The Elms... Luxury Living in Downtown Prince George.... Oxymoron?

Like many other communities with rundown downtown business areas in need of a jump start, it starts with bringing the artists, the innovators, the socialites, the hipsters, the yuppies, college graduates, and the DINKS(Double Income No Kids) into the downtown area.

By increasing the amount of residents that are considered valuable and contributing citizens, you will inevitably improve the economic viability and profitability of current businesses downtown, and thus attract more businesses to consider downtown as a viable option, which will also increase the value of land and real estate in the areas currently surrounding the area.

Sounds logical doesn’t it?

Before I continue….

I’ve got a joke for you……

What is 1,168 sq. ft, 1 bedroom, 1 den, 2 bathrooms and will cost you $416,704 (after HST and not including Property Purchase Taxes)????

Drum roll………. A 1 Bedroom+Den unit in the Elms on 7th!  Badda boom!

That’s right, if you and perhaps your significant other would like to purchase one of these entry level units you should be prepared to shell out BIG BUCKS.

Lets put this into perspective.

You can have a 1br+den in downtown Prince George or a “one of a kind (& one owner) architecurally designed home(3000 sq ft, 4BR, 3Bath) has the “million dollar view” of the Fraser River” or perhaps a “Brand new home(5 acres, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom) in Pineview built by Northern Traditional Homes Inc. Awesome open layout with vaulted ceilings in kitchen & living room.”

If 1br+1den is just not enough space for you, maybe the “Deluxe Penthouse Suites include 11 ft ceilings over living room and dining room with two (2) balconies in each suite. Deluxe Penthouse Suites are 2,485 sq ft and 2,476 sq ft plus two and one half bathrooms” is more to your liking.  If so, be prepared to dig DEEP.  For a mere pittance of $733,075 +HST=$821,044, you can live in mere spitting distance of the prestigious downtown Prince George.  Oh wait, did I say prestigious?  That’s not quite the word I was looking for.  What’s a word for neglected, run down, and lacking in heart lifting beauty?

In case anyone is curious what kind of moolah you would have to be pulling in to get yourself into this new development, I did the dirty work for you.  Assuming a minimum 5% downpayment, spotless credit, and zero debt, “For the lower amount of $416k purchase price you’d need approximately $84k per yr gross income and for $820k approximately $150k per year gross income would be required” according to Pauline Mountain TD Canada Trust mortgage broker extraordinaire(and trust me, she works miracles, if she can’t get you approved, nobody can!)

For Three Quarters of a Million.... you can live across the street from this luxury residence!

For what it would cost you to buy this undoubtedly luxurious penthouse condominium you could purchase BOTH of the homes previously mentioned, or perhaps you’d consider a “13 unit apartment in Highglen Sub grossing $77,700 annually. 10 – two bedroom units. 2 – one bedroom units. 1 bachelor unit.”  and save about $60,000 for the purchase of a new boat or whatever you please.

When I found out how much these “luxury condos” were listed for, I literally burst out laughing.   If theoretically I had that kind of cake kicking around, is it not more likely that I would want to live in a “6th floor, near waterfront unit on Sunset Drive, steps from the lake” in Kelowna? and for the cost of a penthouse, look at something near downtown Vancouver?  Wait, did I just draw a comparison between real estate prices in Kelowna and Vancouver to Prince George?

I think it’s comical to believe that we can go from the little we have agailable in and around our downtown(for the regular folk), to pure luxury?  In speaking to a contractor who is bidding on “The Elms”  job, they referred to the mechanical/boiler room in this condo as the “Cadillac” of its kind.  I can’t help but think, wouldn’t it be nice for a few Honda’s, Fords, and maybe even a Toyota of Condo’s before we step into the Cadillacs?

I applaud InVestgo’s enthusiasm for quality and luxury, but I’d equally appreciate a dose of reality to come with it.

Want to live near downtown? Check out the 2BR+2Bath in this building for half of what you'd pay at "The Elms"

As much as I think we need spaces to live downtown, I don’t think that Prince George is ready for Luxury.  The truth of the matter is, we need to make spaces for the people who would either want to, or would at least consider our downtown area as a suitable place to reside.  The sad thing is that the majority of these brave souls are not the lawyers, branch managers, doctors, stock brokers, mill owners, or others that might be pulling in $84-$150k per year.  We need the legal assistants, restaurant staff, clerks, junior accountants, retail managers, construction workers, and other members of the middle class employed to lead the way into downtown.  People who aren’t worried about the questionable safety of downtown, and people who will drink coffee at the coffee shops, shop the boutiques, drink beers at the Genny, see comedy at Nancy’s, read books at Books and Co., and perhaps grab a bite at Cimo’s to become residents of our downtown.

