James North

[emge]

I really like the pairing of My Dog Joe in that location with artists upstairs... it's a great way to create traffic to sustain a coffeehouse while those who come for the coffee have easy proximity to the art. It's good symbiosis.

[matt602]

That project is amazing. I'm so happy to see it happen. I think it's going to be a huge catalyst for James Street North. Not that it really needed it, but it's going to bring people into the downtown even faster than ever before.

[FRM]

/\/\/\ that and if that condo project near Acclamation ever gets started james street will become one hell of a lively street

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by emge

I really like the pairing of My Dog Joe in that location with artists upstairs... it's a great way to create traffic to sustain a coffeehouse while those who come for the coffee have easy proximity to the art. It's good symbiosis.

Working around the corner, I'm pretty excited about My Dog Joe. Will be great to have a cafe like that around. A bit worried about their pricing however. A coffee and an albeit delicious muffin runs $5 + in Westdale. Not sure that will translate on James North.

[realcity]

Can someone tell me what the "State of the Art" place is?

On the last crawl I walked by and it looked like a private club

[thistleclub]

James St. North rival to Hess?
Owner of new bar The Brain sees art groups providing springboard

Paul Morse
The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 23, 2010)

"How well do you know your beers?" asks The Brain's brain before disappearing behind the bar.

Brad Chichakian, 45, reappears moments later with arms laden with some strangely labelled bottles.

He plunks down Punk IPA, "a post-modern classic pale ale" out of Fraserburgh, Scotland, followed by St. Ambroise apricot beer out of Montreal and a gluten-free sorghum and rice beer out of Milwaukee called New Grist.

Finally, he sets down Dead Guy Ale, a private beer out of Oregon originally brewed to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead.

"Our beers are going to be a bit different from the rest of Hamilton," says James Street North's newest publican. "We hope to open in the next couple of days."

The Brain is a tiny pub -- seating capacity of 22 -- tucked against Studios at Hotel Hamilton, James North's most recent artist enclave.

Blink and you'll miss it.

But there's more to The Brain than meets the eye. It's a joint business venture between Chichakian, a Hamilton commercial realtor who has been quietly acquiring properties in the city, Heather South and Jeremy Greenspan, the frontman for the internationally acclaimed electronica band Junior Boys.

The trio bought the 130-year-old three-storey building near the corner of James North and Mulberry close to two years ago.

For Greenspan, it was a chance to own the place he'd been renting for his music studio. The musician's interest in opening a bar grew out of hearing his neighburhood friends complain about the lack of a place to hang out. "The Brain fills an extremely apparent need."

For Chichakian, it was a property speculation in a nascent artsy neighbourhood and its attendant coolness factor.

Chichakian knows his hot spots. He works out of Halton Heritage Realty's Hamilton office on Locke Street and says the investors who bought up many of the commercial properties on Locke are now turning their eyes toward James North.

"From Wilson down to Barton, these buildings are getting a lot more attention from buyers, including from out of town."

There is an extra level of interest beyond the artistic crowd buying low-cost buildings where they can still work and live relatively cheaply, Chichakian says. Speculators hoping to cash in on a hot area are nosing around.

In the past year, building prices along the James North stretch have increased 10 to 15 per cent, a premium not seen in other parts of the downtown, he says. "What cost us $180,000 a year and a half ago today would go for $205,000."

Nevertheless, he says, James North is still a big risk for investors.

"The rents are not higher, and shops are still dormant. That said, there is something happening here."

The Brain already has its artistic touches. The lighting fixtures over the bar are actually a large commissioned work of art by local sculptor Brian Kelly. The longest wall is about to feature a 10-metre mural. The Brain has also struck a deal with Hotel Hamilton to use its rear outdoor space.

Chichakian's grand scheme is to help create a new bar district in town. Some of the elements are beginning to come together, including final negotiations for a licenced My Dog Joe to take over the ground floor of next door's Hotel Hamilton.

Two weeks ago, Chichakian bought the nearby Ricca Furniture store where he hopes to open a licenced cafe. "I believe this is going to be a more interesting stretch than Hess Village, with a more discerning clientele."

[SteelTown]

Art on the street

May 14, 2010
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/769149

The city is hoping the unique character of James Street North can be captured in art.

Awards of $1,400 each will be given to up to three artists for designing something artistic to be installed along the street.

The piece of art could be a sculpture or maybe a bicycle stand or some other object that would fit into the streetscape. But the key, says Hamilton public art co-ordinator Ken Coit, is for it to reflect the character of the street.

