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The post 4 Great Local Virtual Events to Check Out appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
]]>Though these restrictions are to help keep us safe, they do put a strain on local businesses we love. But the good news is many businesses have adapted and now offer virtual events and services so you can still enjoy and support local from home!
Here are some great virtual events in Ottawa that you should check out.
Virtual trivia night
Missing weekly trivia night at your favourite local hang-out? Outside the Box Triva aims to bring that experience to your living room on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You and your team reserve a virtual table to compete with other teams from around Ottawa in real-time.
Each game consists of six rounds of secret theme trivia. Each round will have unrelated questions, but all the answers share a secret theme. Crack the theme to help get all the answers! Cost to participate is pay what you can. Check out their website for more information and to sign up your team.
Spooky virtual campfires
Spooky stories aren't just for Halloween! The Haunted Walk offers a variety of interactive virtual campfire events all year round. Grab a hot chocolate, cozy up with a warm blanket and listen to an incredible line-up of the best spooky storytellers! The events are pre-recorded, so you can get spooked at your convenience.
Subjects include “London’s most haunted,” Salem, Massachusetts,” “Haunted Vancouver” and more! Check out their website for their full list of virtual experiences!
Virtual experiences from Escape Manor
Picture this…
You’re a rookie detective fresh out of the academy looking to make an impact. You've just been informed a high-ranking UN official has been kidnapped in your hometown and the UN has requested help from local authorities…
Is this the concept of Escape Manor’s virtual experience “Taken.” The event can be played with a small group at home, or virtually with a video conferencing app. Get the excitement of solving puzzles deciphering clues from the comfort of your own home. Check out their website to book your session.
Enjoy the bar from afar!
Since 2020, most of us are used to doing virtual happy hours with colleagues and Zoom hangouts with family and friends.
But Bar From Afar wants to help you take these events to the next level. The company offers curated cocktail/mocktail packages for everyone in your group. Enjoy a cosmos, gin fizz, a vanilla chai old-fashioned, and many other classic cocktails right from the comfort of your home. Bar From Afar brings the bar to you!
If you want to get super fancy, you can add charcuterie and snacks and even book entertainment! Check out their website for full details.
Find more local virtual events
Looking for more virtual events in Ottawa? Check out this great list from Ottawa Tourism to discover more virtual events and activities in the city.
Whatever you get up to, we hope that you have fun and stay safe!
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]]>The post 8 great places to do your holiday shopping in Ottawa appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
]]>Whether you're shopping for others or yourself (don't worry, we won't judge), here are some great Westboro and Hintonburg businesses to get something for everyone on your list!
Pokoloko x Cloud Forest Coffee (Discover Local Partner)
Pokoloko x Cloud Forest Coffee on Richmond Road is a great place to get something special and cozy for someone in your life. We're a fan Cloud Forest Coffee's Golden Roast, and we love Pokoloko's Fisherman Hat, which is made of 100% pure alpaca!
Must Boutique
For the fashionista in your life, Must Boutique offers endless European styles and friendly service options. We particularly love their gorgeous accessories.
Flamingo Boutique (Discover Local Partner)
When you go into Flamingo Boutique, you're bound to walk out with a gift you wouldn't have found anywhere else.
They carry everything from clothing, housewares, beauty products, sassy stationery, and more!
Tinseltown Christmas Emporium
It doesn't get more festive than this.
Tinseltown Christmas Emporium in Hintonburg is a year-round Christmas boutique! From bejewelled life-sized reindeer to German imported blown glass ornaments, this shop has a wide selection of unique, nostalgic and traditional Christmas decor. So if your looking for Christmas-themed gifts, look no further.
Hair Fellas (Discover Local Partner)
For the gentleman who loves to keep groomed, a gift card for Hair Fellas Barbershop would make the perfect gift or stocking stuffer!
MastersNDogs (Discover Local Partner)
For the furry members of the family, MastersNDogs has you covered.
From cute outfits for your dog to toys for your cat, our favourite neighbourhood pet store will have something for all the family pets!
West End Kids
If you got kids on your shopping list, you need to check out West End Kids. The business has been a staple in Westboro Village for over 26 years, and there's a reason why it's so well-loved! They carry a variety of brands of shoes and clothing for all the kiddos on your list.
Natural Food Pantry (Discover Local Partner)
Natural Food Pantry is a fantastic place to check out for those on your list who love natural products, especially for stocking stuffers! They carry a wide range of products from food and snacks to health and beauty. They're also one of our newest tenants at Westboro Connection!