And, in most cases….. Guess what? these people aren’t driving Cadillacs!

Are you UNIQUE?

Let’s talk food(one of my favorite topics!  This is an area that I feel is really lacking in our city.  Sure there are some great ones!  Clean, well managed, safe, and relatively delicious on most accounts.  But where is the originality?  where is the flare?  Hamburgers, pasta, steak, sweet and sour pork, and yadda yadda sandwiches on flax/rye/whole grain bread….

I am no restaurateur, but I would love for every restaurant to sit down and think to themselves, how can I write this sentence for my business:

“When you are out and about in Prince George, you have to goto ________ and try the _____________!”

For example:

When you are out and about in Prince George, you have to goto Cimo’s and try the lobster and seafood ravioli!

or

When you are out and about in Prince George, you have to goto Than Vu and try the Hot and Sour Soup!

Unfortunately my list ends there(not because there isn’t more, it’s merely because I have not experienced more).   Please feel free to write about your “sentence” can you fill in the blanks??

Are you at least as good as the Major Chain Competition?

Let’s talk Clothing(an industry that I am very familiar with) which is an industry full of heavyweights!  As part of The District Clothing Co. in Pine Center we get to bump uglies with some of the biggest names in the industry.  Le Chataeu, GARAGE, Bootlegger, Roots, West 49, Extreme, and more.  We are proud of the products we carry.  Sure, we cannot be everything to everyone, but we can lay claim to a few things: 1) The hands down best selection of name brand denim, 2) The best selection of name brand apparel and 3) the largest selection of Canadian fashion labels(Silver, 1921, Orb, Matt by Matt&Nat, Three Stones, and more).

When we came up with the idea for our new 3rd Ave Location, we searched high and low for the concept, the look and the product.  We hired Paul from Versa Design(who we are eternally grateful to) to come up with an interior design, we hired professionals to install the lighting, racking, counter-tops, and more.  Found fantastically unique products from the markets in Los Angeles, and the end result we are very proud of.  We are proud that our small and focused selection that will continue to change almost monthly, and you will be able to find very unique products at fantastic prices.

We approach every endeavor with the intention to be better then the competition.  However, I cannot say the same for other people in my industry.  I see 2-3 new “apparel stores” open year to year, and you can tell that the same thought hasn’t taken place.  Self design, self decorate, and a disjointed inventory of odds and sods, which I personally have wondered if the product is authentic.  I know for a fact! there is a local business who actually acquires their apparel via a 3rd party(that means they are not authorized dealers of a lot of their brands, they get it shipped to them from another retailer), and there are a few products being sold in this city that I do not believe have paid their licensing fees(be wary of movie, band, or other branded t-shirts that  are printed on blank t-shirt brands like Gildan, Haines, or American Apparel).

In the end, I would love to begin to accumulate a list of businesses, events, and other experiences that I can sell anyone who is considering to or has relocated to our fantastic city!  outside of the no brainer appeal of low costs of living, and fantastic access to the outdoors.

What do you think?

*disclaimer: I am by no means a Business or Trained marketing person. I have a university degree, but it is certainly not in Economics, so take my advice with a grain of salt, or a stiff drink…….

As I was enjoying my cup of coffee today, I was contemplating a question my friend asked me a couple weeks ago. Both him and I are in a similar situation. We spent many years away from Prince George, and have returned for a variety of reasons, and both of us with a significant other. The problem we are both having, is convincing our “others” that calling PG home is the right choice for us in our current situations. So he posed the question “what sorts of things can I show her, or do with her to help persuade her that this is a good community to live and work in?” My answer was the obvious: 1) affordable to live, 2) good people(but I guess that can be said for anywhere) and 3) great access to the outdoors. But this didn’t resolve the question, because all of my answers were all more of a state of being…..

But here is the thing, for a person who has grown up in or has spent a significant amount of time in a metropolitan city, maybe this isn’t exactly the things that they are looking for. What are they looking for? One could assume, they are looking for unique social, visual and cultural experiences. I can relate! I left PG after a year at the College of New Caledonia to do my degree in Victoria. Sure, I could of milked the local PG education a bit longer, saved a couple thousand dollars but I felt it was necessary to spread my proverbial wings. Like many members of blue collar families, my experiences of travel included visiting relatives or camping.  Not that it wasn’t great, but it didn’t fulfill my need to experience new things.