The artist puts in a plan and the fabrication and installation is done by the city. It will all be explained at information meetings on May 18, 2-3 p.m. at Christ's Church Cathedral, Myler Hall, 252 James North.

For further information go to: hamilton.ca/arts/jamesstreetnorth

A street with no cars

Don't try to drive down James Street North, Sunday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Organizers will be closing the street to traffic to transform James, from Cannon to Burlington streets, into a two-kilometre "urban park" street fair to celebrate recreation and physical activity.

The Open Streets Hamilton program is modelled after a tradition that began 35 years ago in Bogota, Colombia. Now numerous other cities, including Ottawa, Winnipeg, New York, Chicago and Portland, have their own version of Open Streets.

For more information go to openstreetshamilton.ca

[SteelTown]

'The street that built a city'

May 14, 2010
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/769148

James North Art Crawl

Tonight 7 p.m. onwards

It's like someone flicks a switch the second Friday of each month.

About 30 galleries, restaurants and nightspots take part in the monthly event on James between Wilson and Murray streets. And for five years now James Street North has been lighting up in one-night celebrations of a street in transition.

The James North Art Crawl started as a way to co-ordinate art gallery openings but it's blossomed into a showcase of arts, culture and street activity. It's encouraged people from across the city to reacquaint themselves with Hamilton's most historic street that is finding its way out of decades of hard times.

"We wanted to support the community but at the same time do something unique and original and perhaps gain a little bit of attention," says David Kuruc, co-owner of Mixed Media on James North.

Kuruc is one of several enthusiastic shop owners who have started new arts-oriented businesses on the street. They're drawn to James because it's the real thing and they think the street has enormous potential as an arts and cultural destination. While the street hasn't been showing its best face in recent decades, there is no street that says Hamilton more clearly.

According to local historian Bill Manson, James is a "the street that built a city."

From the early 1800s to the 1960s James was the most important street in Hamilton, says City of Hamilton public art co-ordinator Ken Coit.

In the '50s, there was a wave of Italian immigration that recast the traditional Anglo Saxon roots. A couple of decades later the Portuguese wave arrived. Now more recent immigrants come from places such as Asia and Africa.

City Hall was on James, where the City Centre is now. Before suburban malls grabbed the attention, the street was the main place where people went to shop. The market was the biggest retail food attraction in town.

And while the James Street Art Crawl has done much to reinvigorate the street, there's still a long way to go, says Kuruc.

"You're starting to see the people come out on other nights ... But to be honest that's not happening enough. A lot of people forget about us the rest of the month."

Kuruc feels it will take another five years for the revitalization to really take hold.

"And that's fine with us because it means we have the time to do it properly."

[SteelTown]

Is James North being gentrified?
Ottawa Street surges as retail spot

June 11, 2010
Paul Morse
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/786595

Ancaster artist Tony Cabral spent nine months meticulously researching the right spot to set up a major new arts co-operative in Hamilton.

His first instinct was to head to James Street North and its vibrant artists' enclave to open AllSorts Gallery, an incorporated co-operative of 25 visual artists.

He spent months sitting on James North-area streets watching what people did and how they moved along the stretch, and he kept a close eye on property prices.

In the end, he turned his back on James North and chose Ottawa Street North instead.

It was a decision that speaks to some of the hurdles arts entrepreneurs face trying to move to James North, and the spectre of a double-edged sword known as gentrification -- where higher-income people begin to buy up properties and displace poorer people.

"James North is now priced out of the marketplace," Cabral, 50, said yesterday at the co-op's large and high-ceilinged former paint store on Ottawa North.

"I couldn't afford to buy a property on James North and make it. It's become a property speculators' area."

Cabral said it became clear that daytime pedestrian traffic along James North was, in his mind, not geared enough to retail shopping.

"During the day, more of it is people on the sidewalks, talking, having a beer, smoking their cigarettes," he said.

"There are not a lot of people shopping."

The John W. Foote VC Armoury on James also creates a large commercial gap, he said.

Jeremy Freiburger, a leading local arts advocate, admits potential gentrification and sluggish retail traffic are hot topics among the city's creative class right now.

"Ottawa North has a more established walk-and-shop culture than James Street North does right now," said Freiburger, executive director of the Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts.

"And a lot of the shops on James are starting to talk about that."

Friday night Art Crawls draw crowds to James, "but what do you need to make that street busy on a Wednesday afternoon?"

Freiburger wonders if James North is evolving into an artist exhibition or hangout space instead of a vibrant commercial strip.

