The future of Osborne Village could be at risk. Or at least that’s what you’d believe if you listened to a vocal minority of Village residents who plan to oppose the expansion of Shoppers Drug Mart in their neighbourhood at a civic hearing this week.
It’s not often I’ll jump to the defence of a large corporation, but from almost any perspective, I have to side with Shoppers on this issue.
From a business angle, this is a simple transaction. The family that owns Movie Village also owns the property currently occupied by that store and Vi-Ann restaurant. While it’s a convenient narrative to say Shoppers is “forcing” Movie Village and Vi-Ann out of business, it’s false. The owner wants to sell, Shoppers wants to buy.
As for fitting the character of the neighbourhood, the Village already is home to Safeway, A&W, Starbucks, American Apparel, Burger King and Dollarama. It stopped being a bastion of bohemian independence long ago.
Even from an urban design perspective, what’s proposed is an improvement. A brick facade that matches nearby buildings will replace two ugly stucco boxes. A second storey space will be available to other commercial tenants, possibly even Vi-Ann.
I can think of several ways to improve the design, but I’m not paying for the redevelopment. In the same way, maybe those opposed to the proposal would have been more effective spending the last few months writing business plans instead of protest emails. Convince Shoppers that a larger, multi-tenant building could work.
Finally, there’s the argument a larger Shoppers isn’t needed, or even wanted. Clearly the company wants to expand because the demands of the market – i.e. Village residents – support that decision. This much is obvious to anyone who shops there.
I was there recently when I was hit with an illness in the middle of the night. It was 4:30 am and there were nearly two dozen other customers in the store, on a Wednesday! And just try picking up something quick on a Saturday night or a holiday. The place will be packed.
Osborne Village is the closest thing Winnipeg has to a 24-hour district, and Shoppers plays an important part. Whether it’s seniors picking up prescriptions, or hipsters picking up mix before heading to a party, that store is the closest thing the Village has to a community hub. Expanding its services will add to that vitality, not take away from it.
