Businesses in White Rock

It would be nice if we could get a couple of good Chinese restaurants in town. The lack of them here is actually a meme on one of the local Facebook groups.

Why are the same buildings empty year after year - it looks run down. Can the city impose vacancy penalties? Or at a minimum requirements for upkeep. What about incentives for new businesses? I love Indian food but there are too many south asian restaurants and most of them don’t make it. Bookstore/ pub / coffee shop/ grocery store / live music venue

Our community would benefit from more boutique restaurants, cocktail/wine/tapas bars, great patios for socializing, and local shops with quality goods. The city needs to play a more active role in facilitating this, penalizing landlords with long term vacant spaces, and being more agile and timely with inspections to get businesses up and running quickly. The waterfront has declined significantly over the past few years and sadly is no longer appealing. Close Marine drive to cars, make the area pedestrian friendly, and consider ways to enhance public safety. I would love to see our waterfront be a date night destination again, not a strip of empty buildings, overcrowded sidewalks and sub-par restaurants with no ambiance.

There are way too many East Indian restaurants at White Rock beach… what is needed is a tea room for “cream teas”.. Somewhere to go for breakfast, since Jan’s closed there isn’t anywhere descent for breakfast… a good fish and chips restaurant or take out… what is not needed is anymore ice cream parlours and Curry places.

Marine Drive needs to offer a lot more appealing businesses along the strip so people can spend more enjoyable time there. It’s great fun to take the family to the beach for awhile but where can they go to take a short break from the surf and sand? Walking the sidewalks as they are now is not enjoyable. They are narrow and uneven and very few interesting stores to wander into. It can’t all be about restaurants. I agree with previous comments a small grocer with fresh produce and ready made picnic type take out would be great! Not only for tourists but for local residents too so they don’t always have to go uptown for groceries.
More picnic tables, a playground area (grassy, not concrete).
Small wine/tapas bars to attract evening visits.
Specialty restaurants for breakfast or just good burgers or sandwiches.
Better transit to/from uptown and between east/west beach areas. Shuttle buses need to be frequent and convenient.
Encourage small business, NO franchises/big box stores.

I think it would be good to see a bit more diversity in restaurant options. I love that we support local businesses but it may be more likely that more established restaurants, such as a chain, could survive the off season in the higher tourist areas. The high turnover and high prices of a lot of the restaurants on the beach tend to push the local residents into businesses in South Surrey instead of in our own city.

We definitely don't need anymore cultural restaurants but more covered patio coffee shops at the beach and a more eclectic restaurant like King Tap that appeals to all ages. Make it upbeat - coastal ! We could use more clothing & interesting coastal art & giftware - more like Fort Langley & Steveston vibe - more mid- to high end. A great deli at the beach would be great!

It would be great to have a bouldering gym nearby

Too many cultural restaurants
Too many fish and chip restaurants
Would like to see more variety
Like to see brick of pizza on marine Drive also like to see brew pubs on Marine Drive

Market that has produce, home ready foods, flowers. Small format grocery store. Also more diversity. Hardly any places to go for families.

Small format grocery store with deli, ready made foods and produce. Sidewalk cafes. Parks and children’s play areas similar to the one in Columbia

Somewhere to pickup a picnic lunch, ready made sandwiches, charcuterie board in a box, cold drinks, hot drinks, ice cream and beach gear like toys, grass mats, towels, skim boards, water wings, shovel and pails, sunscreen, sunhats, toques, sandals, sunglasses, etc.) Everything we might forget but need for a day at the beach would be very convenient (think ABC Stores in Hawaii as an example.) Why support Walmart when this is right here...where it's needed.

The City of White rock needs a City Council that has the ability to look into the future and make visionary decisions. At present the White Rock City Council is incapable of working together, making decisions to improve the lives of the residents of the City of White Rock. I am probably wasting my time sending this e-mail.

I would like fewer tattoo parlours and vape shops.... more galleries, clothing boutiques, great little restaurants and bars.

Enough south asian restaurants in the beach!!! Bring back the diversity we had in the past. Encourage book stores, great clothing shops, art galleries, wine shops, coffee shops.

I think it’s important that we start looking at Marine Drive the façade of the building. It’s not a pleasant look down there. You go to other seaside cities and they are ibeautiful and inviting ! The building need a facade so it’s inviting to walk along Marine Drive. Finish the West End promenade! Less ethnic south Asian restaurants would be great. We need some variety!

First snd foremost clean up the vacant spaces!
Parking is an issue for tourism and lack of it hinders any business. People don’t want to pay to park, pay Vancouver prices for meals and tip 20%. Fact!
Unique boutiques, with quality ie a good kitchen store, deli with unique products, spices etc,, a true bakery/ cafe like you find in Europe with seating and reasonable prices.
Existing businesses need to repair, clean up and dress up their shops!
The drive is a beautiful treasure for White Rock but requires an overall clean up
Could the Business Association work with land owners and tenants to rejuvenate the area?

#4 P Consider the economics from the perspective of a prospective business owner. Unlike residential housing, commercial rents are not rent-controlled. Landlords set rates according to what they believe the market will support—and waterfront property can come with particularly high expectations.
A retailer or restaurant must cover rent, renovations, utilities, waste disposal, licences, taxes, inventory, storage, shrinkage, insurance, security, equipment, parking, repairs, staff wages, benefits and other operating costs—all before making any modest profit. What would the break-even point actually be for a new business?

#3 P It is fascinating to review ideas, opinions and high expectations posted on City of White Rock TALKS about what businesses people want to see on the waterfront. Some may not have walked the full length of Marine Drive, from Oxford to Maple, to see what is already available. We do have paddleboard rental, pizza, several coffee shops and a saturation of one type of restaurant, plus 6 other types. Over past 30 years, fashion retailers have come and gone.
Some commentary suggests that people who have never operated a business may underestimate how little government can control the commercial marketplace beyond zoning, permits and health regulations.

#2 P: People want convenient, free parking, a broad range of retail, affordable meals for diverse tastes and live entertainment. Facts show no business can satisfy everyone. Online shopping has also reduced foot traffic for storefront retailers, leaving many with substantial unsold inventory that must eventually be deeply discounted simply to recover costs. Talk with retailers, they have their records and lived experience. At the same time, there is often an assumption that merchants are “raking it in.” Many business owners are working 12–16-hour days simply to stay viable. All of these factors make the long-term sustainability of ANY of the businesses on White Rock’s waterfront challenging.
Perhaps we should also ask whether Marine Drive needs to become an all-season carnival. There is something lovely and natural about the peaceful off-season atmosphere at Crescent Beach. Its residents endure considerable disruption during the high season.