Ottawa North has been connected to a cultural scene for fashion and home decor, "but I don't know if you'd ever have a busy Friday night on Ottawa Street, ever," he said.

For the area's councillor, Sam Merulla, the differences between James North and his ward's commercial strip are stark.

"I believe Ottawa North is far more prosperous and successful than James Street North is," he said. "Ottawa Street is booming; our entire east end is booming."

Along with increasing property values, the area has the largest inner-city redevelopment in Canada at the former Centre Mall, Merulla said. It's being transformed into a huge big-box centre.

For Cabral, Ottawa North works as a retail zone because it has key elements that make it attractive to shoppers. It still has some of the old-fashioned storefront quaintness, and well-established fabric and interior design stores that draw customers from across southern Ontario.

Antique stores have also begun relocating from Locke Street, which itself is becoming increasingly upscale and rent-rich.

But equally important is ready parking, both along Ottawa and behind the stores in large municipal lots, he said.

"In a few years, there will be more art galleries and art shops than there are now," Cabral said.

"It really is changing."

[SteelTown]

Old venues await new crowds
Underused halls on James St. N. give arts scene room to grow

June 11, 2010
Andrew Baulcomb
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/786456

It's no big secret that James Street North is undergoing a renaissance, but what you may not know about are its hidden gems.

Scattered throughout the downtown core are a series of gorgeous, cavernous, and historic spaces that have seen Hamilton through some of its best and worst times; even though few people see them.

Some are covered in dust and grime, others still could use a fresh coat of paint. Many are located above or below street-level, with only a dimly lit staircase hinting that more lies ahead.

It's on James Street North where you can meet Nelson Benevides, owner and general manager of Academica Hall. As a young proprietor who generally caters to an older Portuguese crowd, Benevides is excited about the growing arts scene in the area, and the potential to expand his business.

"It's very popular in the Portuguese community, but unfortunately not many people know about the place," said Benevides, walking to a massive upper-level banquet hall in Academica that is generally unused. "If artists and other people show interest, of course, we're open to all ideas."

With solid hardwood flooring, room for 170 people, and a full bar fixture, Benevides is hoping the growing need for exhibition and event space in the area will lead to a renewed use of the hall.

A similar space lies in the basement of Academica, once marketed as the Conga Room, but also generally vacant.

"Obviously, if we can expand and attract other people, it would be better for business, better for the community, and better for James Street," added Benevides, who hopes to rent out both rooms to new tenants.

Further south on James Street North, things are a little different. Perched high above the popular Harvest Moon restaurant lies the Red Mill Theatre, a former silent-film house that dates back to 1907.

Despite lovingly restoring the venue with his own blood, sweat and tears, the owner of the Red Mill Theatre wishes to remain anonymous and shies away from promoting the gorgeous, heavily detailed space for general use.

"I'm interested in something really mellow and calm, but everyone wants to make money and do the whole alcohol thing," said the theatre's owner, referring to the growing demand for large venues from city nightclub promoters.

For the most part, the Red Mill Theatre is used for bridal showers, banquets and traditional Chinese events. But that doesn't mean the demand isn't there.

Leo Tsangarakis, a part-time event promoter in Hamilton, noted that most young people in the city are dying for a new, large space in the downtown core.

"In my opinion, Hamilton needs a venue with some financial backing," said Tsangarakis, who also works as a manager at the Bean Bar in Westdale.

"As people start realizing the need to buy and eat local, they also need to support local arts. Even if we're importing the talent."

In terms of larger events, Tsangarakis said, "promoters can't pull them off in Hamilton, because the venues lack capacity and, therefore, income from the event."

Belma Diamante is hoping to change all of that on James North.

Owner of the once-grand Tivoli Theatre that's now an auditorium without a street-level facade, Diamante has major plans to re-establish the space as a cultural hub.

Plans include a $15-million renovation and addition on James Street North, bringing the partially hidden auditorium back to life in the community.

"We're hoping to have it complete by 2015, in time for the Pan Am Games," said Diamante, who hopes to finance the project in three phases, using community and government funding.

The overall idea, she said, is to offer a new space for the city's burgeoning arts scene, but one that isn't quite as big or daunting as Hamilton Place.

For now, those interested in some of James Street's hidden gems can check out Academica Hall tonight for Artopia, part of the James Street North Art Crawl. Tickets are $10.

A masquerade ball, raffle and concert will be held upstairs, with a portion of proceeds going to Hamilton Artists Inc.

