Ottawa's Byward Market

[bikegypsy]

AWATTO is obviously a deliberate gesture on the part of the city and it works. It's actually quite charming and people have taken a liking to it. No other city sounds this cool in reverse, at least not in Canada, and it's graphically very successful.

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

What image of Ottawa do you want to portray when people take pictures of that sign?

They weren't thinking about how the city would be portrayed in photos on social media and how these photos could help sell Ottawa to the world. They were all about attracting people to the market.

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by bikegypsy

AWATTO is obviously a deliberate gesture on the part of the city and it works. It's actually quite charming and people have taken a liking to it. No other city sounds this cool in reverse, at least not in Canada, and it's graphically very successful.

I don't think it's obvious. I wouldn't give the city that much credit.

I also don't think it's cute. People, especially Americans, already have trouble spelling Ottawa properly. It's often spelled "Ottowa". Ottawa isn't a household name like Toronto or Montreal. I don't see how "AWATTO" helps a city that's already struggling to brand itself.

[mykl]

Its almost as if every other city name sign in the world is backwards from the back, and this is a completely irrelevant issue. These signs are for taking selfies with. When the person sees AWATTO and decides to go down there to take a selfie, the location of the tables and chairs on one side will allow them to orient themselves properly. And if anyone actually thinks a person who has planned a trip to Ottawa will suddenly be confused about the spelling because they're on the wrong side of a sign, I think you need to give your head a shake.

[bikegypsy]

Originally Posted by mykl

Its almost as if every other city name sign in the world is backwards from the back, and this is a completely irrelevant issue. These signs are for taking selfies with. When the person sees AWATTO and decides to go down there to take a selfie, the location of the tables and chairs on one side will allow them to orient themselves properly. And if anyone actually thinks a person who has planned a trip to Ottawa will suddenly be confused about the spelling because they're on the wrong side of a sign, I think you need to give your head a shake.

Exactly. And it has well trended on social media. Good on the city to use this... Doesn't work so well for OTNOROT or LAERTNOM.

[bikegypsy]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I don't think it's obvious. I wouldn't give the city that much credit.

I also don't think it's cute. People, especially Americans, already have trouble spelling Ottawa properly. It's often spelled "Ottowa". Ottawa isn't a household name like Toronto or Montreal. I don't see how "AWATTO" helps a city that's already struggling to brand itself.

In all my years of travelling, I've seen Montreal spelt Mountreal, Toronto Toranta and Quebec Qwebec, so when Ottawa is spelt Ottowa, I just assume that people dont know. What concerns me is the ability for Ottawa to be its own and stop being a diluted ersatz of canadiana for all. Ultimately, I believe in the old saying: there's no such thing as bad marketing. After all, Ottawa cannot compete in the Alpha mode as a destination. It's soft and somewhat clumsy while being terribly endearing. It's the Woody Allen of cities and it should play that card to the fullest, with all its glorious mistakes.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by bikegypsy

Exactly. And it has well trended on social media. Good on the city to use this... Doesn't work so well for OTNOROT* or LAERTNOM*

That would be ОТИОЯОТ and ⅃AƎЯTИOM

[Kitchissippi]

Maybe we need to create a scene where AWATTO is the dark/kinky/fun side of Ottawa, like those Star Trek alternate universe episodes

[mykl]

Originally Posted by kitchissippi

maybe we need to create a scene where awatto is the dark/kinky/fun side of ottawa, like those star trek alternate universe episodes

yes please!

[bikegypsy]

Originally Posted by zzptichka

That would be ОТИОЯОТ and ⅃AƎЯTИOM

Haha.... I stand corrected

[OTSkyline]

Although the new location is not perfect it's still a big step up from its location in the "innovation district", so let's celebrate the fact that the City (or whoever) at least heard or figured out the issue with the last spot.

From different angles you can get the top of the peace tower, the Connaught building or at least some of the more cute/historic brick buildings in the market - which all should help sell Ottawa as a destination when those selfies are posted online. It brings out the "European" look or "cuteness" of Ottawa - which cannot be said for its earlier location.

[pico]

Spelling Ottawa vertically is actually very symmetric - all the letters are symmetric and even a pyramidal shape is also symmetric. This might remove ambiguity of viewing angle?



Forgive my poor graphic skills!

