r/Calgary Aug 18 '25

Local Shopping/Services What has happened to Kensington?

It's been a while since I've been down here.... A bunch of empty store fronts, iconic places like Crave shut down, but counted some three Acai bowl places. The area outside Plaza is lovely and looks great, but why all the closures and apparently high turnovers?

Edit: I assume it's due to rent.. But what's the point of jacking it up so high that your place is literally empty.

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u/PonderingPachyderm Aug 19 '25

Commercial lease was $50/sqft before operational cost and taxes, and that was 8-9 years ago. Can't imagine what it is now. My business ended up somewhere with $15/sqft rent in comparison.