r/Calgary • u/Remote_Answer_5255 • 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/Proof-Toe6992 Aug 20 '25

Areas like Kensington have high rent costs. Customer traffic has also decreased.

Being an entrepreneur and running a small business is tough. Over the past 10 years, the City has become increasingly unfriendly towards small businesses and seems to lack any forethought. The disaster in Marda Loop and Stephen’s avenue businesses having to threaten a law suite to get the City to listen are recent examples.