StretchLab, Firehouse Subs, Barcelos, Leela Eco Spa to open at Seasons

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This article was published 28/10/2023 (719 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coming soon — a stretching studio, new-to-Winnipeg sub sandwich and flame-grilled chicken chains, and a spa with mental-health practitioners.

All have plans to open at the Seasons shopping centre over the coming months. The Free Press spoke with four businesses as they prepare for the Winnipeg market.

StretchLab

Imagine rows of people lying on massage table-like beds. Someone might have a leg up, held in place by a StretchLab employee. Another staff member may ask a newcomer about their stretching goals.

“It’s not cookie cutter, and it’s not a one size fits all,” said Joshua Odwak, co-franchisee of StretchLab’s Winnipeg location.

It’s not found on the Prairies, either.

Odwak travelled to Fargo, N.D., to check out the company before diving in; he was tapped by friends to co-launch the business. Odwak has experience with franchises — the avid runner received awards from McDonald’s for his management in both 2016 and 2017.

“It was engaging, they got to know me, but they really focused on the stretch,” Odwak said of his North Dakota StretchLab visit.

It’s what he hopes to see in Winnipeg.

The franchise has been expanding rapidly since its 2015 inception in California. The first Canadian location opened in Toronto earlier this year.

StretchLab’s Seasons site will have 10 “beds” for stretching. Customers attend one-on-one sessions with flexologists, the title given to staff guiding stretches.

Such employees have 100 hours of training, and many come from athletic therapy and kinesiology backgrounds, Odwak said.

Clients choose 25 or 50 minute sessions, spending much of the time in stretched poses involving contracting and releasing.

It’s different than at home because staff lead customers to deeper stretches, said general manager Shelly Rabang.

And there’s an education piece, added Odwak.

“You can go home and make this part of your day-to-day life,” he said, noting he hopes the business leaves a long-lasting impact.

The roughly 1,200-square-foot site will open near the end of November.

Month-long session packages cost upwards of $300. Group sessions are also available.

“I think in today’s day and age, we talk more and more about mobility,” Odwak said, adding stretching is for all ages and activity levels.

StretchLab Winnipeg’s website has contact information for memberships.

Firehouse Subs

Neighbouring StretchLab — and debuting in Manitoba — is Firehouse Subs.

The subway sandwich chain will likely open in December, said Ken Jur, the location’s co-owner. He already familiar with the organization: it’s run by the same parent company as Tim Hortons, a chain Jur and his wife franchise with.

“(We’re) very excited to bring the brand to Manitoba,” Jur said.

He appreciates the company’s principles, including its public safety foundation, which donates money to first responders, he said.

Firehouse Subs’ sandwiches come pre-set and allow for takeout or dine-in. The Seasons location will “Canadianize” some offerings, Jur said, declining to give details.

He expects this will be the first of many across Manitoba. It takes a slot a 645 Sterling Lyon Pkwy.

Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken

Fasih Jalbani’s family will open their new restaurant, Barcelos Flame Grilled Chicken, in the spring.

They were returning to Manitoba from a Banff ski trip when they came across the Portuguese cuisine chain.

Their order: spicy chicken, spicy fries and spicy rice. And they fell in love, Jalbani said — so they’re bringing the franchise to Winnipeg.

“We saw there was a cavity in the Winnipeg market for this,” he said.

Customers choose from a swath of sauces — from mild, such as zesty lime, to hot peri — when ordering their flame-grilled chicken. Sauces are Portuguese and South African blends; many spices are imported from South Africa, Jalbani said.

He has worked on franchising Barcelos for a couple years; his first taste of its food was in 2020, he recalled.

“Our whole family really believes in the concept of food, and the power that food holds,” he added excitedly.

They once operated a local Chicken Delight.

A nearby Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken will be a neighbour, not a competitor, Jalbani insisted.

“We are serving a completely different market.”

Flame grilled, not fried.

“No one’s had flame-grilled chicken with the peri peri sauce like we provide,” he said.

Shareable family dinners are on the menu. In British Columbia, a whole chicken with a large side and garlic toast costs $40, according to Barcelos’ website.

Winnipeg’s Barcelos will be Manitoba’s first. It will be halal and able to seat upwards of 40 people, according to Jalbani.

“We’re putting a lot of effort and a lot of ourselves (into this),” he added. “I don’t think anyone could come in and not be happy, fingers crossed.”

Leela Eco Spa

Psychologists will join massage therapists, acupuncturists and estheticians at Leela Eco Spa, according to business owner Gaurav Gupta.

“We are trying to bring this really much needed service to our clients in a very peaceful setting,” he said.

Leela Eco Spa has boomed over the past decade. Winnipeg will become its 10th location, following nine in Calgary and one in Oakville, Ont.

It began in Calgary in 2009; Gupta took over in 2014, growing the business from one spa to many.

Leela brands itself as environmentally friendly, touting natural cleaners and water filtration systems.

“I find, since COVID, people are a little bit more conscientious of the products they use (and) are taking care of their bodies,” said Angela Hawes, the Winnipeg location’s general manager.

Prices should align with Calgary’s, Gupta noted. Massages and hour-long organic facials cost around $110 and $120, respectively.

He targets an early November opening date.

“We were looking for places which would be adept to the services we offer,” Gupta said, adding Winnipeg checked the boxes.

The 2,000-sq.-ft. spa should staff around 30 people.

“This could be one of many in the city,” he stated.

Arby’s: maybe?

Arby’s, the sandwich chain that exited Winnipeg in 2020, is listed on Seasons’ website as opening in the area. Arby’s did not respond to questions by print deadline.

Forster Harvard Development Corp., the company behind Seasons, declined to comment.

The growing development has seen a number of new-to-Winnipeg brands open.

More than 100,000 vehicles drive through the nearby intersection of Sterling Lyon Parkway and Kenaston Boulevard daily, a Seasons report shows.

Odwak, with StretchLab, called the development a draw, pointing to the outlet mall and Ikea.

“That was the key area for us to target for our very first location,” he said.

Doughnut titan Krispy Kreme unveiled details of its arrival to Seasons in January. It plans to open in the spring, should construction continue as scheduled, according to Levi Hetrick, Krispy Kreme Canada’s chief growth officer.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com