Change of landscape coming to Winnipeg’s Osborne Village

WINNIPEG — Clear-out sale signs are filling up the windows at American Apparel on Osborne Street. It’s not a Black Friday bargain, the company has announced it will be closing all wholesale locations across the country.

It’s unclear when the store on the main stretch of the Osborne Village will close, but employees there said they aren’t receiving any new products.

It adds to three prominent locations that are now sitting vacant, including the most recent closure, the Black Rabbit.

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Obby Khan owns a business across the road, called the Green Carrot. He said high rent is making it hard to make money in the area.

“Some of these places are massive, four, five, six thousand square feet , and a young entrepreneur comes in there because the village is so awesome, and then you get hit with this massive rent bill that there’s just no way you can cover,” said Khan.

“Maybe divide up some of these areas, get some cheaper rent, get some more people in here, bring the area back to what it used to be.”

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Some people living in the village said the area is losing its lustre.

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“It’s not really as interesting as people make it seem,” said Catherine Robinson, who lives on Corydon Avenue.

The Osborne Village Biz said they aren’t concerned with the number of vacancies. Executive director Stephanie Meilleur said they are working to put pop-up shops in the buildings.

“We’re really happy to be looking ahead at this potential opportunity. I think it’s going to be great for the village and the city as a whole,” said Meilleur.

The changes could come as soon as the new year.