Archives: James north

Back in September before my life got all crazy on me, Kristin Archer of I Heart Hamilton, and I met up at Charred Rottisserie House for another rendezvous.

I love meeting up with Kristin, not only to try out new places that have opened up around the city, but also because I get to hear about all the amazing new things she is up to.  These days with being a parent, going back to work, and generally just juggling life, blogging has taken a bit of backseat. So when chatting with Kristin, I get excited to imagine just what life would be like if I could dedicate more time to blogging and exploring everything Hamilton has to offer.

Kristin these days is doing much more than just blogging. Besides fundraisers, playlists, and promoting various Hamilton events, she’s recently announced that she’ll be starting a weekly radio show on CFMU 93.3fm Friday’s from 2-3pm. She’s also organizing a blog fair with a whole cast of Hamilton bloggers (including me) at the Casbah on November 24th from 2-6pm -please come!

Kristin and I both agree that it is becoming increasingly hard to stay on top of everything new that’s popping up in the city -which really is a good thing! Although at times the change seems slow, the city is really evolving faster than we think. This spring and summer there was a massive wave of new shops and restaurants that opened up on James North, so it was with a bit of luck that Kristin and I had both yet to try out Charred.

Charred is a Portuguese inspired rotisserie house. They roast their chickens, which are basted with their signature piri-piri sauce, over fresh red hot coals right there in their open kitchen.

We arrived at an in-between meal time, so we were the only people there and the coals and rotisseries were not yet stoked or rolling. None the less, Kristin ordered the poutine with piri-piri cheese curds topped with rotisserie chicken, and I ordered the chicken on a bun.

One thing I love about all the stores along James, as they are turning over and being reno’d, their drop ceilings are being removed exposing whole gorgeously intact original tin ceilings, like the one at Charred. Such a beauty!

I’d like to head back to Charred again one day when the coals are flaming and the chickens are fully rolling on the rotisserie.

To read Kristin’s Crossover post on Charred visit her blog I Heart Hamilton here.

*Charred, 244 James St. North, 289.396.0662, @charredchicken

In recent weeks you might have seen the seemingly sudden growth per capita of vintage stores opening up downtown. In fact in the past month or so vintage stores like Newold’s, La Bichette and Love in the Afternoon have all opened on James St. North (only adding to the roster of other established vintage shops on James like White Elephant, Hawk and Sparrow, Humble Pie and Chaises Musicales).

You could say James North has become the default street that young entrepreneurs and the like have been choosing to open up shop. This, however, is why when I see new stores open elsewhere downtown (like more specifically on King East), I do extra jumps of joy. New businesses on King make me happy because, for one thing, it’s in my hood but secondly a lot of areas besides James North could use a little breath of fresh air too. So I gotta to give mega props when people go out on a limb and venture off the beaten track.

Enter Girl on the Wing.

Girl on the Wing (located at 181 King St. East) is a vintage clothing store that carries nostalgic wares among many other lovely little things such as: T-Shirts inspired by classic reads like The Great Gatsby, Hamlet and Moby Dick, tote bags, jewellery from decoSquare and White Owl, greeting cards, notebooks, and other fanciful novelty and vintage rarities.

Owner, Whitney McMeekin is a Hamilton ex-pat that has recently made the move from Toronto back to Hamilton. She is pleased as punch to be in Hamilton again, and has been happily surprised about her rediscovery of all that Hamilton has to offer.

Whitney’s got a degree in Fashion Communication at Ryerson, and has experience working in the vintage and fashion boutique scene in Toronto. So no surprise that she’s got a knack at promoting her new store with super glam professionally photographed and personally styled lookbooks that cover her fashion favs for her seasonal launches.

Girl on the Wing’s summer launch is tonight from 8-11pm at the store, with promises of drinks, dancing and more importantly fun!

Take a peak at the new vintage inspired swimwear that Girl on the Wing will be carrying by designer Dumebi Iyamah’s fashion line Andrea Iyamah. Here’s a little sneak peak of Andrea Iyamah’s swimsuits -so gorgeous!

See you tonight at the Summer Solstice Salebration!

