Uptown Market, Saskatoon’s only downtown grocer closes
The Uptown Market, Saskatoon’s only downtown grocery store has closed its doors after less than three months of operation.
The store, operated by British Columbia businessman Rexy Silva and his daughter Tabitha, opened its doors on April 5th of this year in the retail level of the 2nd Avenue Lofts. Saskatoon had been without a downtown grocer since Extra Foods closed their 3rd Avenue location in 2004.
News is difficult to come by on the closure but Lyndon tells me he heard that the owners are seeking investors and hoping to reopen the store after some “re-vamping.” I’ve also heard that product selection and merchandising were both weaknesses for the store. Perhaps the Uptown Market can find a second life with some help in those areas.
Thanks to Ginger for the heads up on this.
I’m always happy to answer your Saskatoon real estate questions. All of my contact info is here. Please feel free to call or email.
Norm Fisher
Royal LePage Saskatoon Real Estate
19 comments so far. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
June 29th, 2010 at 8:26 AM
We met both Rexy and his daughter Tabby when they first opened and found them to be incredibly warm, excited and friendly. It’s really too bad they need to find new investors this early on.
My theory has been that they have a very difficult line to tow in terms of customers. I think there are two distinct groups living in the downtown district. You have lower / fixed income types who are shopping on a tight budget. On the flip side, you have ‘yuppie’ types who are willing to pay $15 for coffee beans. I can’t imagine that is a happy medium to try to stock for and draw into your business.
The reason I couldn’t do all my shopping there was two fold:
1. Product selection for sure
2. Fresh produce was really lacking in both freshness and selection
Either way, I think it’s sad and hope something can be worked out. I would stop in for small things like eggs and milk, but just couldn’t do a week’s worth of grocery shopping in there despite wanting to give them all of my business.
On a completely unrelated note, I need some advice from whoever is willing to put in their two cents:
I just got hit with another rent increase for our already over priced apartment downtown. I am at my wit’s end. We are losing our incredibly wonderful neighbours across the hall, the lovely lady next door AND the single working young woman two apartments down. If anyone remembers my earlier whining (probably eight months ago when I had another rent increase – they only run on eight month leases), I am not living anywhere fancy. Terrific view, high up, large apartment and decor that hasn’t been renovated since the 70s when bright mustard yellow bathrooms were all the rage. With this latest round of whining I’m looking for opinions on the following:
I started looking around last night at what’s available downtown only to discover that my building has our exact apartment available four floors up and it’s renting for $50 CHEAPER than what I just got my rent raised. Plus, the damage deposit is less than half of what we paid when we moved in two years ago. Is this normal here in Saskatoon? My husband’s theory is that they place the rent at a price people think is steep, but can afford, and then just keep jacking the rent at every available opportunity.
This all just seems so unethical and not particularly what I have come to believe is the ‘Saskatchewan Way’ of friendliness and down to earth’ness’?! Has anyone ever heard of this before?
It’s not as though we can’t afford the rent increase, it’s just the principle of it I suppose. I vacillate between being incredibly cynical over the fact that we did the correct thing when we didn’t buy during the craziness of a couple of summers ago so just need to hang tough until we’re ready to move out of Saskatoon and just wanting to pack up and go now. Ugh!
Anyway, thoughts?
June 29th, 2010 at 9:31 AM
Hi, Ginger,
I think in most cases after the very first lease expires, it becomes a month-to-month lease and any rent increase notice can only take effect 6 months after the notice is served. Is 6 months enough for you to be “ready”? Or they state clearly in their contract that they don’t do month-to-month lease at all ???
Is your building privately owned or by Boardwalk?
June 29th, 2010 at 11:44 AM
Hi Cindy,
It’s always a long term lease and if we want to go month to month then it’s an extra $100 / month. So everytime the lease expires if we want to sign a new one it will be at the new rate.
Ha! I love that you assumed it was Boardwalk! I would usually assume that as well; however, in this case it isn’t. It’s an American company, much like Boardwalk, who came in during the boom. I think they only bought this building about 2 1/2 years ago and they also own a pile up in University Heights and somewhere in the south of the city (I don’t know the areas very well down there).
I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point. Is it really worth the hassle to move over $45 / month that I can easily absorb? No, but that principle thing is just nagging away at me. I should have done like all my friends, put only 5 – 10% down in the boom and hope interest rates don’t skyrocket, but alas we were responsible!
