Here’s What Kelowna Needs
I REALLY like Kelowna. I think we’re incredibly lucky to call this tiny corner of planet earth our home. In many respects I believe we have it all — Four seasons, mountains, lakes, recreational opportunities, a growing services & technology sector, clean air and water, fruit trees, wine, quality health services, wine, an international airport, wine, and on and on.
BUT…
From time to time (especially when I return from travelling and have been exposed to other ways of thinking & doing things) I can’t help but imagine a few extras I’d like to see here in our lovely city.
Here are 5 things I’d like to see in Kelowna…
1. Architecturally Significant Buildings.
This might be a “tall order” but let’s put ourselves on the map with some architecturally significant buildings.
Now, one doesn’t need to be sprawling metropolis to be blessed with great architecture. In fact there are plenty of smaller metro-areas (150,000–500,000 populations) that have incredible buildings. Take for example Bilbao, Spain…

Sure, a little bigger than us, but one day very soon we’ll be there.
This report states that “Based on the BC Statistics projections the City of Kelowna’s population is anticipated to grow significantly, adding approximately 50,000 residents between now and 2040, which would result in approximately 178,500 residents in Kelowna and approximately 277,000 residents regionally”
I was pleased to see some debate about this recently regarding the old RCMP building location.
Daring Architecture is an investment for a city with an ROI, and I’m sure there are a bunch of architects out there who’d just love to unleash their creativity.
2. An Indoor Market
Ok, this possibly could relate to the above. Who wouldn’t love to see a year-round space where our local farmers, craft-makers, food-vendors, and small-shop-owners could share and sell their goods.
Wouldn’t it be great to see an indoor market like the St. Lawrence Market (Toronto) here in Kelowna?! It’s a spacious place with 100+ vendors, bakers, butchers and artisans.

The Ferry Building in San Francisco always inspires me, too. I wish we had some larger historic buildings that could be repurposed…

I’ve heard rumors of a market in the past, and seen several promising parcels of land get redeveloped with *yawn* boring developments.
I think the aging arena downtown would be an amazing spot for a something like this. The redevelopment currently going on along Clement was a missed opportunity.
Closing thoughts to any developer reading this pondering feasibility:
1. This wouldn’t have to be a stand-alone building. Mixed commercial/residential would probably make sense.
2. How could you create a space like this and make it vendor friendly? Give individual/family entrepreneurs a better chance at making a profit. I’m thinking small stalls and/or short-term or flexible lease agreements. Help our local micro-businesses find retail options outside of farmers markets and challenging e-commerce.
3. Keep it open to 11pm. If the space is charmingly atmospheric, and there was space to sit and people watch, I’d visit, even late at night with only a few stalls open. In many international cities, it’s not hard to shop after 9pm. It is in Kelowna.
3. More Niche Cuisine Options
Bigger metro areas tend to have an edge in harder-to-measure aspects of livability like entertainment options and food. Fancy some Hungarian Goulash in NYC? I’d bet you could probably find a place specializing in it.

Would-be restaurateurs take note of my un-experienced recommendations:
Don’t give Kelowna another chinese food restaurant with seating for 200 people. Give us some kind of cool Dumpling Bar experience with space for 30.
Don’t give Kelowna another generic breakfast restaurant, instead smash us in our mouths with something like L.A.’s Egg Slut. (Note: I’m a huge any-time-of-day breakfast guy)
I’m not saying this isn’t happening. It is, and it’s exciting to see, but I selfishly want more options.
To summarize: Smaller restaurant size, more specialization. I don’t mind standing in line for a seat to sample the 1–5 things on your menu that everyone raves about.
4. A Science Centre.
If you’ve got children, and it’s the dead of February in Kelowna (parents can already feel me here) there are only so many places you can go.
Wouldn’t it be great to take your child to someplace they could run, interact, and learn about the world around them? Heck! I still like visiting science centres too!
Speaking about adults liking museums, there is a growing trend around interactive museum pop-ups, and Instagram-able digital installations attracting huge swaths of people. Take for example teamLab’s “immersive museum” (shown below) in Tokyo. It has been a smash hit pulling in millions of dollars.

Create the right space that’s multi-functional for events, tourists, schools-trips, etc. and I think a business-case can be made for it.
You’ve got Telus Science World in Vancouver. Telus Spark in Calgary. I think we’re ready for a small version here in Kelowna.
5. An Urban Boutique Hotel.
Now, I fancy myself as somewhat of a hotel connoisseur. Well, maybe not so much a “connoisseur” because most of the time I can’t afford to stay in the places I really think are nice.
Nothing against all the current hotels, but I think Kelowna is lacking a slightly trendier/urban accommodation offering. Ok, so what do I mean by that?

I personally think Kimpton Hotels does a nice job of applying location-sensible style to their properties (lobbies and rooms). Their interiors have some stylistic longevity (won’t be “uncool” in a 2 years)
This one isn’t complicated. A good boutique hotel just happens to be something I think would do very well here.
Royal Anne, I’m looking at you. Great location, but in my humble opinion, a significant amount of work is needed to remove the traces of previous decades.
If you read that whole thing, thank you! If you see me driving with a blank stare on my face, this is the kind of stuff I’m probably thinking about. It’s also why you’re honking at me to go on that green light.
Ok, now your turn. I’m really curious what you think Kelowna Needs!
Note: If you’re thinking about ranting about some political BS, or want to share why that idea would never work, don’t be that person. Just save your breath. I’m just interested in your creative ideas.
Who the heck am I? My name is Brad Marshall. By day, I’m the Director of Digital Marketing at CrewMarketingPartners.com. By night, I’m just a dad/husband restlessly thinking about ideas— The views expressed here are entirely my own.