Mark is a guy I see downtown a lot. Like, almost every day I’m downtown during the week, he’s marching down the sidewalk.
There’s a great reason for this.
He’s the mail carrier for Canada Post in a large chucnk of downtown Windsor.
When I bumped into him recently, I asked him if he’d be into getting interviewed the next time I saw him. I didn’t think I had enough space on my camera to record an interview. But I quickly retracted my “post”ponement and decided to interview him while it was fresh, and we were still relatively strangers.
Here’s our interview. Hopefully this gives you yet another face of the daily downtown that I know and love.
Amir is a really nice guy.
He runs the clothing and accessory store called Awesome located at 409 Ouellette Avenue.
Awesome has been open for 2 years now, located directly next door to the downtown Post Office.
There’s far more than clothing in this place…with swimsuits, jewelry, sandals, and sunglasses. His customers are mostly downtown dwellers and residents, but, like most downtown business owners, he wants to see more folks from the surrounding Windsor area.
I interviewed him quickly at his store today.
Here’s a quick tour of the place, with Amir telling you about his specials and sales currently running.
Below this, I’m posting some images from the store, to give you a visual of the place he’s created.
Go say hello!
Chad Howson is always up to something. And most of the time, he’s organizing events in the downtown core.
He’s a musician and artist, and he’s got another big event scheduled for this Friday at The Loop. It’s a live filming of the band ASK (formerly Another Saturday Knight) performing for their newest DVD.
This will be the band’s second DVD release, with a pile of music videos under their belts (thanks in part to WAMM Magazine Music Video Contests), and a new CD on the horizon. This live DVD taping will be a great chance to hear the music that will appear on the new album. This is exciting, granted, but the band has also announced that the new Mia Tyler Agency (Aerosmith front man – Steven Tyler’s – daughter) is going to be managing/developing the band in Canada. ASK is only one of a handful of Canadian bands being represented by the fledgling agency…which is a phenomenal achievement for this local band.
Below is an interview I did with Chad recently. He’s going to talk about his videos, the DVD live filming, and the documentary currently being shot about the band.
Also, I added a few of the visually-stunning music videos from this band. Enjoy.
Carol Bayes is the owner of Cow and Cluck.
She opened two weeks ago, and she wants to clear the air about what her new spot offers.
Warm days are her friend, with sundaes, milkshakes, and ice cream cones available. Cow and Cluck is located at 333 Ouellette Avenue.
This is her description of the business.
Almost all vegetarians in the Windsor/Detroit area know about the World Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant. Meat eaters would adore the options at this restaurant too, but the vegetarian platter is epic in its variety of taste.
The first time I went to this place, it was with my pal Mike. He was well-traveled in the food community in Windsor, and he swore that this was the best place to eat with new people, as the communal eating style was a great way to break the ice and get to know new people. The Ethiopian spreads, vegetables, and meat are eaten with a soft, flat bread called injera. You tear this bread into pieces and grab the soft vegetables, avoiding getting the food all over your fingers in the process (not every time).
When I interviewed the owner of World Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant, Abdo Alwan, he told me that injera with Ethiopian food is like a fork with North American cuisine: nearly essential.
During our interview, we talked about the Ethiopian classic music and Ethiopian jazz that I love hearing at Marathon, and about the incense they burn during the dinner seating hours. I was surprised to find that the Ethiopian community in Windsor is very small, consisting mostly of students. Abdo explained that the few Ethiopian families in the city traditionally eat at home rather than going to a restaurant serving the native food. So his clientele is often anything but Ethiopian. But being in this space is so unlike any other establishment in the downtown, it’s a fantastic option for anyone to impress when going out for dinner.
Also, the newest adjustment to the business is the availability of a lunch special! $6.95 for a healthy portion of the veggie platter and injera bread! Such a healthy option for so little cost.
Below is our interview, and their hours of operation. Check them out at 60 University Avenue West. Or call them to order lunch at 519.253.2215. Or e-mail them at marathonwindsor@hotmail.com. You’ll thank me later.
Outdoor movie screenings happen in the biggest city-centres I’ve visited. People stream in from all directions, past bars, restaurants, and retail with their blankets, chairs, and snacks.
This is going to be a reality on Friday, August 6th in the downtown core. Specifically…the screen will be located on Chatham Street West, in front of the City Beer Market and Pitt for Pasta.
Windsor Eats is hosting a family event in the downtown which includes an on-street film screening of The Princess Bride, a mother-daughter on-street-salon (provided and organized by Slice of Style), a cotton candy maker, and Mad Science will be providing live and interactive science fun for all the kids.
The fun begins at 6:30pm with Mad Science.
At 9:30pm, the film will begin.
In the meantime, visitors will be able to go to any of the neighbouring businesses that have had their antennae up and get some food or drink.
For more details, see the interview below with Adriano Ciotoli of Windsor Eats.
A few months ago, Big Fish Small Pond (a new local business) started making neighbourhood-specific t-shirts. A.J. Jimenez and his brother Jon started thinking that people might want to represent where they’re from with their apparel. In Windsor, we’re usually wearing Detroit Tiger hats to display our locality. A.J. wants to change that…for those who are proud citizens of Sandwich Towne, Walkerville, Forest Glade, Riverside, and now DOWNTOWN!
Take a look at my interview with A.J., done last week, where he talks about the new Downtown neighbourhood shirts.
