C/O Violet Lampman
The variety of businesses on Ottawa Street offer an excellent insight into all Hamilton has to offer students
By: Violet Lampman, contributor
Ottawa Street has blossomed over the last decade, with the opening of a number of local businesses. Nicknamed “fabric lane,” its many craft and fabric stores located along the street, the street is also home to coffee shops, restaurants and markets.
One staple business of Ottawa Street is Empire Make Space. Ariane Clark opened Empire Make Space at the start of the pandemic, looking to share an inexpensive and upcycled way of crafting and skill learning.
“We want to open up crafting. Make it as accessible as we can financially. We want to foster creating and creativity, there should not be any barriers to that,” explained Ariane Clark, Owner of Empire Make Space
With their workshops, free time to use sewing machines and free outside cart, Empire Make Space has different features for any type of craft or skill level. Materials collected through upcycling allows for inexpensive cost, making this an affordable and sustainable stop for students.
Clark also spoke to the valuable community feel of the street and how this sense of community is supporting by the variety of shops, including her own.
“There's so much just within a 50-metre strip. It really serves a number of communities. We have two vegan restaurants just on the same block. You get a good variety of shops, there's something for everyone,” said Clark.
"There's so much just within a 50-metre strip. It really serves a number of communities. We have two vegan restaurants just on the same block. You get a good variety of shops, there's something for everyone."
Ariane Clark, Owner of Empire Make Space
A cup of coffee is the perfect addition to a shopping trip to Ottawa Street. The Cannon is a locally owned and operated coffee shop on Ottawa Street. Located at Cannon and Ottawa, it is also a community staple, having been open for the past ten years.
Owner Chris Poirier, who bought the business five years ago, has grown it into to the cozy shop it stands today. The shop offers students a small taste of the grit of Hamilton along with an inclusive space to study and a range of student-perfect features, including an assorted range of coffee imported from all over the world.
“We want people to come and feel included. I hope students can walk away with a new coffee favourite and if not . . . to just come down and visit, we are a smiley bunch,” explained Poirier.
"We want people to come and feel included. I hope students can walk away with a new coffee favourite and if not . . . to just come down and visit, we are a smiley bunch."
Chris Poirier, Owner of the Cannon
Poirier also encouraged others to explore Ottawa street and the various businesses located in the fabric lane.
“It's nice to get out here to Ottawa Street to experience the diversity and grit of Hamilton and get out of the McMaster bubble. There are some nice bars and shops that have opened up. The street is really starting to bloom,” added Poirier.
Beyond Empire Maker Space and the Cannon, Ottawa Street is full of unique and welcoming businesses that capture the grit and beauty of Hamilton while still embracing the inclusivity and diversity this city has to offer.
By Barjot Gill
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By: Adrianna Michell
For the past ten years, Relay Coffee Roasters has been bringing quality cups of ethically-produced coffee to the hands of Hamiltonians. Throughout the decade the husband and wife team behind Relay have seen their roastery grow into the thriving business that it is today.
Relay Coffee Roasters first set up shop in Hamilton in 2008 under at the name Red Hill Coffee Trade. At the time, Hamilton wasn’t the city it is today, with its booming restaurant industry and influx of creatives and business owners. Instead, the Hamilton that Relay co-founder Jason Hofing moved to had only a few restaurants and cafes, and lacked a well-known coffee roaster.
Relay’s current reputation in the city’s food scene took years of relationship building with community members and restauranteurs.
Hofing remembers the challenges of Relay’s beginnings, recalling a lot of polite declining of his services. The few restaurants and cafés in the city already had established relationships with coffee providers.
“We had to… build a name for ourselves as a roaster. We had to get cups of coffee in people’s hands,” explained Hofing.
“One of the reasons that I started is that I wanted to make a business that did good for the people we were roasting for, so our local community and [coffee] farmers.”
Jason Hofing
Relay Coffee Roasters
Co-founder
To create a reputation for themselves and get cups to the community, the team tabled at Art Crawl. Monthly, the roasters set up a stand in front of Christ Church Cathedral in the artists market. Since their first Art Crawl in 2009, Art Crawlers have come to depend on a cup of well-crafted coffee to enjoy while exploring the local arts scene.
As the roastery grew, so did their lineup of events and restaurants. Relay has attended the Festival of Friends and Supercrawl, and has partnerships with the Hammer City Roller Derby, SACHA’s Chocolatefest, the Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Early days saw partnerships with the Twisted Lemon in Cayuga, Papa Leo’s and Jack and Lois.
In 2011 Relay’s coffee bar opened in the Hamilton Farmer’s Market, marking the first retail location for the company. Next came the coffee bar on Concession Street, and with that their rebranding as Relay Coffee Roasters.
“That’s a really fun part of this job too,” says Hofing, “teaming up with a lot of these organizations and events. I feel like the community really sees us as a positive influence.”
After ten years of growth, two coffee bars, and countless festivals, Hofing reflects on what first brought him to roasting: a love of coffee.
“One of the reasons that I started is that I wanted to make a business that did good for the people we were roasting for, so our local community and [coffee] farmers.”