DISCOVER LOCAL AT WESTBORO CONNECTION
Some of the businesses featured in this are Westboro Connection Discover Local partners. Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Westboro Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Westboro Village so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
Looking to make Westboro your new home? Westboro Connection offers you a home in the heart of the community. It’s a mixed-use community that includes modern rental apartments, quality office space, a great mix of service-oriented retailers like Bridgehead coffee, and Farm Boy grocery. Westboro Connection apartments are smartly designed to enrich your life, free up your time, and help you connect with the people and places that matter most to you.
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]]>The post Why W Dental Studio Makes Westboro Village Its Home appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
]]>So, when it came to him and his wife, Dr. Susan Daftary, to open another dental practice in the city, he knew exactly which neighbourhood they wanted to go to – Westboro Village.
Westboro Village is one of Ottawa's most diverse neighbourhoods. Its tree-lined showcase one-of-a-kind boutiques, businesses and trendy restaurants. The area is also known for its natural beauty and welcoming outdoor spaces, particularly Westboro Beach.
"We just always just gravitated to the area, its walkable, it's close to the beach, just the lifestyle," says Dr. Al Khalili. "And we're trying to be a compliment to the neighborhood."
An Ottawa Dentist Office with a "Spa-like" Feel
W Dental Studio brings a spa-like experience to going to the dentist. Spread over 4 levels, W Dental Studio combines cutting-edge dental care with all the amenities you need to make your appointment as relaxing as possible.
The office features a "comfort menu" complementary to patients both before and during their appointments. Before their appointment, patients can take advantage of a hot or cold beverages and lip balm to moisturize their lips before their appointment. There's also an iPad available for kids to use to keep themselves busy before they head to the dentist's chair.
During their appointment, W Dental Studio offers heated/massage dental chairs, neck pillows, weighted blankets and wireless noise-cancelling earphones so patients can enjoy Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify during procedures.
W-Dental Studio is also paperless and aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible in their operations, even down to the bamboo toothbrushes they give patients after their appointment.
The best part? None of these costs extra to patients.
"We've been received well by residents. Anybody who's come in has been wowed by how it has a calming, calming spa-like atmosphere. Why not have that along with your dental work?" says Dr. Al Khalili.
"There's no extra cost. The fees in Ontario are pretty much standardized, but we're offering all these amenities with your dental treatment. There's no upcharge because we gave you a bamboo toothbrush. There's not an upcharge because we have a massage chair for you while you get your dental work, it's just part of the whole experience."
Westboro Village Offers an Active Urban Lifestyle
Dr. Al Khalili says Westboro is a unique neighbourhood in Ottawa because of its closeness to local amenities. Residents can walk down the street and experience different local shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
"There's a lot of these unique 'mom and pop' restaurants or unique yoga studios and spas," he says. "Every little business is somewhat unique. It's not your traditional box stores. There's no Home Depot or Michaels or stores like that."
Westboro Village provides a lifestyle that's hard to find elsewhere in the city.
"Where we live there's not much walkability, just your normal suburb, like Mississauga or something." says Dr. Al Khalili. "In this neighbourhood everybody's walking, there are little cafes and little ice cream shops, it's close to the river, so that's how Westboro Village presents itself.
Discover Local at Westboro Connection
W Dental Studio is one of Westboro Connection’sDiscover local partners. Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Westboro Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Westboro Village so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
Looking to make Westboro your new home? Westboro Connection offers you a home in the heart of the community. It’s a mixed-use community that includes modern rental apartments, quality office space, a great mix of service-oriented retailers like Bridgehead coffee, and Farm Boy grocery. Westboro Connection apartments are smartly designed to enrich your life, free up your time, and help you connect with the people and places that matter most to you.
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]]>The post 10Fourteen and Pubblico bring the flavours of Montreal and New York to Hintonburg appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
]]>One advantage to travelling is that it can provide the freedom to think, create, and be inspired. If you’re a foodie, what better way to bring that feeling home than by starting your own restaurant based on your travels? Imagination, tenacity, hard work, and a passion for food, inspired restauranteur Rod Castro to open up two of Hintonburg's hottest eateries, 10Fourteen and Pubblico based on this very experience.
Rod has lived in the bustling community of Hintonburg for more than a decade and has strived to bring his travel-inspired cuisine to his fellow residents.
