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.

Ready to move in?

The post Why W Dental Studio Makes Westboro Village Its Home 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!

The post 10Fourteen and Pubblico bring the flavours of Montreal and New York to Hintonburg appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.

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!

The post Fresh from the farm to Westboro Connection appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.

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!

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.

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.”

The post Building a Community for the Healthy-Minded appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.

Does the idea of using unfamiliar machines and exercising in front of strangers intimidate you?

At Crossfit Bytown, no matter who you are or what your skill level is, you can expect one thing when you step inside: support.

“Everyone at the gym is on the same level,” says Crossfit Bytown owner Everett Sloan. “You might find a surgeon next to a student – their outside personas are gone. We strive to have a gym where the ego is not welcome. We want to have people with a positive mindset, with a growth mindset, who are there to help uplift the community.”

It’s this kind of community building that Sloan had in mind when he started Crossfit Bytown back in 2012. At the time, crossfit – a dynamic combination of coach-led high-intensity workouts and self-improvement – had a relatively small following in Ottawa. Soon, however, Sloan had to find a larger venue to accommodate the growing number of people interested in exercise outside of the traditional gym setting where patrons are left to figure things out for themselves. 

Stepping inside Crossfit Bytown to find coaches on-hand instructing classes, providing encouragement and context, and ensuring skill development – much like you would see with a personal trainer. Crossfit Bytown has an open and inviting workout area full of various weights, suspension equipment, exercise machines, and more. 

“We wanted to pay attention to the right things, not putting money into the fanciest spaces,” explains Sloan, Crossfit Bytown owner. “We never did anything gimmicky. Our number one priority has always been to make sure that members are healthy and happy. That’s not just a focus on physical health, but that’s mental health and helping people out.” 

With winter closing in on Ottawa amidst an already challenging year, the importance of exercise – especially for those who live in smaller spaces – is all the more pressing. Because Crossfit Bytown emphasizes group activity, there’s an inherent motivation that comes from working out with the encouragement of others – the results of which, according to Sloan, are more than worth the effort.

“After the first few months, new members might not notice any physical changes,” explains Sloan, “but there is a difference in their positivity and self-confidence, how they carry themselves, how they smile – it’s not always just the weight and scale that matters.”

The post Fitness for Health Resolution appeared first on Westboro 2 (Scott Street) Blog.