Turning around Westminster Quay
|
|
|
Suddenly, Westminster Quay Public Market has a spring in its step.
After years of languishing under an absentee landlord who couldn’t be bothered to take care of his property, an ambitious (and thankfully, local) young man has put together enough money to take over a ship April 1 that isn’t just sinking, it’s virtually scuppered on the ocean floor.
It cannot be put too lightly: Mark Shieh has a heck of job on his hands.
But at the same time, he’d be hard-pressed to do worse than the previous owner.
Talking with shop keepers at the Quay this week, many were happy about the change of hands. And a few were even thrilled they’d not only met the new owner, but that he’d hired a janitorial service that was—at least in the superficial sense—already cleaning things up.
More is to come, according to Shieh. The Quay is due for a renovation, to give a fresh look to an Expo ’86-era structure that once had the cheesy shine of a Vander Zalm grin, but now looks like a grimace.
He’s engaged renowned architectural firm Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden to help envision how, structurally, the market might be renovated. This firm is responsible for many marquee projects, including the fabulous Richmond City Hall (2000) and the redevelopment of Granville Island in the 1970s—a project that has won awards galore, for good reason.
And more importantly, Shieh is reaching out—not just to merchants but to the residents of the Royal City. He wants their input, so that he can fold it into a vision for the Quay’s future. His catchphrase “30 Days of Quay Ideas” is marketing-speak, for sure, but what the heck.
And Shieh seems to understand the best path is one in which the community buys into the market’s success.
It means finding a way to transform the Quay from the soulless shell it is today into a place with heart. And better, for residents: a heart for the city.
Can he do it? Let’s hope so.
Today, the Quay is a depressing place. On a sunny summer day the patio outside can be packed and the boardwalk bustling with walkers, but the inside, on any day, is just simply sad.
On Tuesday, there were less than 20 potential customers in the whole building. So many shops had their gates shut that it was hard to tell whether the merchants had either gone for coffee, shut for the day, or had skipped their lease. The upstairs food court is a striking testimony: grid fencing, plywood and plastic tarps thrown together shut this place off in such a haphazard fashion you’d think it was a war zone.
Just a decade ago, it was such a different story.
In the first 10-15 years after the Quay opened in 1985, it was the destination it was intended to be, a worthy rival of Granville Island and Lonsdale Quay—two markets that continue to thrive. It was packed and it was common to enjoy live entertainment there on the weekends.
So what happened?
Through lack of interest and investment from the owners, it seems, the market just went into a slow decline. Gone was the live entertainment on weekends. When tenants left there was little effort or advertising to find new ones. Little thought went into finding the right tenant mix—one that would give people reason to come visit and stay longer than it takes to walk from one end to the other. And promotion of the market itself was virtually non-existent.
Rida Bazzi, for one, is brimming with optimism about what can be achieved with Shieh at the helm. Bazzi’s Imperial Pharmacy has been at the Quay since 2003. He recently signed another five-year lease and has no regrets. While other businesses have come and gone, his has succeeded because it caters to residents and provides something they need.
This is one type of business Shieh seems to want in the new Quay market. He says the Quay should not be designed as a tourist destination. It should serve locals first. Conveniently, that’s also the kind of place tourists want to visit.
Bazzi says Shieh’s “got vision.”
And hopefully, he’s got a bit of luck.
If he succeeds, the boardwalk, the Downtown and the rest of the city succeeds along with him.
editor@newwestnewsleader.com