A taste of New York right here in Hintonburg
Reminiscent of the neighbourhood haunts found in Montreal, 10Fourteen offers a selection of expertly crafted cocktails, carefully curated beer and wine, and a fantastic small-plate menu. Many guests return again and again just to experience the latest charcuterie offering. Says Rod: "This is a cozy little spot and we love that everyone feels welcome to stop by, make new friends, hang out and spend some time together.".
According to Rod, 10Fourteen has received invaluable community support during a period when many restaurants have struggled to stay open.
Inspired by the “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere” attitude of New York, Pubblico offers all of the “must eat” menu items found across the big city. From Brooklyn to the Bronx, “we took all the best casual food from New York – pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta from the Bronx and we brought it to Pubblico”.
Rod was inspired by the profound sense of community in their local businesses after visiting the Big Apple – the same sense of community he experiences in Hintonburg – and hence Pubblico was born. It first opened its doors in 2019 as Hintonburg's New York-style sports pub serving travel-inspired fare.
Buy local, serve local
Borrowing from the sense of community Rod witnessed in his travels, both 10Fourteen and Pubblico support local business by shopping local – buying fresh bread at local bakeries, fish from Wellington Fish Market and produce from local vendors.
Rod says he'll help whenever he can. "We try to invest in our neighbourhood as much as possible”.
Love for Hintonburg
Rod has lived in Hintonburg for more than a decade and enjoys the people, views, and other amenities the neighbourhood offers. In fact, he lives right here in Hintonburg Connection! "Hintonburg Connection might have the best view of the city I have ever seen!" says Rod.
Rod can be found meeting the neighbours on the Hintonburg Connection's exclusive rooftop patio. So, if you are a Hintonburg Connection resident, stop by and say hello. “We're starting to see familiar faces and we're starting to recognize one another and have these interesting conversations."
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Hintonburg Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Hintonburg so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
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]]>The post Fresh from the farm to Westboro Connection appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
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Two Beets Farm makes healthy eating easy for residents in Westboro and Hintonburg Connection. Two Beets Farm is an online vegetable farm-stand initiative, founded by Diana Beirnes and Nic Gosselin. They offer completely customizable fresh vegetable baskets, which can be ordered online and picked up at your convenience. Diana and Nic understand the struggle of being health-conscious and occupied with busy jobs. They aim to make the association people have with food special through their work.
The genesis of Two Beets Farm is a story of adventure. One day, Diana and Nic decided to take a few months off from their corporate jobs to explore the outdoors. As enthusiastic nature lovers, they wanted to take time to bike, hike and travel, camping in their trailer along the way. Little did they know that the trip would lead them to a career switch, relocation and opening their own business.
They’d considered visiting various farms while travelling to make the trip more affordable and to gain more of a local experience. While doing so, they became interested in learning the fundamentals of farming and the origin of food. Finally, they chose to stop at a farm in Quebec for a whole season to try their hand at farming. “The lifestyle, food, the opportunity to share the experience with other people inspired us to start our endeavour,” added Diana. “What helped was that Quebec provides resources to burgeoning farmers – renting land to those starting their own business.”
The challenges faced by Two Beats Farm on the road to success
There were many small roadblocks along the way. They realized that there would be various unknowns to unravel and many hats to wear as entrepreneurs. Yet their passion for food and strong partnership triumphed over it all. Their love for farming and serving people organic and fresh vegetables fueled their pursuit. It made them confident to follow their calling and take the risk. The name Two Beets Farm is inspired by the idea that they both are two beats to a tune – music being another hobby that brings them together.
Two Beets Farm’s mission is to not only serve people fresh variety but also educate them about their food, the nutritional value and how it’s grown. Nic and Diana want to meet people and build relationships with them while impacting their lives in a positive way. That is also the reason why they joined the Discover Local program. Nic and Diana feel it is a great way to support and contribute to the community in Westboro and further support other local ventures.
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
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]]>The post Westboro’s Bridgehead Coffee nourishes the community with its caring spirit – and its amazing coffee appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
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Bridgehead Coffee, a renowned fair-trade coffeehouse chain, is a local favourite for the residents of Westboro and Hintonburg. The first company to offer consumers fairly-traded coffee in Canada has a special relationship with the Westboro neighbourhood. The first Bridgehead Coffeehouse opened at 362 Richmond Road in Westboro back on June 17, 2000. Gradually, it expanded to twenty outlets and now includes a line of organic teas and food products as well.