*Girl on the Wing, 181 King St. E. 289.389.9898, TW 12-6, ThF 12-7, S 12-6, S12-5, @gotw_hamilton

Newold’s is James North’s most recent vintage clothing store to open.

I’d checked out the this store space a few month’s ago, when they hosted the Vintage and Handmade Market, back during March’s art crawl. But I popped in more recently (after Newold’s official opening in April) with fellow Hamilton blogger Kristin Archer of I Heart Hamilton.

Newold’s is exactly what the name implies. They’ve got a mix of new and old.

We got to chatting with Newold’s owner Airin McGuinty of Reservoir Vintage, who told us she’s been collecting vintage clothes, accessories, and trinkets since she was basically a kid. So when she finally decided to take the plunge, move to Hamilton and set up her own shop she was pretty much fully stocked and ready to go.

Kristin and I were loving Airin’s curated collection of vintage clothing so much so that we noted we’d need to make another trip back to the store to focus specifically on just shopping.

There was a substantial section of kids vintage clothing, which I loved. Look at these adorable leather moccasins!

In addition to the kids section there’s also men’s clothing plus an impressive selection of vintage footwear.

I was really admiring Rebecca Duyzer’s line called Replica Clothing. With their soft fabrics and comfortable designs, you can be sure they’d feel super awesome to wear. You can shop Replica Clothing here on Etsy or in store at Newolds’.

Lest I forget Noodles, the temporary shop cat. She’s adorable! We were lucky enough to have come just a matter of days after Noodles had given birth to a litter of kittens. Kristin and I peeked in on the kittens, who were living in a homemade cut-out cardboard castle -so cute! One of them had just opened their eyes for the first time! Such tiny little things. Even though I have allergies to cats and was about to have a major sneeze explosion, I was still super happy that I got to meet Noodles and her babies (especially since Airin was saying that Noodles won’t be a permanent fixture at the store). Oh Noodles…

For tonight’s art crawl be sure to stop by Newold’s and check out artist Alicia Nauta, who is Newold’s first featured monthly artist; with totes, prints, and shirts for sale.

While you’re there take a look at their selection of vintage match books and stickers you might find some real gems!

To check out Kristin’s post about Newold’s via her blog I Heart Hamilton click here.

*Newold’s, 240 James St. North, 647.284.2754, open daily 12-7pm

The other day Kristin Archer of I Heart Hamilton and I met to catch up and to check out WORK, one of the many new restaurants/bars popping up in downtown Hamilton. In the past few months just on James North alone (not even counting the multiple new spots that have all opened recently around town) we’ve seen the opening of sandwich, soup and salad bar resto McCartney & Son, arcade themed pub The Stowaway and WORK located right next to This Ain’t Hollywood (my favourite Hamilton live music venue).

If I’m not mistaken before WORK opened it was formerly a yellow awning-ed Portuguese sports bar. Am I right? The yellow awning is down but on the interior, you could say… the decor has probably not changed much. But that’s kinda what I like about WORK. Its beauty is in their unique culinary fusions. I counted at least four or five different takes on dishes from various cultures. They have southern ribs and fried chicken, classic spaghetti and meat balls, jerk chicken and even chow mein.

There was such a variety to choose from on their menu that it took Kristin and I a good ten minutes of contemplation before finally making our lunch selections.

However, the one thing that we were quick to decide on was an order of avocado fries. The avocado was in that perfect melt-in-your-mouth state of ripeness but with a crispy savoury battered exterior.

After much deliberation my final lunch selection was the braised beef sandwich. It had a nice tart punch of tangy fresh horseradish.

For dessert we couldn’t resist splitting the Koo Koo cake (named after the classic neopolitan striped Koo Koo Taffy Bar). It’s made with strawberry and cappuccino gelato, layered over an espresso crumb crust.

The charm in WORK is that there’s no pretences; it wears its heart on its sleeve and is the kind of place you can saddle up to the bar, enjoy a beer, some great affordable food and likely end up chatting with everyone in the place (they’re all fans). I found myself telling Kristin that if Steve and I didn’t have a baby, we’d probably frequent here on weekday evenings for a beer and some grub (especially pre-shows at This Ain’t). For now I’ll have to settle for sampling the WORK menu during lunch time meet ups.