All of Relay’s roasts are fair trade and certified organic. To Hofing, making sure that the coffee beans are fair trade and the farmers are paid a fair wage is important.
Over time, the company’s love of coffee has grown into a love of creating. Restaurants that source their coffee from Relay incorporate the roasts into their recipes, using the blends to create exciting culinary collaborations. Most recently, Relay teamed up with Merit Brewing to create a coffee porter for the brewery’s Unstrung Hero series of beers.
Hofing’s goal for Relay is for it to be Hamilton’s favourite coffee roaster, but he recognizes the work necessary for the company and its relationship with the community to grow.
Relay soon may expand to a third coffee bar and will be adding new origins and blends to their roster this year.
A decade in, Jason Hofing and his wife Rachel have learned that nothing really goes according to plan. When the duo first moved to Hamilton they thought they would build a roastery with ethical, flavourful origins — now they have expanded to blends and opening coffee bar, all while cultivating a community of restauranteurs and locals that share their love of a good brew.
With their sustainable, unique roasts, Hamilton can hopefully look forward to another decade of Relay Coffee.
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Graduation is always on the mind, whether you're dreading the inevitable future, or looking forward to it. Either way, sometime soon we will be out in the world without the comfort of our undergrad to keep us busy. Let's take a step into the life of a McMaster Alumni, and we at the Silhouette will guess what coffee shop you frequent!
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One of the first things students realize when settling into their new McMaster home is the eerie quietness of campus on weekends. For first year students, this realization typically happens after wandering around a semi-dark student centre while hungry and bored.
This weekend, you can find yourself stuck at Centro again, or you can make the most of the weekend with our list of must-try foods and places to visit all within a 40 minute bus ride from campus.
Starting at 6 pm on Concession Street and Upper Wentworth, several blocks will come alive with music, talent, vendors, makers and a street sale.
Prefer artwork over music? Featuring over a hundred artists, Art in the Workplace at the The Atrium in the McMaster Innovation Park is a must-see exhibit this fall. Open until 5 pm, the annual exhibit will feature an amazing collection of photography, paintings and other mediums.
Open from 7 am to 5 pm, the Farmers Market has a great selection of organic groceries, while also boasting a great selection of restaurants and vendors. Take a walk through the market and stop by Pokeh Bar for a fresh ahi tuna, salmon or vegan Poké bowl.
The Casbah will be hosting electronic music band Austra. Inspired by European club culture, the electro ensemble will be performing music from their newest album; Future Politics.
Enjoy the wonderful weekend weather with a walk through Sam Lawrence Park. Trails will lead you to some of the best views of Hamilton’s cityscape.
Want to stay on campus? Follow the trails behind the Brandon Residence to Cootes Paradise for a nature walk to enjoy its remarkable biodiversity.
Grab a bite on Locke Street’s Brown Dog. Open until 10 pm, the coffee shoppe has delicious apple fritters and Instagram worthy aesthetic.
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Sarah O'Connor
Staff Reporter
For Coffee:
Homegrown Hamilton
27 King William Street
Phone: (905) 777-8102
Email: info@homegrownhamilton.com
Website: www.homegrownhamilton.com
Facebook: Homegrown Hamilton
Twitter: @HomgrownHam
Fair Trade coffee is probably the first thing people associate with the term. While there are many places around McMaster that sell Fair Trade coffee (such as Union Market and My Dog Joe), it’s nice to explore the city a bit more and experience the downtown core. Homegrown Hamilton freshly roasts their coffee right in front of you using only Fair Trade and organic beans from around the world. They offer a variety of coffee flavours as well as snacks for you to enjoy. The café-by-day, bar-by-night, offers weekly live entertainment by local and non-local artists.
For Food:
Ten Thousand Villages
162 Locke Street South
Phone: (905) 522-1626
Email: Hamilton@villages.ca
Website: www.tenthousandvillages.ca
Facebook: Ten Thousand Villages Canada
Twitter: @VillagesCanada
Celebrating its 68 Anniversary as the largest Fair Trade retailer in North America, Ten Thousand Villages is definitely the most interesting of the shops because everything it sells is fair trade: coffee and tea, jewelry, and food items from India, Bangladesh and many other places. Additionally, Ten Thousand Villages also sells a variety of fair trade chocolate and spices for cooking− a great way to spice up Ramen Noodles or a way to liven up dessert!
For Art:
The Quirky Crocodile
600 Upper Wellington Street
Phone: (905) 387 0404
Website: www.thequirkycrocodile.com
Email: the qurikycrocodile@hotmail.com
Facebook: The Quirky Crocodile
Twitter: @quirkycrocodile
The Quirky Crocodile is a brand-new store to Hamilton that opened its doors on Feb.1. As well as selling fair trade coffee and tea, The Quirky Crocodile also sells gorgeous Fair Trade metal wall art from Haiti. The wall art is unique as it is recycled from steel oil drums and made with a hammer and chisel. The Quirky Crocodile also sells bamboo wind chimes, decorative masks, and products made by local artists such as hats, mittens, and sock animals.
