Calgary Openings, Closings, and Developments

[looooob]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

Are there any CBC Brave New Waves listeners? Brent Bambury did a great late night show.

for sure. Bambury's tenure was 85-95 and certainly coincided with my tenure as a listener

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by looooob

for sure. Bambury's tenure was 85-95 and certainly coincided with my tenure as a listener

Same here

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Locke

I'm always tempted to think that Eau Claire has to be some sort of Tax Grift.

Nothing about that place makes financial sense. Like...how does that Egyptian store pay what must be outrageously premium rent?

We should start a Poll on here asking if anyone has ever made a purchase at that place?

I've probably been in there a dozen times in my life, granted, none recently because I havent been down there in eons, but I have never once bought anything.

Other than years ago at the movie theater I cant remember the last time I actually spent money at Eau Claire.

Regardless of location, many niche retail stores have never made sense to me.

I can't think of a great example at the moment, but let's just say a wig store. How many wigs do they need to sell in a day to pay for the staff+rent+product? Then how many wigs do they possibly sell in a day? Some places like that I feel could go a day or two without making a single sale.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Regardless of location, many niche retail stores have never made sense to me.

I can't think of a great example at the moment, but let's just say a wig store. How many wigs do they need to sell in a day to pay for the staff+rent+product? Then how many wigs do they possibly sell in a day? Some places like that I feel could go a day or two without making a single sale.

And you're probably not getting the odd day where a bus full of bald people pulls up and you sell 50 wigs or anything to make up for it.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Locke

I'm always tempted to think that Eau Claire has to be some sort of Tax Grift.

Nothing about that place makes financial sense. Like...how does that Egyptian store pay what must be outrageously premium rent?

We should start a Poll on here asking if anyone has ever made a purchase at that place?

I've probably been in there a dozen times in my life, granted, none recently because I havent been down there in eons, but I have never once bought anything.

Other than years ago at the movie theater I cant remember the last time I actually spent money at Eau Claire.

The bolded likely isn't accurate. Eau Claire is at least half empty and a revolving door of tenants. If the Egyptian place pays on time they have tons of leverage on renewal and are probably paying very low rent.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

I haven’t been in that mall in at least 10 years. Maybe 15. But now I’m determined to go. I want some Egyptian stuff. What’s the cheapest Anubis statue they’ve got? $50 maybe?

I assume that skate shop in the corner is now gone? Are there any skate shops in Calgary anymore? They’re all gone from Kensington and 17th ave.

While I’m there I’ll ask about the rent.

[calgarygeologist]

The only place that probably does decent business in Eau Claire is the ice cream shop in the summer and the fruit/veggie market always seemed pretty busy. There is also a decent cigar shop in there.

[Muta]

I worked for many years in Eau Claire (not at the Egyptian store though, haha), and the Cineplex still exists over there because AFAIK they don't have to pay any rent. Not sure if that's the case now, but I'm assuming still. Hopefully they're still a part of Eau Claire's future master plan, as I think it's an amenity that will help attract people to move more centrally / downtown as we look at reimagining downtown as a place to live - as long as its designed properly and accessibility is a key tenet in its design.

[KTrain]

One thing I’ve learned from working with retail businesses, is that the ones you think don’t make sense, but are still successful enough to be long term tenants, likely sell their stuff online and elsewhere but like having a physical retail space for storage and the occasional sale.

There’s a store in Inglewood that sells Betty Boop crap. No way it should be profitable in that location but I guess they have the distribution licensing for a bunch of cartoon stuff and make bank selling online.

[Shazam]

The guy that owns Superior Vacuums told me he's the first-party distributor on Amazon.ca for all the Miele stuff.

[tvp2003]

It is also possible that instead of a monthly rent, the store just pays a percentage of sales they make. So if they sell nothing, they wouldn't pay anything (in theory).

Don't know if that's the case for Eau Claire Market but from the shopping mall's perspective an open store is better than a closed store...

[Shazam]

They probably pay $1 sq/ft and no utilities.