What makes Bridgehead unique is not just the fact that they provide high-quality coffees but also how warm and generous their team is. The staff makes an effort to engage with every customer and make a positive impact on their day. They love helping to create great memories over cups of coffee. “We wish to utilize every interaction as an opportunity to make someone’s day,” says Blair Amyotte, Director of Marketing and Brand at Bridgehead.
To make every experience worthwhile, they strive to ensure that everything they serve meets the highest standards. They go the extra mile, starting with meeting with the farmers responsible for growing the beans and plucking the tea leaves. Bridgehead gives the farmers a helping hand when they need it, including collaborating on environmental and sustainability policies. Blair says Bridgehead wants to eventually introduce their customers to these local farmers and show them where their coffee comes from.
The pandemic posed huge challenges to community-building and collaboration opportunities – the values Bridgehead is defined by. Due to travel restrictions, the team hasn’t been able to meet with their farmers over the past year, and they realized that some have been hit really hard. One farmer partner, for instance, wasn’t able to prepare enough harvest for commercial sale. Yet, Bridgehead still bought several bags to keep the partnership going. Although that coffee did not reach customers, the beans were turned into thank-you coffees for the staff, along with a note telling the story of the farmer who grew them.
Bridgehead also believes in building community close to home. On March 15th, 2020, when the first positive case of COVID-19 had just been identified and assessment centers were preparing to be opened, the Bridgehead team planned a special surprise for the staff. The team visited Assessment Centre with coffee for all the nurses and other staff. They were greeted with tears of joy and gratitude and an unforgettable heartwarming response. Touched by the reaction, Bridgehead has delivered coffees to those frontline workers every single day since then. They have also offered their thank you coffees to different local health care worker groups including The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO, EORLA and community health clinics like Centretown Community Health Clinic – to name a few.
These stories exemplify the extraordinariness of Bridgehead’s community service initiatives. Bridgehead knows the impact that kindness can make on someone’s day – so they work hard to delight their customers, support the farmers, rewarding their employees, and celebrate the healthcare workers who are protecting our community.
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
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]]>The post Ottawa’s award-winning gelato and sorbet appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
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Not every Ottawan knows the difference between gelato and ice cream, but our residents can get some clarity on the matter thanks to premium Stella Luna gelato. Made with fresh, high-quality ingredients and no artificial colours and available just a 20-minute walk away from Westboro Connection.
The Master Gelato Chef and owner of Stella Luna Gelato Café, Tammy Giuliani, explains, “Gelato is milk-based and compared to ice cream, it has a quarter of the fat. When you take a spoonful of gelato, there is less fat coating your tastebuds. Since fat inhibits flavour, you are able to perceive that flavour more with gelato.”
High-quality and authentic gelato is about much more than the sum of its ingredients at Stella Luna Gelato Café – it is also about a commitment to the craft, learning from the best, and taking creative chances.
“Making gelato from scratch and by hand is an old traditional art,” says Tammy. “Not many people around the world, and even in Italy, are willing to do it. The gelato we make is what you would have eaten if you were a child growing up in Italy. We don’t use any pre-packaged mixes; we create from scratch.”
Since the first location of Stella Luna Gelato Café opened on 1103 Bank Street in 2011, it has been a popular spot in the local community. Locations in Hintonburg and Merrickville followed. Word soon spread, and gelato aficionados from near and far began to seek out Tammy’s sweet creations.
Understandably so – Tammy is a Master Gelato Chef, having trained extensively under the masters at Italy’s Carpigiani Gelato University to learn the traditional craft. Today, her frozen creations run the gamut from the traditional such as hazelnut, pistachio and madagascar vanilla, to the award-winning chocolate bourbon-pecan, which took bronze at the 2017 Gelato World Tour, to the tantalizingly unexpected such as chocolate cinnamon chillies and fuzzy peach schnapps.
The attention to detail is as impressive as the flavour selection. Tammy imports a great many of her gelato products from Italy, and nothing is done halfway – not even the cones. “My husband was adamant that the cones come from Italy,” she says. “So we went back to where his mother grew up in Northern Italy, where he spent his childhood summers.” They ended up finding the perfect gelato cone in the unlikeliest of places – at a business that makes communion wafers. Today, that business produces cones especially for Stella Luna. “When you open the box, the aroma is so delicious,” says Tammy.