Thanks Kristin, it was great to try another new place together and to hear about what you’ve been up to. Looking forward to the next rendezvous! You can read Kristin’s post about WORK here.

*WORK, 337 James St. N, 905.777.9675

In recent months I’ve really been appreciating the art openings that occur at a handful of galleries on the Thursday evening before the monthly art crawl on James St. North. They’re kinda like mini pre-crawls, where you actually get a chance to chat with the artisit and hang out in the space observing the art work in greater detail.

This Thursday I checked out our good friend Jen Hsieh’s art opening at Defacto Mulberry. Her show is called Thirteen. It is a beautifully touching exhibit surrounding the exploration of her feelings regarding the loss of her mother thirteen years ago.

Make sure you stop by during the crawl tonight or throughout the month to see her show!

 

I was also able to sneak a quick peak at the opening at Hamilton Artisit Inc.

The Inc. has quickly become a favourite of mine. They have fabulously curated exhibits of established Canadian artists in their main gallery section. This month’s exhibit is a video installation called Control Fields by Montreal artist Michel Boulanger.

 

I also absolutely adored the exhibit last month No Overnight Camping by artist Dagmara Genda, and Bruce Montcombroux.

Another gallery that I always make a point of checking out is b contemporary. Last month’s exhibit by Hamilton artist Andrew McPhail was a fantastic series of “pixelated” portraits. I loved staring at each painting up close and then far away; appreciating their abstract and organic quality up close and then their almost digital quality when viewed from a distance.

Be sure to stop by b contemporary to check out this month’s exhibit by artist Paul Cvetich -Shaboom Shaboom.

I’m not someone who does a crazy amount of planning for special occasions. But I do often have little mini ideas mapped out in my head for treats that can easily be cooked up at any given time.

For this year’s Valentine’s Day I picked up a few gifts locally for some little surprises for my Valentine.

We love coffee at our house and since being home full-time I’ve seen my coffee consumption double! Steve, as of late, has been branching off from our traditionally consumed French-pressed coffee to espressos. So I thought I would indulge in his new coffee interest and get him a cute one-shot stove-top espresso maker. I picked one up from Faema on James North. They’ve got a pretty good selection of espresso machines, with a not-bad retro looking used one that we might actually be able to afford -eeek! If we end up getting it, it’ll soon be lattes and espressos all day long chez nous!

I also stopped by Ola Bakery for some Portuguese sweets. Ola has some lovely fluffy, flaky baked goods (and I’ve heard they do a great sandwich too).

As a Valentine’s mid-morning surprise I managed to put this spread together with a quickly crafted homemade Valentine’s Day card. Steve’s been really busy at work so it was nice to be able to share a quick coffee break midday in his at-home office while Omi napped.

I executed this next surprise Valentine’s treat that Steve has still yet to discover.

I recently saw a cute DIY post on Design Sponge about patching little moth eaten holes in sweaters with felted hearts. I really need to invest in some lavender sachets or a cedar something or another but I haven’t and so Steve and I both have a couple of sweaters with a few sad moth munched holes in them.

So besides needing a sweater with a hole, you’ll also need some felting wool and felting needles. I picked mine up from Needlework on James North.

You’ll also need 2 sponges to stack under the sweater for when you’re jabbing your wool with the needle. That way you won’t give yourself multiple stab wounds.

Next make a little stencil for the shape and size of the felted patch that you want. Flip your sweater so that you start felting your patch on the reverse side. Take a nice size bit of wool and start to felt away!

Once the shape is pretty solid from the reverse side, turn your sweater right side out. You should see the shape of the heart clearly. Take smaller and thinner pieces of wool to shape the heart and felt it until the heart looks nice and full.

I practiced first on my sweater with this red heart and did Steve’s hearts with grey wool. I thought the grey hearts on his grey sweater would be more subtle as I wasn’t so sure how he’d feel having bright red hearts felted everywhere.

