The Last Holdout

With the recent closing of the local video store and vegetarian buffet a number of the neighbourhood stalwarts are sadly moving on. From what some of our friends tell us, 10-15 years ago Hintonburg was a very different (and rougher) place from the quirky community that welcomed us in 2016.

I suspect we are in the midst of another major transition. I have seen a couple of signs for upcoming condo developments on Wellington Street, the main drag, and these closures will be followed by more.

In the meantime, a few hold-outs are still giving this area character.

Case in point: West Park Bowling.

This place has to be seen to be believed. It's directly connected to two other businesses: Daniel O'Connell's, a "musician's bar" according to the local barflies, and Fil's Diner, a greasy-spoon diner (obviously!). And when I say connected, I mean connected! Fil's Diner makes the food for the bowling alley and you can walk through the bathroom for the bowling alley directly into the pub! Madness I tell you!

Amazingly, West Park Bowling has operated since 1946. That's continuity! And I think it has a few more years left. Margot's friend, A, had a birthday party here last Saturday and when I dropped her off every lane was rocking.

I do hope they keep going. Much as I like ice cream stores and barbershops, I think this is the kindof place that makes a neighbourhood worth going to and once it's gone, it's not easily recreated.

Ukraine Symbolism

We live in an era where people wear their hearts not only on their sleeves, but their lawns, their websites, their social media accounts - everywhere! People seem to feel a need to show their allegiance and opinions publicly in all aspects of their lives.

The recent conflict in Ukraine is a good example of this. After Russia invaded I started noticing a lot of Ukrainian flags around here on their car. But recently I've started noticing Ukrainian-themed colours and emblems appearing in a lot of other places as well.

Murals:

Shop signage:

And, unsurprisingly, on the local map store's window:

It reminds me of how, when COVID-19 first appeared, there were signs of hope and encouragement everywhere. The only thing is...those signs have mostly gone away now even though the pandemic isn't over. I sometimes wonder how long they'll last for Ukraine. The "West" has a short attention span. After this initial hot period, will the conflict in Ukraine just become another frozen conflict, like so many others around the world?

Mercato Zacconi

I should have a "grocery store" section of this blog as there are a surprising number of them in this area. I've blogged about this not once but twice already. Most of the grocery stores are on Wellington Street, which is very convenient for us seeing how it's only a couple of minutes further away. 

This is great for people who live in Hintonburg, like us, but not so great for the people who live in nearby little Italy or Chinatown. I've even heard the latter referred to as a food dessert, due to its lack of a traditional grocery store, although there has been some criticism of that.  

Fortunately, on a stroll of the neighbourhood we noticed a new option has opened up for people in little Italy: Mercato Zacconi.  

Not your typical grocery storefront

It's not a big box grocery store by any means, but in terms of fresh produce and bread, they actually have a pretty decent selection. Of course, if you're looking for wine, cheeses, deli meat, or olive oil they've got you covered. Too often in semi-tourist areas, like Little Italy, grocery stores tend to be very artisan. That's great for tourists, but you need the basics as well. 

Hmmm, which olive oil tastes best on Fridays..?

Mercato Zacconi almost covers the essentials you need. If you're making everything from scratch, it's pretty good. Just don't come here for your Weetabix cereal or can of Ravioli. Hey, at least it's not store on my unhappy list. Man cannot live on wine alone!

How Majestic of You

Sadly, some of the local tried-and-true businesses went under during the course of the pandemic. One was Wellington Cleaners, which was my go-to place for dry cleaning and general laundering. Well...the store is still there but they seem to now be focusing exclusively on their post office business. I'm not surprised, given the reports on a dramatic decrease in people using dry cleaning after they were forced to stay home.

However, unlike some other white collar workers, I still went into the office throughout the pandemic. And that meant I still needed to find a place to to launder my highfalutin shirts and suits because my ironing skills are sadly lacking.

Luckily, I didn't have to go to far. Just a few further blocks down Wellington lies Laundry Majestic, a local laundromat. 

I can't quite figure out the grammar of the sign...

I don't know if laundromat's have a certain "look" but I'm pretty sure this one hits all the right notes (student studying in the corner, rows and rows of machines, slightly rough-and-tumble appearance, etc.). Another quirk is that its one of the few cash-only businesses that are left around here, and that includes the local farmer's market. And overseeing the entire operation is a little old lady at the back who runs the operation with an iron fist.

But guess what? My shirts are looking crisp again! Hopefully, they'll be able to survive and continue to do  brisk business.