Discovering Ottawa Street

Ottawa Street, better known as the fabric and textile district, is most definitely another a hidden gem worth discovering for those in the Hamilton area. Filled with rich history, art, antiques and delicious food, Ottawa Street can make for an interesting and inexpensive morning/afternoon on the town. Make that inexpensive under the condition that you are not an avid antique collector or an enthusiastic foodie. I first visited Ottawa Street a couple of years ago with a friend and wondered why I hadn’t stumbled upon the area sooner!

History:

Ottawa Street’s successful textile industry dates back to the first and second world wars. Sewing machine developments lead to booming ready-made garment sales which East Hamilton (centered on Ottawa Street) capitalized on during that time. Ottawa Street’s other notable claim to fame is that it is the 1964 birthplace to the very first Tim Horton’s location! 

 

 

Antiques:

One of the top reasons to visit Ottawa Street is for its collection of cool antique and collectible stores. These antique stores are really fun to browse around in and look at one of a kind pieces.  I appreciate the history and craftsmanship vintage pieces carry, so I like to think of these stores as free museums! Antique stores are fascinating because they each house a multitude of mysterious stories under one roof. If you want to see some awesome antiques and retro pieces, head to The Millionaires Daughter (a favourite), Antique Avenue and Granny’s Attic Treasures.

Art:

Ottawa street is also home to a large array of local talent. There are some fantastic co-operative art shops and galleries selling locally crafted pieces. It is nice to celebrate the artistic talent that exists within Hamilton, Ontario. AllSorts Gallery is one co-op gallery worth visiting as it showcases and sells many medium works from over 40 artists (mostly local). Earls Court Gallery, 337 Sketch Gallery, Arts 4U Studio and Prouse Pottery & Soap Co. are some other notable art galleries/shops to check out On Ottawa Street! Hamilton has a great arts scene and the art featured on Ottawa street is surely a testament to this.

Food:

While it is a must to pay homage to Canada’s very first Tim Horton’s restaurant on Ottawa Street, there are some quality cafes and restaurants that must be experienced in this area! If you have a weakness for Italian food (or even if you don’t) then you must head over to Café Limencello (the pizza margherita is unreal and at $11 you can’t go wrong). If you want to enjoy a nice morning on Ottawa Street, then stop in here for breakfast—it is quality food and reasonably priced.  You are also guaranteed a quality breakfast over Cannon Coffee (not to mention yummy baked goods and great coffee).The atmosphere at The Cannon is fresh and welcoming, just like their food!

Farmer’s Market & Festivals:

I can’t talk about food and Ottawa Street without mentioning their farmer’s market. Every Saturday from 7am-3pm, vendors from around the Golden Horseshoe region come to Ottawa Street to sell the fresh goodies from their farms. Ottawa Street is often the site for many festivals and events, most notably their successful  Sew Hungry food truck rally! Their holiday event, Sew This is Christmas, is soon approaching slated for November 29 from 4-8pm.

Don’t write off a visit to Ottawa street if you aren’t a huge fan of antiques or art. I say this because it is pretty much guaranteed that you will stumble upon something interesting on Ottawa Street!

Check out these links if you want to find out more about Ottawa Street:

Shop Ottawa Street Website

Farmer's Market Website

(loveonsunday blog)