TRAINING FACILITY, DISTILLERY SET UP SHOP IN BRIDGELAND
Eisenberg Building repurposed to accommodate two new businesses
A corner of Bridgeland is being revitalized with the repurposing of the former Eisenberg Furniture building at 77 Edmonton Trail N.E.
When Stan Eisenberg decided to close his retail store, he deliberated on the best use of the 20,000 square feet, hoping to lease it to a single tenant. But on the advice of Jeff Keet, a vice-president of Devencore, he allowed for the space to be subdivided, and two companies have been attracted that will bring new traffic to the area.
Already up and running in about 13,000 square feet is a new location for Cor.Fit, now Canada’s largest indoor obstaclecourse training facility. Kevin Halliday, owner of Spindle, Stairs and Railings for almost 20 years and co-owner of Cor.Fit, had a health scare and looked for a lifestyle change and way to get fit.
He says he found lots of clubs offering exercise, but his nature needed one that was also fun.
With two partners, he founded Cor.Fit in extra space in his southeast Foothills Industrial Park plant where his own engineers designed the equipment that was manufactured on site.
It quickly became successful — helped by his participation in a Dragon’s Den episode — but he felt a location closer to the core would be more attractive and, through Keet and Devencore retail leasing specialist Kevin McCann, moved into Bridgeland.
Halliday has created a fun way to work out that is attracting people of all ages, while also creating a facility for charity races and corporate team building. He is already planning to expand Core.Fit across Canada.
Next door, work is well underway to build Bridgeland Distillery.
Owners Jacques Tremblay and Daniel Plenzik are opening their production facility and tasting room with a focus on brandy, whiskey and a grappa-style liquor that will be another attraction to the area.
Tremblay is a software engineer and Plenzik an electrical engineer who met while taking a distilling course in B.C. They decided to put their passion to work back in Calgary and worked with commercial realtor Chris Howard of Avison Young to secure 6,500 square feet of space in the Eisenberg Furniture building.
They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of new distillery equipment from Kentucky, but meanwhile have their first batch of brandy aging at Burwood Distillery in Greenview Industrial N.E.
The anticipated public opening is in late June, when they hope to have a licence to open an outdoor patio space.
Building owner Eisenberg has been driving to work in Bridgeland for many years and will continue to do so as he is keeping his office in the same spot. But now he has ventured into a business with his wife, Lynn, and partners Randy and Patricia Shapiro.
They are the new owners of The Discovery Hut, selling board and card games, kits and crafts on the upper level of Chinook Centre close to Nordstrom.
Eisenberg says he is delighted with his two new tenants who will help bring more life to his corner of Edmonton Trail, and is looking forward to the start of construction of the planned 186unit residential property across the street.
Add the Benevity building where Blush Lane Organics has been a real attraction, and that area of Bridgeland is going to be a busy corner of this city.
NOTES:
Construction work has begun at Hotel Arts to offer a new poolside experience this summer. VisionScapes, a Calgary landscape design and construction team, is introducing a new sense of greenery to the poolside patio area to give guests an urban park setting while enjoying a cocktail or bite to eat. “The poolside patio has been a unique licensed gathering space for hotel guests and special events; Phase 2 will include an illuminated, inflatable structure allowing the pool and deck space to be used yearround,” Hotel Arts general manager Mark Wilson says. Designed and built by Calgary’s Dynamic Air Shelters, it will cover the entire poolside courtyard from fall until spring.