Fun Flaneur Finds In Ponoka AB.
A few months back I was contacted by a CBC (Red Deer) reporter wanting to pick my brain about why some small Alberta towns have successful downtowns while others don’t. We chatted for 20 minutes about why a town like Lacombe has a thriving downtown, but Ponoka and Wetaskiwin don’t. Could it simply be population - Lacombe is 14,000 while Wetaskiwin is 12,500 and Ponoka only 7,300? Probably not. Could it be Lacombe’s amazing heritage murals that make their downtown a tourist attraction? Could it be Lacombe simply has more community pride…or more entrepreneurs? There are simply too many variables to definitely say why one downtown is thriving and another is struggling to survive.
Ponoka’s Provincial Building designed by signature Alberta architect, Douglas Cardinal is a hidden gem.
Successful Downtown Checklist
My personal belief is there is no magic formula for creating a successful downtown or a successful main street. However, here is a checklist of some of the things urbanists have indicated are necessary for a thriving downtown:
Public museum and/or art Gallery, with active programming
Shopping store anchor supported by a cluster of shops
Attractive public place (plaza, park, river walk ) with active programming
Pedestrian-friendly, clean and safe
Signature annual festival or event
Tourist attraction(s) and hotels
Diversity of restaurants and cafes
Diversity of entertainment and recreational activities
Affordable and adequate parking
Diversity of office uses, health and other services
It is hard for small towns to have all of these, maybe even 5 of these if they are lucky. And even then, they may struggle if there is a Walmart, Tim Hortons and a few chain restaurants on the edge of town. Ponoka has lots of affordable parking, but that is about it.
Downtown Ponoka has a quaint hotel.
It is also home to a vintage movie theatre.
Fast Forward To Our Trip To Edmonton
Once a year, we head to Edmonton to visit friends, do a bit of thrifting and research some of the City’s new urban development projects. We usually stop in Red Deer to check out a few thrift stores along the way, one being the Mission Thrift Store, which is large, well organized and well stocked. This time we found out there is a Mission Thrift Store in Ponoka and a quick Google Map check found another thrift store, so we decided to make Ponoka our next stop on our way to Edmonton. It is only 45 minutes away, and that’s taking the back roads.
Sure enough, as we entered Ponoka from the south side there was the Mission Thrift Store in what looked like a new building at the edge of town (not a good sign). A quick shop and we then headed downtown where we found an amazing flaneur find (by car) – a huge (takes up an entire block) strange-looking brick building. It was almost church-like. What was it doing in downtown Ponoka? Stop the car!
I quickly realized it was designed by Douglas Cardinal, arguably Alberta’s most famous architect, known for his curvilinear, organic designs that seem inspired by the rounded, rolling foothills of Alberta. This makes sense as he grew up in a log cabin built by his father in the Porcupine Hills of southern Alberta. The cabin had no electricity or running water, requiring him to live in harmony with nature. His most famous building is the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, across the river from Ottawa. He also has designed a church in Red Deer and City Hall in St. Albert.
I was gobsmacked to see this amazing building in downtown Ponoka and sad that it looked so depressing as there were few windows and no sense of life around it, despite it being mid-day on a weekday. We walked around it getting photos from all angles and even went inside and still encountered not a single person. Finally we saw a tiny office off the lobby and asked if we were allowed to be in the building. Turns out he was a probation officer and said it would be fine wander around. I took some photos of the lobby and left. It had a very sad sense of place.
Douglas Cardinal is know of his curved facades, which proceeded those of the early 21st century architecture by 25 years.
The building creates an organic sense of place that makes for an interesting pedestrian experience.
Ponoka’s Downtown
Continuing to Ponoka’s main street (aka 50th Ave) it too was disserted. Literally, there were no cars and no people to speak of. No problem finding a parking spot here. The street had banners and flower plantings, but most of the stores looked closed or were closed.
We found the downtown thrift store. It was open, great, staff friendly and well stocked. I was tempted to buy the old typewriter with the widest carriage I’ve ever seen, but resisted. Down the street is The Crow, a restaurant in a heritage building that looked interesting…next time. Around the corner is a Cowboy Tools, another heritage building being brought back to life. It has an amazing collection of saddles and other cowboy/ranching equipment.
Side Note: Did I mention Ponoka is home to an impressive Rodeo Grounds, a respected annual rodeo and the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (how is that not in Calgary, at Stampede Park)? Too bad the museum isn’t downtown. And the Ponoka Rodeo is ranked as one of the top ten in the world.
Across the street from Cowboy Tools is a mid-century outdoor shopping plaza with “great bones,” it is anchored by a Shoppers Drug Mart, but all the other spaces are empty. Further down the street is The Corner Bookstore, full of not only books, but plants, music and coins and currencies - the perfect place for treasure hunters.
Along 51st Ave is Pickles & Pie restaurant which was funky inside and probably a good lunch spot. For women there are two specialty stores - Daisy Dot’s Quilting and Crafts and Busted Ladies Lingerie on 51st Ave. Makkinga Market is a fun spot with its huge selection of candy as well as various foods from the Netherlands – cheeses, dried sausages, spices etc. We loaded up on assorted liquorice candy for the ride to Edmonton.
Heading back to the car we saw the old downtown location of the Mission Thrift Store and thought too bad it wasn’t still downtown. It could have been one of the shopping anchors of the downtown along with Red Apple and Dollar Tree stores just a few blocks from main street.
Note: Mission Thrift Store joined McDonalds, Subway, Dollarama and No Frills on the edge of town. Nothing kills a downtown more than new retail and restaurants locating themselves on the highway.
Downtown Ponoka was deserted on a Friday afternoon despite having several interesting shops and restaurants.
Downtown Ponoka has a couple of interesting restaurants.
There is an eclectic diversity of shops downtown.
We enjoyed browsing this thrift shop.
This block had several upscale boutiques.
Every great downtown has a funky used bookstore.
Cowboy Tools has a new facade that adds some authenticity to downtown.
Inside are some amazing displays of cowboy equipment.
Missed River Opportunity
The Battle River flows next to the downtown, but there is no visual link or connection to the river. Great downtowns often have waterfront shops, patios and cafes. The Battle River Valley Trail system is several blocks away, as is The Volunteer Firefighters Riverside Park and Riverside Rotary Park. Ponoka’s downtown desperately needs a public space that can be programmed to attract people of all ages to come downtown to celebrate from time to time.
Last Word
Ponoka has the makings of an interesting downtown, but it will require more entrepreneurs restoring some of the buildings along 50th and 51st Aves to create a critical mass of interesting things to see and do downtown. It also needs its own brand/theme.
For example, Nanton’s theme is antiques, Lacombe’s is heritage murals and Vulcan has its Star Trek theme. Could Ponoka’s be “The best little cowboy town on the prairies?” Or, maybe “Ponoka: Where Cardinal meets Cowboy!”
Ya, I know too bizarre, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. I’ll keep thinking and maybe I can come up with something better.
