smart | entrepreneurs


Where the young people are W


The West Broadway neighbourhood has taken the reigns in Winnipeg for comfortable urban living By Brenlee Coates


hen word got out that Talia Syrie was opening the sequel to Te Tallest Poppy in the Sherbrook Inn, all she heard was how happy people were going


to be to have it just down the street from them. “I feel like everyone I know lives in West Broadway,” she


said. “I love it. It’s just so easy. “I can’t really imagine us anywhere else.” Coming from the woman whose heart is in the North


End, this is top honours. Her co-conspirators from Synonym Art Consultation,


who host The Tallest Poppy Residency Program in her space, have also been outspoken about their love for the area – and they’ve added their sophisticated touch of con- temporary art to some of its walls through various events and programming. “Tis is the best neighbourhood in Winnipeg, in my


opinion,” says Andrew Eastman of Synonym. “It feels like you’d come up off a subway and see it.” For decades, the bohemian paradise for young people


was Osborne Village – it’s close to everything (a short com- mute anywhere), and there are tons of shops and restau- rants from which to rack up a credit card bill. But now it’s got competition. Whether it’s a question of availability or a change in


perceptions, young people are now congregating in droves in West Broadway. “You’re on the fringe of Wolseley and the downtown,”


explains Leah McCormick, executive director of the West Broadway BIZ. “Tere’s great walking, great cycling, and great connection to the buses. “(Young people) want to do everything fun and simple


and easy, and West Broadway has that.” A fresh face


A huge part of the attraction is the changing façade of the


neighbourhood – new business is being welcomed rapidly, much of it destination-worthy. “It’s exploding now, which is great,” says Leah. “And I think what’s going to happen next is we’re going to see Maryland (Street) developing.” Some of that is already in motion. Ranjjan Developments


tore down a decrepit house to build a mixed-use condo project with rooftop terrace and expansive windows. Sales have started and construction is set to begin soon at its 54 Maryland St. location. An ambitious plan for 40 rental units in a four-storey


development is slated for the corner of Westminster Avenue and Maryland, with two floors designated for commercial use. Most modern urban planning trends are adhered to in the area – and it’s obvious that young people gravitate to them. In a 2011 neighbourhood profile of the area, 26 per cent of


West Broadway’s residents consisted of the 20- to 29-year- old age group, though this group represents roughly 14 per cent of Winnipeg’s total population. A striking 85 per cent of area residents live in apartment buildings, while the city-wide average is around 30 per cent. Tis creates more density in the neighbourhood, with 7,896 people per square kilometre, far outnumbering the city’s average of 1,365. New eateries like The Tallest Poppy and Sherbrook


Street Delicatessen have added to the neighbourhood’s established collection of revered restaurants like Stella’s Café & Bakery, Boon Burger Café, Charisma of India and Wasabi on Broadway. “It’s almost like you don’t have to leave West Broadway


now,” says Leah, of the local businesses. “I think this neighbourhood is so conducive to how people want to live these days.” Hip coffee shop? Check. (Tom Bargen Coffee & Tea.)


Cheap watering hole? Check. (Cousin’s Deli & Lounge.) Late-night gathering spot? Check. (Te Handsome Daugh- ter.)


Last year's well-attended Sherbrook Street Festival. A strip of Sherbrook Street is closed to traffic during the celebrations.


The Cousin's patio attracts a lively and eclectic clientele. Pair this with the hair salons, convenience stores, and


local boutiques and businesses, and you’ve got a pretty complete and livable neighbourhood. Te City of Winnipeg has also taken notice of the neigh-


bourhood’s plethora of active commuters, and greenlit a defined bike path in the area as a testing ground for the concept. Wanting to draw attention to its trailblazing feature,


there are talks of incorporating the raised concrete plat- forms into West Broadway’s streetscaping plans. Letting their freak flag fly


West Broadway loves to play up its distinctions; last year,


it added grapevine sphere lights to its many prevalent trees. Te BIZ is hoping to incorporate more eye-catching public


 Keep it simple Continued from page 1


Terik. “Pizza’s like coffee, an everyday thing. “It’s not that bad for you, and you don’t have


to have a whole pie to yourself.” Te pizza – it’s that good


Getting into the specifics of Vera’s distin-


guished product, the pizza is made with flour imported from Italy that Terik picks up at De Luca’s. Te flour is actually endorsed by a governing Neopolitan pizza organization (I know, somehow I’m not president), and has a strength that enables the dough to be manipulated by hand and stay intact (the way Neopolitan pizza demands). “You need the proper elasticity and the


protein content has to be high,” explains Terik. In keeping with Neopolitan customs, toppings are sparse but balanced – and Vera goes beyond the classic pizza marinara and Margherita to incorporate pancetta, salami, and prosciutto and arugula flavours. Te use of soft cheeses and parmesan also gives the pizzas an elevated taste. But the crust is the real differentiator: it has a crunch that gives way to flaky softness.


July 2015 Te business side Terik’s seen his schedule fill up with


restaurant duties, but he’s still managed to fulfill his original two goals for owning a business: “work at a job where I can play my own music, and where I don’t have to wake up in the morning.” Usually starting his day around noon, he


picks up ingredients and arrives at Vera in the late afternoon prior to Vera’s 5 p.m. opening. Te only wrench in the plan is he finds him- self cooking less and less. “I do like making pizza the most,” says Terik. “I like slapping dough which is why I got so into pizza.” When he was in the planning stages with


his business, Terik sought the guidance of other young entrepreneurs before him like Nils Vik of Parlour Coffee. “When (Nils) opened that up I was like, ‘Yeah, this is cool. Tings are possible.’ “I hope what we’re doing can maybe have


the same effect.” Vera Pizzeria is located at 670 Osborne, and open Monday to Saturday evenings.


www.smartbizwpg.com


A proscuitto and arugula-topped pizza, and pancetta and creme fraiche pizza with Italian beer. Smart Biz 9


The Tallest Poppy serves up burgers with love.


art, much of it initiated by Synonym Art Consultation’s second annual Wall-to-Wall Mural Exhibition & Festival in the area. Coming up, West Broadway will play host to a Wild-


WoodRose Vintage Market (July 18), and the annual Sherbrook Street Festival is in September. “I think stuff like that (the festival) has had a huge impact on changing perceptions of the area,” says Leah. “When I first opened my store (Brave New World 14 years ago), people were like, ‘What are you doing here?’ “Now there’s all kinds of people looking for retail and


commercial space for everything… But we want to have a say in what types of businesses come here. “We want to embrace our inner freak still.”


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