NEED TO KNOW

What: Artopia Masquerade, a fundraiser for Hamilton Artists Inc.

When: Tonight, 7 p.m.

Where: Academica Hall, 242 James St. N.

Cost: $10

[crhayes]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Is James North being gentrified?
Ottawa Street surges as retail spot

June 11, 2010
Paul Morse
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/786595

Ancaster artist Tony Cabral spent nine months meticulously researching the right spot to set up a major new arts co-operative in Hamilton.

His first instinct was to head to James Street North and its vibrant artists' enclave to open AllSorts Gallery, an incorporated co-operative of 25 visual artists.

He spent months sitting on James North-area streets watching what people did and how they moved along the stretch, and he kept a close eye on property prices.

In the end, he turned his back on James North and chose Ottawa Street North instead.

It was a decision that speaks to some of the hurdles arts entrepreneurs face trying to move to James North, and the spectre of a double-edged sword known as gentrification -- where higher-income people begin to buy up properties and displace poorer people.

"James North is now priced out of the marketplace," Cabral, 50, said yesterday at the co-op's large and high-ceilinged former paint store on Ottawa North.

"I couldn't afford to buy a property on James North and make it. It's become a property speculators' area."

Cabral said it became clear that daytime pedestrian traffic along James North was, in his mind, not geared enough to retail shopping.

"During the day, more of it is people on the sidewalks, talking, having a beer, smoking their cigarettes," he said.

"There are not a lot of people shopping."

The John W. Foote VC Armoury on James also creates a large commercial gap, he said.

Jeremy Freiburger, a leading local arts advocate, admits potential gentrification and sluggish retail traffic are hot topics among the city's creative class right now.

"Ottawa North has a more established walk-and-shop culture than James Street North does right now," said Freiburger, executive director of the Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts.

"And a lot of the shops on James are starting to talk about that."

Friday night Art Crawls draw crowds to James, "but what do you need to make that street busy on a Wednesday afternoon?"

Freiburger wonders if James North is evolving into an artist exhibition or hangout space instead of a vibrant commercial strip.

Ottawa North has been connected to a cultural scene for fashion and home decor, "but I don't know if you'd ever have a busy Friday night on Ottawa Street, ever," he said.

For the area's councillor, Sam Merulla, the differences between James North and his ward's commercial strip are stark.

"I believe Ottawa North is far more prosperous and successful than James Street North is," he said. "Ottawa Street is booming; our entire east end is booming."

Along with increasing property values, the area has the largest inner-city redevelopment in Canada at the former Centre Mall, Merulla said. It's being transformed into a huge big-box centre.

For Cabral, Ottawa North works as a retail zone because it has key elements that make it attractive to shoppers. It still has some of the old-fashioned storefront quaintness, and well-established fabric and interior design stores that draw customers from across southern Ontario.

Antique stores have also begun relocating from Locke Street, which itself is becoming increasingly upscale and rent-rich.

But equally important is ready parking, both along Ottawa and behind the stores in large municipal lots, he said.

"In a few years, there will be more art galleries and art shops than there are now," Cabral said.

"It really is changing."

His gallery on Ottawa is beautiful!

[SteelTown]

http://www.loveitalot.com/2010/08/sweet-treats.html

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

http://www.loveitalot.com/2010/08/sweet-treats.html

This place is amazing. Same owners as My Dog Joe.

James North has needed a cafe like this for a while.

[SteelTown]

I just found out my new co-worker is brother of the owner. Sweet.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

http://www.loveitalot.com/2010/08/sweet-treats.html

Very nice!

Love the brick and the ceiling. So much nicer to restore than it is to throw drywall all over the place. The look and feel just from the pictures is impressive.

I wish it much success.

[mattgrande]

Hope to see you all at the art crawl tonight!

[emge]

Went to the new Mulberry Street Coffeehouse the other night - good Italian soda, GREAT latte

[matt602]

Yah I stopped by last night too. Wonderful place. I knew it would be this good though. I just hope it is supported well.

[urban_planner]

Went to the Mulberry Street Coffee House tonight. The Place was busy with people, mostly out of the patio as it was roasting inside.

Talk to some folks from the East Mountian who had been discovering what great things were going on downtown.

Just a great vibe down there.

[mattgrande]

I was there last night as well! I had just been at the Roller Derby game at Pier 8 (near the DIscovery Centre), and stopped in on the way back. I hope they're able to get their liquor license extended to their patio. I'd love to sip an Irish coffee out there someday soon!