‘The Shore’ will always be the good old North Shore to me

Jul 21, 2018 | 6:34 AM

MY VERSION OF what I like to call “the North Shore lifestyle” consists largely of stopping for groceries or filling up with gas on my way through as I head towards home.

I also attend the primary care clinic for medical appointments and pick up the odd bit of mail at the Post Office.

My transient relationship with the North Shore gives me at least a passing appreciation for its features. The library is excellent. A lot of the shopping is pretty good.

We occasionally have dinner there. I sometimes walk the dog on the Rivers Trail along Schubert Drive.

McArthur Island is something to be jealous of, and will be even better when a nature park is developed where the defunct golf course was.

I knew the North Shore much better years ago when I lived just down the street from McDonald Park and walked to work on Tranquille Road.

I’ve been a fan going back to when the Northills Mall was a drive-in theatre. I’ll never call it “The Shore.” That just sounds corny and affected to me.

It is, however, the new “brand” for that part of town.

Branding has become a marketing must for communities, provinces, even neighbourhoods. A “brand” is supposed to say enough in three or four words, or less, to make you want to go there.

It’s basically a slogan that almost never accomplishes what it wants to accomplish, but choosing one is a good exercise in navel gazing.

I don’t know how much time and effort the North Shore BIA put into coming up with “The Shore,” but I give them points for trying.

It’s just that when I hear “The Shore” I think about a condo development or maybe a hotel or restaurant on a beach. When I Googled it, a long list of such facilities popped up, as well as The Shores, a seniors’ apartment just off Eight Street.

I can’t get “Jersey Shore” out of my mind, which conjures up images of — as one description of that popular TV shows says — “lots of hair gel, suntan lotion and skimpy clothing.”

I doubt that’s what the NSBIA had in mind when business-owner members decided to lop the “North” off of “North Shore.”

A really interesting newsletter from the BIA to its members this week describes the thinking behind “The Shore.” It asks the rhetorical question, “Why did we

remove North from the North Shore?” but doesn’t explain it beyond simply wanting to change something.

“It was actually our last idea about rebranding,” the newsletter says.

The other options under consideration were either uninspiring or didn’t fit. International Marketplace. The Corridor. Tranquille Strip. So, The Shore it is.

Will a new name create a new image? For many years, media have had an unhappy habit of pointing out when a crime has occurred on the North Shore. They never seem to mention the location when it’s on the South Shore.

It’s true the North Shore has its share of social issues. Many of the City’s social services are located there. More social housing is about to be built once the provincial government gets to it.

Spirit Square, a mistake from the start, is now known as a hangout for the less-than-desirable. While dirty needles are a problem in many parts of the city, they’ve become especially associated with the North Shore.

This image has, understandably, been a sore point. One can see why a jolt of positivity and a new moniker seemed in order.

“In the brand, we want to both honour our yesterdays (where we came from), our today (who we are now), and vision a tomorrow (what we can become),” explains the newsletter.

“We wanted a look and feel that is strong and simple, reflects our sunshine, and works well with the Tourism Kamloops brand of ‘Boldly Unscripted.’”

Well, let’s not get into the “Boldly Unscripted” thing.

When it comes to reinvigorating a community or neighbourhood, changing a name isn’t going to convince people the place itself has changed. That comes with the fundamentals.

New York, once famous as a place to get mugged in, resurrected itself by making its streets safe again. Detroit, once known for derelict buildings, is rising from the ashes of urban decay. Toronto is revitalizing its aging inner-neighbourhood high-rise apartment buildings.

The North Shore has some good stuff going for it. It has walkability but it needs residential sidewalks. It needs more lights. There’s some new commercial and residential development on Tranquille Road and more will come. It’s already got heart and character.

Though I won’t be calling that part of town “The Shore” any time soon, I seriously wish the BIA folks well as they ramp up their branding campaign over the next few months. To me, though, it’s still going to be the good old North Shore.