In the fall of 2019, Didsbury town council agreed to purchase the AG Foods grocery store in order to facilitate the construction of a new grocery store in Shantz Village on the northern edge of town. The new grocery store will be operated by Buy-Low Foods – AG Foods' parent company – in a building leased from a developer.
Over the course of a few days in late November 2019, an informal canvassing of the community by way of social media, plus a small number of face-to-face conversations, resulted in about 140 respondents sharing their creative ideas on repurposing the building after the town takes ownership.
Use of the building as a cross-generational community hub was a common theme. Ashley B. succinctly expressed this theme in her response “something for kids and seniors. A place that can bring the community together.”
Respondent ideas included family and teen nights, movie and theatrical presentations, hosting community events and service organizations, a regular farmers market, a food court, and a youth/seniors' centre, complete with a bakery/coffee shop.
For children, a Boys & Girls Club was suggested. Teenaged respondents said they wanted a year-round place to call their own, offering up many ideas for an activity hub as described below. Seniors observed it is a more universally accessible building than facilities presently used, and would permit all activities to be located on one level – inviting features for increased usage.
There were many ideas on transforming the building into a year-round activity hub to include one or more of the following: an indoor skateboard park, a trampoline park, a bowling alley, a paintball venue, a karate dojo, a boxing ring, a midway-styled arcade (games, bumper cars, in addition to those usually found in arcades -- pool tables, foosball, darts, Ping-Pong, etc.), a laser tag maze, a climbing wall/bouldering gym, and a children’s play area.
Repurposing for arts and culture included suggestions for art studios for individual artists, a common space for teaching classes and a display gallery, music concerts and band nights, video and sound recording studios, space for culinary arts, ballet and general dance studios, plus space for theatrical performing arts, including for rehearsal, set design and construction.
Other ideas focused on leveraging its use for the economic well-being of the community by converting the building into an entrepreneurial/business incubator for startup businesses with shared office space, or where pop-up businesses – artisans, food vendors, and speciality stores – could test and refine their products and marketing strategies before commencing full-scale operation.
One of the more intriguing suggestions was to establish a large makerspace. We all know someone with a workshop/workspace (even if it’s the dining room table only used on special occasions) where they “tinker” in a creative way – making something out of nothing.
A makerspace is for modern day “tinkerers”; a space for making things, learning, exploring possibilities and sharing ideas. Found here are both no-tech tools such as art supplies, paper and cardboard, Lego blocks, and high-tech tools such as computers, 3D printers, robotic bits and bites, laser cutters, soldering irons, sewing machines, CNC machines – computer-controlled drills, lathes, cutters, etc.
Many modern-day technological advances and innovations have started as ideas in makerspaces. As such, they have proven to foster entrepreneurship, plus served as incubators and accelerators for business startups.
Makerspaces have also demonstrated they foster cross-generational relationships grounded in a shared passion of creating something out of nothing – bringing us full circle to the idea of repurposing the AG Foods building to “a place that can bring the community together."
Thanks to everyone for the above great ideas! Now, what are your ideas?
Kevin Bentley,
Didsbury
