Winnipeg business owner says she's leaving Osborne Village due to lack of customers, safety

A Winnipeg small business owner says a decline in foot traffic and public safety in Osborne Village is driving her local beauty supply chain out of the area.

Fiona Zhao, owner of Unique Bunny, says she has operated one of her Asian beauty and lifestyle stores in the Village for about eight years, but its doors are set to close on Dec. 23 and its five staff will be moved to work at one of two other locations in the city.

"It was one of the hardest decisions," said Zhao. "Me and my staff do not feel it's a safe place to work. Secondly … the customers reduced and the sales reduced dramatically."

While Zhao says she loved doing business in the Village, where loyal customers showed strong support during the pandemic, she has noticed a change in the neighbourhood over the last year. There have been people doing drugs, starting fires and sleeping outside near her store.

Someone broke into Unique Bunny's store in the Village about a year ago, said Zhao, stealing their cash register and a number of products. There have also been a handful of instances where people who were intoxicated came into the store and drove away other customers.

"It's really a lot to take on," she said. "It's happened too often."

Unique Bunny's farewell to Osborne Village comes after Winnipeg police announced increased efforts on Tuesday to curb shoplifting, as retail theft in the city spiked by 44 per cent during the first eight months of 2023 when compared to the same period last year.

The police service said it partnered with the local business community and Retail Council of Canada since the start of November to conduct focused enforcement and prevent people from brazenly stealing items in bulk with an intent to resell them.

Zhao says she has also heard from long-term customers who told her they were driving to her store on Pembina, instead of the Osborne location, because they didn't feel safe walking in the area and had nowhere to park their vehicles.

Dave Barclay doesn't live in Osborne Village, but says he doesn't feel in danger there.

The issues affecting the neighbourhood are evident "right across North America. It's not just Osborne Village," Barclay told CBC News in the Village on Tuesday.

"It's as safe here as any major city in this country."

Osborne Village businesses 'suffering'

Anton Harbin, who goes to school in Osborne Village, says he feels the neighbourhood has "gone downhill" over the last decade.

"It's got a lot of potential still, but it's kind of a tragedy to see a place that used to be an artsy, vibrant area essentially turn into a giant encampment," he told CBC News in the area on Tuesday.

Harbin says issues with housing and addictions are hitting the neighbourhood hard. "It's a symptom of greater problems in the city."

Zohreh Gervais, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, says it has seen progress through its work with local community groups to make the neighbourhood feel more community-oriented and safe.

"Ultimately, that's something that the city and the provincial government also need to help us with, because we can't solve systemic issues like drug overdoses, poverty and homelessness," said Gervais.

"Those are issues that belong to society as a whole, and we are a business improvement zone."

She says the area used to be one of the busiest in Winnipeg, but that has changed over the years, and a lack of foot traffic and increase in crime can be seen "across the board" in the city.

The neighbourhood "has always had a really artsy, eclectic vibe, and I would love to help transform Osborne Village into really being like an art hub again for the city," said Gervais.

The BIZ has also been working with the city on potential plans for a pedestrian scramble at Osborne Street and River Avenue, said Gervais. She wants to see expanded sidewalks, reduced traffic and increased street parking in order to attract more foot traffic.

"This was never meant to be a major traffic thoroughfare, and the shops here are suffering from that."

New construction in the Village could revitalize the area, said Zhao, but it could take two to three years for that to happen and she can't afford to wait.

She says her Osborne Village store has been losing money while sales at her other two locations have only grown, as many people have become interested in Asian skin care products in recent years due to their quality and affordability.

She has been in touch with the Osborne Village BIZ to voice her concerns, but Zhao says safety is key for people to believe in an area.

She still has hope that the area is able to recover.

"I really love Osborne Village. I believe it will be back again."