So, again the question is, What sort of Unique experiences does PG have to offer? or at the very least, what experiences do we have to offer that are comparable that one might find in “the big city”? What can we show our “others” that will tickle their fancy?   The term “experiences” can be taken and applied to a great variety of things including, but not exclusive to: food, shopping, nature, exercise, entertainment, and architecture, but for the purpose of this rant, we will focus in on the businesses that can be included in the “experience” category.   As I write this, I think to myself “This would be a great time to have a copy of the “Best of PG” kicking around”, because I am sure it would be able to help me with some of those answers.  The sad thing that I remember about this particular publication and its “results” were the constant inclusion of corporate or franchise businesses included and considered “best”.  Are you telling me that Subway can be considered for “best sandwich place”, or Bootlegger can be deemed “Best Fashion Retailer”?  Don’t get me wrong, these are fantastic companies and their financial accomplishments amaze me, and I think they do a fantastic job at what they do.  But the best????? could this be true? does Red Robin truly have the best Hamburger in town?  Is Garage the Gucci of PG?(ahem…District <-Shameless Plug)

When one considers the results of such a publication, one must question its legitimacy.  But here is the truth, whether we want to accept it or not.  There appears to be so few UNIQUE businesses to experience, or like I said, at least as good as a corporate franchise!   Sure there are some(and of course I am talking about LOCALLY owned businesses), and I will name a few off the top of my head, and feel free to add: McInnis Lighting, Cimo’s, North 54, Nancy O’s, The Northern, The Twisted Cork, Zoe’s Java House,  J.J. Springer, The Hummus Brothers,  , Wasabi Sushi and of course The District Clothing Co. on 3rd Ave and in Pine Centre.  Now, my opinion is biased because I only frequent certain types of stores, and do not have the capability to fully appreciate businesses in areas that I typically don’t shop in.  Please feel free to write in and plead for the case of a local business that I may of left off, and why they should be there.  I am more than willing to add them to the list……

Later this week…… Part 2 of Are you Unique? or at the very least…….

The more likely scenario is that any cars left downtown are a result of a person having a few too many drinks, and making the right decision to leave their car at home!

So make sure to heed to the street sweepers!

In the truly strong business areas, it’s the businesses in the area that make the difference.  Providing a wide variety of products, and services, and doing it WELL!  In these areas it is very obvious that a lot of planning and thought went into the development and presentation of these businesses and it shows.

This leads into my topic for the day which is

The Top 5 Reasons You May Want to Re-Evaluate Your Business…

1) You Decorated/Designed Your Space …Yourself!- Newsflash, just because you picked the the paint colors and flooring for your kitchen, or bedroom, doesn’t mean you should do the same for your business.  It is nothing against your taste in color, but lets be honest, taste varies from person to person.  Professional designers and at the very least, interior decorators can help you appeal to the masses, and transform your space to reflect your vision.  Now I know what you are saying, “But I can’t afford to have someone design my space…” but what I can’t help but ask, is 1) did you actually research some design consult options? 2) can you afford not to?

I was going to single out some businesses I recently went into, but…… I decided against it.  But if you’ve ever gone into one of these businesses that don’t have music(or its coming from the radio on the countertop), the faux brick wall is actually real brick wallpaper, or the furniture and/or artwork and/or  looks like it was salvaged from a basement suite, then I don’t have to tell you about it.

Would you rather eat and grab a cup of Java from here?

Or here?

2) You use elementary school art supplies as signage- In this day and age with computers, printers, scanners, and other computer peripherals being as affordable as they are, why in Heavens name would you draw your store’s signs on poster board with Sharpie’s?  For under $200 at any office supply or electronics store you can have yourself a Printer/Scanner/Fax combo machine, and with 15 to 20 minutes and some creativity you can have a great sign to put at your front entrance, top of tables, handouts at your till, flyers, and all sorts of published materials!  If that is a little too technical, call my friend Mark at Sunshine Press and tell him Matt from District sent you!

Buy your clothes from here?

or here?

3) No Website! and what the hell is Facebook? Let’s behonest, the internet “fad” is now 2 decades old, and its safe to say that if you aren’t on the web, you may as well throw in the towel.  According to www.BusinessKnowHow.com’s Top 7 Reasons Why Businesses Fail

“At the very least, every business should have a professional looking and well-designed website that enables users to easily find out about their business and how to avail themselves of their products and services.”

www.DistrictClothingOnline.ca - We are very proud of our website, and have worked hard at it!

