Hollywood Tonight

Denis F. Oliver · #1 Jan 07, 2007, 10:11 PM

Hi Folks:

I'm a regular-customer of Hollywood Tonight for coffee, tea, and snacls. It also has a comfortable leather-sofa and tables and chairs for people to sit upon while talking. Further, for those moments when the conversation lags, it has a large plasma-screen television that plays the latest films.

Come on down. Hollywood Tonight is located on Yates Street near Quadra Street. It's next-door to Floyd's Diner.

Denis F. Oliver

Holden West · #2 Jan 07, 2007, 10:21 PM

Welcome to the forum!

We all want to know what new business will be going into Hollywood Tonight's old location across the street.

zoomer · #3 Jan 07, 2007, 10:25 PM

Welcome Indeed!

Your name rings a bell, but I'm not sure why? Are you a performing artist in town? Writer or musician?

Anyways, hope to see more of you on the site!

Denis F. Oliver · #4 Jan 07, 2007, 10:39 PM

In conversation with "Matt", the manager of Hollywood Tonight, I learned that the Ministry Of Forests is going BACK in there. When Hollywood Tonight moved down Yates Street from its first location, where the Market On Yates is currently located, to the location across from where Hollywood Tonight is currently located, the BC Ministry Of Forests had recently vacated it. Apparently the Ministry Of Forests is returning to it.

Denis F. Oliver

Denis F. Oliver · #5 Jan 07, 2007, 10:49 PM

> Your name rings a bell, but I'm not sure why? Are you a performing artist in town?
> Writer or musician?

- I couldn't be perceived as a performing artist, unless my presentations to Victoria City Council count. I write editorial-letters to the Times-Colonist and Monday Magazine,all of which have been published. Essentially, I'm a socially and politically active man who wants to overthrow the Capitalist system, force Green measures upon society if it doesn't accept them willingly, and establish my birthday as a global holiday.

Denis F. Oliver

gumgum · #6 Jan 07, 2007, 10:53 PM

Quote:

establish my birthday as a global holiday.

You mean you haven't figured that out yet? I've got three days in my honour.
Send me fifty dollars and I'll show you how. :wink:

Holden West · #7 Jan 07, 2007, 10:55 PM

Well, that's interesting about the Ministry of Forests. That's good that office workers will be staying in Harris Green. I just hope the building looks good. I'm tired of these provincial offices along Yates St. with horrible ground floor frontages with dirty mirrored windows and gated entrances.

Denis F. Oliver · #8 Jan 07, 2007, 11:34 PM

> I just hope the building looks good. I'm tired of these provincial offices along Yates St.
> with horrible ground floor frontages with dirty mirrored windows and gated entrances.

- I'm opposed to anything but retail uses of street-level spaces.

**G-Man** · #9 Jan 08, 2007, 07:19 AM

Welcome aboard!

I agree in general with you about the street level uses but there are lots of grey areas. Like an accounting office for instance. I mean it is technically retail because you can walk in and purchase services but at the same time it looks like an office from the outside.

I have to say I am a little disapointed that this will be a government office though...

I wanted a brew pub

Holden West · #10 Jan 08, 2007, 08:49 AM

Yes, any use that is activated by the public is good, whether it's true retail or not. Government offices that are used heavily by the public (eg, drivers' licenses) are good, offices that are not usually publicly accessible (eg, the offices in the east side of the GVPL courtyard are dead.

I support vibrant mixed use because ground floor frontage that is strictly retail caters only to the consumption aspect of capitalism; that unless you have a wallet full of cash ready to buy stuff you have no reason to walk around downtown.

Denis F. Oliver · #11 Jan 08, 2007, 09:54 AM

> I agree in general with you about the street level uses but there are lots of grey areas. Like
> an accounting office for instance. I mean it is technically retail because you can walk in and
> purchase services but at the same time it looks like an office from the outside.

- Yes, there are grey areas. On the corner of Yates and Quadra there is a BCAA office that I find acceptable because it sells services to people, although it looks like an office when viewed through the windows on the Quadra Street side of it. Another acceptable "office" is the Department Of Vital Statistics office in the 800-Block of Fort Street. It's also an office, but, it sells a service. However, an example of an office that shouldn't be located at street-level is the chiropractor's-office located on Blanshard Street between View and Fort near the Italian delicatessan. When you look through its front-window, all you see is the office's waiting-room.

gumgum · #12 Jan 08, 2007, 10:01 AM

What can you do as a landlord though? If you've got a tenant willing to pay the rent?

I agree with the sentiment though.

**G-Man** · #13 Jan 08, 2007, 10:02 AM

How would you regulate that though without infringing on landowners rights? There maybe some regulation that could be put on new buildings but I think it would be difficult to regualte any other business.

The one that really gets me, is the ground floor of the Centra Gas building. You could not create a less inviting street frontage. Especially along Fisgard Street.

Caramia · #14 Jan 08, 2007, 08:46 PM

If a landlord knows what kind of niche their district has potential for and selects tenants who will fill that, even if it means dropping the rent at first, then one tenant attracts the next onward and upward.

m0nkyman · #15 Jan 08, 2007, 09:11 PM

An office is way more interesting than a blank wall. I'm OK with anything at ground level so long as it isn't a concrete or mirrored glass or other opaque, uninteresting surface.

I like that chiropractors office, and on occasion avail myself of the services of the younger Dr. Elder. Why that would be unacceptable, and a government office would be considered acceptable kind of leaves me stumped.

There's only so much shopping that people can do. This fixation on retail is kind of silly. Too much and we start to see way to many vacancies.

When there's not enough retail, you start to see conversions like what happened to the government offices that have now been turned into the BCAA 'retail' space on Yates and Quadra.

Oddly enough, the free market works well at this sort of stuff, and centralized government planning tends to utterly fail.

Ms. B. Havin · #16 Jan 08, 2007, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

There's only so much shopping that people can do. This fixation on retail is kind of silly. Too much and we start to see way to many vacancies.

Exactly. It's not as if retailers can run shops as city beautification projects, or as a hobby.

Holden West · #17 Jul 05, 2011, 09:47 PM

Closing July 10.

**Dylan Leblanc** · #18 Jul 05, 2011, 10:06 PM

The entire east end of that block from the Telus building to Quadra street could use redevelopment.

Holden West · #19 Jul 05, 2011, 10:44 PM

Is the building worth saving? I think every block benefits from having at least one old building, even if it's only a facade.

**G-Man** · #20 Jul 06, 2011, 01:57 PM

^ I think it could be fixed up and it would look nice. I would be happy if the parking lot had something built on it and some retail went back into the bottom of the Telus building. I would not want to see Floyds change it is great.