General Retail News

[clasher]

I went to Towne bowl in the spring on a Saturday and all the lanes were full, but it definitely feels like a bit of a timewarp going in there, hasn't seemed to change since the first time I was there in the late 90s.

[ac3r]

How many people go bowling these days? I can't remember the last time I set foot in a bowling alley. Maybe it was 40 or 50 years ago.

I haven't gone bowling in probably 20 years so I have no idea what the local bowling alley's are like, but it is actually still a popular thing to do these days. Modern bowling alley's are generally a lot more flashy and dynamic than they used to be. Neon and RGB lighting is everywhere, making it feel like you're in some Twitch streamers bedroom or something while they play video games. They still have the usual bar and restaurant features, but tend to try and have the menu be more contemporary. Less of: you eat these fries and you are going to get food poisoning, more of: these wings or whatever is good.

They tend to also have other things for people to do such as arcade games, gambling machines (not sure if these exist in Ontario...I know nothing of gambling), pool/billiards tables, ping pong tables and things for kids to do.

Heck there are even some bowling alley's listed on major stock exchanges like NASDAQ and LSE. Hollywood Bowl Group is 350+ Canadian dollars a share (?!?!?!?) and has locations from Ontario to Kent, England for example. Kinda weird a bowling company has a stock worth so much money but it's a thing.

Here's an example of how a lot of modern places look:

[Spokes]

Ya the new spots are definitely a different experience. That said I have many fond memories at Towne bowl growing up. I think I had my 8th birthday party there 🤣

[Acitta]

Dutch brand Muon, a division of Timyo, has just opened their Muon E-Bike Canadian Experience Centre at 1381 Victoria St. N. They are showing off their 2024 models hand have discounts on some existing stock. They are developing a dealer network to be supplied from Kitchener. I was able to test drive 4 bikes today.

[KevinL]

They have a model called the Elon. Not sure if that was a deliberate reference or not, but it suffers by association now no matter the case.

[Acitta]

They have a model called the Elon. Not sure if that was a deliberate reference or not, but it suffers by association now no matter the case.

It is probably not intentional, since there is nothing on the website that suggests that.

[neonjoe]

Wallaceton Shopping Centre

[ac3r]

Sooooo much parking.

[bravado]

Looks like it will definitely contribute to the local community and tax base with such an efficient use of a fuckload of land

[neonjoe]

Sooooo much parking.

They at least have a pretty accurate picture of the number of cars in the parking lot.

[cherrypark]

What should be a central neighbourhood node down there is turning into another vapid non-place. We learn nothing from the past. I can't believe this land use is still being accepted. The parking lot on the opposite side with a Teppermans is already enough of a waste and this is even larger.

At least Williamsburg made a half-hearted gesture to a kind of walkable spot in the shops there. This just sucks.

[neonjoe]

What should be a central neighbourhood node down there is turning into another vapid non-place. We learn nothing from the past. I can't believe this land use is still being accepted. The parking lot on the opposite side with a Teppermans is already enough of a waste and this is even larger.

At least Williamsburg made a half-hearted gesture to a kind of walkable spot in the shops there. This just sucks.

Considering that Williamsburg was also Schlegel, this is even more disappointing. They previously proved that they could develop something slightly better than the norm.

[cherrypark]

Makes me even more sour that 2% of the capital cost has got their name on the park for time immemorial while they proceed to build this monument to cars and land waste next door. What a waste by the city to spend that on a premium new rec centre only for the area to have nothing else of worth added to it.

[neonjoe]

Makes me even more sour that 2% of the capital cost has got their name on the park for time immemorial while they proceed to build this monument to cars and land waste next door. What a waste by the city to spend that on a premium new rec centre only for the area to have nothing else of worth added to it.

Definitely...
Maybe there's hope for Phase 2 which will front Wallaceton Way. When I originally moved to Williamsburg it only consisted of the block with the Sobeys and Home Hardware. The rest of the town centre was built out in phases over the next 18 years.

[danbrotherston]

What should be a central neighbourhood node down there is turning into another vapid non-place. We learn nothing from the past. I can't believe this land use is still being accepted. The parking lot on the opposite side with a Teppermans is already enough of a waste and this is even larger.

At least Williamsburg made a half-hearted gesture to a kind of walkable spot in the shops there. This just sucks.

This is why I've said in the past, that we aren't actually making any progress. Every year we build more of this garbage than we fix of anything else, every year we get deeper into debt.

But I also say that about building highways...

Ultimately, we have to stop this kind of thing.

That being said, the Netherlands isn't immune. While the shopping centre near me looks and feels very different, they both dedicate a huge area to free parking. I'd say most places that have no unlimited free parking are so because they predate the concept...with the exception of the new car free neighbourhood in Utrecht.