SMART city
Folk Festival Recap It's been hard to transition back to the work grind, so let's take one last look at the good times we had
A panoramic view of the main stage crowd all set up for Bonnie Raitt (who slayed it, by the way!).
A tiny hula hooper starting her own Folk Fest traditions.
The crowd thinned in the rain Sunday, so Boy & Bear fans had great views for the final Big Blue show.
Mexican Institute of Sound got people's arms up in a big way.
Portage Place has the potential to foster local
community if we ask for it Fashion designer and mall tenant Lennard Taylor weighs in on the downtown mall’s prospects
By Lennard Taylor P
ortage Place: if we build it, will they come? Tat’s always been the ques- tion with Portage Place. Te mall was
built to resurrect downtown; it didn’t work then, but is now the time? I’ve lived downtown for the past seven
years, seeing the development and change spanning across downtown, especially the SHED district. I believe now is the right time to start
asking questions about Portage Place. What is it? What would we like to see it become? Can it be the change downtown needs? I think YES is the answer! I recently was part of the Downtown
BIZ’s Launch It! program, a pop-up shop featuring seven young Winnipeg business- es. Te idea was to get young entrepreneurs excited about creating a business down- town. I would have never thought to put my retail store in Portage Place, however I experienced good sales with my clothing line (Lennard Taylor). Te business crowd that frequents the
mall on its coffee/lunch breaks came out to support change in the mall. I was surprised at the reaction I got, so much so that I decided to take on a six-month lease until the end of October. Many who come through the store ask “Is this store from New York or Europe?” Te answer is no! In fact, the store is 90 per cent designed or manufactured in Manitoba. For me, that’s what I would like to see the mall become, a community mall that
4 SMART TAB
Local makers featured at
Lennard Taylor
Jose & Markham dEDIGER Voila CJ Tennant Stella Mazza Designs Vintage Bling
Lennard would love to see lemon trees, local farmers' markets or a grocery store move in to the mall.
boasts the best of what Manitoba has to offer! Where you can get what you need before heading home from work, or you can meet before the game/concerts at MTS Centre. Imagine the green trees and gardens
filled with fruit and vegetables; imagine the gardens around the fountain as lemon or lime trees? Imagine the food court with gourmet
Winnipeg food establishments such as deer + almond, Bistro 7¼, Segovia or Deseo Bistro. Imagine the mall filled with young,
exciting Winnipeg businesses and com- munity resources/support. Imagine coffee shops like Parlour Coffee
or Tom Bargen bringing together commu- nity at all levels. Most important of all might be the need
for a grocery store/farmers market. It has long been discussed that we need a grocery store downtown – what if that grocery store was located in the mall so you could grab groceries before heading home. Would you support it? I strongly believe the mall needs some
www.smartcareers.ca
sort of outreach program for those who are less fortunate; give them a place to go rather than the food court! We as a society need to embrace those individuals and give them guidance and hope, for too long have we ignored, it’s time for us to help our neighbours. I urge you to come down to this mall
and see the beauty that it has and see the potential of what it can become. Start think- ing about what you would like to see here. Tis is your city; together we can change it for the better.
August 2014
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