Tammy’s gelato and sorbet menu changes just about every day and in the busy summer months, she will offer 24 varieties (six of which are always vegan). However, these sweet and icy treats are only a small part of what draws locals to Stella Luna Café, which recently also landed on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in Canada list.
For those who want to get something more than just an artisan hand-crafted gelato, Stella Luna Gelato Café also offers a wide selection of different treats such as cakes, scones, squares and muffins. When pandemic restrictions were put in place, and in-store dining became impossible for the community, Tammy and her team pivoted to make Stella Luna Café an Italian specialty store featuring olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, pastas and much more. “We brought in some of our favourite products from Italy,” says Tammy. Now you can find grab-and-go meals including lasagna, arancini, and steak and mushroom pie in the café.
The last year has been beyond challenging for the business, but when you hear Tammy speak about her gelato and how passionate she is about making a mouth-wateringly good product, you can’t help but get caught up in the simple magic of a dessert made with love and care.
With summer only a few months away, we couldn't be more excited to go for walks in the neighbourhood while eating delicious gelato. “In the summer, when you get a lemon sorbet with freshly squeezed lemon juice, the taste is just so refreshing,” says Tammy. “Or during strawberry season – there’s nothing like the aroma of local berries in season. Add a little prosecco, and it’s like strawberries and champagne.”
About Westboro Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
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]]>The post French Brasserie in the heart of Westboro appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
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Last year has been a challenging time for restaurants in Ottawa. Instead of folding under the uncertainty of everything, Westboro’s Savoy Brasserie decided to use this time as an opportunity to refine and revitalize their take on comforting and palette-pleasing French cuisine.
For the restaurant’s manager Chris Ibey, it meant getting back to the basics and focus on the two main goals the Savoy Brasserie has: French cuisine and local beer. (“We combine two things in the name Savoy Brasserie,” he explains, “‘Savoy,’ from the region in France, and ‘Brasserie,’ representing beer.”)
The Savoy went about revamping their menu by drawing inspiration from its namesake, the southeastern region of France. “The Savoy is all about hearty meals,” says Ibey, who added classic dishes such as coq au vin, Provençal stuffed squid, and a fall-off-the-bone lamb shank alongside customer favourites like beef bourguignon and escargots à la bourguignonne.
The Savoy’s revamped beer selection and switched their 34 taps from suds brewed in Toronto and Niagara to locally produced varieties from Ashton Brewing, Big Rig, Beyond the Pale, Overflow Brewing, and Calabogie Brewing amongst others – with more new choices on the way. Between the lengthy beer menu, French cuisine faves, and an atmosphere that’s equally welcoming and classically designed with subway tiling, high ceilings, cozy booths and a bar nearly running the length of the room, the only thing currently missing is the hubbub, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Savoy Brasserie introduced signature days including Buck-a-Shuck Tuesdays, Discover Wine Wednesdays, Mimosa Fridays, and Caesar Sundays that will help the brasserie continue to be a go-to place for the Westboro community to enjoy time with friends. Ibey is also planning events such as a brewer’s dinner. Chris Ibey explains, “A lot of what we want to with the Savoy is to bring back the social aspect,” “I know it’s tough right now with COVID, but I’m looking long-term.”
Even though life may feel a little slow right now, with things slowly getting back to normal this summer and beyond, there will be plenty of reasons for Westboro locals to spend time to the Savoy – although they may want to bring a healthy appetite for great food and beer with them.
About Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!
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]]>The post Westboro’s Equator Café is making a global impact appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
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Ottawans love their coffee, there’s no doubt about that – and there’s certainly a lot of great places to grab a decent espresso. One of our favourites in Westboro is Equator Coffee Roasters.
The café’s general manager, Chris Petrie, explains, “We always prioritize making people feel welcome. You want to feel like you’re walking into somewhere familiar, whether it’s your first time or your five-thousandth time. I wanted it to be a place where you’re going to make friends with someone on any given day that you’re in there.”
It’s that spirit of community – along with a rotating selection of truly unique coffee beans including their signature best-seller, Freakin’ Good Coffee, as well as a curated selection of locally produced food and beer – that has attracted local coffee aficionados since the café opened in 2014.
At that time, Equator had already established itself as one of Ottawa’s premier coffee roasters after its founders Craig and Amber Hall had built up a reputation selling beans at local farmers markets. Offering a quality product was only half of the equation, however, and the goal behind Equator was to make a positive impact globally and locally.
