Category: Spruce St

Chinatown, City Centre, condos, Elm Street, little Italy, Preston street, Spruce St13 Comments

The Secret West Side

Westsideaction

Everyone knows the traditional main streets: West Wellie, Preston, Chinatown, Bank Street … The very success of these streets ensure they attract popular businesses with enough clientele to afford the rents. But where are the retailers that cannot afford main street? Ottawa lacks many low-value retail spaces, where specialty niche businesses, startups, and some just-plain marginal businesses can locate. Gentrification and the revival of main streets are desirable, but have the effect of squeezing out these small firms. So they slip into little-noticed spots unattractive to mainstream, main street retailers. I previously mentioned the hotbed of nifty niche novelty firms on the west side*. … Continue reading The Secret West Side

design, Elm Street, Preston street, Spruce St9 Comments

Industrial gentrification on the west side

Westsideaction

Costco likes to locate in industrial parks. They essentially run a retail store but in industrial space. The reason for this is that they then pay industrial property taxes, which are hugely lower than retail commercial property taxes. On a smaller scale, we see the flight of retail businesses out of Westboro as it becomes “trendier” — same way as businesses fled the Glebe or New Edinburgh in their heydays of rapid gentrification. I previously mentioned that Cohen’s Vintage Lighting moved out of Westboro and onto Spruce Street. (Before that, they had been elsewhere as Architectural Antiques, then Hintonburg, then Westboro, now back to … Continue reading Industrial gentrification on the west side

Spruce St

Lighting Up the Neighborhood

Westsideaction

In ecology, we think it normal that there be a succession of land uses. The swamp gives way to the meadow, to the woods, and ultimately to the climax forest or mature ecosystem. The ecosystem is of course subject to external disturbances. Retail main streets are similar. It wasn’t many years ago that the stores along West Wellie and Richmond Road were … shall we say, a bit sad. Since then, the area has rejuvenated with the fresh influx of a new species of shoppers. As part of the change, some existing businesses get forced out, no longer popular or … Continue reading Lighting Up the Neighborhood

Spruce St

Lighting Up the Neighborhood

Westsideaction

In ecology, we think it normal that there be a succession of land uses. The swamp gives way to the meadow, to the woods, and ultimately to the climax forest or mature ecosystem. The ecosystem is of course subject to external disturbances. Retail main streets are similar. It wasn’t many years ago that the stores along West Wellie and Richmond Road were … shall we say, a bit sad. Since then, the area has rejuvenated with the fresh influx of a new species of shoppers. As part of the change, some existing businesses get forced out, no longer popular or … Continue reading Lighting Up the Neighborhood