[JCL]

Originally Posted by pico

Spelling Ottawa vertically is actually very symmetric - all the letters are symmetric and even a pyramidal shape is also symmetric. This might remove ambiguity of viewing angle?



Forgive my poor graphic skills!

Hey! The "O" and the "TT" makes it looks like the top-half of a person's body!

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Then maybe the 'intention' is wrong.

Take a look at the photos on James' Twitter account, as linked to just above. The shot from the stairs (which is an arrival route for the By Ward Market) is 'alive' and full of excitement - with the word AWATTO there for all to see.

Look also at the two other photos, where the word OTTAWA is the right way around and see what message they evoke for you - with their inky-black background. Granted these are night shots, but would a day-time picture of the OTTAWA sign, with a set of stairs leading up to . . . somewhere we can't see, be any more exhilarating?

What image of Ottawa do you want to portray when people take pictures of that sign?

The view from the stairs shows a parking lot in the backgound. Not my top viewpoint IMHO. I agree that at night the view to the west is black, but in daylight it is better.

Personally, I liked the Sparks Street OT_AWA sign better since it gave people the chance to be a ‘Tease’. And having it close to one side really allowed it to be photographed from only one side. Granted, the backdrop of those photos might be a bit drab, but putting it between two of the more heritage buildings along Sparks would have helped.

I also like the Sparks Street OT_AWA sign.

[rocketphish]

First executive director for Ottawa Markets 'a real homer'

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 10, 2018 | Last Updated: January 10, 2018 4:57 PM EST

Jeff Darwin has hired two staff, inked a property management deal and partnered with artist Andrew King in his first 10 days as the first executive director of Ottawa Markets, the new agency tasked with transforming the ByWard Market.

“Really, really excited to take on the challenge and starting to get some things in place,” Darwin said on Wednesday.

“I’m a real homer. Ottawa is my town.”

Ottawa Markets assumed oversight of the ByWard and Parkdale markets on Jan. 1 after city council voted last year to create the municipal service corporation. Removing the markets from city hall operations was the best way to make them successful, council decided.

Darwin, who has worked in the banking sector and been a management consultant, reports to the Ottawa Markets board of directors chaired by former councillor Peter Hume.

(Darwin is also the youngest son of the late businessman and sports team owner, Howard Darwin. Jeff Darwin wrote a book about his dad.)

The Ottawa Markets board will report to city council.

“I need to show (council members) we’ve made some changes and people are coming to their markets,” Darwin said.

Darwin hired Anthony Hainse from the city’s former market operations and Mathieu Blanchard from the Cumberland Farmers’ Market to be the first members of his Ottawa Markets team. Including himself, Darwin wants to have five full-time staff in the organization.

He also signed Paradigm Properties to manage the two city-owned buildings at 55 ByWard Market Square (the central market building) and 70 Clarence St. (the parking garage and retail building). It’s one big change from the previous property management arrangement, which was in place for several years.

That’s exactly what council expects from Ottawa Markets: a breakaway from past practices that might have stunted the viability of the tourist destination.

But Darwin is also mindful of the rich history in the ByWard Market, which is why he asked King, who has an affinity for local history and nostalgia, to help create a vision for the district, including a new logo for Ottawa Markets.

“He was my first thought of being careful and respectful of the history,” Darwin said of King, who wasn’t available to talk about the partnership on Wednesday.

There are two more important tasks for Darwin: injecting Ottawa Markets into the larger discussion about the future of the downtown public realm, and getting Ottawa Markets on the list of council priorities for the 2018-2022 term.

Having a place in council’s priorities is especially important if Ottawa Markets wants a shot at securing some city cash for large projects, beyond what’s provided in its own $1.6 million annual operating budget.

More markets have opened in Ottawa, including small community operations and larger ones, such as the market at Lansdowne Park. Darwin’s challenge is bringing people back to the ByWard Market.

City council wants the ByWard Market to return its focus to local food and other locally produced goods. There will also be a new opportunity to bring more people to the market when the Confederation Line LRT and Rideau station open.

Darwin said special events are the “low-hanging fruit” that will breathe life into the ByWard Market.

“I have to bring some energy into the area,” he said.

Darwin is also reconsidering a planned run for a seat on the Catholic school board in the October election, knowing his basket will be full with Ottawa Markets.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...s-a-real-homer

[OTSkyline]

If anybody is looking for a good laugh, I read an article yesterday (think it was in the Citizen) in regards to old folks putting in a formal complaint that there were too many bars (and placed with liquor licenses) in the Byward Market

Can't seem to have access to post it here..

