Bowness Shopping Centre (Bowness Rd NW)

Bowness Shopping Centre on Bowness Road and in the neighbourhood of (guess where) Bowness, was established before the community even became part of Calgary. The city annexed the land here part way into the ’60s, but before that time it was a town on its own. The shopping centre is home to an eclectic collection of shops and stores, some of which go back a long time. Read on and enjoy.

The first mention we can find is from about 1957 and prior it appears the site was part of a large empty field. We’ve confirm all this with dated aerial photos and at that point the community was rather spread out, with large gaps of nothing in between. You can’t imagine it today, and while Bowness sometimes still feels like a town within the city, it’s every bit a part of Calgary.

Today, these flats by the river are full of homes end to end, but not back then. It appears an airfield used to be located very close to here at some point in the 1920s but info is sparse. The community was going through a bit of a boom period by the time Bowness Shopping Centre came on the scene and it was built in service of this growing population.

Early tenants included West Point Hardware (later Marshall Wells), Dell Cafe (it’s still there), Bowness Sausage Shop, a Royal Bank branch, Crystal Confectionery, Harrison & McLuckle Bake Shop, Neighbourhood Cleaners and Buckley Drugs.

Later a liquor store moved into the Crystal Confectionery location. Then and now, booze is where it’s at.

The street out front, in the early days, took the name 16th Avenue, but later changed to Bowness Road after the city took over. Interestingly, it’s shown a 40th Avenue on a couple maps published around time talks of annexation were taking place.

Initially the centre comprised two similarly sized blocks side by side and separated by a gap. A couple years later the two were joined and other blocks added, the second at left angles to the first and then another at right angles to the second. The years pass and gaps are filled again, new additions put in and by later in the 1970s the complex has taken on the form seen present day.

There’s now two sections, one long and rectangular facing Bowness Road and the other, separated by an empty lot and L shaped, fronting on 77th Street (NW).

A gas station has occupied the far corner lot since the beginning. It’s removed from the rest of the complex and out where the two streets meet.

Over the years tenants come and tenants go and the list so long, it’d fill this post many times over. There were businesses of every description and all the usual suspects – cafes, grocery stores, hair salons, a plethora of eateries, and so on.

Businesses present day that have been here a fairly long time included Bow Foods – since the latter half of the ’60s – and Sweet Home Bakery which can be traced back even earlier. They first make mention very early that decade and that retro sign must be original. It’s lost its neon and the paint is peeling, but still doing the job of advertising the place.

Bow Foods is an independent (like a mom & pop corner store) and these are a rare breed in current times.

The Dell Cafe (Dell Coffee Shop in the early days) appears to be the senior tenant. They don’t seem to show up until 1959, so while not original by a hair, they have stood the test of time. They were open on our visit but there wasn’t much going on inside. That’s the ups and downs of the food business.

We’ve known about the Dell for some time (we’re hole-in-the wall eatery aficionados) and you know, we might just have to stop by. Now that we know how far back they go, and a bit of their history, the call is irresistible. Mmmm, grilled cheese sandwiches – and that’s so retro. Browsing their menu sure takes us back and you know what we’ll be ordering.

The Gour-Mart (GOURmet Mart) shows up about 1970 and we’re not sure if they’re even open anymore.

They were (in our humble opinion) one of the best meat markets in the city, and that’s a tall order. Closed to the general public some years back, they seemed to only dabble in custom cutting of game meat from that point on. We’re not sure if they even do that anymore and there’s been no visible signs of activity there for some years. Miss their jerky and cured sausages.

No doubt all the aforementioned businesses have had countless owners over the years, but it’s cool to see many have kept the old names.

The Bowness Pub was a raucous place this evening, but it didn’t spill out in the parking lot. Sounded like Karaoke night. Either that or some garage band was playing because it didn’t sound all that professional. The pub is a relatively new tenant and that’s when compared to the others mentioned.

That multi-story section seen in back is used for office space and in the 1970s became the last addition here.

Of course there’s a dollar store, a hair place and of some take out eateries. The single largest section of the oldest block is home to the Bowness Club, a social centre for kids and young adults. We think this is the location of the hardware store mentioned earlier, but can’t be certain. We can find what businesses were located here, but where exactly in the complex is not always made clear.

Pinups Barber Shoppe seems to be the latest occupant and established only a couple years back.

The Bownessian Supermarket had closed just prior to our visit and at the time the building up for lease. It’s a fairly new structure and seems to be on a separate property beside the shopping centre, but connected with it via the parking lot. They were a rather upscale grocer, but Bowness in contrast is very working class, so the two didn’t seem to gel.

Interesting observation: if you’re lotto-addicted, Bowness Shopping Centre is the place for you and we counted five places here where tickets can be purchased. What to do with 65mil? I know…Harleys for everyone!

There used to be a video rental store in the complex (somewhere between the Dell Cafe and the Dollar Store, as we recall) that remained in business up until fairly recently. Like it only closed a few years ago and must have been the last in the entire city. Movie stores used to be everywhere and with this one gone, the chapter ends.

A quick stop is made at Angels Drive-in a few blocks away, where Bowness Road bends and turns into 85th Street. Might as well include a snap of it to help round out the piece. It’s been a Calgary institution for decades (yes, yummy milkshakes) and are located in a fairly new structure built in a style reminiscent of the drive-ins of old. When’s the Fonz going to show?

There’s been a burger joint at this location since at least the early ’60s (perhaps earlier) and under several different names.

Hope you enjoyed this little diversion and we’ll be back with more in the future. Driving home and reminiscing we envision Bowness Shopping Centre through the years. All the stores that came and went, the people they served and those employed there. Think about the cars they drove and where they lived and are they still around? So many questions and here’s a prime example of an overactive imagination at work. The memories are mostly forgotten, or minimally will never be known by us, but still we’ve pieced together a bit of a story.

Now to make dinner plans at the Dell and who’s with us?

Know more (new tab): Bowness Calgary.

They’re saying…

“Love history and local history best. You bring to life that which has been forgotten…” Richard O’Connor.

More like this…
Parkdale Crescent NW.
Gonesville: Stadium Shopping Centre.
Retro Service Stations: Lakeview Husky.

If you wish more information on what’s seen here, don’t hesitate to: contact us!

Date of Adventure: March, 2022.
Location(s): Calgary, Alberta.
Article references and thanks: Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society, City of Calgary and University of Calgary Archives (misc).

Bownessian Grocery closed shortly before our visit.

A superstore for poor broke us.

All the food that’s fit to eat.

Pinups Barber Shoppe.

Welcome to Bowness Shopping Centre, established 1950s.

Back wall of the Bowness Club.

Bow Foods, a rare independent, and Gour-mart.

There was party noise coming from the Bowness Pub.

What would we do with 65mil?

Retro sign, minus the neon.

Open, but not much going on.

Legendary Angels Drive-In a bit down the road.