It all started in Edmonton...

Coming from my previous job in Vancouver at the city's premier business weekly newspaper, I became pretty familiar with the business world in Vancouver.  The companies that started there, the companies that moved to there or away from there. 


Now here in Edmonton, I'm a little less in the loop on the business community.  But I always find it interesting to find out how big companies got their start, so I have come to find out that several well known retail companies were started right here in E-Town! 


The Brick - The first store was opened in Edmonton in 1971 - then called Bill Comrie's Furniture Warehouse.  In 1975 the store moved to a large brick building in downtown Edmonton, and in 1978 was renamed "The Brick Warehouse"...later "The Brick".  By 1980, the business was generating $75 million/year from that one location.  Today, The Brick operates 200 locations across Canada.


Boston Pizza - Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House opened in Edmonton in 1964.  By 1970 there were 17 locations, 15 of which were franchises. Once of the first franchisees was Jim Trevliving, who we now know and love from one of our favourite CBC programs, Dragon's Den.  Jim and his business partner George Melville bought the chain of restaurants in 1983, and now Boston Pizza has over 325 locations across Canada, 54 in the United States (there known as Boston's The Gourmet Pizza), and 2 locations in Mexico.


Running Room - The first Running Room was a small one room store, housed in the renovated living room of an old house in Edmonton in 1984.  The company now has over 90 retail locations throughout Canada and the US. 


Earl's - Earl's was founded in 1982, with the first location right here in Edmonton.  Still a family run business, Earl's has over 50 locations in Canada and the US. 


Booster Juice - Okay, technically, Booster Juice didn't start in Edmonton - it started in a suburb of Edmonton, Sherwood Park.  And get this, they opened a smoothie bar in November, 1999.  November?  Really?  I would think November in Canada's North would be the perfect time to open hot chocolate shop, not a smoothie bar.  But that's why I don't own a successful business.  Booster Juice now has over 170 stores worldwide (including five in Saudi Arabia!). 


Edmonton has also been the testing ground for US companies looking to enter the Canadian market.  We often get the first location in Canada or the first location in Western Canada.  We have the first Victoria's Secret location in Western Canada, where else but at West Edmonton Mall.  We also had the first Canadian location of Bath & Body Works (also at The Mall).   We also have the first Canadian location of the American fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot.  (I haven't been here yet, but that 2 for 1 chocolate fondue coupon is sure burning a hole in my pocket, so hopefully soon!) 

The Alberta "TO DO" List

Now that I've been in Alberta for a few months, and working for an organization that promotes Edmonton as a great place to live, work, and play, I have discovered all the things there are to do here.  So I have compiled my Alberta "to do" list (items not listed in any particular order):

• Visit Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history museum.
• Visit the Valley Zoo in Edmonton and see Lucy the Elephant.  There is quite a bit of controversy about poor Lucy, who was orphaned in Sri Lanka at the age of two, and brought to Edmonton.  Rightly or wrongly, at age 35, she is here and I want to see her.  Elephants are one of my favourite animals (along with octopus).  Animal rights activists, inclulding Bob Barker(!), are taking the City of Edmonton to court over Lucy, stating that elephants are social animals and she needs to be with others of her kind, and in a warmer climate.  While I don't necessarily disagree, veterinarians have stated on several occassions that Lucy is not physically fit to move, and the stress of a move could be life threatening to her. 
• Dinner at La Ronde, Edmonton's only revolving restaurant.  La Ronde is in the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe hotel,  perched atop a hill overlooking the river valley.  I can only imagine the amazing views to be had from up there!  I think the best time to go might be in the fall when the sun sets during the dinner hour so you can get the full affect of the sunset.  
• Visit the Royal Alberta Museum.  Just cuz I love museums.
• Visit the Art Gallery of Alberta.  The Art Gallery just re-opened in January 2010 after a major renovation.  The new building is unlike anything else I have ever seen.  Though it's not to my particular taste, it is still interesting nontheless, and I can't wait to go check it out.  Particularly because The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons exhibit is here! 
• Theatre district of Old Strathcona.  Given that this is right in my neighbourhood, I've already been to a production here.  But did you know that Edmonton has the most live theatre per capita in Canada?  And Old Strathcona has the most theatres in one area of Edmonton, with eight companies performing out of four venues in two square blocks.  And the best thing?  Ticket prices are so reasonable!
• Visit the Alberta Legislature building.  The city of Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta, so I had better go check it out!  (Plus, I have a lead on getting us in on the VIP Tour!)
• Hike in Elk Island National Park.  We've already hiked the park once, but I definitely want to go back - there are many more hikes to do!  Less than an hour's drive from the city, Elk Island protects prairie grasslands and boreal forests and is home to free-roaming herds of bison, elk, and deer (as well as being home to many other species of birds and other animals).  Elk Island's claim to fame is that contains the densest population of ungulates (hoofed mammals) in Canada and second densest worldwide with only the Serengeti plains in Africa having a more concentrated population.
• Spend a weekend in Calgary.  Just to go spy on the competition.  hehe  Plus, I hear the zoo is amazing!
• Spend a weekend in Drumheller.  I want to go to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and go for a hike through the badlands and see the hoodoos.
• Festivals and more festivals.  Edmonton has so many festivals, I don't think there's any way I'm going to see them all.  The Fringe Festival is the largest Fringe in North America, second in the world only to the original Fringe in Edinburgh.  The Folk Festival is super popular - this year's selling out in only one day!  With headliners like Van Morrison, Gord Downie and Ben Harper, I should have known to get myself sorted sooner.  I am hoping the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to check out the Street Performers' Festival this weekend.  There are so many others that I won't list them all here - I will just endeavour to see as many as possible!  (And I'm actually looking forward to the Winter Light Festival as well!)
• I didn't really think about this one until my guy mentioned it.  Going to Fort McMurray and taking an oil sands tour.  Not at the top of any tourist list I'm sure, but given all the controversy and having seen it on tv a million times, I think it will be interesting.   I'm sure it will break my little green heart, but if I can get over that, it will certainly be interesting to see it first hand and learn where our oil comes from.  Then I can have a more educated opinion when it comes to the environmental effects of the oil sands.  (But really, until we can curb our demand for oil, they are going to keep digging for it where ever they can find it.  Please, some genius out there find us a cheap, renewable, sustainable oil substitute!)
• Go cross country ski and snow shoeing.  I guess the good thing about a long winter is that there's lots of snow and time to get out to play in it.  And having the river valley trail system three blocks from our house means easy access to over 150kms of trails to go cross country skiing and snow shoeing.
• Outdoor skating.  Growing up in Vancouver, the climate is just not appropriate for outdoor skating so I've never done it.  But here?  Well - let me tell you, when it's daytime highs of -10, there better damn well be SOMETHING fun outdoors to do!  There are seven outdoor rinks in Edmonton, so surely we can find time to hit one of them.  And maybe sneak in some Baileys for our hot chocolate! 
• Survive the winter.  This may be the hardest one of all - I think it will take all my strength, focus and dedication to make it through winter here.  But over a million people do it every year, surely I can try!  :)