Halifax Retail

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by isaidso

I've never been to the Earl's in Halifax but my first visit to one in Winnipeg didn't leave me with a good impression. The clientele and staff were loud and trashy. Our waitress was trashy and a flat out racist.

We said we wanted to have a drink on the patio. The waitress responded that the patio required a food purchase. With a smirk on her face she barked out ' go inside and you can go drink all you want!' We were taken aback and realized pretty quickly that she thought some people in our party were First Nations.

She was basically insinuating that we were drunk Indians. I questioned whether I had read that wrong but everyone in our party said that's exactly what just happened. We've never stepped foot in an Earls since.

Yikes. I figure that might be more of a Winnipeg thing than an Earl's thing, though.

[portapetey]

Originally Posted by isaidso

I've never been to the Earl's in Halifax but my first visit to one in Winnipeg didn't leave me with a good impression. The clientele and staff were loud and trashy. Our waitress was trashy and a flat out racist.

We said we wanted to have a drink on the patio. The waitress responded that the patio required a food purchase. With a smirk on her face she barked out ' go inside and you can go drink all you want!' We were taken aback and realized pretty quickly that she thought some people in our party were First Nations.

She was basically insinuating that we were drunk Indians. I questioned whether I had read that wrong but everyone in our party said that's exactly what just happened. We've never stepped foot in an Earls since.

I suspect your experience was less "Earl's" and more "Winnipeg". [ETA: I see Drybrain beat me to it...]

But, yeah, with higher stakes, an independent higher-end local business is probably going to have a better quality of staff than a corporate assembly line approximation of one.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by portapetey

I suspect your experience was less "Earl's" and more "Winnipeg". [ETA: I see Drybrain beat me to it...]

But, yeah, with higher stakes, an independent higher-end local business is probably going to have a better quality of staff than a corporate assembly line approximation of one.

Very likely Winnipeg but the experience turned me off the chain permanently. I boycott the Salvation Army for similar reasons.

[SpongeG]

is earls not popular out east? they are extremely popular in Vancouver, they are always packed and busy. Do they have the Cactus Club out east?

On the flipside, chains popular outside of BC don't do so well here, places like Olive Garden, Montanas, Swiss Chalet don't do well in the Vancouver Market.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is earls not popular out east? they are extremely popular in Vancouver, they are always packed and busy. Do they have the Cactus Club out east?

According to Earl's website, they only have five locations in Ontario (whereas they have 19 in BC and 25 in Alberta). There are none in Quebec or Atlantic Canada.

That whole "casual fine dining" franchise restaurant (see also Cactus Club, Moxie's, White Spot, etc.) is a very western Canadian thing. None of those restaurants have a major presence east of the prairies, and there are no big central/eastern equivalents that I can think of.

[SpongeG]

thanks, yeah i wasn't too sure how far the Earls reach went, I know they originated in Edmonton. They also own Joey which is also very popular out here.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

That whole "casual fine dining" franchise restaurant (see also Cactus Club, Moxie's, White Spot, etc.) is a very western Canadian thing. None of those restaurants have a major presence east of the prairies, and there are no big central/eastern equivalents that I can think of.

I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with those places but they are all kind of the same. I work in downtown Vancouver and within walking distance of my office, I would guess that 50% or more of the lunch spots are upscale casual places in this category. They are all fine but they all have similar menus, and none of them offer anything unusual.

Also, if you go visit Edmonton or Calgary you will find that 50% of the restaurants (or whatever percentage) are identical to the ones in Vancouver.

I've mentioned this before but I think Halifax has a pretty good dining scene, and not just "for its size". It has a lot of good restaurants and is somewhat blessed in terms of local produce, seafood, etc. Vancouver certainly has more high-end and Asian restaurants but Halifax has lots to choose from as well, and every time I go back there are some interesting new ones.