This applies to retailers, restaurants, real estate agents, lawyers, accountants and more.  Nobody can expect to run a business today without at least a modestly designed website!  Not only that, but please, please, at least have a Facebook page! it takes minutes to create, and its free!  If you have questions about website design for your business, talk to my main man Mike Ray at Mike Ray Design about some of your options!

4) Research is just for Scientists! Ever considered that you had mistaken a hobby for a business?  Sure there are no brainers, and there is usually always room in large markets for a business owner with vision.  Starting a business from a hobby can be a good thing.  It is more likely that you have passion and expertise if your business originated from a hobby, but… is there a market for this hobby turned business?  There is only one way to find out, and that is to do your research.  You need to make sure there are people who share your passion, and are willing to spend money on it.  Not everyone is into elf figurines, shiny rocks, or Norman Rockwell collectibles.

5) You prefer the color brown over Purple. Highly acclaimed marketing expert Seth Godin compares businesses to cows.  In essence he says there are the brown cows(average every day cows) and purple cows(not exactly the type that blends in).  Godin says “The world is full of boring stuff — brown cows — which is why so few people pay attention. Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service.” Which color is your cow?

As usual, all feedback is truly appreciated!

If you and your business would like to be part of my Q&A Review portion of my blog, please feel free to contact me at info@districtclothingonline.ca

My friend and Nancy O’s co-owner Garrett Fedorkiw asked the question “Why isn’t the Father’s Day Show and Shine downtown anymore?”  He asked around and found out basically that ” The Down Town Business Association was the event sponsor until last year and through some political maneuvers they lost their funding and were unable to promote any events including the Father’s Day Show and Shine”. Is this true?  How could anyone take away the funding from the Downtown Prince George group?  Isn’t that a little counter productive considering that our downtown development is supposed to be a priority?

Just like Downtown, the Website hasn't been updated in a long time!

I took a peek at the Downtown PG website, just to get some information about what they do…. and from their website I can tell you what they don’t do….. Update their website!  From what I can tell, it hasn’t been touched since May 2009.  Actually, from the dated information on the website, I can’t tell at all what they do!  Well, lets look at this other website they have called Downtown: Let’s Get Started.  This website must have some interesting information…… Or Not.  This site hasn’t been touched since June 2009.  Maybe they should re-name the site Downtown: Let’s Get Started and stop shortly after when we run out of funding, or spend it on something else. I called Downtown PG and asked them, “what do you do?”.  The answer: We organize events, and marketing opportunities for Downtown, but didn’t do anything in the past year due to lack of funding.

Fair enough, it’s tough to run any major events without money.  We can all agree on that.  But …….. NOTHING????  with the purchase of a couple marketing books or even typing in Google “Free Marketing Ideas” you could probably come up with something to do.

Think we could adapt ANY of these ideas to Market the Downtown?

Nobody is expecting miracles… but at least take a swing at it?  Start collecting names for a newsletter? Headman a referral incentive program? Host a contest of some sort? and at the very least, for crying out loud, find the 1.6 minutes it takes to update your Facebook page once a week!!!! I read the first 10 ideas on that website and found a couple great ideas right off the get go.  Took me 40 seconds to find that website.  Yes, I said 40 seconds.  Imagine what could be done with a month or 12?

Here’s a question(please leave your comments):  Can you name 10 businesses(that are not corporately owned or franchises) in our downtown?

Urban Sprawl at its Finest!

Look at all the development in Vancouver over the last few decades in areas like Yaletown and Gastown.  Once dilapidated warehouses, run down commercial buildings, and archaic apartment buildings, these areas have been re-developed into high end business offices, lofts, boutique stores, bars and restaurants, and have become a bustling location where businesses and community thrive.

Gastown - Vancouver

Yaletown - Once Considered Run Down

I applaud city council and developers on their vision for this project, so let’s push this one through!  Whatever it takes!  If you market our “new downtown” to the young early adopters in our fantastic city and make it possible for these people to inhabit our downtown then we will all reap the rewards.  This breath of fresh air (a term I dare to use in the same sentence as downtown Prince George) will bring the right people who will brave the streets to patron our local businesses and shake their fists at the gaudy big box stores that now line the outskirts of the city.

Here’s hoping we stop trying to sell the downtown, and perhaps try marketing it to the right people!

