[WaterlooInvestor]

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[Cambridgite]

We tend to look at each retail development as its own little success, but wow, it looks like we do have a broader revitalizing trend at hand! :)

We have got the ball rolling big time. You know, it's probably a good idea to buy up a single-detached home just outside downtown these days. They're still relatively cheap (on par with similar-sized suburban homes) and it looks as if the prices will only be going up relative the rest of the city.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[kwoldtimer]

"He said they debunk the perception that most of the consumers frequenting the core are retired people of German heritage" - Not sure where his "perceptions" are coming from. Most retired people in K-W are afraid to go downtown and have been for a good number of years. One can only hope it is beginning to change.

[Cambridgite]

"He said they debunk the perception that most of the consumers frequenting the core are retired people of German heritage" - Not sure where his "perceptions" are coming from. Most retired people in K-W are afraid to go downtown and have been for a good number of years. One can only hope it is beginning to change.

Yeah, I don't know where they got that either. A lot of the more mainstream suburbanites and out-of-towners I talk to think that only bums go to downtown Kitchener because they live there. Whenever I'm down there, I always see people of all different racial backgrounds and socio-economic status. Whoever says downtown is full of old German retirees probably gets that impression from Oktoberfest.

The nighttime clientele is different though. Definitely a higher proportion of bums, various trash, and club-goers on certain nights.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[Cambridgite]

A European-style bakery and café will open later this year at King and Cedar streets, replacing the empty fast-food restaurant that now occupies one corner.

That must be the Harveys. I walked down there a couple months ago and noticed it closed down. I kinda wished that building was demolished for mixed-use though. It could help serve to extend the core and foster better design.

While those talks continue, the city fields calls regularly from companies and investors interested in the core, Regier said.

"It's a pretty steady thing, certainly on a weekly basis, sometimes every day," Regier.

A very encouraging sign. :)

Kitchener's core is plagued by perceptions that don't stand up to scrutiny, said Ehrenworth, who opened his store in November.

I have to agree.

[kitchener-lrt]

A European-style bakery and café will open later this year at King and Cedar streets, replacing the empty fast-food restaurant that now occupies one corner.

It is the latest indication that large investments of public dollars in the downtown are also spurring private-sector investment in the core.

He now has seven locations in Toronto, one in London, Ont., and another in Maple, just north of Toronto. The Kitchener location, a franchise, is to open in about three months following a $300,000 renovation.

And between Water and Francis streets, in what was once called "the block that rocks," renovations in the former Stages nightclub are underway for a nightclub that will be called Dallas. It will cater to the 35-plus crowd.

And the owners of the block continue to test the market to see if there is enough demand to justify building the proposed Icon Condominiums at the corner of King and Francis.

There are more than 1,600 residential units slated for the downtown that are in various stages of municipal approval.

Last year, however, he bought an old building near King and Gaukel streets and opened a second David's Gourmet location.

"It's going extremely well. We are really happy with the feedback from customers and the community," he said.

"We are seeing very good numbers. We are very happy about the decision," Ehrenworth said.

This is great news. The more people spend money on, and in the downtown, the more vibrant the place will become, and the more people will want to be there.
Plus, bakeries and cafes are always an added bonus.:yes:

[WaterlooInvestor]

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