Streetwear institution Foosh will open its second shop, on 104 Street downtown, in November, hot on the heels of a gathering where expert thinkers weighed in on the future of Edmonton's urban retail.
"We chose 104th and Jasper Ave because it has a liveliness that separates it from the greater core," Foosh owner Mac Doucette told Taproot in an email. "(The location's) proximity to a university, alongside residential areas with higher rates of young adults, matches well with our business demographic."
Doucette said he's aware that some think downtown is dangerous and empty, but he doesn't share that view.
"We've seen similar worries surrounding vacancies or safety come and go in the Whyte Ave area during our 25 years, so they have little impact on our confidence," he said. "These worries, whether perceived or real, have befallen metro areas across North America since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. They're in no way exclusive to Edmonton, and are likely the result of limited community/social services relative to the needs of an area's most vulnerable."
Foosh's move downtown was some happy news to share at Imagining Downtown: A Global Comparison, an event held by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association at the JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District on Oct. 31. The event drew guests to the city to share their ideas for enlivening the city core and even hit the streets for a closer inspection.
Speakers said Edmonton needs to think smaller and tighter to spur retail success downtown, and to focus on what's authentic rather than chase what works in the suburbs.
"What do we need to do to eliminate and right-size the amount of retail you have in this downtown environment, so that those who are filling the space have a better chance of creating co-located, wonderful places, and we're not spreading it all around?" Larisa Ortiz, a managing director at Streetsense, a consultancy in New York City that works in real estate, tourism, and planning, asked event attendees.
Ortiz added that some downtowns are not over-developed but instead "under-demolished."
Ortiz joined McBryan and several others on Oct. 30 for a three-hour walk to assess downtown at street level. She complimented areas that have attractions clustered near one another, like the Arts District, but expressed concern about Edmonton City Centre, which has lost several anchor tenants, including Hudson's Bay Company in 2020 and Sport Chek in 2023. Similarly, Holt Renfrew closed its only Edmonton location at nearby Manulife Place in 2020.
Speaking of the mall, Ortiz told Taproot that Edmonton could stand to demolish "half of it."
At the event, she added that not every street in downtown needs to be a retail street. "You really need to focus on where you have the real makings of a lovely retail environment."
Larisa Ortiz, of Streetsense, and Puneeta McBryan, of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association (left and right in foreground) discuss retail downtown during a walking tour on Oct. 30. Between them stands Henry Edgar, a business association board member and the president of Autograph Group. (Supplied)
McBryan said she sees further retail potential on both 104 Street and Rice Howard Way.
Taproot asked if these could become retail districts, given Edmonton seems interested in branded clusters. McBryan said maybe, but her organization has limited power to create them.
The association, nonetheless, helped bring the Entertainment District on Rice Howard Way to life, following city council approval to allow the consumption of adult beverages purchased from businesses along the street, such as The Sherlock Holmes Pub and Dalla Tavola Zenari.
McBryan said focusing on successful areas is what's needed.
"When we're thinking about which public spaces we're going to activate and where we're going to concentrate all our all of our activity, it's based around: What are our thriving and emerging districts that have these gems that we really want to double down on and grow from?" McBryan said.
When it comes to developing districts for retail or other attractions, new developments also help. McBryan said the future Warehouse Park shows potential to connect 104 Street and the so-called downtown "education district" that's home to MacEwan University and NorQuest College.
Construction of the park began in July and is expected to last two years.
Chains are coming to Edmonton. Chik-fil-A opened its first local outpost in August at West Edmonton Mall, and has signalled plans to open the next one at South Edmonton Common. Chipotle, meanwhile, opened in September on Calgary Trail NW near Whitemud Drive. With retail, Duer just opened at Southgate Centre, and Uniqlo opened its first Albertan store at West Edmonton Mall in 2019.
But Ortiz said successful downtowns prioritize the inherent and unique aspects of their city rather than what you would find at a mall.
"I don't think chasing (retail or food) chains is the right approach," she said. "What you have to do is create another value proposition for downtown that differentiates downtown from these suburban options. You're never gonna compete with that, if that's what you're trying to be, because that's not what you are."