Historic, iconic Inglewood

Culture, commerce, and community all come together in Calgary’s most iconic inner-city neighbourhood: Inglewood. It’s all happening here – even after nearly a century and a half since it was founded!

This historic inner-city community close to downtown Calgary remains as busy, trendy and happening as it was when it was founded in 1875, and no other inner-city community in Calgary captures the glamour of yesteryear and the engaging spirit of the present than in this riverside community just to the east of downtown.

It is Calgary’s oldest neighbourhood, and today it is home to an eclectic range of shops – from quirky vintage furniture stores and indie fashion boutiques to a diverse selection of restaurants and diners, coffee shops and entertainment venues.

Its resiliency was again on display, as its commercial hub continues to thrive even after the two years of pandemic lockdowns. “We only saw one store close throughout that, and it wasn’t even really because of slow sales,” says Rebecca O’Brian, Executive Director of the Inglewood Business Improvement Area (BIA).

Inglewood has been a lively residential and commercial hub in Calgary since 1875. Today, it continues to be a vibrant, historic, pedestrian- oriented neighbourhood with about 400 residential, institutional and commercial buildings constructed before 1914. Inglewood was designated by the Canadian Institute of Planners as Canada’s Greatest Community in 2014.

Live in Inglewood

Inglewood offers a broad range of residential options as well, and they can range from the million-dollar single-family properties by the banks of the Bow River to the affordable multi-family developments that continue to spring up in the neighbourhood.

StreetSide Developments’ Konekt Inglewood is the latest to join the ranks, but it has been so successful that it is all but sold out.

But there are other residential developments afoot, O’Brien says. “The new Brewery-Rail Lands development by MATCO is now under review at the City,” she tells Calgary New Home + Condo Guide. Although it’s still a long way off before the first shovel hits the ground, it gives confidence in the continued growth of Inglewood.

The Brewery-Rail Lands, located in a mostly disused industrial area off 17th Ave. SE, are envisioned as an innovative, compact, livable, mixed use, and transit oriented urban development in the heart of Calgary. It re-imagines the site’s industrial roots for the 21st century, MATCO says in its website. Find out more at www.breweryraillands.com.

The foodie scene

There’s fine dining at Rouge, and contemporary urban fare at The Nash, and even more of the small-scale restaurants like the new Gwailo (formerly Gorilla Whale) and Madison’s 12/12 that make Inglewood such a foodie haven.

Gwailo is a fun and funky restaurant and bar serving killer cocktails, craft beer, great wine and Chef Wong’s delicious Hong Kong-adjacent cuisine. Great tunes, awesome people and eclectic décor. It’s a good time. Find out more at gwailo.ca.

Spolumbo’s and the Inglewood Drive-In are some of the most popular spots for lunch with long lines daily for their mouth-watering sandwiches and deli food.

The Nash is as atmospheric as it gets. Set in a former 1900s hotel, this stylish restaurant serves inventive Canadian dishes & cocktails. Check out www.thenashyyc.com.

There is also an emerging micro-brewery industry in the community, with Revival Brewcade, High Line Brewing, Cold Garden and even the new Pedal Pub – the original party-on-a-bike – leading the charge. This goes hand-in-hand with Inglewood’s hot live music scene at the Blues Can and the Ironwood Stage & Grill and more.

Retail bonanza

The modern mom-and-pop stores have also found a home in Inglewood with such niche shops like Plant, Lemonceillo, and Recordland that deal in very specific retail.

Plant is not your typical garden store. With a continually expanding product line, partnerships with local and international makers, artists, and craftspeople, Plant is known for offering unique, well-curated selection of products and designs, and friendly, approachable customer service. www.plantshop.ca

They moved to a new location still in Inglewood, but Silk Road Spices remains Calgary’s connoisseurs of spice with the most fantastic selection of flavourful stuff from around the world. A word of caution, demand has been extremely high in their online store, it might be best to pop down to the shop to pick out your gift. www.silkroadspices.ca

Since opening in Inglewood in 2015, Lemonceillo Home & Gift curated a diverse selection of local and international items, many of which are found exclusively in Canada here. It has evolved into a destination for those who share our appreciation for unique and meaningful home décor and other unique items. Go to www.Lemonceillo.com for more.

A staple of Inglewood, Recordland is simply the best source for new and used vinyl records in the city. “People fly to Calgary specifically to go to this store,” O’Brien says. “It’s absolutely iconic!” With over 500,000 LPs in stock (double that in storage, reportedly), it is a treasure trove for the music lover who can find discs (vinyl or otherwise) from polka to Metallica and everything in between among its shelves. www.recordlandcalgary.com.

Explore Inglewood

A quiet afternoon can be spent just walking through Inglewood’s plethora of places to explore, like the Esker Foundation art gallery.

There are plenty of outdoor spaces to stroll too, like the Pearce Estate Park, and the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary where strollers can spend an afternoon enjoying all that nature has to offer which leads to the Bow Habitat Station and the Harvie Passage walking trails. Then there’s the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary where strollers can spend an afternoon enjoying all that nature has to offer.

Pearce Estate Park lies in a curve of the Bow River as it flows through the southeast part of Calgary and contains a 15-hectare reconstructed wetland and is home to the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery and Bow Habitat Visitor Centre. It also has pleasant pathways that wind down to the Harvie Passage in the Bow River.