More young people, renewed energy at historic site as new tenants set up shop: Forks VP

A coffee shop, a candle shop, a micro-restaurant and a pizza place you may have noticed a few new things at The Forks.

In 2017, the popular Winnipeg meeting spot and historic site welcomed a handful of new, mostly Manitoban tenants. The roster includes Fools and Horses coffee, Coal and Canary Candle Company and Winnipeg chef Scott Bagshaw's newest project, the small-plate spot Passero.

More changes are still to come, including the introduction of a McNally Robinson Booksellers storefront on the second floor of The Forks Market and a satellite location of popular Winnipeg sweet shop Jenna Rae Cakes.

Despite what may feel like an overhaul, The Forks itself says it's just doing what it's always been striving to do: nurturing a Winnipeg meeting place with a focus on local business.

"We always use the same mission statement. It has been the same one that we have had for our entire existenceso nearly30-plus yearsit has been to be the meeting place,"said ClareMacKay, vice-president of corporate and community services with the Forks North Portage Partnership.

"I think the transformation that's happening in the Forks Market is a wonderful way of highlighting that mission statement."

New energy

The Forks which saw the official opening of its Market in 1989, but was a traditional meeting place for Indigenous people for centuries before that nowsees about 4 million visitors per year, which is more than Banff, MacKay said.

Those numbers stay strong into the winter, MacKaysaidJanuary and February visitor numbers have rivaled their best summer tallies for the past seven or eight years. This weekend, she guessed The Forks would see around 50,000 visitors.

But MacKay said the new energyshe sees being captured there probably sparked around two years ago, when the Forks Foundation's board of directors approved $2.5 million in renovations in 2015 and the site earned a "unique hospitality licence" from the province, meaning somebody can get a drink at The Common, a beer and wine kiosk, and carry it throughout the Forks Market building.

"Being able to have that licence opened up a world of possibilitiesfor us. We are the first of our kind," she said. The Forks worked with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and the Liquor and Gaming Authority to earn the distinction.

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"I think that was the moment where we could become something that added to that idea of us being the meeting place," MacKay said.

Those two moves led to the creation of The Common, the beer and wine-serving centre of the food hall in the Forks Market that opened in 2016. MacKay calls it the most visible change to the site.

Over the past two years, she said the centre has been able to attract more young adults, bringingthe 18-35 demographic into a space already families and older adults.

"It's made it more popular," said Shane Nicholls, 23, of the renovation. He went to The Forks a lot as a kid, he said, and has grabbed drinks there with friends as an adult.

"I think it's nice to have stuff for kids as well as adults, different entertainment for both," he said.

His companion, Karen Batchelor, 23, also gave the renovations a positive review. Batcheloris currently auniversity student in Montreal, but she came homefor the holidays and spent part of her last day in the city sipping beerat The Common.

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She didn't grow up coming to The Forks, but likes to skate therenow, she said.

"The timing worked out well that the Ice Castles are also open, so we're going to that as well," she said. "I likeskating [on the river trail] at least once a year, so I just snuck it in."

Reacquainted, re-enthused

The changes at The Forks are what interested Chris Hall, co-owner of McNallyRobinson Booksellers. He's hoping he'll be able to get the new 850-square-footstorefront open by the end of January, or shortly after.

"Winnipeggers are getting reacquainted, or re-enthused about the place. I think it had kind of faded in their mindsthey had been there and knew what was there and it wasn't as appealing anymore," he said.

Hall recently set up "story bars" mini bookstores inside partner businesses like coffee shops and restaurants stocked with books featured in McNallyRobinson'smonthly newsletter.

It seemed like an opportunity too good to be missed.- Chris Hall, McNally Robinson Booksellers co-owner

He got a phone call from a rep with The Forks wondering if there was a possibility for a story bar partnership there.

During the conversation, Hall was asked if he would consider opening a satellite location at the site instead.

"I thought, well this is an amazing opportunity and then the space they were talking about was kind of a prime location. It seemed like an opportunity too good to be missed," he said.

The space will be much smaller than the bookstore's 25,000-square-foot Grant Park Shopping Centre location, so it will focus on bestsellers, Prairie writers, Indigenous titles and "a really good kids section, because The Forks is such a family-oriented place," Hall said.

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There will also be a rotating selection ofgift items.

"There's something special about that place and it's why 101 people out of 100 will tell you to go to The Forks if you ask, as a visitor, where you should go in the city,"Hall said.

"It's literally and figuratively the centre of Winnipeg and it's only going to get better over the next few years. And we get to be there."