10-01-2017, 01:40 PM
(10-01-2017, 10:36 AM)panamaniac Wrote:(09-30-2017, 11:40 PM)tomh009 Wrote: We have so many high-quality coffee shops in DTK now (Matter of Taste, Smile Tiger x2, Settlement, Pyrus) plus a slew of more mainstream ones (Williams, Coffee Culture, Hacienda, Coffee Time, Kava, Darlisle, Europe, Commons, Elevenses, Fresh Ground, Yeti etc) that I'm not sure the opportunity for Starbucks is all that fantastic any more. If they had opened up five years ago it would have been a different situation.
I don't disagree, although, a bit to my surprise, I haven't sensed that Downtown is at "peak coffee" yet (I wonder how Smile Tiger is doing at 8 Queen? and Settlement at King/Victoria?). Things still don't seem propitious for a return of retail (at least not of the high rent variety), which pretty much leaves restaurants and cafes as the most likely options in this location. I don't think that's ideal, but I'm trying to be realistic. Maybe they'll surprise me (one lives in hope!).
Indeed no one seems to have gone out of business yet. Settlement is quite busy in the afternoons -- there is not only 1 Victoria but also the Tannery and the school of pharmacy (ah yes, should add Balzac and the pharmacy's cafe to that list!).
I think retail will return gradually, need to build some momentum/critical mass to get a significant number of stores.