Chinatown: The Next Frontier?

As China continues to grow in economic boom, expect things to look a little different in Chinatown. In last month’s Montreal Gazette article, the owner of Swatow import/exports said he will invest $20 million in creating a shopping center on St-Laurent. Yes, our 2 block Chinatown is finally going to have another shopping center!

I’ve always wondered and wished for Chinatown to grow in some fashion. Progress surely has grown, albeit slowly, with a newly renovated jewelry store, sorry, posh bakery store, that just popped open across Beijing Restaurant on De La Gauchetiere recently.

With the news of a new shopping center is in the works, this could invigorate other businesses to grow in or around Chinatown and we can only hope that it will attract designers to set up their shops there.

It’s interesting to note that out of all the places in the downtown area, Chinatown has stayed the least affected, no shiny new buildings, or sidewalks or innovative restaurant or store designs. To me, very little has changed since the 1980s. If I were in business, Chinatown would be the new untapped resource in the city. As their motherland continues to steam ahead by expanding into the luxury market, I have a feeling that other Chinatowns around the world are beating to the same drum beat. This is only the beginning.