June 29th, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Where do the downtown buildings advertise for rent? I’ve seen a couple on Kijiji, but there’s got to be more out there. My wife and I are interested in living there when I start my job in a few weeks which is walking distance to downtown.
Since uptown closed, where are people going for their groceries? I was disappointed to read that, because it was going to be a cornerstone of our “no car” test when we moved downtown.
June 29th, 2010 at 2:32 PM
No surprise, a central location, but not a good one, with bad parking, and removed from the larger condos near the river. Minimal selection, and sparsity of product for a relatively big phsyical location, I couldn’t find chicken fingers nor Nutella.
Maybe a near down town option, with parking in front?
June 29th, 2010 at 9:36 PM
Ginger,
Good points on Uptown Market. I would say it’s more than difficult so cater to both of the markets you’ve described. You pretty much have to pick one and market accordingly.
Sorry to hear that you’re facing another increase so soon. Not sure what to suggest but given the fact that you’re here temporarily I’d probably suck it up so I didn’t have to move. I think there are landlords who use the strategy you’ve described, and others who prefer to keep a stable tenant satisfied so they don’t have to deal with moves. That landlord is more likely a private owner as opposed to a “big American company.”
Jason,
I think the closest option for downtown residents is the Extra Foods on Warman and Assiniboine. The store’s a bit dated. No way to do it without a car but it’s only a couple of minutes if you’re driving. Safeway is only a minute or two further north at the Mall at Lawson Heights. It’s a decent store with an awesome deli and a good selection of fresh produce.
Frankee,
You’re sure bang on about parking in that spot. It’s not bad in the middle of the afternoon but stopping after work would have been nearly impossible.
June 29th, 2010 at 9:54 PM
Norm, the Safeway on 33rd between Avenue C and D has had a recent refresh and is a solid store as well, and is probably around the same distance as the stores you mentioned. Excellent produce and solid selection.
June 30th, 2010 at 11:03 AM
Ginger,
I agree with Norm that your landlord is probably just an individual speculator who is really rich, or maybe he was not that rich but brave enough to put on a lot of debt.
I also agree with Norm that if one plans to leave shortly but won’t get ready very soon, absorbing that additional $45/mon may be a better choice. No need to move just because ” that principle thing is just nagging away at me”.
I also believe that you didn’t put down just 5% to buy at the peak is a wise choice.
June 30th, 2010 at 11:05 AM
My colleague living in Martensville got flooded. Anybody knows what areas in the city are flooded due to the storm last night?
June 30th, 2010 at 11:17 AM
No, the landlord is a large American company. I am just avoiding naming it. They own properties all over the US and western Canada.
I did hear complaints about parking for the 2nd avenue grocery store. One of my colleagues commented he would have shopped there on the way home from work, but trying to find parking around there and get out of the downtown core after 5pm was a nightmare.
The Safeway on 33rd has seen major improvements and I’m pretty sure it is the closest grocery store now.
June 30th, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Forgot about the 33rd Street Safeway. Another good option.
June 30th, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Cindy,
I’m hearing a few stories of flooding in the city as well. Lyndon’s neighbour had a bad sewer backup.
June 30th, 2010 at 12:21 PM
I used to live a block from the 33rd Safeway. I now live a block from the Lawson Safeway… and even after the refresh, there is no comparing the two stores. 33rd is built on the old model. It is smaller, older, more ‘cramped’ (difficult to pass two cards without complete cooperation) and has less product availability.
This is in no way saying that it’s a *bad* store; if I still lived where I used to, or even anywhere nearby, I would continue to patronize it. It’s of about the same era as the Extra Foods at Canarama that Norm mentioned, but unlike Extra Foods the Safeway has actually been maintained and upgraded. I’m just saying that you’re comparing a sedan with a roadster.
If you are exiting downtown through the north (3rd Ave) then 33rd is closer… as the crow flies. Personally, however, I absolutely hate travelling the stretch of 33rd between 3rd and Avenue H; it’s high traffic and poorly designed leading to poor flow, leading to raised blood pressure. Warman Road, by contrast, is a straight shot with higher speeds and few lights.
