The executive director of the Glebe BIA says he’s confident the vacancy at the former Clocktower Pub on Bank Street will be filled — once again — and help bring a buzz to the area. The space at 575 Bank St. was home to the city’s first Clocktower Brew Pub since 1996. When the pub […]
The executive director of the Glebe BIA says he’s confident the vacancy at the former Clocktower Pub on Bank Street will be filled — once again — and help bring a buzz to the area.
The space at 575 Bank St. was home to the city’s first Clocktower Brew Pub since 1996. When the pub closed at the end of 2023, it made way for a Turkish restaurant to open in April 2024. Sultan Ahmet Turkish Cuisine closed earlier this month.
Darrell Cox said commercial retail space in the Glebe is “in very high demand,” adding that 575 Bank won’t have any issues with its large footprint and attached parking lot. However, he said an ongoing retail marketing gap analysis being carried out by the BIA, which will wrap up at the end of August, will help identify what kind of business might fill the vacancy.
“We’ll identify every business in the Glebe and what sector they’re in and then a consultant will look at market trends and demands (to see) if we’re over-serviced or under-serviced by a certain type of business … I’ll get in touch with the owner of the building or the realtor and, hopefully, help them make a decision on what would be the best-suited business for that location,” Cox said.
While Cox said it’s always difficult to see a business leave the Glebe, it allows for new opportunities.
“When Top of the World left, it had been a long-standing retail store and now we’re seeing Mandy’s go in there. It’s certainly feasible that, if (that space) went from retail to a restaurant, we could see (575 Bank St.) go from restaurant to retail,” he said.
Mandy’s Salads, a popular Montreal lunch spot, is opening its first Ottawa location next door to 575 Bank St. on Aug. 15, something Cox said will help bring foot traffic to the north end of Bank Street.
“(Mandy’s) isn’t open yet, but when it is, it will help drive people. What we’re seeing is that Central Park is a bit of a delineator … depending on what we get into that location at the Sultan Ahmet, that’ll just continue to drive traffic to the north end,” he said.
Cox said he would also like to see something similar to Mandy’s go into 575 Bank.“Whether it’s local or national brands, I think (the vacancy) presents a really great opportunity for a new business to come to town like we saw with Yolks, which is a Vancouver-based restaurant that opened its first Ontario location in Ottawa … But then we would also like to see the opportunity for local businesses to expand,” he said, pointing to the success of Ottawa-founded coffee chain Bridgehead. 