Can’t wait for the day when he pulls the sweater out of the closet to wear and sees a few cute little grey hearts on his sleeve. Until then, shhh -don’t say a word.

A while ago I was fortunate enough to win an amazing prize from the ladies from Sweet Ice Snow Cones. My prize included some super fab items like… a fabric pack from Needlework, a hot dog from Weenies, a Sweet Ice Snow Cone tote PLUS a snow cone AND a haircut from none other than Cameron Elder of Mckinnon Hair Design! It was such a stellar prize.

I’ve posted before about how I’m super lazy when it comes to “doing” my hair. I’ll grow it out long and then do nothing with it. I thought that if the only thing that I was going to do all winter was toss my hair in a pony and wear it in a hat then I might as well just chop off my unruly mop and have something a little more sassy and fun to sport around -right? Plus with the addition of little tiny baby Omi hands starting to reach and pull at my locks I figured it was time to cash in on that free Cameron Elder haircut.

I’d seen Cameron do some pretty sleek and arty haircuts during multiple art crawls in various James Street North storefront windows. I had even gotten a quickie $20 street cut from Cameron out front of O’s Clothes during Supercrawl, which I loved!  So I was pretty confident that although I am a mom and getting a short haircut I’d be guaranteed not to end up with a total mom cut.

Before the cut I showed Cameron a picture of a short hairstyle I’d been eyeing on Pinterest. He did a little consult with me asking me what were the particular features of the cut that I really liked.

I loved how Cameron did this because it made me reflect a little more about why I liked the cut and what I could potentially expect to get with a cut like this on my own head. It made me feel confident that we were on the same page.

I really liked how Cameron incorporated the shape and texture of the cut from the picture. It’s been super easy to take care of and it’s warmed me up to having short hair again. Perhaps the next cut I get I’ll go even shorter! Eeeek!

Thanks Cameron! I adore my new haircut!

You can follow Cameron on twitter @cameronelder but also be sure to check out his video -very cool.

 

*Mckinnon Hair Design, 111 Balsam Avenue South, 905.544.6601

It’s no coincidence that Steve’s latest art show is called Nesting. Possible inspiration from his real life? He sure did a lot of nesting during the last few months. Before Omi’s arrival Steve threw himself into multiple reno projects building the appropriate cozy “nest” and home for us and the little guy.

I won’t talk too much about Steve’s work for the show because you should go check it out yourself. It does however involve a whole ton of pool noodles, a little bit of skipping rope and plywood.

The show is at Hamilton Artists Inc. in the member’s gallery. Steve’s work will be showing along side artist Teal Booth. In the main gallery you should also check out the exhibit Story Bones by established Canadian artist Jack Butler.

The opening is on Thursday, January 10th from 7-9pm and the exhibit will run until February 3rd. You can also check out more of Steve’s work here on his artist website: stevenewberry.com

*Hamilton Artists Inc. 155 James St. North

During last month’s art crawl Needlework hosted a little mini market with the folks from Mint Textile Studio. There were some super cute handmade goods that were perfect for Christmas present giving. Like this super cute zipper pouch from Madrad. I actually bought it as a little gift for myself -shhh.

If you didn’t get a chance to check out Mint Textile’s Handmade Holiday Market at last month’s crawl try visiting them during this Friday’s art crawl on the third floor of the Sonic Unyon building at 22 Wilson Street.

During my rounds of the galleries I passed by this stuffed cat pillow. Meow. I bought it for $5 for my sister as part of her Christmas present to go along with the cat teepee I got her from White Elephant.

Bestiary: A compendium of curious creatures, alive; dead & in-between, portrayed in paint to captivate & cultivate.

If you’re free tonight you should come on down to Jacqui Oakley‘s art opening at Defacto Mulberry (193 James St. North). The opening starts at 7pm and goes until 11.

There’ll be a whole body of Jacqui’s beautiful art work on display including giclée prints that will be for sale (perfect holiday gifts y’all!). Check’em out in the photo below.

photo courtesy of Jacqui Oakley. Check out her blog here.

 

Jacqui’s show will be up from December 13th and throughout the month of January.