Several businesses that have just opened in the ByWard Market say it’s natural to see even familiar names come and go and that the transition to new ideas can be good.
Longtime businesses such as Saslove’s Meat Market, the Courtyard Restaurant and Blue Cactus have moved out in recent months, while new businesses are filling those spots.
After signing a lease with the National Capital Commission late last summer, Ottawa-based brewer Beyond the Pale opened the doors of its new taproom and event space last month in the heritage building previously occupied by the Courtyard Restaurant.
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“It’s nice to see this kind of transition happening now,” said co-owner and brewmaster Shane Clark. “It’s unfortunate that some long-term businesses are closing, but it is nice to get that little bit more transition, a new revitalization of that area. New businesses, new ideas coming in and hopefully that’s going to draw a bigger crowd again and get more people comfortable going down into the Market.
“I’m Ottawa-born and raised, so I’ve spent a lot of my time down in the Market over the years,” he continued. “It’s an amazing spot that we have in Ottawa and I think it’s definitely being a little under-utilized.”
Clark said his experience has been positive so far.
“It’s only been just over a month now, so you know, it’s the honeymoon period and everybody wants to come check it out,” said Clark. “But it’s been really good. We managed to get some last-minute Christmas events and staff events, which helped keep us busy. We’re still working on building up that walk-in traffic. But it’s definitely been as good as we expected.”
Martin Wright, who recently moved his business Magpie Jewellery onto Sussex Drive after 30 years in the Rideau Centre, said business turnover like the kind being seen in the Market is common in any area.
“How many businesses are there in the Market? I don’t know, probably hundreds,” he told OBJ Monday. “You’re always going to have turnover. But I think it’s that every single change in the Market is reported. Businesses change a lot and there’s, I guess, a microscope. It’s a little unusual.”
When OBJ first interviewed Wright about the move in May, he said business owners in the area had made him aware of their experiences, including windows being smashed. Wright said those types of safety concerns are common in big cities, especially for jewellers, and he was willing to take the risk.
So far, he said, it’s paid off.
“It’s been really pleasantly surprising. No hassles at all, no crime as of yet – knock wood,” he said. “We’ve done really well in the new space. We’ve really liked it. We like the customers that we’re getting. We’re getting lots of tourists in the summer and we’re getting some really good people.”
The move to the Market has also been a positive experience for Moe Alameddine, the owner of Dark Fork, which opened in September.
The company has operated similar restaurants in multiple large Canadian cities since 2006. Alameddine said the Market is an ideal location for a venture like his.
“I always like to be in the centre, because we target tourists, as well as others,” he told OBJ. “We’re not far from the Parliament, from Chateau Laurier, Sparks Street. The little area here, with the Market, it’s creating that community and it’s like a walking city.”
In his nearly two decades running blind-dining restaurants, Alameddine said he’s seen plenty of turnover.
“People are always looking for something new,” he said. “You have to always put fresh blood in your concept, fresh things to keep people interested. That’s very important. And in this industry, you see a lot of turnover, of opening and closing, unfortunately, due to so many factors. Like rents are very expensive lately and labour is always a challenge to find.”
Alameddine said that, despite rising costs, Ottawa remains relatively affordable compared to other major cities. And the ByWard Market, he added, is poised for a comeback.
“Across from us, the (Live Nation music venue) will be going in,” he said. “There’s lots of new, fresh ideas coming to the area that will change this, will boost the demographics with new flow and bring people from outside of the downtown core. These things are gonna change the makeup and it’s going to show probably in the summer more now.
“It’s going to be better. The best place to be in, at the heart of the city.”
A tight-knit business community
While these new ByWard businesses are still finding their footing, all agree that the Market has a vibrant and supportive business community.
“Overall, the entire experience has been positive, amazing,” said Wright of Magpie Jewellery.
Business owners considering setting up shop in the Market should “give it a chance, for sure. The lease rates are great, especially along Sussex. There’s beautiful spots, really beautiful spots, and I think we’ve got a good thing going,” he said.
At Beyond the Pale, Clark said it’s important to make friends.
“We’re only a month in, so I’d be remiss to think that I know the answers at this point,” he said. “But I think what we learned from everybody as we moved in is that it is a real community. Don’t try to run your own business independently of everybody else. Rising tide floats all boats. If we’re all doing this together and trying to create a new atmosphere and new Market, connecting with other businesses is the biggest thing.”
The ByWard Market is an experience, he added, that you can’t find everywhere in the city.
“At our original location at City Centre, we’re kind of on an island,” he said. “We made friends, obviously, but we’re not in that kind of Market area. Down there, it was surprising to us how close they all are and how they work together on Market initiatives. All those guys, they’re really focused on making it a better spot and bringing it back to where it was. They’re super active on it and they’ve included us immediately in all of that.”
The Market business community is especially active on social issues, which Clark said he’d like to see continue.
“I think the general goal is to figure out how to support unhoused people down there,” he said. “It’s a matter of our governments – municipal, provincial, federal, everybody – getting involved and starting to come up with ways to support mental health and homelessness.”
