Winnipeg | Osborne Village & Corydon area

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by OTA in Winnipeg

Anyone heard anything about the Osborne Village Inn? It looks like nothing has happened there in months.

I saw one guy go in there with a ladder a week ago. Clearly we should get ready for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

[esquire]

[buzzg]

Have some good news that explains a lot of things: Basil sold all of his buildings on Osborne a few months ago. This is why Ward 1 (restaurant that opens today in old Black Rabbit) was actually allowed to do a lot of work inside, and why a few of the buildings on the west side are currently being renovated.

Apparently it's a Chinese investor who is not in the business of just sitting on properties, which bodes well for the vacant, pigeon-filled third storey in the one across from The Toad. Would make a good office space.

Hopefully this is the jolt the strip needs to turn around its fortunes. The BIZ clearly ain't gonna do it.

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Have some good news that explains a lot of things: Basil sold all of his buildings on Osborne a few months ago. This is why Ward 1 (restaurant that opens today in old Black Rabbit) was actually allowed to do a lot of work inside, and why a few of the buildings on the west side are currently being renovated.

Apparently it's a Chinese investor who is not in the business of just sitting on properties, which bodes well for the vacant, pigeon-filled third storey in the one across from The Toad. Would make a good office space.

Hopefully this is the jolt the strip needs to turn around its fortunes. The BIZ clearly ain't gonna do it.

Great news!

[Urban recluse]

Cross your fingers.

[Wolf13]

Some positivity on SSF on the Village?

I don't believe it.

[borkborkbork]

Ward 1 opened this weekend and appeared to be very busy.

Strange -- no signage outside still (except for a few letters from the old Basils sign) and not a lot of outdoor lighting. Still in "soft launch" maybe?

Great to hear that the properties along Osborne are under new ownership. Hope we'll see some action along that strip. (God willing maybe the OVI owners will sell to the same person!)

[trueviking]

^thats the new thing. Forth did it. The Mexican restaurant on Main is doing it. I think the idea is that you have to be in the loop to know about it which creates buzz and makes it the cool place to be.

Spectacular news if it’s true about new ownership.

[buzzg]

^La Carnita has a nice neon sign in the window and a big decal on the front door, they just didn't want a giant garish sign like Fox & Fiddle had on the side and front of the building. Heard they looked at doing a small hanging sign, but it would have required heritage approval and permits so they just left it.

Hearing about Ward 1, they seem pretty unorganized so I'm sure there will be a sign soon. There logo is terrible though and so thin, they might be having some issues actually getting a sign made haha.

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by trueviking

^thats the new thing. Forth did it. The Mexican restaurant on Main is doing it. I think the idea is that you have to be in the loop to know about it which creates buzz and makes it the cool place to be.

Spectacular news if it’s true about new ownership.

Yeah, that whole hipster speakeasy thing is big. Some friends took me a to a place in Minneapolis' warehouse district a couple of weeks ago (Marvel Bar), and you walk in basically through the service entrance off the back lane. No signage, and down a utilitarian hallway before a doorman opens the door to a bustling, warmly-lit, very hip and expensive cocktail bar.

It's like speakeasies during prohibition, except it's trying to hide from the uncool rather than from G-men.

[esquire]

^ Who are all these uncool people they're hiding from?

[bomberjet]

They're hiding from residents of the exchange who want them shut down..

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by wardlow

Yeah, that whole hipster speakeasy thing is big. Some friends took me a to a place in Minneapolis' warehouse district a couple of weeks ago (Marvel Bar), and you walk in basically through the service entrance off the back lane. No signage, and down a utilitarian hallway before a doorman opens the door to a bustling, warmly-lit, very hip and expensive cocktail bar.

It's like speakeasies during prohibition, except it's trying to hide from the uncool rather than from G-men.

I'm not sure (perhaps due to alcohol), but I may have been there also... walked down flights of barren stairs outdoors before entering through what seemed a maintenance door and a doorman politely nodded.

San Francisco bumps it up a little... you need passwords AND reservations... weird but GOOD drinks.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Have some good news that explains a lot of things: Basil sold all of his buildings on Osborne a few months ago. This is why Ward 1 (restaurant that opens today in old Black Rabbit) was actually allowed to do a lot of work inside, and why a few of the buildings on the west side are currently being renovated.

