Osborne Village ‘picking up momentum’ Longtime A&W location shutters but business count up amid new apartments draw, local BIZ says By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 6:16 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024

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“For lease” signs have replaced burger advertisements at Osborne Village’s 25-year-old A&W.

On Wednesday, the fast-food hub’s windows were covered and its doors were locked. It closed following the end of its lease term, A&W Canada confirmed.

The closure comes roughly a week after the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone held its annual general meeting. The neighbourhood has reached its peak business landscape in four years; the BIZ has clocked an increase in companies after years of decline.

“This wasn’t an unforeseen, sudden closure,” Zohreh Gervais, BIZ executive director, said of A&W’s shuttering.

A couple nearing retirement owned the franchise, she explained. They’ll focus on another A&W they own in the area, a spokesperson for A&W Canada said.

The Free Press couldn’t reach the franchisees by print deadline.

Staff at the Osborne Village location were invited to apply at nearby A&W locations, according to A&W Canada.

A number of quick-service eateries had inquired about 52 Osborne St. before A&W’s shuttering, Gervais said. “I don’t imagine it’ll be vacant for long.”

Still, the site has been “a little bit tricky,” Gervais noted. Employees encountered vandalism and issues with the homeless community spiked during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If the space ends up being redeveloped along the same vein as some of the other (apartment) redevelopments that we’ve had … over the last year, that would be exciting,” Gervais said.

“Whatever does end up going into that space is going to be great and it’ll be nice to see that new energy in the neighbourhood.”

Neither the landlord nor 52 Osborne St.’s real estate agents responded to interview requests by print deadline.

Across the street, the structure once holding Osborne Village’s Starbucks location sits empty. The American coffee shop chain vacated in May.

Gervais said she’s attended “a lot of different meetings” about the location and expects development in the coming months. She declined to give further information.

Despite the two mammoth chains’ exits and some empty storefronts, Osborne Village has clocked an uptick in businesses through 2024.

“Whatever does end up going into that space is going to be great and it’ll be nice to see that new energy in the neighbourhood.”–Zohreh Gervais

Anna Chang was one of 23 entrepreneurs to set up shop in Osborne Village this year. Tring5, a Japanese and Korean café, opened last month.

“Weekends are really busy,” said Chang.

Her sister runs Tring5 at 3305 Portage Ave. The landlord suggested Tring5 open a second location (at a place they also own) in Osborne Village. After determining the neighbourhood was “very pretty and also nice,” Chang and her sister agreed.

Weekdays tend to be slow, but Chang hopes foot traffic will get “better and better.”

Nikhil Dutt has served samosas at Spice Circle, his family’s restaurant, in Osborne Village for two months. It’s an addition to the company’s 2015 Portage Ave. site.

The family chose Osborne Village because they’d heard the nightlife was solid. The walk-by traffic is lacking, but each month has brought more customers, Dutt said.

He’s “trying to get used to” people experiencing homelessness entering the restaurant. Police patrol sometimes, he noted.

For operations like Cleocatra, business is booming.

Abigail Abrajano, a barista at the café and funnel for cat adoption, considers Osborne Village “the perfect location.”

Cleocatra opened along the Village strip in the summer. Walk-ins on weekends are near impossible because the place is filled with pre-bookings, Abrajano noted.

Osborne Village counted 141 businesses in 2024. It’s a jump from the 122 and 118 businesses logged in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and from 130 businesses clocked in 2020. The BIZ didn’t have earlier data.

“We’ve got, really, this influx of new energy,” said Gervais. “It’s tough to get the ball rolling, but … it’s picking up momentum.”

“When I moved here, I could walk at two o’clock in the morning and be safe.”–Rose Ballelos

She pointed to two new apartment builds — Osborne Terraces and the Zu — as reasons companies may be drawn to the Village.

Around 62 of Osborne Terraces’s 90 units have been leased. The building, which sits near Confusion Corner, began receiving tenants in August.

The Zu’s first phase, which has 89 units, is more than 80 per cent occupied. Two more buildings with 59 units each will be filled over the following year, said Kevin Prins, president of development company Private Pension Partners.

However, even with the new businesses and builds, Osborne Village’s vibrancy hasn’t returned, some locals stated.

“When I moved here, I could walk at two o’clock in the morning and be safe,” said Rose Ballelos.

She’s lived in Osborne Village for at least six years. Nighttime walks are no longer viable; like Osborne Village, the now-shuttered A&W had gone “downhill,” she said.

Both she and Ian McKie, who’s lived in the area for a collective 14 years, would like to see more security.

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Businesses don’t stay long, McKie said, adding he wishes more was done to address homelessness and addictions concerns affecting Osborne Village.

Police have touted an increased presence to crack down on retail theft and crime in the area.

“If they have been here, I never see them,” McKie said.

The increased police presence has made a difference, both Gervais and Adam Sharfe, the developer behind Osborne Terraces, contended.

“Since I’ve opened up, and in the latter half of construction, I’ve noticed a huge decline in … unwelcome guests (and drug paraphernalia),” Sharfe said.

Increased safety and security was the top priority identified by Osborne Village BIZ members this year. Osborne Village will continue working with community safety partners, Gervais noted.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.