Buying local in St. Albert
St. Albert, Alberta – When you live in a region dominated by the largest mall in North America and ringed by suburban power centres, you really have to think outside the big box to find quirky, interesting neighbourhoods in which to shop.
That’s where we come in. Every second week in Style, we’ve been introducing you to a fun, unexpected or offbeat shopping area that you might never have noticed or, at least, never fully appreciated. It might be just a couple of blocks or a bigger ‘hood with a bunch of worthwhile stops. No matter, you can shop, browse, snack or just stroll around. We’ll walk you through it.
St. Albert is that interesting mix of historic community and suburb, home to legions of middle-class commuters but also to one of the province’s oldest settlements, with its own rich heritage and, unlike most suburbs, its own downtown.
The city of 58,000 has more than its fair share of strip malls and big-box stores, but it has also made a real effort to preserve and revitalize its pretty downtown core, where the modern, Douglas Cardinal-designed city hall sits alongside a bustling Saturday farmers market. Independent boutiques, art galleries and condo buildings line the neighbouring streets.
