Shoptalk

When Sam the Record Man on Barrington closed two weeks ago, downtown Halifax music collectors had reason to be dismayed. Good news comes from Taz Record Store: the store, which moved to Gottingen Street two and a half years ago, will be moving back downtown, with an expected opening date of April 1. The new […]

Sam the Record Man, the hallowed music store at 1656 Barrington, shined a spotlight on many a local artist for more than 20 years. That was until last week—Sam’s closed its doors on Tuesday with little warning, to the surprise of many. The owner, Bobby Sniderman, says he and his brother (and co-owner) Jason are […]

Haligonians looking to try some authentic Jamaican cuisine can now check out Sweet Spice, which opened on February 1 at 2725 Agricola. The restaurant’s co-owner and main chef Lajuane Bruce hails from Jamaica, where he learned to cook from his mother and grandmother. After working a string of odd jobs since 1992, Bruce met Dean […]

Lovers of 24-hour restaurant service will be united in their grief as the closing of The Apple Barrel at 1726 Grafton finally sinks in. The long-standing downtown staple closed its doors last Monday and no one was more disappointed than the restaurant’s owner of 10 years, Bryan Bridgemohan. “The drop in our sales last year […]

Kinh-Do Vietnamese Restaurant, which served the public for 10 years at 1284 Barrington, has shut its doors and a new restaurant has surfaced in its place. Gingergrass (425-8555) is a Thai restaurant, but owner Nira Mugroho is keeping many Vietnamese dishes on the menu (while also introducing many popular Thai dishes). Mugroho, who often ate […]

La Dolce Vita, which opened last month, is a new spa at 182 Bedford Highway. The business is owned and run by the husband-and- wife team of Danny and Liza Innocente from Halifax. As the name (it is Italian for “the good life”) suggests, the spa is meant to be a haven for people who […]

A long-running, family-owned pizza joint that closed shop five years ago is proving that blood is thicker than pizza sauce. Dimitri’s Pizza, at 6469 Chebucto (453-5333), will return for business at the end of January in its same location, but in a new building (the old one was demolished). The original Dimitri’s Pizza, which originally […]

Halifax has lost another venue dedicated to local music—as of January 1, Stage Nine has permanently closed its doors. Co-owner Greg Clark says the location has been vulnerable to tough times since it opened in June 2004.“When we started the club we were a little bit undercapitalized to begin with, but we managed to make a go of things,” he says. But lately, Clark says, it had become even more difficult to make ends meet. “We did explore bringing some new financing into the club, but after taking a good look at it we decided that it was probably best

Homemade soup has the power to warm your insides like nothing else can, and Soup Sergeant is opening a new place to make that happen. A second location opened on Quinpool on December 21. It currently serves the same menu as the original Spring Garden location, which has been up and running for just over […]

As of January 1, Frozen Ocean’s Argyle location will be no more. Stephanie Smith, the owner of this store and the Barrington location, says she’s closing it because “although surfing is growing, since we first opened there are more shops offering the same service. I feel like the market has levelled out somewhat.” She’s working […]

Staff of Life Cafe and Bakery has a new addition—a welcoming, front-of-the-house restaurant perfect for enjoying their famous samosas and a steamy cup of organic fair trade coffee. The spot opened about two and a half months ago, and has already grown into more than expected. Ben Rosenbloom was hired by owner Fran Shirazi to […]

Allie’s Costume Magic is moving, and a new shop is opening in its place. Pinky’s Shabby Chic Bintique opens today as a new business at 1272 Barrington, while the 20-year-old costume shop will move to a new location. Both shops are owned by Allie Edgecombe. “I want the decor in to be nice—there’s no reason […]