Jackson Square

[flar]

I really miss the farmer's market, we went there every Saturday. It was cheap, there was a huge selection and a great atmosphere. Ottawa has nothing comparable. There are some smaller seasonal markets here (Parkdale, Byward, Landsdowne), but they are way overpriced (like everything else in Ottawa) and the selection is not even close to the Hamilton market. Let's hope the renovated market is as good as the old one.

[c@taract_soulj@h]

You know despite that Downtown Hamilton's had it's ups and downs...the core is always busy along with Jackson Square. At peak hours of course, but I'm glad we have a downtown mall (other than HCC) that can always seem busy as well unlike in London, Brantford and Kitchener. Apparently the Galleria was bought by another company but a turnaround will take time.

I always wished that Hamilton had a Bay Department store like in Ottawa, Toronto etc. I know we had Eatons but we should have turned it into a Bay.

[geoff's two cents]

Originally Posted by c@taract_soulj@h

I always wished that Hamilton had a Bay Department store like in Ottawa, Toronto etc. I know we had Eatons but we should have turned it into a Bay.

This is definitely the biggest drawback to the city that I remember during my time there. Clothes shopping for me required either a soul-sucking trip to Lime Ridge or an energy- and time-consuming trip to Toronto. My girlfriend at the time had much better luck locally. Were it not for that, I'd say Hamilton ranks up there with the best cities in Canada.

[Paul29]

Born and raised in Hamilton, left when I was about 25 and worked for HBC. I was working at the H.O. and the Bay didn't want anything to do with downtown Hamilton.
A key draw the the other downtown Bay stores is tourism, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver thrive because of it.
Limeridge was it for them because of the urban semi upscale aspect, Eastgate was a store that managers either started in before moving to a relevant location like Burlington or Oakville, or the poor managers went to die before they were fired.
Mapleview also drew from all parts of Hamilton, so another Hamilton location would be considered redundant.

I worked downtown at Kresges when the core was going to shat, late 80's to early 90's. Even then, the Eatons store was a ghost town, Saturdays were brutal down there and Saturday is the big day for retail usually.

Jackson Square needs radical change, and I hope the library/market renovation can start them off on the right foot.

[DC1983]

Not sure if anyone's been, but the International Food Court on the basement level of the Hamilton City Ctr (former Eaton's Ctr) has some good eats!
La Luna looks to have opened a Take-out shop here. There's also a Country Style Deli, Caribbean Pot, and some (seemingly) authentic Indian and Asian booths too.

Check it out if you're ever in this deserted, untravelled stretch of the Civic Mall

[SteelTown]

Now that the downtown McMaster Medical campus will be built I wonder if Jackson Square will have new plans for the vacant area where it was the temporary location of the Farmers' Market.

[Jon Dalton]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Now that the downtown McMaster Medical campus will be built I wonder if Jackson Square will have new plans for the vacant area where it was the temporary location of the Farmers' Market.

I guess all the new City subsidized vacant retail space from Phase 2 of the project will be begging for some competition.

[thistleclub]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Now that the downtown McMaster Medical campus will be built I wonder if Jackson Square will have new plans for the vacant area where it was the temporary location of the Farmers' Market.

Suite #445: 44,132 square feet. "Large open store, dedicated entrance, multiple access points, great location"

That's slightly larger than Jackson Square's other vacancies*, which total 40,485 square feet. Wonder how that stacks up against City Centre?

* Excluding the 307,000 sq ft of vacancies (@$12.90 psf) shared between 100 King West, One James South, the Standard Life and the Robert Thomson.

[Johio]

More progress in the Jackson... an Orange Julius rip-off is opening adjacent to the expanded food court.

This in addition to Lids and a Suzy Shier outlet with a display window opening onto James Street.

[Duckyboy]

Originally Posted by Johio

More progress in the Jackson... an Orange Julius rip-off is opening adjacent to the expanded food court.

This in addition to Lids and a Suzy Shier outlet with a display window opening onto James Street.

Good to hear about the display on James St; I think that will look great!

[SteelTown]

Looks good!

[CaptainKirk]

New grocery store downtown?
A grocery store is coming to Jackson Square, The Spectator has learned.

Sources say the store will be located in the same space that housed the Hamilton Farmers’ Market during their renovations. An announcement about the new store is expected imminently.

Attracting a grocery store downtown has long been a goal for Hamilton. In June, council stalled a decision about offering a $650,000 grant to entice a grocery store to set up shop in downtown Hamilton, choosing instead to ask staff to tweak the proposal to include the possibility of offering a loan instead of a grant and lowering the amount available.

At that time, Glen Norton, the city's manager of urban renewal, said that some grocery companies may want to beat out the competition and set up downtown before the city finishes its grant process.

He noted there were “several conversations” taking place within the private sector about this very possibility.

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...store-downtown

[SteelTown]

Nice and a great spot for a grocery store.

[durandy]

is this the Spec's first scoop of a local issue?

[SteelTown]

Emma broke it and there was a council session so she probably overheard from City Hall.

[LikeHamilton]

Nations Fresh grocery store coming to Jackson Square


A 55,000 square-foot grocery store is coming to Jackson Square in the Spring of 2013.

Nations Fresh Food Market, owned by Toronto-based grocery chain Oceans Fresh, will be opening in the same space that housed the Hamilton Farmers’ Market during renovations.

The store will be a full-service grocery with an emphasis on ethnic foods. It will include a fish counter, deli, prepared foods section, bakery, and salad bar.

Mayor Bob Bratina said he was “thrilled” with the news.

“There have been more than one such stores under consideration over the past year, so I was wondering who would come out first,” he said.

Attracting a grocery store downtown has long been a goal for Hamilton. In June, council stalled a decision about offering a $650,000 grant to entice a grocery store to set up shop in downtown Hamilton, choosing instead to ask staff to tweak the proposal to include the possibility of offering a loan instead of a grant and lowering the amount available.

At that time, Glen Norton, the city's manager of urban renewal, said that some grocery companies may want to beat out the competition and set up downtown before the city finishes its grant process.

He noted there were “several conversations” taking place within the private sector about this very possibility.

[email protected]

[SteelTown]

The $7 million renovation and installation project that will cover about 55,000 square feet on Jackson Square’s west end.

“As the mayor, I can’t be more excited,” Mayor Bob Bratina told CBC Hamilton Thursday.

“It’s a real symbol. It tells us that out-of-town people are willing to make a $7 million investment," the mayor said.

[SteelTown]

Nice! $7 million private investment in the core.

[SteelTown]

http://oceansfood.ca/index.html

[SteelTown]

http://mayorbratina.com/2012/08/16/g...tore-downtown/