20 April 2010

Good and Bad in the Hood

On a happy note, I've been noticing that houses popping up for sale in my Winnipeg neighborhood of Fort Rouge are slapped with a SOLD sign in just days.

This is great because we bought our house knowing it was in an 'up and coming' area.  Yes, there's lots of couples and families like us, moving in and revitalizing 100 year old houses.  But the streets are also spotted with homes that look like they could be on an episode of 'Hoarders'.

So it's reassurring to see houses being snapped up right down the street!

On a sad note, I drove down South Osborne today and noticed that the Ken Segal Gallery had a 'Space for Rent' sign in the window.

I know the gallery hasn't been there that long and it's one of the small businesses that always caught my eye on the South Osborne strip.  But the strip is like the neighborhood.  It's an ecclectic blend of amazing shops and restaurants like Bistro 7 1/4, Chocolate Zen Bakery, Hannah the Dressmaker and Champa Bistro.  But it also has rundown storefronts and vacant spaces mixed in.

It made me think about the fact that loving having these businesses in my neighborhood is not enough.  I have to make more of an effort to frequent them, so that they stay and thrive.

So the next time you pass your favourite local neighborhood business, stop by.  Keep them there

Written with love,
Lenore

2 comments:

  1. Very true. I like to frequent some of the restaurants on Academy...although I'm fairly confident they are doing well. On another note...Corinna has been house hunting....perhaps I should let her know about some of the fast sellers in your neighbourhood.

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  2. I've mentioned it to her, but I know she really wants to be on the OTHER side of Pembina! Kidding, she should definitely check it out. We looked in River Heights and it was so much money for not a lot of house. We got more value here, just because of the current market.

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Thanks so much for stopping by, I love reading all your comments! If you have a specific question, please email me at lhume1@mts.net. XO Lenore