The growing collection of stores and services in northeast Red Deer has become a destination for shoppers.
The combination of Timberlands Market and Clearview Market Square, near the intersection of 30th Avenue and 67th Street, together make up the newest and largest commercial hub in the city.
“It has become a destination,” said John Sennema, land and economic development manager with the city.
The area serves both local residents and Red Deerians travelling in the area.
Ryan Sawatzky, owner of Developments 2 Inc. that built Timberlands Market, said several new businesses opened their doors in the last year. They included Cowtown Beef Shack, Dairy Queen, OK Tire, and Neighbourhood Dental. He said Central Discount House has five locations in Alberta and the Red Deer store is its number one location.
“Their little 1,100 square foot store has done so well they’re moving into a 2,600 square foot store within our site,” Sawatzky said.
He said the owners of Elephant and Castle converted to Blanco Cantina, and Fuzz Wax Bar made it through the operational challenges for personal services during COVID-19.
Hung Uke Ukrainian restaurant, which opened just prior to Thanksgiving, attracted a lot customers preparing for the holiday.
“They do a lot of take out and a lot of people wanted stuff like perogies and cabbage rolls.”
Related:
Sawatzky said Timberlands Market has almost 200,000 square feet of commercial business.
“It’s a larger neighbourhood commercial site because it’s grocery anchored, but it has such a variety of restaurants and services. It has something for everyone.”
He said three, if not four, more restaurants and services will move in during the next six to eight months, and the site will only get busier as more nearby homes are built.
Related:
At Clearview Market Square, Tyler Hansen, development manager with Melcor Developments, said Edward Jones recently opened up in the former Booster Juice location, and two new businesses are currently under construction near Tireland — Mobile 1 Lube Express and Mint Smartwash.
He said another two business deals are in the works so another two buildings are projected to go up next year.
Club Pilates is also scheduled to open later this month in the same building as the new restaurants A&W and BarBurrito. An existing Red Deer business is also moving into the same building.
He said Clearview Market Square pulls in regional consumers with banks and quick service restaurants with drive-thrus.
“That’s just the nature of what the consumer is looking for. They’re looking for the convenience,” Hansen said.
He said Starbucks left after the international company decided to focus on drive-thru locations which have generally performed better during the pandemic.
“But we hope to potentially get them back here in the future with a drive-thru.”
Hansen said the northeast quadrant is the city’s major growth node for the next 10 years or so which is why commercial growth continues even during a sluggish economy.
“It is a really well-located commercial centre.”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter