Ottawa Street

[MsMe]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

1964

Credit: timhortons.com

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

1964

Credit: timhortons.com

Man, I would love to see a 'retro' Hortons in the city somewhere.
They've all become these bland, beige boxes with hard seats and bland, beige interiors.
Remember the old beauties with bar stools, great signage and that little 'horton face' on the signs?

[markbarbera]

Er, Tim Hortons has always been bland beige boxes with hard seats and beige interiors. The only difference is less yellow trim.

I thought you absolutely hated Tim Horton's, referring to it as crap in a couple other threads here.

[raisethehammer]

the coffee is crap as are the frozen donuts.
any hortons I was in as a kid we sat on the cushy red swivel seats.

[Hammer Native]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

1964

Credit: timhortons.com

I remember reading an article where Ron Joyce said Tim Horton opened it to supplement his hockey income. (They sure didn't make the big bucks back then that they do now.) But he didn't have a lot of time to run it, so he brought in Joyce to help. Tim made an agreement with Ron that they would pool all the incomes, including his hockey income, and split it in half.

As for the fabric district, it is quite well known. Some company in Western New York was even running charter bus tours for people wanting to come up and shop there. This was also something I read and that was at least a few years ago, I can't remember much of the details.

[Hammer Native]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

the coffee is crap as are the frozen donuts.
any hortons I was in as a kid we sat on the cushy red swivel seats.

And they had counter service, when they liked you to stay a while, not drive through. I think Ottawa was the last location to do away with it.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by Hammer Native

And they had counter service, when they liked you to stay a while, not drive through. I think Ottawa was the last location to do away with it.

I think you're right.
I remember being ticked with they 'renovated' it in order to honour it as Store number 1. Sadly, they made it look just like store number 1,132.

[SteelTown]

I'm sure many would enjoy this youtube clip of Tim Hortons on Ottawa St

• Video Link

[Hammer Native]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I'm sure many would enjoy this youtube clip of Tim Hortons on Ottawa St

• Video Link

Great clip, do you know who he was reporting for? LOL, I love the lady owner's story about the teacher. I wonder if the teacher would be around today to see Ron Joyce's yacht. I'm showing my age here, but Tim Horton was actually killed in a 1974 car crash. He was a Buffalo Sabre at the time and they had played a game in Toronto. He was driving back in a exotic Italian sports car, a Pantera, and he was believed to be going over 100 miles an hour and being chased by the police. He crashed on the QEW, St. Catharines.

Ron Joyce would later buy out his widow's share for 1 million dollars. She sued years later claiming she made that agreement under duress, but lost. Of course Joyce later sold his shares to Wendy's and I believe became their single largest shareholder. It seemed the relationship between him and Dave Thomas was going well. Of course Dave Thomas is not around now and Joyce is retired. Joyce has not been real happy today with the way Tim's has been run, ie: the quality of things. Years ago he was not easily convinced on the idea to put in drive thru's. He figured you had to go inside and see and smell the products. A franchise owner, of the old one at Upper Gage and Fennell, convinced him, and hence I'm pretty sure that location became the first ever with a drive thru. --- Another first, the Wendy's on Queenston Road was the first location in Canada.

Sorry to stray from Ottawa Street, just thought I'd expand on this story.

I always wondered what made them choose Hamilton and Ottawa Street for their first (and they probably hadn't planned on many more at the time), site? Possibly the perception of coffee and donuts being more of a blue collar thing and Ottawa Street being a major thoroughfare to an industrial zone?

[the dude]

cooool video. where would it have been aired? chch?

it would be nice if that location were more of a landmark - some retro signage, a counter, etc.

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by Hammer Native

I always wondered what made them choose Hamilton and Ottawa Street for their first (and they probably hadn't planned on many more at the time), site? Possibly the perception of coffee and donuts being more of a blue collar thing and Ottawa Street being a major thoroughfare to an industrial zone?

Ottawa St North is the main entrance to Dofasco and many other blue collar jobs so Tim Horton and Ron Joyce probably thought of that when they decided to open the first Tim Hortons chain on Ottawa St.

