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 on something completely different to eventually house in the Argyle location and is keeping it a secret for now. But don’t worry: For all your surfing needs the original store, which opened in May 2001, will remain open at 1600 Barrington, and Smith is excited about its fresh new face. “We’re renovating our basement and we’re going to open it in January. I’m going to move my shoes and denim down there and I’m continuing to carry skateboards,” she says. Until the end of the month, the Argyle store can be reached at 404-7799. After that, keep your eyes peeled for something new.
Sound Designs
Need a cover for your band’s new CD? A poster to promote your next show? Jaded Sound Studio, a small design business that recently moved to Halifax, might be the answer. The business is owned by husband-and-wife team David and Erin Ollenberger and offers a variety of services such as graphic design, website design and hosting, commercial audio production and artist promotion. A portfolio of their work can be seen at jadedsound.com. “I do a lot of commercial design and website design as well, but the main target of the business is going to be the music industry,” says Mr. Ollenberger, who is a musician and graphic designer by trade. “I offer it as a really affordable service…but with professional results.” The business began in Yarmouth in 1999 and then moved to Moncton, New Brunswick, for about six years. It recently moved to serve a larger area, “and we love Halifax, plus the music scene is so vibrant here,” says David. The business operates out of a home-based, mobile office, and can be reached at 802-9513. The couple also have another project in the works called rocktheeastcoast.com. The vision for this site is to offer a space where musicians can post profiles of their bands free of charge and have an online store where they can sell their merchandise and CDs. The site is just an introductory page at the moment and will hopefully be underway in the next six months.
Healthy kids, happy kids
A new facility will soon be available to promote healthy living for kids. The On the Grow Fit Family Centre opens January 8 in Bayers Lake and will offer a variety of kid-friendly fitness options, which can be found at onthegrowcentre.com. Erika Wilson is part owner of the new centre and is currently the owner of Halifax FITMOM, which offers prenatal and mom-and-baby fitness classes. She says she wanted to expand the business, so with business partner Christine Wall, who is a new mom, she decided to open On the Grow. Wilson says their goal was to have “a centre where parents can go, and not only is it a fun place for their kids to play and a healthy environment for their children to be in, but it’s also a great resource for parents and a social network.” On the Grow, 405-GROW(4769), will have a spacious indoor playground for children up to six years old, a small cafe for parents to enjoy while kids play, a large fitness studio for the FITMOM classes and will also offer FITKID classes, which encourage active play and motor-skill development. Six-month and one-year memberships are available for the indoor playground, or you can come in for the day. “We basically were looking for a place that’s just a completely healthy environment for children,” says Wilson. “Especially with the rise in childhood obesity, we wanted a place where kids could be active and have fun.” Wilson and Wall will be working at the centre full-time. Wilson plans to teach some of the classes and the centre will also have another certified instructor available for teaching.
A jazzy new Razzy’s
Razzy’s Pizza re-opened December 4 in a new location at 2103 Gottingen. The business, formerly on Cornwallis, has been open for about 10 years, but when Wally Aubaid took it over two months ago he decided it was time for a change. He says the new shop is across from good businesses and is a much better location in general. “It’s on a major road and it’s a bigger, cleaner spot,” says Aubaid. For your ordering pleasure, the phone number is the same, 425-0425, but when you’re updating your address book, take note: The name of the store has taken on a new spelling, Razzy’s, rather than Rassy’s.
Waterfront refreshments
Downtown Dartmouth now features a convenient new liquor boutique, just in time for those busy line-ups of Christmas party-goers. The new location opens tomorrow, December 15, next to the Farmers’ Market in Alderney Landing. After tendering to the NSLC for a location in downtown Dartmouth, Alderney Landing won the bid to have the store. Bea MacGregor, executive director of the facility, thinks it’s a perfect addition to the building.
“We felt, and so did the NSLC, that with the strong commuter traffic that goes through the building, as well as the event traffic brought to the facility throughout the year…that it was an excellent fit within our building,” she says. The store will be open for your beverage-shopping convenience six days a week.
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