrestling.

Yay for Za Pizza Bistro coming and hope it inspires a long overdue focus to do something with the hotel that doesn't feel like a real letdown of what looks to be a bright future.

Netflix Review: Trapped

It used to PBS that could reliably bring non-North American drama to Canada. The private channels had plenty of U.S. fare to choose from and where mandated, produced Canadian material that was sometimes indistinguishable from the American stuff. CBC, on the other hand, was mandated to produce Canadian drama so material from say, Europe, would have had to have been co-produced for unique reasons.

In recent years more work is done in partnerships and demand for unique voices is strong right around the world. Canadian material has reached such a high level of production in terms of story, acting and location that its audience is no longer limited to home geography.

In today's broadcast world, Canadians see some material from overseas on Canadian channels but it is still very limited. PBS continues to be a powerhouse but skews heavily British. Nothing wrong with that except there has been other exception material missed along the way.

Nordic Noir are the words to describe movies and series coming out of places like Sweden, Norway and now Iceland. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series out of Sweden is some of the best television you are going to find on Netflix. Occupied from Norway was amazing. And now from Iceland we have Trapped.

It is a series that can be found on Netflix and is now into its second season running 20 episodes. It is very binge-worthy. Each season revolves predominantly on one case and the complications that surround it. Agatha Christie being channeled through the beautiful lens of Iceland and story about a dogged police officer and his team.

The story takes place Seydisfjordur, an isolated port town in Eastern Iceland connected to other area by a single desolate road, airport and port. The Chief of Police Andri has left under a cloud from work in Reykjavik but still commands respect despite enemies. His family life is in turmoil. His wife has split up with him and is seeing someone new in the capital. His daughters, who remain with him, are school bullies. To make matters worse his wife is coming to town with the boyfriends to take the daughters away. All of this, of course, is happening under one roof as the weather worsens.

As a blizzard heads towards the town, a torso of a body is pulled from a fishing boat just as a ferry pulls into port arriving from the mainland bringing with it Icelander, assorted Europeans and others. The ship is held as Andri and his team of two officers try to figure out who the culprit is as the storms socks them in. No one can leave and no help can come in. And the murderer is most certainly in their midst.

The title Trapped certainly holds true over ten episodes. Haunting, suspenseful and full of twists, it is hard to stop watching. The writing, acting, production, music and beautiful scenery it makes it far from ordinary.

The second season of 10 episodes doesn't replicate the blizzard conditions but emphasizes how people and society themselves are trapped in patterns that are difficult to break. We catch up with Andri who is back in Reykjavik but who ends up heading back to Seydisfjordur because of an attempted assassination is linked to a militant group in the isolated town.

Once again murder drives the investigation but this time it is also right wing politics, international business, the environment, foreign workers and deep family secrets showing how people are trapped by the past, present and future. And poor Chief Andri has to deal with a daughter whose nose for trouble puts her in the path of a killer.

Old characters are re-visited and some are doing better than others. All of this again is shown amidst the beauty of Iceland and how it continues to try to pull itself up from the economic crisis of 2008. So much has been displaced and for many, such a the sheepherders clad in their Icelandic sweaters, it has brought out the worst in them. But there is more to it all and is rooted in the deep horrible secrets of one family in town.

The two seasons of this show are worth sitting through even with captions. As fine a production as you will find in the world.

TableSpace to Open in Osborne Village

Osborne Village continues to transform as businesses and landlords who once shaped the street in 1970s begin to sell or close their shops and lease to new people to take us into the 2020s. It hasn't always been easy as retail on the street and within malls has been revolutionized by the Internet. Despite a dense population in the village business people have found it a challenge to draw traffic, pay high rent and keep up. In New York it is called Luxury Blight. It is when some posh shops come in that push up the rent and then leave when they fall out of fashion. Somehow the rent stays too high.

Restaurants and some retail have shied away from jumping back in to spaces that have high overheads. This has led to the opening of two fitness centers Shapes and Anytime that serve the growing residential population. Cannabis shops have also found that their business model allows multiple retail spots along the street. The types of shops that have left though are businesses such as Oxford at the corner of Gertrude.

So what do you do with what seem like amazing spaces in a world where street retail and restaurants have changed so much? Not everything can be a fitness center although it does seem like that lately with multiple openings. The answer it seems might be shared space, particularly work spaces. And who not? With so many people living in the area many have their own businesses alongside other professional endeavours. Working from home is an option but sometimes you just need space and the traditional options don't work.

At the site of where Oxford used to be at 196 Osborne, TableSpace is being setting up by the two female entrepreneurs with an opening targeted for August. However, with all the Canada day celebrations going on July 1st, the new owners, Rachel and Andrea will be showing off renderings and giving tours. From 10 till 4, they will explain how the 2015 Harvard Business Review inspired them with an article on the gig economy and how curated co-working business spaces were where entrepreneurs and freelancers were going. Such spaces have emerged in Winnipeg in the downtown and suburbs with a focus in some cases on manufacturing.

The Osborne Village though is not known offices although at one time in the 1980s there were several. In recent years though, the need for some kind of business center has grown. Moreover, ones that have amenities such as coffee, WIFI, printers, lockers and the like are just no where to be found. Having female friendly ones is like finding a unicorn. The opportunity to create a networking environment for work and a social setting was very compelling to the TableSpace owners.

"TableSpace will give entrepreneurs a place to get from distractions and focus on their goals, whatever they might be," explained Rachel.

"We want to touch on self-care needs as well. We want to help our members achieve the work-life balance that they are dreaming of," Andrea added.

With meeting and boards, podcasting studio and desk space and office amenities mixed in with future wellness programs and yoga, the space at 196 Osborne could be a wellspring of future business start-ups in the city and new network of female entrepreneurs.

Look for Andrea and Rachel from 10 AM till 4 PM Canada Day and we'll keep track of their official opening.

F45 Fitness Center Coming to Seasons of Tuxedo

As if the fitness expansion in Winnipeg has not exploded enough, it appears that another huge gym group is looking to expand to the city at Seasons of Tuxedo. F45 is presently being constructed behind Frankie's restaurant. The program at F45 is built upon intensity training within 45 minutes covering 36 programs. A comparable gym comparison might be Orange or 9Round for the fitness level.

This will be the second fitness center to locate on the site. The other would be the recently completed Wheelhouse which centers on spin cycle training. Both F45 and Wheelhouse specialize in next level fitness.

In the coming months there is likely to be a surge of announcements at Seasons of Tuxedo to lock down new tenants as all the major malls compete to fill new or vacated space. Retail is not always what is being looked at to fill the gap. Services such as gyms that had never been considered for malls are now going up all over as a way to drive traffic.

If a workout is not what you need, it also appears that Modern Man barbers will also be setting up shop beside the newly opened Liquor Mart.