Originally Posted by Hammer Native

Another first, the Wendy's on Queenston Road was the first location in Canada.

Dunno, pretty sure Wendy's on Upper James is the first in Canada. I remember them giving away free frosty not too long ago, think it was 25 years celebration.

[raisethehammer]

isn't that Paul Wilson in the video??

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by the dude

cooool video. where would it have been aired? chch?

it would be nice if that location were more of a landmark - some retro signage, a counter, etc.

what are you talking about?? its has beautiful beige tile floors, beige walls, beige tables, beige chairs, beige countertops. it's full of flair. Lol

[Hammer Native]

^^^ I delivered The Mountain News when I was a kid exactly 30 years ago and they gave me a coupon for lunch at Wendy's and I went to the Upper James location. It says on a website Wendy's opened their first Canadian location in 1975, it just doesn't say where, I just remember waaay back in my mind reading it was Queenston Road. But those two streets have pretty much evolved at the same time in the same way, (unfortunately).

As for Ottawa Street, it's great to see it evolving the way it is and become a destination again. It was a shopping destination pre Centre Mall days, as many of us know. It used to have a Zellers, like downtown, another department store called Metropolitan, movie theaters, restaurants, etc.

In the 1950's my grandfather owned a small store in the block between Edinburgh and Britannia. (He also had one on the former corner of Jackson and Park Streets where City Hall now sits, and one on Parkdale, which was 'out in the country.') In that brick house immediately behind Limoncello Cafe my grandparents, father and his five siblings lived. In the similar house behind it on Britannia a great grandmother, who I never met, lived. Next to the Cafe, if it's still there is Logan's Restaurant. It was Ward's Restaurant up until the 90's but it was there back in the 50's my dad said, but it is basically the same restaurant.

I owned a house on Edinburgh exactly 3 doors down from where the farmers' market has located. I rented it out mostly needing more money. My dad said the parking lots weren't always there, that they tore down some houses to put them in, (sound familiar?) The space where the Kiwanis parkette is came about however because of a tragedy in 1993. A deli and apartments above were leveled due to a gas explosion. A woman tenant was killed and the deli owner badly hurt. It was about 9:00 one morning so it was probably a miracle there were no more casualties. I drove by there much earlier in the morning to check on my house as it was empty at the time. Every TV station seemed to be there, what a zoo. A crane was lifting debris and would stop occasionally (I guess to see if anyone was in there.) There was rubble, even meat just sitting there for weeks then they finally cleaned the site up. Years later the mural on the next building was painted to make the spot look better. The parkette was only built within the last few years.

But the street is looking good and looks like it will continue to go nowhere but up. I saw businesses come and fail, but now there seem to be more making it.

[raisethehammer]

great history HammerNative. Logans is AWESOME! I love that place.
Ahh, the good old days when all these shopping districts were bustling and had everything you could need.
We'll get back there someday....someday.

[crhayes]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

great history HammerNative. Logans is AWESOME! I love that place.
Ahh, the good old days when all these shopping districts were bustling and had everything you could need.
We'll get back there someday....someday.

Yeah the style has just changed. Instead of having multiple stores and a streetwall with everything you need you have one massive store. Different trends for different times.

[astroblaster]

Originally Posted by Hammer Native

The space where the Kiwanis parkette is came about however because of a tragedy in 1993. A deli and apartments above were leveled due to a gas explosion. A woman tenant was killed and the deli owner badly hurt. It was about 9:00 one morning so it was probably a miracle there were no more casualties. I drove by there much earlier in the morning to check on my house as it was empty at the time. Every TV station seemed to be there, what a zoo. A crane was lifting debris and would stop occasionally (I guess to see if anyone was in there.) There was rubble, even meat just sitting there for weeks then they finally cleaned the site up. Years later the mural on the next building was painted to make the spot look better. The parkette was only built within the last few years.

1993!

I remember when this happened, my dad took me down there to check it out. Somehow it doesn't seem that long ago... but i guess it was.

[thisisdan]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

They are putting these up today! I saw them putting up one at the South end of Ottawa Street this morning.

[SteelTown]

Excellent!

[adam]

i imagine they come complete with icicles!