It took a while to get constructed but the Fools & Horses Coffee house finally opened on the long weekend. It fills a long vacant spot at 379 Broadway that used to have a MoneyMart. The proximity to government offices and other office towers as well as newly expanding RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre probably will help this business find success. The growing residential community along Assiniboine in the shape of condos and apartments will likely find this window filled establishment a great meeting place.
There has always been a good lunch crowd on the busy Broadway. A few choice restaurants such as Amici’s and restaurants in the Fort Garry Hotel and Place satisfy more refined tastes. There are Starbucks, Tim’s, Subway, The Fixx Express Bar and Cafe 22 for the many people who work Winnipeg’s most pedestrian friendly neighbourhood.
In January, Nicks on Broadway moved into the old location of SelFISH sushi restaurant at 287 Broadway. The sandwich place is just down the street from the Fort Garry Hotel.
The vitality of the Broadway area has always been strong with only a few parking lots that front the street and a few unforgiving buildings that offer no real street presence. The ability to sit and enjoy the tree lined avenue has been one of the main strengths.
Fools and Horses with a window happy sit and enjoy the world walk by atmosphere should help the western leg of Broadway. It is difficult to know just how much the Convention Centre crossing York and occupying a surface lot will change things. However, if we look at what happened the original 1970s construction, it created a lot of surrounding activity including long lasting restaurants.
The need to be able connect various vital areas of the city together will only enhance the success of those places. So a big welcome to Fools and Horses and a belated one to Nicks on Broadway.
This has been a guest editorial by John Dobbin.
To read more from John, visit his blog Observations, Reservations, Conversations