[Puppet Guy]

Eau Claire is a retail black hole, but it's a great location for Canadian Blood Services - much roomier than the old location on 13th Ave and so close to work I have no excuse not to donate.

On a similar note, I went to New Horizons Mall a few weeks ago, and that place has the stench of death all over it.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by I am Beast

Rona in Westhills is shutting down, huge sale on everything. Tons of stock as it just started people are leaving there with shopping cart full off everything. Up to 75% off most items 40-50% min.
I just picked up $200,00 in LED smart bulbs for $30.00

Most of the power tools picked clean, buts tons of other stuff. Thinking on going back for BBQ supplies.

Great opportunity to stock up on wood chunks for anyone that does a lot of smoking. I bought a bunch of bags at $7 a piece. I didn't check for charcoal as I have lots of that at home from a previous Lowe's sale. I didn't clean them out so there is still plenty of stock for wood chunks.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

Eau Claire is a retail black hole, but it's a great location for Canadian Blood Services - much roomier than the old location on 13th Ave and so close to work I have no excuse not to donate.

On a similar note, I went to New Horizons Mall a few weeks ago, and that place has the stench of death all over it.

I love wandering through that place. It is SO WEIRD. And I swear to god that some of those businesses can't be legit.
Frickin' strange place.
I love it.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Muta

I worked for many years in Eau Claire (not at the Egyptian store though, haha), and the Cineplex still exists over there because AFAIK they don't have to pay any rent. Not sure if that's the case now, but I'm assuming still. Hopefully they're still a part of Eau Claire's future master plan, as I think it's an amenity that will help attract people to move more centrally / downtown as we look at reimagining downtown as a place to live - as long as its designed properly and accessibility is a key tenet in its design.

lol that's been the case for like at least 25 years now.

[Swift]

Originally Posted by Locke

Nothing about that place makes financial sense. Like...how does that Egyptian store pay what must be outrageously premium rent?

We should start a Poll on here asking if anyone has ever made a purchase at that place?

I have a 6 inch ceramic Celtic cross on my bookshelf next to me right now that I bought there maybe 15 years ago and really like. Most of their stuff looks very gaudy to my eyes and very mass produced looking, but this thing was definitely homemade by someone in their shed. Can't remember how much I spent, probably no more than $30. I was actually in the store a month or so ago and there was a family in there and the dad was telling the guy how much his kid liked whatever statue thing they got last time, so now it was the other kid's turn to pick something out, so they do get some business.

There's also a nerdy second hand bookstore opened up last year in the mall with a crap name (Sankjuri Books) Somewhat overpriced but I think they have a bunch of 60s/70s/80s sci fi/horror type stuff if that's your thing.

I do wonder how places like the fortune teller stay in business, but I guess I wonder how those kinds of places stay in business anyway.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Puppet Guy

Eau Claire is a retail black hole, but it's a great location for Canadian Blood Services - much roomier than the old location on 13th Ave and so close to work I have no excuse not to donate.

On a similar note, I went to New Horizons Mall a few weeks ago, and that place has the stench of death all over it.

Dont even get me started on those bastards!!

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Muta

I worked for many years in Eau Claire (not at the Egyptian store though, haha), and the Cineplex still exists over there because AFAIK they don't have to pay any rent. Not sure if that's the case now, but I'm assuming still. Hopefully they're still a part of Eau Claire's future master plan, as I think it's an amenity that will help attract people to move more centrally / downtown as we look at reimagining downtown as a place to live - as long as its designed properly and accessibility is a key tenet in its design.

As a DT resident, I would watch more movies at the Cineplex but those 90 degree rock hard seats are a pain.

I wonder if the IMAX screen is still open? I remember watching Ironman 3 there. They converted to showing regular movies on it and it was a great bargain.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

As a DT resident, I would watch more movies at the Cineplex but those 90 degree rock hard seats are a pain.

I wonder if the IMAX screen is still open? I remember watching Ironman 3 there. They converted to showing regular movies on it and it was a great bargain.

Long gone.