n-vm-Biz-A-11

Biz in the Bay

hed: Upper Oak Bay Avenue looks to re-energize

Vivian Moreau

News staff

Upper Oak Bay

Kathleen Duggan was perplexed when she and her husband Danny Rzepa first opened Kadalima's Cafe and Pattisserie on Oak Bay Avenue in January 2006.

"I remember standing here and looking out (on the Avenue) and saying to Danny 'Oh my gosh, this is no man's land,'" Duggan recalled. The strip of businesses on Oak Bay Avenue near Foul Bay Road just wasn't getting any traffic. Even after she put red table umbrellas outside, Duggan said people could still not identify with the location.

"I'd say 'we're by Foul Bay Road' and they'd say 'where's that?'" Duggan said. Since then Duggan has rallied nearby business owners to bring more attention to the one-block strip. Now dubbed "Upper Oak Bay," Duggan and her neighbours are planning a Christmas event to draw shoppers to the strip. Banners and tidy storefronts that attract positive attention are also in the works. She'd like to see Oak Bay Avenue, from Monterey Avenue to Foul Bay Road, become a version of Greenwich Village.

"I would like it to be a gathering spot, a destination," Duggan said.

Kadalima's Cafe and Pattisserie is at 2032 Oak Bay Avenue.

Finn and Izzy

After three years on Oak Bay Avenue across from Kadalima's, Finn and Izzy has moved to the corner of Monterey Avenue and the Avenue.

"We were looking for a bit more space along with higher traffic and higher profile," co-owner Cyndy Chan said. Chan and her sister own the children's clothing and toy store. They're also the owners of Nicholas Randall in the 2100-block Oak Bay Avenue. Chan said the move will bring the two shops closer together visually and will also strengthen the brand established when the sisters opened Nicholas Randall 14 years ago. Since then, Chan said the biggest satisfaction has come from meeting people who come into the stores.

"We've seen children that we met when they were in kindergarten who are now in university," Chan said. They've also noticed changes in shopping habits.

"Everyone is more mindful, people are looking for quality rather than quantity - they're buying more and more sustainable products.

Finn and Izzy is at 2265 Oak Bay Ave. Nicholas Randall is at 2180 Oak Bay Ave.