Another option that people tend to forget about, however, is the grocery store on 7th and Princess. True, it’s not *technically* downtown… but it’s easy walking distance in the summer. It’s ‘just’ a neighborhood store, so you’ll be even more limited than the 33rd Safeway, but it has been there a long time and is at least as good a choice (and probably closer for most downtown dwellers) as the Extra Foods on Broadway and Main.
http://tinyurl.com/3xy7gwh <– TinyURL link to Google streetview showing the store.
Hope that helps!
June 30th, 2010 at 12:29 PM
Better URL… use this one instead.
http://tinyurl.com/2bbjpgo
June 30th, 2010 at 5:20 PM
There used to be a similar sized small grocery store, but full range of products, across from Central Perk, just north of City Hospital. Would have been as close to east/river side downtown as the old Bay building is. Both long walk, or short drive. Sure bet that small grocer would love all the free publicity about its location that this Uptown market received! Bet a lot of new residents to say that condo beside Parktown don’t even know it exists (if it still does)!
June 30th, 2010 at 6:30 PM
Bookrat,
I really like the improvements that they’ve made at the Lawson Safeway. It’s a great place to shop. I typically make two trips there on the weekend for fresh food. The deli and the butcher shop are both awesome.
Nick,
You’re thinking of the Shop Easy Foods, the same place Bookrat referenced. I’m pretty sure it’s still in operation and I believe that it’s owned by Loblaws, or at least they stock the President’s Choice brand.
June 30th, 2010 at 9:54 PM
Grocery stores are a tough business because of all the competition. In addition to traditional grocery stores like Safeway, Sobey’s, COOP and Superstore/Loblaws, you now have WalMart, Costco and Zellers all with grocery departments as well. I think the new WalMart Supercentre in southwest Regina has a full grocery store, including deli and bakery.
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:04 AM
It is a shame about Uptown Market. I will avoid speculation on how it should be run, but in my view it had some problems.
That it’s Norm’s blog – not the StarPhoenix – covering this adds yet another angle…
“DOWNTOWN GETS GROCERY STORE” blared the front-page of the October 27, 2009 StarPhoenix. The story was based on a press release spoon-fed to the StarPhoenix by The Partnership the day previous.
That The Partnership’s release was issued the day before last fall’s civic election is probably not coincidence, in light of Don Atchison’s trumpeting about downtown revitalization. And that the Uptown Market was in the works well before the announcement and still months away from opening only contributed to the dubious nature of The Partnership’s release and the SP’s coverage.
Now that the Uptown Market’s windows are papered over, not a peep from the SP about how this will affect downtown. Peculiar given that the store’s announcement was worthy of a typeface not seen since D Day.
There’s no reason to believe the StarPhoenix tilted the election’s result, but the SP’s political-interest stenography approach to news coverage is growing a little stale in this age. The only place to actually learn about and discuss local news are blogs like Norm’s.
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:27 AM
J, the Star Phoenix does seem quite selective in its reporting. Norm points out above, the grocer I remember from years ago, is Shop Easy food, which is still there, a couple blocks north of downtown, and likely closer to say, Falcon Ridge, than this new grocer was.
Of course, the SP doesn’t qualify stories with “nearby grocers include” as it seems, even when “boosting” the local economy, the SP, Atch and co. (his chums, not his company) want to go for excitement, and to concede that a similar sized, more diverse/full service grocer exists at a similar distance to downtown – well that’s just not exciting!
The Uptown market had unbelievable FREE press that Shop Easy, or the farther but much larger Safeway on 33rd could only dream of. Wonder how much that many front page ads would have cost?
Will be interesting to see when people get tired of boosterish “news” stories about River Landing (still might happen) and small grocery stores, as some times the Star Phoenix more closely resembles a Chamber of Commerce news letter, or the front page a paid advertisement! Sooner or later Saskatoonians are going to have to sit back, and say, geesh, we’ve been “booming” for the past 5 years, but really, we still have 0 River Landings and 0 Downtown grocers and our skyline downtown is identical to a couple decades ago…
disclaimer – Regina’s mayor is also all about hype, but Reginans seem a bit more balanced in realizing he, or the Chamber of Commerce, or downtown improvement associations, don’t represent a “balanced” or news worthy (at least front page) story… Regina has a Safeway like 2 blocks from downtown, in Cathedral, so we need a downtown grocer even less