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

If anybody is looking for a good laugh, I read an article yesterday (think it was in the Citizen) in regards to old folks putting in a formal complaint that there were too many bars (and placed with liquor licenses) in the Byward Market

Can't seem to have access to post it here..

It was on CBC radio yesterday. Apparently it a "cafe" and "hair salon" asking for a 200 person liquor license.

[kwoldtimer]

Indeed, I thought the good laugh was wrt the idea of a 266 seat licensed hair salon. Somebody's having us on ....

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

If anybody is looking for a good laugh, I read an article yesterday (think it was in the Citizen) in regards to old folks putting in a formal complaint that there were too many bars (and placed with liquor licenses) in the Byward Market

Can't seem to have access to post it here..

ByWard Market business owner says he's the victim of city's poor bylaw enforcement

Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 10, 2018 | Last Updated: January 10, 2018 7:25 PM EST

The owner of a new ByWard Market hair salon and café has vowed not to convert the business into a bar or nightclub if he’s granted a liquor licence.

Aydin Kharaghani told a licence appeal tribunal Wednesday that he has invested all of his savings in the business, Headquarters, and needs the liquor licence to make it financially viable.

“I have no intention of pulling it over on anybody,” Kharaghani said.

Earlier this week, the tribunal heard from ByWard Market residents concerned that Headquarters would transform into a bar or nightclub once Kharaghani had secured the 266-seat liquor licence for which he has applied.

They complained that the mixed-use neighbourhood was becoming a noisy, dangerous “drunk tank” and couldn’t bear any more bars.

The tribunal has heard that 10 businesses in the ByWard Market are now under investigation by the city for transforming into bars or nightclubs in violation of a bylaw designed to stop the proliferation of drinking establishments in the area.

Kharaghani said he has invested too much time and money in his high-end hair salon-café venture to turn it into a bar.

“I swear to everyone that this is what it is,” he said.

Kharaghani told the hearing that he didn’t anticipate any trouble with his liquor licence application since he was doing exactly what residents said they wanted: to maintain low impact shops and services in the area. He argued that his application never would have been challenged if the city had properly enforced bylaws designed to stop the spread of bars and nightclubs.

“I think the issue here doesn’t lie with myself or my business; the issue here is a City of Ottawa zoning issue. I’m being victimized by what they’ve done.”

The 3,000-square-foot Headquarters site on Clarence Street, near Dalhousie Street, used to be leased to Canadian Rug Traders.

Norm Moyer, a member of the Lowertown Community Association, said he’s worried that future commercial pressures will force Kharaghani to rely on the bar business to support Headquarters. What’s more, he noted, Kharaghani is an experienced nightclub owner, and still operates Kavali, one of the market’s biggest and most boisterous clubs.

Kharaghani, however, said he’s trying to remove himself from the nightclub industry.

He revealed that Kavali has been listed for sale for the past year, and that he would have already walked away from the business had he not been signed a personal guarantee with the landlord.

“I would walk for free if someone would take over the rent right now,” he said. “I am focused on restaurants and cool new concepts.”

Kharaghani said he holds a 50 per cent stake in Headquarters and has invested heavily to make it a unique, upscale and attractive space.

It features a $50,000 Slayer espresso machine, a $300,000 state-of-the-art kitchen and a restaurant with white quartz tabletops, he said. The $9,000 handmade salon chairs are imported from Italy and look onto 10-foot-high metal-framed mirrors that he described as “Instagram friendly.”

He wants a liquor licence so that he can host special events, Kharaghani said, and offer his clients a cocktail or glass of wine while they wait for their stylist or enjoy brunch. “I am here to swear that this is my business model, this is what I’m trying to do.”

Kharaghani said the licensing process has been “very frustrating.”

“I was not planning on this,” he said. “I thought I’d have my liquor licence when I opened. I’ve lost a tremendous amount of revenue just in the Christmas season alone. I couldn’t even have a Christmas dinner there for my staff.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...aw-enforcement

[acottawa]

So nightclub owner rents one of the largest spaces in the market for a "salon" and applies for nightclub-sized liquor liscence.

This all sounds totally credible and above board and not at all dodgy.