Re: Six Units? ..No, goal of downtown seniors residence building is 40-60

I returned from a great weekend on the lake to catch up on my newspaper reading just to see that the city is going to permit the building of a 60 unit residence in lieu of the 6 units John Major welshed on. Fantastic, Wonderful, Perfect, finally… just what the city needs! Oh wait, its for Seniors……….. With all due respect to seniors, these are not the people we need in our downtown. We need a living space downtown, with a community of residents who are willing to brave the streets to patron businesses in the downtown core. Not sit inside their brand new 2nd to 6th floor condos 19-20 hours a day, and occasionally go downstairs to visit the retailers who are selling senior focused goods(pre made meals, medicine, and equipment), or who will coincidentally venture downstairs to take John’s express shuttle to the Casino 3-4 times a week to hit the slots or play bingo.

My family (who owns a successful business in Pine Centre Mall) recently committed itself to a 14 month lease in a small space downtown next to Evergreen Pharmacy. We developed and opened this business, with the hopes of breaking even, but at the very least, providing a unique retail space, and at the very very least, preventing the opening of another dollar store/cheque cashing/pawn shop/store decorated with hand drawn signs on fluorescent poster board. We developed a business plan, had a professional and wonderful designer create a design, worked day and night for 2 months to create this space, all in the name of contributing to our downtown. We opened officially at the end of January, and ……drum roll……. We are lucky to do $50 a day in business and I get excited if 2-3 people walk in my door in an entire business day. Why, you ask? because the only people who live downtown are for the most part on social assistance, drugs, or are just plain thieves or criminals. Even in the building we are located in, the majority of the residents are on social assistance, prostitutes, drug addicts or VIP members of the Methadone Dispensary. There is no parking, and no perception of safety in our downtown core even with the addition of foot patrols by the police. After 5pm, the streets are deserted, except for the odd patron who drives directly to where they are going, gets out, goes in, eats/shops, and gets back into their car and leaves. There is very little window shopping, or browsing along our streets.

The Most Profitable Businesses in The Downtown

Lets look at Commercial Drive in Vancouver. For anyone familiar with Vancouver, it is a robust, commercial and residential area that has any number of restaurants, cafes, retail businesses, and services along its street. It is a perfect example of a fantastic live/work environment. However, it has an equal amount of panhandlers, drug users, homeless, and destitute compared to our downtown. But how can these two environments co-exist you ask? because there are so many people who live and work in the area, and who patron the businesses along this street, that there is never a moment that a man or woman will walk the street and feel unsafe. At no time is it only you and several suspect looking people alone on a dark street(unlike our downtown). From sun up to sun up, the street is filled with consumers, employees, joggers, coffee-drinkers, business owners, residents, dog walkers, pan handlers, musicians, commuters, etc. Tipped a few too many at the local downtown pub, no problem. Walk home to your apartment above the coffee shop down the street. Currently, people are willing to brave the drive home because there is a high probability of their car being broke into over night or inability to find a tazi. The knee jerk reaction for city planners is to increase the amount of police presence in our downtown. How about creating some living spaces and making it attractive for a young person to live in our downtown? Let the young and progressive people in this wonderful city help police the streets. How will they police? easy, simply by just being there. It is ingrained in the very souls of humanity to be on your ‘better‘(I will be reasonable, and not aim for best right out of the gates) behavior if there are other people around. Like the age old saying goes, “if a drunkard in the streets of downtown PG at the wee hours of the morning bellows out a skid hoot, breaks a window and smashes his bottle of whiskey on the ground does it make a sound???” Well, if there is nobody around, I guess its no different then the proverbial Tree in the Forest.

Good Morning.... Let's goto Jail

Congratulations to the city….. You should anticipate more businesses closing their doors at the end of the year. The moral among downtown businesses is so low, that the only thing we really talk about amongst us is “who stole from you today”. It is so low that I saw a local business owner this spring, smoking a cigarette inside the the front door of his business, holding the door open with a cup of coffee, and blowing the smoke into the street. Why abide by city bylaws, or conduct yourself in a professional manner when there is little to no likelihood of actually getting a customer. Is this what we want? Putting 50-80 seniors in our downtown will only help the businesses who will reside in that building (struggling medical practitioners, clinics and pre-made food providers), and the shuttle company that will be able to add one more shuttle bus route to the Casino and straight into John’s pocket. Ironic isn’t it?

Enough is enough isn’t it? When will the leaders in this city give their heads a shake and realize that adding flower baskets, flowing streams, police, and seniors to our downtown won’t help its development.