[fenwick16]

I think that this news may seem trivial to many, but anyway, Metal Supermarkets is opening its first store in the Maritimes at 5-75 MacDonald Ave, Dartmouth, NS - http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/36968...-in-halifax-ns

"We are excited to expand into the Maritimes with our new Halifax store," said Stephen Schober, President and CEO of Metal Supermarkets. "Halifax businesses with metal needs can now enjoy the speed, variety and convenience that Metal Supermarkets is known for."

Metal Supermarkets Halifax serves a wide variety of businesses and customers including tool and die shops, manufacturers, machinists, maintenance managers, fabricators, machine shops, contractors, construction companies, military, healthcare, education and other government departments, as well as hobbyists and home owners.

Metal Supermarkets stores stock a diverse selection of metal types including hot-rolled steel, cold-rolled steel, stainless steel and aluminum in a wide variety of shapes including bar, tube, sheet, plate and more. The new store also offers value-added services such as production saw-cutting, shearing and same-day delivery.

I have been buying small and medium quantities of metal from this chain for almost 30 years. For people who need odd shapes of metal this place is the place to go. If you need a 2" x 2" x 2" block of steel (for example), they can supply it with no minimum quantity, or just about any other shape or dimension from I beams to heavy duty steel channel, and just about everything in between.

There are many people who will love this place. Here is a link to their website - https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/about-us/history/

[Dmajackson]

Queen Street NSLC


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[ScovaNotian]

I didn't think it'd be possible to replace the Needs with something even worse looking, but they did it!

[stevencourchene]

ScovaNotian I didn't think it'd be possible to replace the Needs with something even worse looking, but they did it!


Right I totally agree and on top of the awful look I can't get over what a waste of space it is.

Love the idea of the port hate the building design but at lest the land is being used for more then a store front and parking.

[SpongeG]

Bed, Bath & Beyond to open in Bayers Lake


Bed Bath & Beyond will open at Bayers Lake this year, though the New Jersey-headquartered home store isn’t saying where, exactly, or even what month.

Sources close to the matter confirmed to The Chronicle Herald Thursday that the massive retail chain plans to open a second Nova Scotia location this summer, on Chain Lake Drive.

...

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novasco...in-bayers-lake

[kph06]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Bed, Bath & Beyond to open in Bayers Lake


Bed Bath & Beyond will open at Bayers Lake this year, though the New Jersey-headquartered home store isn’t saying where, exactly, or even what month.

Sources close to the matter confirmed to The Chronicle Herald Thursday that the massive retail chain plans to open a second Nova Scotia location this summer, on Chain Lake Drive.

...

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novasco...in-bayers-lake

I don't think it's a secret as the Herald makes it sound. The coming soon signs are up on the old Future Shop. Maybe they should have gotten a source closer to the matter than simply driving by the smaller "coming soon" sign on Chain Lake Drive.

[q12]

Originally Posted by kph06

I don't think it's a secret as the Herald makes it sound. The coming soon signs are up on the old Future Shop. Maybe they should have gotten a source closer to the matter than simply driving by the smaller "coming soon" sign on Chain Lake Drive.

Ha Ha, yeah the sign has been up for awhile, plus Halifax ReTales reported it was coming long before and said it's going to include a buybuy BABY.

[kph06]

Originally Posted by q12

Ha Ha, yeah the sign has been up for awhile, plus Halifax ReTales reported it was coming long before and said it's going to include a buybuy BABY.

Somebody should give them a tip that Ikea is looking at Halifax and see where that goes.

[q12]

^

URBAN PLANET is opening on Barrington Street.

Not to be confused with U.S. Retailer URBAN OUTFITTERS which is already on Barrington Street.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by q12

URBAN PLANET is opening on Barrington Street.

Do you know which storefront it will be in?

[q12]

Originally Posted by someone123

Do you know which storefront it will be in?

According to Halifax ReTales, it will be taking up the 2-level attica space.

[Dmajackson]

Halifax's first cidery looks like it is about to open on Agricola Street;


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by Dmajackson

Halifax's first cidery looks like it is about to open on Agricola Street;


Halifax Developments Blog (Photo by David Jackson)

The stainless trim and garage door don't really match the rest of the building's exterior (which I generally like). I hope they have better attention to detail elsewhere.