Today, Equator is a member of Cooperative Coffees, a collective of 23 North American roasters that operate under the principles of fair trade – essentially working directly and transparently with independent organic coffee producers in developing countries, so that the producers aren’t taken advantage of and are paid fairly for their hard work (all the while benefitting the surrounding communities as well).
The result is an inspiring brew of environmental sustainability, stronger communities, and, unsurprisingly, excellent coffee – a central draw to the Westboro café for coffee lovers on the lookout for one-of-a-kind, single-origin beans and other unusual varieties from ‘micro lots’ such as a rare Peruvian bean (“We only have 12 bags for Westboro,” Petrie says).
Petrie explains that his café is seeing more and more interest in unique coffee, especially now that everyone is spending far more time at home and online. “We’ve been trying to do fun social media videos with information and advice,” adds Petrie. “I have a good relationship with a lot of our regular customers – they’ll text me or email me to pick my brain.”
For the curious who have yet to venture into Equator, Petrie has lots of helpful advice to share as well as some recommendations if you’re ready to level up your coffee game – at his café or in your own kitchen.
“I would say come in for the single-origin along with a bag of Freakin’ Good,” says Petrie, “so you can experience something completely different. I want to be people’s first choice for coffee in the neighbourhood, but if we can’t sit them down then we definitely want to help them do it better at home.”
About Westboro Discover Local
Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents that introduces them to our neighbourhood and encourages them to “discover” the best places in our Westboro community. We are proud to have Equator Coffee Roasters as our Discover Local partner and excited to introduce a café that has been offering quality organic products since 1998 to Westboro Connection residents.
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]]>The post Building a Community for the Healthy-Minded appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.
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Westboro’s Natural Food Pantry offers a unique shopping experience
When shopping for easy-to-find products like vitamins, personal care and cosmetics, there’s one thing we can be certain about: healthy living has fully entered the mainstream.
While you might be able to find all the products mentioned in the big chains, you cannot underestimate the value of the expertise that Westboro’s Natural Food Pantry offers to its many appreciative customers.
According to owner Rick Payant, the health and wellness destination on Richmond Road differentiates itself precisely because of a personal approach and the added value of firsthand experience with products.
“Something we work hard at, and are very proud of, is knowledge and education,” explains Payant, a registered nutritionist himself. “More and more these days, there aren’t a lot of products that you couldn’t find at a mainstream store, but it’s the service, knowledge, and getting the connection with the customer – if you’re helping someone with a health issue, or how to prepare a certain dish; how to follow a vegan lifestyle, a keto lifestyle, we’re pretty up to date on all of that.”
Building a Community Spirit
Customers can expect to spend plenty of time browsing through a wide range of products at Natural Food Pantry – it serves as a one-stop shop for everything from fresh organic produce and specialty groceries to supplements, vitamins, personal care and cosmetics, and even bulk. However, Payant some time ago began to notice that the interactions between his customers and his staff were growing into something more than your typical retail relationships: it was as if a community of likeminded people was forming.
“Customers will come in and share their experiences,” says Payant, “how certain things helped them and how others may not have. I even have staff that have been with me for a long time – customers will come in to chat with them. It’s wonderful that we’ve created relationships with these customers, that they feel comfortable sharing.”
Taking Education to the Next Level
In recent years, this sharing took on a more formalized approach – what Payant describes as “taking education to another level” by bringing in certified nutritional practitioner Natasha Villeneuve to head up educational initiatives. Prior to COVID-19, this involved hosting regular in-store seminars and workshops, often featuring guest specialists from Westboro including naturopaths and chiropractors.
Since the pandemic, Payant and his team have moved much of their education online with more webinars, informative videos and live social media events (“We’re anxious to go back to having events in-store,” says Payant, “but we can also reach more people outside of Ottawa now”.
“We Sell Cookies Too!”
All of this may seem ideal, the perfect retail experience to a customer already familiar with wellness products, but Payant has never wanted to alienate anyone who might feel intimidated by the Natural Food Pantry. In order to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable, they’ve even relied on a little bit of humour to get the message across.
“We ran a program called ‘We Sell Cookies Too,’” says Payant. “We’re trying to say ‘don’t be afraid’ because we wanted to address the intimidation factor – we’re not judging anyone when they come in the door.
“One of the pluses of having health food go mainstream is that it’s gotten people more familiar with the health food industry and more comfortable with products. When they want to take it to the next level, or when they have questions that’s when they come to us.”
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