Image: Shadowbox #3

Changes On The Drive #113

Between rainstorms, much of yesterday was perfect weather for walking and it was good to get out and stretch my legs. Unfortunately, much of the walk was a depressing stroll between vacant storefronts — an imperfect end to an imperfect year.

At the far south end, I noticed that the Currency Exchange business at 2283 Commercial seems to have closed, and the space in front of their store has been taken over by the grocery store next door by what looks like a semi-permanent display.

The denturist office at 2057 Commercial which has been operating on the Drive since the 1950s has now closed. They have moved to a space on Renfrew Street.

Cowboys has now opened at 1875 Commercial, but the Columbus Travel Agency at 1503 Commercial has closed.

The recently-opened Cell Doctor store at 1433 Commercial now has a new canopy.

The former Beckwomans at 1314 has now opened as a fashion boutique.

There is an interesting article in Monetcristo magazine that is mainly about the new branch of Sula restaurant in Mount Pleasant, but it has a welcome amount of information about the owners and chefs who maintain their first Sula at 1128 Commercial Drive.

The Lunch Lady at 1046 Commercial is the only restaurant on the Drive to make the Daily Hive’s best new restaurants of 2020 list.

The storefront at 931 Commercial is still not open, but the anticipated Covid Cafe looks like it should be ready early in the new year.

I notice that the Drive’s last house at 928 Commercial now has a new security fence and the nearby trees have protective coverings. That probably means that, after a couple of years of vacancy, the building is about to be demolished.

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Vacancies on the Drive this month: 

2283 Commercial (1 month), 2277 (vacant 18 months), 2223 (22 months), 2111 (8 months), 2057 (1 month), 1814 (8 months), 1752 (11 months), 1748 (5 months), 1740 (17 months), 1733 (3 months), 1728 (9 months), 1678 (4 months), 1608 (12 months), 1503 (1 month), 1305 (9 months), 1303 (3 months), 1301 (2 months), 1206 (3 months), 1003 (10 months), 935 (11 months), 931 (6 months), 902 (3 months).

These are depressing graphs but we live in hope that in the new year we will start re-filling these empty spaces and bring back the glory days of 2019. We also have to recognize that this is a city-wide issue and CityHallWatch has a good piece on the situation today on West Broadway and on Granville.

Previous Changes On The Drive editions.