A year ago, Fumes Rolling Papers were selling in about 30 convenience stores around Halifax. Not bad for a local start-up, but co-owners Josh Creighton and his brothers Treno and Tyler Morton had even bigger ambitions. Their sights were set on the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation and its $86-million legal-cannabis business. “We very much saw […]
local business
Posted inNews + Opinion
Black women entrepreneurs are sharing their stories through this 28-day series
It was the middle of the night around 1am when Tia Upshaw came up with a new idea to help showcase local Black women entrepreneurs. As the founder and president of the Blk Women in Excellence mentorship program, Upshaw has always valued educating, uplifting and creating platforms for Black women—and that’s exactly what she’s aiming […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Syriana Market opens new location with on-site restaurant
Rafat Harb is only 22 years old, but the recent NSCC graduate is already a business owner, working to open a market under the weight of the pandemic. “I graduated in December 2020, I studied the adult learning program, for the high school diploma and I took courses for the business administration,” he says. When […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Where I work: Frédéric Tandy of Improv Café
WHO HE IS Ten years ago, Frédéric Tandy opened Ratinaud French Cuisine, a charcuterie brimming with cured meats, rillettes, sausages and imported cheeses. Since then, it has grown into a thriving business on Gottingen Street. But few know that, instead of a charcuterie, Tandy’s original plan was to open a French bistro. “I had this […]
Posted inFood + Drink
EDNA and jane’s next door have sold to Andy’s East Coast Kitchen
After seven years and thousands of brunch-time sweet & saltys, EDNA has been sold. Owner Jenna Mooers announced today the sale of the much-beloved Gottingen Street eatery and its building, as well as jane’s catering and events, the next-door catering business and storefront take-away owned by her mother, Jane Wright. But don’t fret—everything is […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Tough times in the retail woods
If Halifax’s business scene is like a forest, it’s a joy to see new saplings take root (for example, here’s a look at what a batch of newbies are up to on the waste-reduction front). And there’s an existential ache when a towering old-growth tree falls. Sure, some death is useful to foster life […]
Posted inLifestyle
New Brunswick’s high hopes for cannabis
1. With Canada’s Cannabis Act, Bill C-45, passing its second senate reading, recreational legalization is middling toward reality across the country. As the provinces scramble to prepare for the unknown date, New Brunswick is notably on the ball when it comes to cannabis industry development. The province’s 2016 Economic Growth Plan naming cannabis as a […]
Posted inLifestyle
Green is the new gold
“What would you do-o-o for a Klondike Bar?” sings the commercial, a nod to the epic discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1896. In the ensuing gold rush, after news of the Klondike’s riches reached the outside world, tens of thousands of would-be gold-diggers giddy’d up and headed for Canada’s north. News of Justin […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Where I work: N.S.K.D
N.S.K.D1876 Hollis Street WHO THEY ARE Zhen Fan, Bob Bao, Andong Wang and Edward Wei are probably Halifax’s swaggiest quartet. All from China, the four transformed their shared passion for streetwear into a retail concept earlier this year. The name Nova Scotia Kids (shortened to simply N.S.K.D) refers to their relative unfamiliarity with the province. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Seven Open City stops to explore
Here’s hoping the rain stays away for this year’s Open City. Dozens of local businesses are providing good eats and store sales, so you may need to do some running around to get the most of it. The full schedule is on the I Love Local (HFX) website. I honed in on several of my […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Trapped queen: a night at Captured Escape Rooms
The gluttony associated with the Holiday season is (sadly) behind us and we’ve been left scrambling for an activity to replace the mind-numbing mounds of food and booze we once indulged in. I suggest skipping the bar, rallying your buds and entering Captured Escape Rooms (1649 Barrington Street)—which opened back in December— for a new […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Noreaster Barber storms Argyle Street
[Image-1] Jesse Resk‘s appreciation for the art of barbering blossomed after being raised with a front-row seat to the action. “I always got to see him being so happy doing what he loved. You get to chat with people which is one of my favourite things to do.” says Resk of his uncle and inspiration, […]