For Jill Anguaya at Tickled Pink, losing her store’s location in the ByWard Market would likely spell the end of her business, and of the promise she made to the previous owner. When Anguaya and her husband bought Tickled Pink in 2012, the business had been operating at 55 ByWard Market Square for a number […]
Get Instant Access to This Article
Become an Ottawa Business Journal Insider and get immediate access to all of our Insider-only content and much more.
For Jill Anguaya at Tickled Pink, losing her store’s location in the ByWard Market would likely spell the end of her business, and of the promise she made to the previous owner.
When Anguaya and her husband bought Tickled Pink in 2012, the business had been operating at 55 ByWard Market Square for a number of years.
“(The previous owner) was a local seamstress and had a collection of children’s clothing. She also shared the space so it … was like a little co-op of different crafters inside the store and she morphed it into a gift store with lots of whimsy and children’s gifts in mind,” Anguaya told OBJ.
When the previous owner decided to sell, Anguaya and her husband took the business over with the promise of keeping it alive.
“That’s what we have worked at doing for the past 14 years, building it up to meet the demands of the people coming in and out of the building every day. (We) continue to support local handmade creators who have been supplying the shop for many years.
“(We have) a lot of little things that you can pick up that are made right here in Ottawa. At the same time, (we have) other types of gifts that people are looking for. You almost don’t know who’s going to come in the door, day-to-day, but the majority of people are looking for something that they can bring home as a reminder of their trip to Ottawa,” Anguaya said.
Now, the future of Anguaya’s shop is uncertain, given the city’s plans to redevelop the ByWard Market. In March, council approved a plan to “reimagine” the building at 55 ByWard Market Square, as well as the parking garage at 70 Clarence St. and the York Street Plaza, all in an effort to revitalize the area.
According to documents reviewed by council in March, the ByWard Market Building would become “a vibrant, all-day destination that brings the ‘market’ back to the ByWard Market.” The building would have a “bright central hall, space for nostalgic food-based anchor tenants, such as a local specialty grocer and bakery, rotating food and beverage vendors and flexible event space to support community gatherings, cultural programming and celebrations.”
While the documents say current lease agreements would be upheld, they also suggest that current tenants could be displaced under a new “tenanting model.” The documents discuss “relocation advisory support” for affected tenants, including “providing information on, and possible access to, other City-area commercial districts and available spaces” and “exploring the option of working with a local commercial real estate broker to identify suitable relocation opportunities for displaced tenants.”
With their future uncertain, 16 of the 17 businesses currently in the ByWard Market Building, calling themselves the ByWard Market Building Tenants Alliance, wrote a letter earlier this week asking the mayor and council to repeal the plan to “reimagine” 55 ByWard Market Square.
For Anguaya, she said her business would be “tremendously” affected.
“I think that most of us in the building have catered our business to the visitors and the people that come to the Market regularly. It’s a very distinct little ecosystem of shops and restaurants. We don’t necessarily have the ability to just pick up and relocate. Our relevance is really directly (linked) to a very diverse group of tourists and visitors to the ByWard Market,” she explained.
“For ourselves, we see this as a renoviction. They want to put in a reimagined plan for the building, which doesn’t give us any sense that we are supported as small businesses and entrepreneurs that have been operating under a lot of different challenges, as many people have, in the downtown core over the last few years.”
Attempts to expand Tickled Pink to another part of the city have failed in the past, she said.
“Prior to the business being sold to us, the original owner did try to have another Tickled Pink in another part of the city and it didn’t work out for her at all. I myself have had a number of shops in different locations across Ottawa and I know the challenges you face when you are on your own, hoping for someone to come in through the door.”
Anguaya added that the area businesses have been “involved in various ongoing long-term studies and plans” for the ByWard Market’s revitalization, and while many agree the area could use a revitalization, she said the plan for 55 ByWard Market Square came by surprise.
“I think it took a little while for people to realize what was being said without actually being said. You had to dig down and find that the intent is to terminate leases,” she said.
Anguaya said that the businesses formed the alliance as they felt many of the associations that would protect their interests had been dismantled.
“From the BIA and vendors’ associations being done away with, in its place we’ve been up against trying to deal with the new entity that the City of Ottawa has created, which is the ByWard Market District Authority. There’s nobody that’s there to represent the businesses or get feedback from businesses.”
In response to a request for additional information and clarification, Amanda Mullins, manager of ByWard Market Strategic Projects at the City of Ottawa, said in an emailed statement to OBJ Wednesday that “further consultation with businesses and the public will be a part of this work.”
“During the development of the revitalization plan, City staff visited the tenants at 55 ByWard Market Square and 70 Clarence Street to discuss the potential future work highlighted in the report. Staff reiterated that there were no short-term impacts to tenants during these conversations. Recognizing the important role that businesses play in the character and vitality of the ByWard Market, the redevelopment program also includes a Business and Tenant Support Strategy to guide ongoing engagement, with a focus on clear communication, minimizing disruptions, and supporting business continuity.
“Council has not approved a final design or future occupancy strategy for the buildings, and no decisions have been made regarding potential tenant relocations. Existing lease agreements remain in effect,” she said in the statement.
Mullins added that preliminary design and implementation planning work is underway and the plan will be brought back to council in the last quarter of 2027, with major construction in the Market not anticipated until 2028.
“This work is subject to future Council approvals, funding availability, detailed design and construction timelines, which will be phased over multiple years,” Mullins said in the statement.