The exterior renos look like they're almost complete on the first two buildings. It's a fairly superficial renovation (paint, bolted on a few nice design elements) but it sure did freshen up their overall look. It has done a lot to counteract the increasingly forlorn look of the Osborne Village strip.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come... it certainly bodes well.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by esquire

The exterior renos look like they're almost complete on the first two buildings. It's a fairly superficial renovation (paint, bolted on a few nice design elements) but it sure did freshen up their overall look. It has done a lot to counteract the increasingly forlorn look of the Osborne Village strip.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come... it certainly bodes well.

Looks interesting... they've put in these metal panels with decorative cutouts on the front of one of the buildings. Hides the stairs away but also makes some of the shops less visible. Interested to see what the finished product looks like.

Looks like Anytime Fitness has signs up (and someone spraypainted "fuck gentrification" on the windows, lol).

Still no sign of life at Second Cup despite the Timmys/Freshii rumours.

On South Osborne, it looks like Chaeban is ready to open any day (signage is up, interior looks complete).

[BKB]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Have some good news that explains a lot of things: Basil sold all of his buildings on Osborne a few months ago. This is why Ward 1 (restaurant that opens today in old Black Rabbit) was actually allowed to do a lot of work inside, and why a few of the buildings on the west side are currently being renovated.

Apparently it's a Chinese investor who is not in the business of just sitting on properties, which bodes well for the vacant, pigeon-filled third storey in the one across from The Toad. Would make a good office space.

Hopefully this is the jolt the strip needs to turn around its fortunes. The BIZ clearly ain't gonna do it.

I heard that Basil just transferred the buildings to a holding company that he and his kids run. I hope that is incorrect.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

Looks interesting... they've put in these metal panels with decorative cutouts on the front of one of the buildings. Hides the stairs away but also makes some of the shops less visible. Interested to see what the finished product looks like.

Looks like Anytime Fitness has signs up (and someone spraypainted "fuck gentrification" on the windows, lol).

Still no sign of life at Second Cup despite the Timmys/Freshii rumours.

On South Osborne, it looks like Chaeban is ready to open any day (signage is up, interior looks complete).

It's so funny to hear everyone complain about Anytime going in there, even though:

a) American Apparel was also a multinational corporation (with a horrible human rights record I might add)
b) A gym is probably the most "active" use for the space of all hours - ie: a retail shop open 9-5 isn't necessarily any better for the strip
c) not every CRU can be a hipster cafe or lounge

Originally Posted by BKB

I heard that Basil just transferred the buildings to a holding company that he and his kids run. I hope that is incorrect.

AFAIK it was a Chinese investor that bought them. I heard that from someone who rents in one of those buildings. I would be surprised otherwise, as I can't imagine Basil all of a sudden having a change of heart and investing in renovating all his buildings. Possible he let his kids take over, but again, I heard from someone that leases space there that it's new owners.

**Also, can't say who, but there's a pretty wicked dive bar/pub group from outside MB opening two locations here in 2018. One in South Osborne, one in The Exchange. They're awesome and I'm pretty pumped.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by buzzg

**Also, can't say who, but there's a pretty wicked dive bar/pub group from outside MB opening two locations here in 2018. One in South Osborne, one in The Exchange. They're awesome and I'm pretty pumped.

Winnipeg's getting a Warehouse?!

(I can't think of any other "wicked dive bars" that are national chains...)

[buzzg]

^Not the one I'm referring to, although I do know Winnipeg is on the radar for Warehouse. It would kill it here. Can't give more clues though, as soon as it's known outside the actual company I'll tell you here.

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by buzzg

It's so funny to hear everyone complain about Anytime going in there, even though:

a) American Apparel was also a multinational corporation (with a horrible human rights record I might add)

American Apparel had similar sentiments spraypainted on their windows when they opened. Basically any new use of a major space in Osborne Village is going to make some chronically negative, nostalgic children upset.

b) A gym is probably the most "active" use for the space of all hours - ie: a retail shop open 9-5 isn't necessarily any better for the strip

Debatable! And anyway, I don't know of any retail shops on Osborne that close at 5pm?

c) not every CRU can be a hipster cafe or lounge

Especially when the CRU is something like 4,500 square feet.