Hope blooms for revitalized Village

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This article was published 16/04/2018 (2765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Robert Orr lived in Osborne Village, he and his wife loved the hip, urban feel of the area, whether it was its variety of shops and services or its bars and restaurants.

Today, he looks at the dirty windows of a vacant coffee shop, the empty spaces where Desart and other shops were located, the dated exterior of one of its restaurants or the on-again, off-again — but mostly off-again — future of the former Osborne Village Inn and wonders what went wrong.

“It’s supposed to be a hip neighbourhood and it’s right in the heart of the city, (but) it just hasn’t seemed able to keep up with other parts of the city,” he said.

“What doesn’t make sense to me is, they’ve always talked about, for the downtown to thrive, you need people, and if you had lots of people, the businesses would follow,” he said.

“I’m thinking, ‘OK, this is something the Village already has.’ It’s got lots of people and the population continues to grow. So, if that adage holds true, you would think for businesses in Osborne Village, the whole area would be absolutely thriving.

“Well, it’s definitely not thriving, and even just walking down the street and if I were to forgive the fact there are all these empty storefronts, even the businesses that are here, there’s very little effort done.

“It looks shabby, and I think it’s symbolic of the Village as a whole as a place that’s been allowed to fade away and is resting on a reputation that’s been allowed to go south.”

It’s important to note that despite moving into the Kingston Crescent neighbourhood, Orr still visits the Village, so his complaints are coming from a good place.

Stephanie Meilleur, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, appreciates Orr’s observations and said steps are underway to address his concerns.

“All BIZ areas go through this ebb and flow, and we’ve been in a downward motion for some time,” she said. “Now, we’re climbing up and I really think we’re about to see a new Village being born.”

Three properties recently got new owners and will be renovated. Among them, the Osborne Village Inn, which Meilleur said has recently been leased and she expects a groundbreaking on a hospitality and entertainment facility this summer. Agents for the property, Cushman & Wakefield Winnipeg, did not respond to requests for comment.

Meilleur agrees the added population — in multi-family units popping up on River, Wardlaw, Gertrude and Stradbrook avenues and Scott Street — bodes well for businesses, and she believes brighter days are ahead.

Meilleur is advocating for changes to the planning documents governing the area to permit more lighting, more digital signage and provide more freedom for area businesses to renovate their buildings.

One of the more infamous stories about the Village is the recent history of the restaurant formerly known as Basil’s. Some time after Basil’s closed following a flood, the space reopened as Black Rabbit, which lasted only two years. Then, late last year, it reopened as Ward 1, only to close in February after less than two months in operation.

Meilleur said it’s a mistake to spin the closure of those restaurants as a dark sign for the Village.

“Black Rabbit: the reason for that failure was, No. 1, poor management skills,” she said. “A business opens and doesn’t have the know-how to follow through with a successful business.

“The second attempt wasn’t open very long. People can spin that as a negative for Osborne Village, but it has nothing to do with the success of the Village. When that place opened, it was jammed in there — there were lots of people. And in the end, there wasn’t.”

Miles Gould opened the Cornerstone Bar & Restaurant four years ago, taking over the longtime location of Papa George’s Restaurant at the corner of River Avenue and Osborne Street. He attests to how thin profit margins mean even very popular restaurants need almost mistake-free management to succeed.

“My wife compares it to having a bunch of spinning plates,” he said. “Once one starts to wobble, you come and spin it back up and then run over here for this one.

“We try to budget 30-30-30,” he said, referring to 30 per cent food costs, 30 per cent staff costs and 30 per cent fixed costs, leaving 10 per cent margin. “It almost never works out that way,” he said, laughing.

Gould says Cornerstone has been “incredibly” successful, and attributes that to the popularity and walkability of the Village.

This summer, expect to see more police foot patrols in the area, a program of foot patrol ambassadors and programs that seniors and late evening workers can use for escorts while walking, all to boost the perception of safety in the area.

“It’s not that Osborne Village is no longer safe, it’s that the perception is it’s not safe, but that comes down to things that are affecting the city as a whole, drug use and aggressive panhandling. Aggressive panhandling is huge for us.”

Meilleur hopes to convince city hall to implement new bylaws that may help curb aggressive panhandling, and she’s looking forward to new LED street lighting she hopes will be brighter.

Local Coun. Jenny Gerbasi recognizes some of the stress the area is under, but praises the work that has gone into streetscaping, adding bike racks and “a lot of positive effort to improve the view,” but agreed work remains to fill vacant spaces and opening access to courtyards in the area.

“Certain properties that are owned and currently stagnant, it’s about private property matters and they can make decisions about what to do with the property, and there are limitations on what the rest of us can do about it,” she said.

“In terms of the missing teeth, those things will come in time as different owners try different things.”

That’s one thing Gould would like to see, in particular a return to having more independent, small-business retail shops open in the vacant storefronts along the west side. Like Gerbasi, he used a dental reference.

“I think once those cavities start to get fillings, the whole area is going to take off,” he said.

That’s about to start happening at the corner of Stradbrook Avenue and Osborne Street, where developer David Bell is looking to brighten up two buildings, one facing Stradbrook that now houses Jekyll and Hyde’s pub and one facing Osborne that houses Green Carrot Juice Co., among other tenants.

Bell expects to divide the space now housing Jekyll and Hyde’s into three spaces, a blend of food service and retail.

He and KAI Properties bought the two buildings and 50-spot parking lot behind them for $4.25 million and expect to begin $1 million in renovations in May. KAI is the majority owner and Bell is the developer and a part owner. He said marketing efforts are already paying off.

“In the first two weeks, we’ve had multiple offers to lease,” he said.

Bell said that proves the Village remains popular despite its issues.

“I think some of the owners haven’t wanted to invest in their properties, and that’s the cause of some of that,” he said. “Osborne Village is a great area in the city, very dense.

“People who invest in their properties and follow through will see some great results.”

kelly.taylor@freepress.mb.ca