Does Prince George have a Main St.?
And if it does, where is it?
Happy April, everyone.
Ignoring existential climate anxiety and wildfire dread, I can definitely say this last month has reminded me that living in darkness for 4 months of the year ain’t so good on the mental health. I’m reminded that leaving my house after 6:00pm is actually allowed and oftentimes, can be a good thing!
Today’s topic came inadvertently from a group chat - a good friend of mine innocently asked the chat where we thought PG’s Main St. is? I immediately cracked my knuckles and began tapping my thumbs away, certain I had THE OBVIOUS answer.
As I tip tapped my way through my most annoying, obnoxious, and thorough answer, a few quick responses began to roll in:
“Central.”
“Central is more of a road than a street.” (excellent response, Erik)
“I say third.”
“Maybe Victoria?”
“I’d say 15th.”
“Unpopular opinion: 4th is better than 3rd.”
“I was thinking Queensway.”
And as I watched my wonderful friends haplessly bantering among themselves, it sadly occurred to me - I think I have to write a newsletter on this.
Let’s talk about Main Streets, Malls and then Strip Malls.
It goes without saying that there’s a lot to unpack here and doing my best to not just spend my whole newsletter plagiarizing Roman Mars’ 99% Invisible, you would be really well served by listening to his episode on the development of suburbs, the history of malls, and the death of downtowns.
Episode 495 - Meet Us by the Fountain
It’s one of my favourite episodes of any podcast ever and it explains a lot of Prince George’s current identity crisis.
The summary of it all, as we’ve talked about a million times, is that the North American dream of a detached house and a lawn created suburbs and sprawl. Suburbs, in their early days, really didn’t have spaces for community gathering and shopping - a problem that is inherent to their space-gobbling design but also their function of separating retail land from residential land.
A well-meaning designer came up with the mall as an answer to a lot of those problems. Initially, malls were meant to be indoor spaces that resembled the cafe and retail laden streets of cities like Amsterdam. Safe places for stay-at-home moms and children to gather and play while commerce could happen all around. Sadly, over time, capitalism ultimately defeated “community spaces” and malls became more shopping centric than community builder and following that, the strip mall was born as an even lower-barrier-to-entry retail hub for suburbanites to get goods.
This answered the problem of “where do the suburbs shop?” but did horrendous, irreversible damage to “where do people gather and socialize?” problem. In doing so, it also gutted most downtowns as it pulled retail focus from places like a Main St. into shopping centres and malls.
You might be able to see where I’m going with this in the context of Main St. in Prince George.
The car-centric sprawly nature of our little city has diluted any idea of Main St. such that you could absolutely see why folks would argue any of the major commerce routes from Domano to Central to 15th and Ospika - it’s hard to define when you’ve pulled clear focus from downtown to the different suburban corners.
Some other considerations.
One thing inherent to the name Main St. is the word “street” which does offer us some clear criteria to consider.
Great backgrounder video for that: Stroads - Not Just Bikes
The summary is that roads are primarily for vehicle transport, and streets (and avenues) are for pedestrians and shopping.
If we immediately disqualify roads and stroads then I think the decision certainly gets a bit more clear. It’s worth saying that, in a city like PG, you could absolutely make the argument that stroads share 50% of the DNA of a street and due to our car-centric behaviour, they should be considered.
Ultimately, I’m going to push against that line of reasoning BUT it’s a free country and I welcome the discourse.
My two contenders.
So we arrive to the conclusion and if you’ve wasted your time with this ridiculously pointless newsletter thus far, then I think I owe you a definitive answer and, surprise, it’s got some caveats.
I’m proposing two options - one for *right now* present day 2024, and one that I could argue with some very slight tweaks and changes, could absolutely be the future Main St.
Right now? It’s 4th Ave.
I could absolutely hear arguments for 3rd Ave. in 2024 and I think Betulla Burning and Nancy O’s are doing some VERY heavy lifting in that argument. For my purposes, we’ve got coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants (with street patios) and I’d argue the best walkability in all of Prince George.
Future state? It’s George St. and 7th Ave.
The potential from Daydream Donuts (formerly North City Donair) along the Ramada, past Crossroads, down in front of The Keg and City Hall, all the way to Dominion, is absolutely RIPE for Main St. activation.
Close off the tiny, useless strip of road in front of City Hall to car traffic (where 7th Ave weirdly becomes George St.), make that a community hub/plaza, remove the angled parking on ONE side of George (ideally the Crossroads side but I’d take Birch and Boar’s side) and widen that sidewalk, boom - it’s happening. Farmer’s Markets? Winterfest? All of it. Central to the cutest little downtown commerce corner in PG.
The Visitor’s Center opening their new location in the Civic Center, the incoming development where the old Firehall was - there is just so much that can go right here.
Alright - that’s it. Those are the answers and I say this at the risk of sounding like a 2014 Social Media growth hack (ASK QUESTIONS AT THE END OF YOUR POSTS!!), what do you folks think? I’m wide open to reader mail on this one and, if a compelling enough answer arrives, you might even see a Part 2 here.
Per usual, I’m ending off with a recommendation for you and it’s a pretty specific one.
My barber left Prince George about a year ago (I miss you, Justin) and in that year, I’ve searched high and low for a place that A) can handle the confusing hairline of a slowly balding middle aged white guy and B) has a cool vibe and I’m happy to report I’ve finally found it.
One Stop Barbershop beside Second Cup
I know recommending a barber shop is a risky thing - haircuts are a pretty individualistic choice so take it with a grain of salt but if you’re out there sampling different places like I have been for the last year, give these guys a shot. I’ve been 4 or 5 times now and every time, the experience and the cut are A+.
Alright! Have a great week.
Hi Darrin, I'd say our Main St is 3rd rather than 4th but-- they are both great streets with a lot going on. I just wish we had more of those. On a related note: What is going on with that "exclusive shopping centre" near "the Banks" out by Miworth? I can't imagine how it makes sense in an era when retail is facing serious challenges (to say the least). And-- it is just another element of car-centric sprawl. Thoughts?
As a reformed East Coaster I love the vibe of One Stop. Totally reminds me of the old school neighborhood barber shops I grew up with. Guys speaking a language I don't understand and a haircut by committee discussing my hair and my bad description of what I want.
It's a wholesome and inviting place, and they do a great job. ("Sookran" is Arabic for thank you!)