For people confined to peninsular Halifax, the myth of Bedford is one of a strange suburban village in the sky—a commuterville with lovely Basin views. But Bedford is fairly easily accessed—by buses numbered 80, 82, 84, 85, 86, 89 and 185—and, of course, by car, the most direct way to reach the businesses strung along the Bedford Highway. From the unofficial city limits at the Esquire (772 Bedford Hwy, 835-9033) to past the Oakmount Station Pub (1717 Bedford Hwy, 835-6544) there are unique shopping delights aplenty for anyone looking for fashion, food and fun.
Mill Cove Plaza (961 Bedford Hwy), near the future location
of the Bedford Fast Ferry Terminal, is a fine place to pick up your
booze (NSLC, 835-6093), your flooring (Wacky’s, 835-9974)
or your dinner (Brewsters, 832-0032).
Across the highway is Imagine Salon & Spa (950 Bedford
Hwy, 832-5218), with a poster in the window for Paris Hilton‘s
“Dream Catchers,” apparently “The World’s Best Hair Extensions.”
Shoptalk learns that that the full spa services at Imagine are booked
mostly online, with clients receiving information on promotions and
events through “email blasts.” They’re also licensed, which means you
can enjoy a glass of wine or a mimosa with your salon/spa experience.
Sign us up.
As we continue up the Bedford Highway, we note the surreal retro
motel The Stardust (1067 Bedford Hwy, 1-877-472-3316), with
Parseh Shiraz(406-9898), the delectable Persian restaurant
peculiarly located right there in the motel parking lot.
Just past that is the new women’s shoe boutique Sincerely,
Shoes (1083 Bedford Hwy, 835-2552). Its manifesto, prominently
displayed in the front foyer, explains everything:
“Our philosophy is to let you make a fashion statement without
adversely affecting your bank statement. So while our shoes may tell
the world (or HRM) how stylish you are, they also give you a little pat
on the back for being practical. Sincerely, Shoes.”
To the austerity thing, we can tell you that at the moment all shoes
are 25 percent off, handbags and jewellery excluded. A popular item is
the Fitflop, of which the black and bronze varieties are next to
impossible to keep in the store due to their popularity, says manager
Jennifer Broomhead.
Along the same side of the highway is another little boutique
paradise, including Tony’s Barbering (1139 Bedford Hwy,
835-7787), The Manila Pastry Company (also 1139 Bedford Hwy) and
Healthy Selection (1129 Bedford Hwy, 832-7511), which carries a
slew of health supplements, personal hygiene products, gluten-free
foods and natural house cleaners. Manager Anna Devries points
out a few of the locally made products in stock, including
Thompson’s Blueberry Juice, with berries picked, juiced and
bottled in the Annapolis Valley.
At Tabrizi Rugs (1180 Bedford Hwy, 835-8585) top sellers are
the clearly faux—but cute—polar bear and leopard print rugs, for
$399 each, with plenty of higher-end rugs from all over the world
available right now. We note a beaut for $1,298, down from $1,998.
Across the street is Pinky Scoopmore’s for all your summer
ice cream needs, and a little to the north is the second location of
the excellent local video rental and retail emporium Video
Difference (1239 Bedford Hwy, 835-0485).
Entity Boardshop (1270 Bedford Hwy, 406-3449) has been open a
little more than six weeks, offering gear, hardware and apparel.
“There’s lots of faces, everyone’s coming in,” says owner Rob
MacLeod, a hardcore skater and snowboarder himself. He says that he
was a little surprised at the younger demographic that’s taken a shine
to the store, but then that’s reflective of Bedford. “We’re
family-oriented,” he says. “We’ll build our sizes around it.”
MacLeod says that people love the snow scene and that girls’
clothing is really starting to pick up. Check out their web page at
entityboardshop.com, sign up
for their live Twitter feed since they update as soon as new stock
comes in, or join the Facebook page for discounts and promotions.
Saturday, July 11 is the date set for a grand opening celebration,
featuring a barbeque out front and plenty of in-store deals.
As you cross the Sackville River, the malls and eateries really
start to happen.
On the right is a plaza with the recently opened Tomavino’s
Ristorante (1475 Bedford Hwy, 835-7777). The menu changes
regularly, but all entrees were half price when we dropped by—and
they offer gluten-free pizza crust.
Next door at the same address is the stellar Select Sounds (835-3274), a CD/DVD/record store packed to the ceiling with great
deals. Run by David Eisener and Michael James for almost
15 years, they’ve had to adapt their inventory to suit the changing
times, but they’re still going strong.
“You have to change your focus as things change…I don’t think
there are future CD collectors,” says James.
“You see younger people buying more vinyl than CDs these days.
Primarily ’60s and ’70s rock and heavy metal.”
We note a key collector’s piece on the wall is The Buddy Holly
Story on vinyl, the 1959 original first pressing, but we buy
the first season of Deadwood for less than $25.
The legendary Chicken Burger (1531 Bedford Hwy, 835-6565) is
easily spotted with all the customers parked outside the classic ’50s
diner, and across the street is the Cellar Bar & Grill (1516
Bedford Hwy, 835-1592). Nearby is the popular family joint Sunnyside
Restaurant (1552 Bedford Hwy, 835-7204) sharing a building with the
Riverside Pub (835-1648).
Ah, Sunnyside Mall (1595 Bedford Hwy). You can’t miss the big
Freak Lunchbox (405-4052) sign or all the crazy candy and
novelties within. Have you been feeling a need for a Sigmund Freud head
stress ball? How about stylish self-adhesive moustaches for girls? Look
no further.
Deeper in the mall is the original location of Pete’s
Frootique (835-4997) offering rows and rows of fresh vegetables,
cheese and imported foodstuffs. Also in the mall are kitchen masters
Cucina Moderna (835-9560), offering Saturday product demos
(juicers!) and selling Peugeot mills—yes, the same people that make
the European cars—tax free. (By mills we mean salt and pepper and
chili mills, with coffee and nutmeg as well.) If you can’t make it to
Bedford, the Peugeot promotion is popping in the peninsular store,
too.
Across the street at Rocky Lake Drive is the Bedford Place
Mall (1658 Bedford Hwy), home of another ’50s-style resto, the
True North Diner (832-1950), where the jukebox, checkerboard
floors and red vinyl booths scream cool vintage, as do the juicy
burgers—made from locally raised beef and really, really good.
And we mean it. They’re really, really good.
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This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2009.
ok you mentioned the Esquire Restaurant, but don’t u think they deserve a comment; i mean c’mon they’re just as much an icon of Bedrock as the Chicken Burger, and the food and service are awesome and plentiful and cheap, and friendly staff, and they have lots of parking and carry the Coast in their racks, so did u just forget ????
Carsten–how could you? No mention of Il Mercato, superior in so may ways to the Cellar? Did you just sit on the left side of the 80 on the way down?
What about Szechuan? Definitely the best chinese in Bedford, possibly the whole city.
There is also a fantastic party supply store in Bedford Place Mall. You can preorder helium balloons there and pick them up no fuss no muss for your party. We picked up some great ones for our Great Granny’s 95th birthday.
Thanks for putting bedford on the map for haligonians – there is so much to do and see here, and easily accessible. Now a new initiative has started here too: http://www.buylocalsavelocal.com – save money while shopping locally – check it out.