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rfmcdonaldAs I noted last February among other times, grocery chain Loblaws has long had an interest in establishing a presence in the Kensington Market area. As CBC observed earlier this week, it has done so. There are plans to set up a storee on the second floor of a condo development, its doors scheduled to be open by 2016.
Where to start?
1. For starters, this store isn't located in Kensington Market, but rather near it, at most on the periphery. The lot in question, near the southwest corner of Spadina Avenue and College, is at the very most on the northern fringe. It is not, say, located on the neighbourhood's central artery of Augusta.
2. Kensington Market isn't isn't necessarily well-served with food retailers past an early point in the evening. Shops tend to close early.
3. Kensington Market is, critically, a neighbourhood set to have rapid population increases in coming years as the densification of the area continues. A neighbourhood without easy access to food stores is a problem neighbourhood.
4. Most importantly, is there any evidence that Loblaws' opening of a large store will actually hurt the specialty stores of Kensington Market? Kensington Market's specialty shops cater to specialty markets, people who want the coffee, or the fish, or the cheese, or the Turkish delight, that they can only find there. Will they really start shopping at a Loblaws? St. Lawrence Market has survived three major grocery chains opening up in its neighbourhood, after all.
The commenters at BlogTO and Torontoist seem to likewise have a relaxed attitude towards this. I think it a good thing: NIMBYism is never helpful in a dynamic city.
The grocery store giant has announced it will open a new "urban format" grocery store in the Toronto neighbourhood as part of a mix-use condo project at College Street and Spadina Avenue.
By "urban format," the company means a store much smaller than its usual size, which can be as large as 85,000 square feet. This location, nestled among the iconic Toronto community known for its versatile mom and pop shops, will be one quarter that size — at around 20,000 square feet.
A group known as the Friends of Kensington Market say that the presence of a large grocery store will do more harm than good for the neighbourhood and began opposing the proposed plans last winter.
Yvonne Bambrick of the Friends of Kensington Market says she is concerned about the impact on the vendors who make their living selling fresh food there.
"They are what make this place a market and why it’s so special to so many people," Bambrick told CBC News in an interview on Tuesday.
Bambrick also said she feels it is a "predatory" move to set up shop in an area that is already well-served by food retailers.
Now this announcement comes as the area continues its war against a proposed Wal-Mart store — which have since stalled — saying that letting in such big business risks hurting the existing smaller shops within the area.
Where to start?
1. For starters, this store isn't located in Kensington Market, but rather near it, at most on the periphery. The lot in question, near the southwest corner of Spadina Avenue and College, is at the very most on the northern fringe. It is not, say, located on the neighbourhood's central artery of Augusta.
2. Kensington Market isn't isn't necessarily well-served with food retailers past an early point in the evening. Shops tend to close early.
3. Kensington Market is, critically, a neighbourhood set to have rapid population increases in coming years as the densification of the area continues. A neighbourhood without easy access to food stores is a problem neighbourhood.
4. Most importantly, is there any evidence that Loblaws' opening of a large store will actually hurt the specialty stores of Kensington Market? Kensington Market's specialty shops cater to specialty markets, people who want the coffee, or the fish, or the cheese, or the Turkish delight, that they can only find there. Will they really start shopping at a Loblaws? St. Lawrence Market has survived three major grocery chains opening up in its neighbourhood, after all.
The commenters at BlogTO and Torontoist seem to likewise have a relaxed attitude towards this. I think it a good thing: NIMBYism is never helpful in a dynamic city.
