Hydrostone Osteopathy opened two weeks ago at 5155 Young above Julien’s Bakery. The clinic is owned by Jennifer Moss and specializes in osteopathy and massage therapy. Moss, formerly of the Bedford Health Centre, is currently completing her fourth year of studies in osteopathy. Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy that takes into account your body’s entire history. “If you come in for an appointment, the practitioner will do an assessment of your whole body and your whole health history,” says Moss. “Anything traumatic that happened with your birth, injuries as a child, all those things are considered blockages to your body functioning as a whole.” There are more than 2,000 techniques used to remove the blockages, ranging from a light laying on of hands to more aggressive manipulation resulting in pops and cracks (like chiropractic, but gentler). The majority of Moss’s clients come to her because they are in some sort of pain, but they don’t want to rely on themselves to make it go away. “A lot of people that come to see me will say ‘I have this pain and I don’t really want to take medication.’ They’re not interested. They’ll try everything else first to prevent going on medication or having surgery.” Hydrostone Osteopathy also employs two part-time practitioners in acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
All in the family
The Old Port Pub & Grill at 900 Windmill Road in Dartmouth celebrates one year in business this Friday, complete with live entertainment, a “power hour” and food samples. “We’re just going to make a big fun day of it all, and go right through into the night until we close,” says owner Billy McGrath. McGrath is part owner and manager of The Old Port, along with his wife Dawn, her sister Sheri and Sheri’s husband Tony Milheron. “It’s a family affair,” says McGrath. “All four of us worked in the service industry for a long time, and we talked for a while about trying to do our own thing, and the opportunity arose and the four of us decided it was time to give it a go. You can’t spend life wondering ‘what if,’ so we took the big plunge and it’s been a great year.”
Lease is up
Mary Jane’s second Halifax location on Blowers is now closed. “It was a one-year lease trial,” says owner Nicolle Jabalee, “and the lease trial is up.” The original Mary Jane’s Smokeshop is still going strong around the corner at 1549 Grafton. “We’ve been here for so long, and everybody knows us so well, and for years and years people kept saying ‘more clothes, more music, more this, more that,’” says Jabalee. “So when that spot came up there when Blue Heron closed we thought well, let’s try it and do a one-year trial lease.” Mary Jane’s took over the lease last October and opened in March. As to whether it would have been possible to lease the space on Blowers for another year, “I assume it might have been,” says Jabalee, “but I really don’t think you and I need to get into that, know what I mean?”
Diverse directory
The Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association has launched a new web-based business directory to help immigrant entrepreneurs market their organizations and create further awareness of the local immigrant business community. Established in 1980, MISA is the largest immigrant settlement organization in Atlantic Canada. “We are thrilled at the launch of the directory and the on-going support from all levels of government,” says Claudette Legault, MISA’s executive director. “The efficiency and affordability of the directory will further improve how immigrant businesses market their products and services.” The goal of the directory, along with other MISA intiatives, is to build and sustain a diverse business community by providing services and support to immigrants who have or want to establish business in Nova Scotia. The directory is available online at www.misa.ns.ca.
Wordy title
Gilt Edged Investment Grade Book Company opened November 16 at 12 Wentworth in Dartmouth. The bookstore is housed in the basement space below Sperry Architects. Owner Barry (who doesn’t want his last name printed) says he has always been a big reader and decided to open Gilt Edged because he believes “downtown Dartmouth is the place to be.” The store will sell both new and used books, the majority of the latter being library discards. As for subject matter, Barry prefers European medieval history, but the store’s content “will range from A to Z. Everything. Everything that people are interested in.” Gilt Edged Investment Grade Book Company’s hours are Monday to Friday, 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 7 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 2pm.
Celtic crash
Both McGuire’s Celtic Pub and the Thirsty Duck are closed. McGuire’s (formerly known as Pitchman’s Pub) has been closed since November 1 and the space at 5287 Prince is for lease. The Thirsty Duck, above Duggers on Spring Garden, closed its doors last weekend, but Shop Talk has learned that there are rumours about potential buyers for the bar. The former owners have left town, leaving employees in the lurch. We’ll update you when we know more about the situation.
Don’t leave us in a lurch. Email to: [email protected].
