Thanks for doing this study. Despite Duncan-proper's population, it's really not a small town, but a small incorporated urban core. It is the smallest city by area in Canada at 2km squared. In any normal situation, Duncan would amalgamate with the District of North Cowichan, which has a population exceeding 30,000. Many of the businesses that contribute to Duncan's victory, such as Walmart, are actually located in the District of North Cowichan, despite the Duncan mailing address. If Duncan meets your criteria for a small town, then it doesn't have an A&W (It's in North Cowichan). Merritt is your actual winner.
>You might suspect me of cherry-picking 20 specific outlets to have Duncan literally sweep them all
I might suspect the author of cherry picking Duncan as a punch line - well aware that most of the business listed are in North Cowichan. Loved the piece though.
I was 13 when the McDonald's came to Duncan in 1978 and remember it as being a Big Thing. We no longer had to beg the parents to drive us to Victoria for a Filet-O-Fish sandwich. I moved to Vancouver way back in 1986 but even back then Duncan had already added a Wendy's, a Boston Pizza and had an A&W that was always there, probably going back to the 1840s or something (or so it felt to me as a 13-year-old).
When I go back to Duncan now it feels like the chains have exploded to cover the whole town. Is it less charming now? Along the island highway, yes. Overall? It still has its charm, you just have to venture off the main drag to find it.
I think it warrants some study whether the influx of so many chains to Duncan contributed to loss of charm or appeal? Chains do bring familiarity and convenience, but so often at the expense of charming character and quirky independent atmosphere.
I have to think that the explosion in the transient population and the fact that Duncan is now fundamentally one giant crack house has had far more impact on charm and appeal than having two Dollaramas.
Sadly, it’s become not a very nice place to be at all.
I grew up in Parksville and understood that developers ran things there, unlike Qualicum Beach, which I had always assumed had a no-commercial chains policy. Did it miss being on the no-chains list because it has a Pharmasave? Anyway, all of the charm of Parksville is long-gone, and the charm of Qualicum's town centre is mostly artificial, so.
For someone that vividly remembers the teenage feeling of “look out world we can do anything” pride that came to Kelowna along with the first McDonalds in the 70s, this was a fascinating read. That pride faded over time when I saw it repeated in many places during my four-decade-long gap year, and was part of a “let’s plant our flag everywhere”, culture less, cookie cutter growth machine.
Best wishes to the people of Kimberley. May they make wise choices.
Thanks for doing this study. Despite Duncan-proper's population, it's really not a small town, but a small incorporated urban core. It is the smallest city by area in Canada at 2km squared. In any normal situation, Duncan would amalgamate with the District of North Cowichan, which has a population exceeding 30,000. Many of the businesses that contribute to Duncan's victory, such as Walmart, are actually located in the District of North Cowichan, despite the Duncan mailing address. If Duncan meets your criteria for a small town, then it doesn't have an A&W (It's in North Cowichan). Merritt is your actual winner.
>You might suspect me of cherry-picking 20 specific outlets to have Duncan literally sweep them all
I might suspect the author of cherry picking Duncan as a punch line - well aware that most of the business listed are in North Cowichan. Loved the piece though.
Subway has always been a very cheap franchise to start--low entry to intialize.
To start a Subway franchise, the initial non-refundable franchise fee is $15,000
Buying supplies is another thing. and adds up, but the franchise, with the right location and promotion picks it up soonish.
I was 13 when the McDonald's came to Duncan in 1978 and remember it as being a Big Thing. We no longer had to beg the parents to drive us to Victoria for a Filet-O-Fish sandwich. I moved to Vancouver way back in 1986 but even back then Duncan had already added a Wendy's, a Boston Pizza and had an A&W that was always there, probably going back to the 1840s or something (or so it felt to me as a 13-year-old).
When I go back to Duncan now it feels like the chains have exploded to cover the whole town. Is it less charming now? Along the island highway, yes. Overall? It still has its charm, you just have to venture off the main drag to find it.
I think it warrants some study whether the influx of so many chains to Duncan contributed to loss of charm or appeal? Chains do bring familiarity and convenience, but so often at the expense of charming character and quirky independent atmosphere.
I have to think that the explosion in the transient population and the fact that Duncan is now fundamentally one giant crack house has had far more impact on charm and appeal than having two Dollaramas.
Sadly, it’s become not a very nice place to be at all.
I grew up in Parksville and understood that developers ran things there, unlike Qualicum Beach, which I had always assumed had a no-commercial chains policy. Did it miss being on the no-chains list because it has a Pharmasave? Anyway, all of the charm of Parksville is long-gone, and the charm of Qualicum's town centre is mostly artificial, so.
For someone that vividly remembers the teenage feeling of “look out world we can do anything” pride that came to Kelowna along with the first McDonalds in the 70s, this was a fascinating read. That pride faded over time when I saw it repeated in many places during my four-decade-long gap year, and was part of a “let’s plant our flag everywhere”, culture less, cookie cutter growth machine.
Best wishes to the people of Kimberley. May they make wise choices.
P.S. why doesn’t Kelowna have a Radisson yet?