91 replies to this topic

[gumgum]

They're asking $25 per sq ft.
Castana retail are/ were asking $55 per sq ft.

[aastra]

I've actually seen ground floor commercial spaces remain vacant for years at a time in new condo buildings in Vancouver.

And Vicino's silly pillars can't be helping things.

[gumgum]

I need to go back and take a pic of the store fronts head on, angle free. The pillars are barely noticeable when you're staring it in up front.

[gumgum]

An Ambrosio is going in here. Interesting move, what with the Thrifties just up the street. I wonder how they will do.

[VicHockeyFan]

Some of the glass that is installed in new buildings is covered in a blue poly... I saw that on the Marriott and the Astoria.. Starlite windows, a local manufacturer I think, uses that for protection during construction.. and it will get removed on completion..

Don't know how that scores with LEED - probably one gets a LEED score is if avoids using stuff like that..

StarLINE, and they manufacture on the Mainland.

[G-Man]

What is an Ambrosio?

[gumgum]

Boutique grocery store. There's one in Cook St. Village behind the Starbucks. There's also one on West Saanich Rd., next to that bagel place, north of Royal Oak.

[Holden West]

You mean the catering company that used to be on Fisgard?

[gumgum]

I think they cater as well.??
You guys know what place I'm talking about in Cook St. Village, right?

[G-Man]

Yeah the pizza place.

[Ms. B. Havin]

The pizza place (Posto Pizza?) is actually a separate entity. AFAIK, they have nothing to do with the Event Centre on Fisgard, but I could be wrong. I believe Ambrosio started as Ploughshares on West Saanich Road, and after some years they opened a store in Oak Bay Village (it's on that little street opposite Fairway Market -- Wilmot?). A while ago they opened in Cook Street Village. They carry really great stuff, lots of Mediterranean-oriented products (the family is Portugese, I think), local produce (fruits & vegetables) and locally sourced meats (in the freezer).

They should do well in Vicino, Thrifty's or no Thrifty's up the road. Fairway is across the street in OB and that store still does a great business.

[G-Man]

But they are in the same place?

The event centre, Ambrosia, is run by the masonic temple.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Yes, physically Il Posto Pizza & Ambrosia share the same space. I bet they're related (literally!), but I believe they are separate businesses (or were, a couple of years ago when the Cook St. location first opened), perhaps just for accounting purposes?

[Holden West]

The event centre, Ambrosia, is run by the masonic temple.

Dude, everything is run by the Masons.

[gumgum]

Ambrosio, Ambrosia, whatever.
The wife running Ambrosia in the Cook St. Village must be twice the age of her husband. I mistook him for her son at first. He's in his 20's, she must be pushing 50.

[gumgum]

BTW, it is Ambrosio after all.

[gumgum]

Some shots from today:

[D.L.]

Looking good. I think we need more buildings like this around the city, with retail space on the street and a few levels of residential above. This reminds me of what you see a lot of in Vancouver on West Broadway and West 4th in Kitsilano. I guess Cook St village could have had something like this by now, but the no-fun-nicks in that neighbourhood squashed it.

[Nparker]

Overall a good design, but it would have been improved if the retail areas were NOT setback from the sidewalk. If shelter was desired over the entrances, just the glass canopies would have been a much better idea. Setting back the retail space discourages vibrancy and cannot be good for business.

Oh and I don't like the colour of the painted concrete areas. I find it clashes with the brick.

[aastra]

This reminds me of what you see a lot of in Vancouver on West Broadway and West 4th in Kitsilano.

Yep, except in Vancouver they stopped obstructing entrances with pillars back in the early 1990s. There are plenty of examples of this sort of thing in Vancouver but you just don't see it happening on new buildings anymore.

I appreciate the colourful paint, but the colours they chose are rather blah and I have to wonder if they didn't chicken out a bit with that.

But I still think it's a decent building and a step in the right direction. I like those tall windows on the right side of the first picture.