50 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

^There was a T/C article about that in February--Shell and the property owner still won't come to an agreement and the Scotiabank just spent nine years doing business out of a trailer.

[victoriaguy]

Scotiabank has a brand new branch out in Cordova Bay now.
No more trailer.

[aastra]

That didn't take too long.

[G-Man]

^ Yeah in the old mall

[amor de cosmos]

What about Gateway Village, sandwiched between the Wang building & Saanich Municipal Hall? I usually see cars in there when I go by, but never any activity. I don't know how Tino's has survived for so long. That seems to be the first part of the "city" that people would see if they came from the ferries, but it's no way to say "welcome to the core!" imho.

[amor de cosmos]

Add two more to the list: the one on Hillside @ Blanshard (Boston Pizza, etc) and the one on Bay @ Blanshard (Wendy's etc). I don't know what either of them are called though.

[Holden West]

the one on Bay @ Blanshard (Wendy's etc).

That was called Gateway Centre, I believe. About 7 or 8 years ago? The Gateway computer company went belly-up just a few weeks after the mall was re-branded. They took the spotted cow patterned signage down soon after.

[Galvanized]

Ya, I remember that because they took down the clock they had to put that sign up. The clock never did return.

[amor de cosmos]

Tuscany Village could do with a makeover also. If Disneyland had a "Tuscanland" it would look like that mall.

[aastra]

Are you kidding? I can only WISH Victoria's faux stuff was a fraction as good as what you'll find in Disney parks. There's no comparison whatsoever. Tuscany Village, this ain't:

Mediterranean Harbor at Tokyo DisneySea:


Picture by P F C at Flickr.com
http://farm1.static...._71b084da5e.jpg



Picture by meanderingmouse at Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.co...use/1478498926/

Tuscany Village in Gordon Head:


There's faux heritage/faux historical stuff going up all over Vancouver as we speak that is light years better than Tuscany Village (although still seriously inferior to anything you'll find in a Disney park that isn't called "California Adventure"). Victoria has really dropped the ball in this regard and continues to drop it.

[Caramia]

Ouch
Point Made!

[aastra]

Disney architecture is all about romantic idealization and lots of detail. In Victoria, I think the Driard facade and maybe some of the stuff on the Fort/Broad side of the Bay Centre are the only faux things that can really be compared. Imagine if the Hotel Grand Pacific looked like the Driard facade. Imagine if the Salvation Army's building was a detailed idealization of the buildings that previously occupied that site. Yes, a beautiful replica is still just as fake as a cheap and simple replica, but just because it's fake doesn't mean it has to be cheap and simple. And just because it's fake doesn't mean that it can't be beautiful.

I'm expecting the new Town & Country to be better than Tuscany Village, but not nearly as good as it could have been.


Picture by mattsimpson.name at Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.co...pson/461172223/

[Ms. B. Havin]

There's cheap fake, and there's "put some effort into it"/ longer-term expensive fake.

aastra's right about the quality of fake we get here.

"Cheap fake" and "good fake" are business models, too.

Sure, we can pay through the nose for overpriced "authentic Victoria" fake (certain overpriced carriage rides and $100 Cesquitennial "high teas"), but they're still cheap (one-dimensional) fakes.

Cheap is an attitude. One of its aspects is that nothing can be given freely.

That picture of "Venice" (posted by aastra, above) reminds me of the Venetian-themed hotel in Las Vegas ("The Venetian," IIRC).

It's not "cheap" to spend the night there, yet anyone can saunter in off the street and wander around, along miles of lobby corridors and "fake" townscapes, admire the "Tiepolo-style" ceilings, wander the "Venetian" city center, examine the gondolas -- and it's really incredibly well done.

And no one kicks you out of the hotel bathrooms: you can pee to your heart's content in the facilities, admire the rich "tapestry" on the walls, the faux gold-plated faucets, the toiletries -- they won't charge you. No one will turn you away on account of not being a paying guest. Sink into the upholstery, stay for an hour or two. It's ok.

Their "fake" is done really well because they want you to come in, even if you have no intention of spending any money. They figure that if they do the fake well enough, you'll be enticed to spend a few dollars or a whole pile of them. It's a long term business model.

Cheap fake is bad business, AFAIC.

[ressen]

I would think that these older malls would charge less rent than a re-furbished mall.

[ressen]

this is the little strip mall at Burnside Rd West near McKenzie

[ressen]

The Six Mile strip mall which is located right next to Millstream Creek is in a prime location for commercial with residential above as the location and views are ideal.



the mall is located just to the left of the bridge

[Holden West]

this is the little strip mall at Burnside Rd West near McKenzie

There's something oddly appealling about this little mall. Maybe it's the odd mix of stores or the large trees surrounding it.

[ressen]

this place is gold if a rail station is ever built near this Thetis lake exchange

[gumgum]

^^That's because you're a sentimentalist, Mr. West.
How do these retailers make any dough? Passing them by - they're virtually invisible.

[amor de cosmos]

A couple more for the inventory: the one at the southwest corner of Oak/Saanich, with a Bank of Montreal branch & some blood donor place, and the one on Douglas with The Pantry & other stuff.