CHANGE COMING TO MAGNOLIA CAFÉ
Dave Hyndman of Dave’s Lobster from PEI has had his sights on the Saint John for some time. The restaurant’s menu is simple “Atlantic Canadian lobster rolls & tacos, awesome grilled cheese, local craft beer. “ Dave’s is widely considered to be among the best lobster rolls in Atlantic Canada. They currently have two locations…one on the Charlottetown waterfront and one on the Halifax waterfront. “Saint John was a logical next step for me” says Dave. “I operate seasonally from May-October and wanted a location which would be convenient for the locals but from which I also could capture the cruise ship passenger market”.
It was on a visit to Saint John just before Christmas (more…)
#SJvacant
The Vacant Building Redevelopment Program is intended as a tool to encourage reinvestment in projects that address instances of urban blight and encourage increased residential density
VACANT BUILDING PROGRAM
Through this Program, the City of Saint John hopes to reinvest in its historic building stock, the stabilization of residential neighbourhoods and the vibrancy of the Uptown area. Vacant Building grants include: (more…)
FOR LEASE on the #gingerbreadtrail
20 King Street, Saint John
For the second year in a row, I’m participating in the Crosby’s Molasses Gingerbread Trail. Join us in this magical journey of sweet gingerbread delights throughout uptown Saint John.
The 4th annual Crosby’s Gingerbread Trail kicked off today in shops, restaurants and public locations in Uptown Saint John. The Trail, sponsored by Crosby Molasses Co. Ltd., is a network of 34 gingerbread houses and other gingerbread creations on display throughout the uptown core and continues until December 24th.
For more info click, a list of participating business and a map of the trail click HERE
See my gingerbread building in the window at 20 King Street (former Birks location)
Retail Opportunities with Irving Oil
Stephanie Turner, in partnership with Irving Oil, is seeking tenants for three retail locations in the Greater Saint John area.
Please take a look at the “teasers” below and either click for more info or contact me to discuss your relocation/growth needs.
MILLIDGEVILLE
Proposed reconfiguration of the retail space would allow (more…)
200 Union Lease Rate REDUCED
New rent is $5,000 per month +HST +electricity
Former Academy of Hair Design. 4,500 sq ft. Ideal for esthetics/hair salon but could be adapted to many uses such as dog grooming, training/classrooms or traditional retail. Great storefront windows at front. Partially finished basement also included with classroom, office, lunchroom and storage. Some parking available at rear of building. Located across from The Scout Shop.
“Heritage Knowledge Park”…what is it?
“Heritage Knowledge Park” is a branding initiative currently picking up steam in Saint John’s uptown business community. It loosely translates to “creative companies doing business in close proximity to each other in very cool old buildings”. The initiative is being spearheaded by Enterprise Saint John and I personally think they’re on to something!
According to a recent article by Heather Desserud that appeared in the Telegraph Journal (more…)
Uptown Saint John Inc. Announces Move
17 Canterbury Street, Saint John, New Brunswick
Uptown Saint John Inc. (the official voice of more than 650 business and property owners operating in Uptown’s 20-block Business Improvement Area) recently announced that they are moving from their current location on the 2nd floor of 40 King Street to street level office space at 17 Canterbury Street.
According to their Executive Director, Nancy Tissington, “The USJI board and I felt that the street level suite put us at an easy access for all of our businesses we represent. Hosting networking opportunities and offering up space for our business and committee meetings was ideal. Many BIAs are moving towards this model of street presence and it’s proving to be more engaging and a visible advantage while representing the business district. We will lead by example…from cleanliness in front of our street level space to providing drop in discussions celebrating successes and providing assistance with urban core challenges.”
Uptown Saint John Inc. is really excited about this move and who can blame them? This block of Canterbury is really taking off with all that’s happening right across the street with Historica’s Canterbury Car Park Project. The visibility that this storefront space will provide is a huge benefit to them. They are a perfect fit for Centerbeam Place and I’ve heard rumours that they plan to take advantage of Centerbeam’s courtyard for future uptown activities. Can’t wait!
Sneak a peek at what’s inside…
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- view from entrance
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- great collaborative space
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- who doesn’t love a medieval door?
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- funky ceiling treatment
A transformation into something magical
Grannan Street, Saint John, New Brunswick
Some of you may know that I love Saint John’s alleys and have done various stories on them over the years like HERE.
These were all stories on the “what ifs” and untapped potential of our alleys but today some creative and talented folks at ACRE Architects took it upon themselves to transform one of our alleys in to a magical “art installation” called “THE PARK”. As they say, many hands make light work and there were many helping string a mini light canopy from one side of this Grannan Street alley to the other. I found it perfectly fitting that the whole scene this afternoon was kissed by a gentle fog and, strangely, bubbles were also floating by.
A quick search for @historicadev on twitter uncovered this “It’s happening. It’s today. It’s free. 7pm – Uptown Saint John – 17 Public Art Installations #thirdshiftsj“.
According to the http://www.thirdshift.ca website “Third Space Gallery invites you to Third Shift. Saint John, New Brunswick’s first ever night-time, outdoor art festival. Art works after hours…” I can’t wait to see it after dark!
An estimated 162,000 cups of coffee needed for turnaround. BUY LOCAL!
$200 million private investment in New Brunswick economy!
A refinery shutdown is also called a turnaround. During turnarounds refineries usually carry out inspections and replace or upgrade equipment to ensure safety, reliability and improve environmental performance.
“The Irving refinery spent $60 million in 2014 which employed 2,000 workers for a million hours. The turnaround was such a big event, it had a $51.6 million impact on New Brunswick’s GDP. This is in part because the many workers needed food, accommodation and other necessities, which benefited the local economy.” Source: www.canadianfuels.ca
This year’s turnaround, dubbed Operation Falcon #opfalcon, was just announced and involves a reported investment of $200,000,000! That’s over 3 times last year’s investment. This is the largest private sector investment in New Brunswick this year. The fundamental issue in determining the size of the economic impact is the “openness” (more…)
Saint John Commercial Real Estate 