Right now, the only way to get a shirt is to contact A.J. through his blog. http://bfsp.tumblr.com/
Their first year of operations, there were 15 vendors on opening day (which was superb). This Saturday’s opening day of their second year will see 30 vendors offering their fruits, vegetables, stone-milled flour, cookies, bread, honey, coffee, fish, and beef!
Last year, there were no fish or any kind of meats available. This year, that changes. And my prediction is that the reception of this market explodes when residents understand what they have access to in the core of their downtown. The Downtown Market is located at the old Greyhound/City Bus Depot between Chatham Street and University Avenue East.
Not only should residents JUMP at this opportunity, but the bars and restaurants should thank their lucky stars that this food is being offered so close to their front doors for so little money! If you’re reading this, and you live downtown, and you assume that your downtown resident-friends know about it…you’re likely wrong. Tell them. If they know about it, tell them anyway. They’ll be thanking you for it. If not for the food, then maybe for the live music, sense of community, and connection to many things being made in Windsor.
Some facts about the Market from their website:
WHEN – The 2010 season for the market starts on June 12 and runs every Saturday from 8am to 1pm through to October 30.
WHERE – The market is located in the parking lot of the old Greyhound bus station, at 44 University Avenue East, Windsor, Ontario.
MISSION STATEMENT – The Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization that connects residents of Windsor and surrounding areas to the farmers of Essex County by providing residents with local, fresh and in-season food in an accessible setting. We aim to raise the profile of local food producers and entrepreneurs by giving them a venue in which to sell their goods, while educating the public about the rich agricultural diversity that exists in Essex County. Through partnerships we work to build a stronger sense of community, restore the positive image of downtown and bring vitality back to our city.
I interviewed Tristan Fahrenbach (vendor recruitment) on June 5th after I shouted at him on the street. I knew it was him, because he’s a tall dude, and he answered to me shouting, “Tristan!” SUPER-nice guy you need to introduce yourself to if you see him at the Downtown Market.
For many more details about this year’s Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market, watch the video interview below. And thanks again to Tristan for taking the time on his lunch break to talk to me.
My hopes are that we will have a weekly feature here (for the 21 weeks of the Market’s 2010 existence) highlighting new vendors each week! So stay tuned to find out who is behind the incredible influx of local goods in the downtown area.
She missed Agenda Camp at the Art Gallery of Windsor in 2008, like myself, and has always been a fan of connecting with peers to solve problems in her own community.
Change Camp, an event that has happened all over Canada, was something Williams heard about on CBC Radio’s Spark. The interview spurred her to eventually gather some like-minded Windsorites and host a Change Camp in her hometown Windsor.
Jean Foster (Windsor Public Library), Art Rhyno (Leddy Library), Nicole Noel (Social Justice Research at University of Windsor), and Mita Williams have planned for an unconference to take place this Saturday, May 8th at the Windsor Public Library that you had better be at…if you think you have something valuable to offer Windsor.
The big question going into the unconference is, “How would we re-envision Windsor for the future?”
As all participants are expected to do, you simply register and show up with your thoughts and ideas about making WIndsor better…in ANY way.
People can spontaneously choose to lead a talk based on a topic suggested by the crowd. If a suggestion for a discussion topic is liked enough by the group, it is chosen as a break-out session where interested participants can join in on the discussion with four happening at a time. The law of two feet is in effect for these discussions- if you don’t like the discussion, or the way the group is headed, you can leave and go to another discussion area where they might be dreaming about something you’re more interested in.
A moderator will be present to direct traffic.
Discussions will be the focus in the early part of the day (beginning at 9am). Turning those ideas into action will be the focus of the latter part of the day (afternoon).
At most conferences, the real connections and discussions happen during the coffee break. Change Camp is ALL COFFEE BREAK. All peer-to-peer. No one is greater than anyone else. While there are experts in the group, everyone has equal say in various matters.
Topics may include: How to lure businesses into the downtown core (property tax breaks) / Sharing open governement data online / Bike transport realization / Local food tourism movement / Arts and culture as an economic engine in Windsor / Bridging the gap between post-secondary education and the citizens of Windsor / Bridging the gap between Windsor and Detroit / Developing a true environmental plan for Windsor Essex / Green job creation – AND MUCH MORE. WHat topic do YOU think should be discussed at this unconference?
This event is non-partisan. It’s free. Connecting is the key. It’s about participation in civic life outside of (and within) local government. And it is meant to lead to actual, real-life changes in the City of Windsor.
If you don’t come, you don’t connect with others who want change in the city. Then you’re left telling your uninspired friends about how much you wish this would change or that would change…when people who are willing to MAKE change are meeting in the city’s core, waiting for your opinion…waiting for your input.
Listen to Mita Williams talk about Change Camp in this video.
Anyone who registers at http://wechangecamp.ca by Wednesday afternoon receives a free lunch!
Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a Superman ceiling tile!
Anyone who knows Rogues Gallery, knows this Superman ceiling tile is a charming detail of the five-year-old downtown comic book shop.
You really need to pay attention to detail when visiting, as the place is LOADED with little touches like the ceiling tile. Figurines, skateboard decks, books, helmets, t-shirts and more are everywhere in this perfect spot downtown.
Rogues Gallery is celebrating Free Comic Book Day on Saturday!
You should pop into the incredible Chatham Street comic book and comic-book-related-goods store.
It’s one of the nuggets that makes downtown so diverse and fun.
Approaching the store, located in the ultra-charming brownstone building across the street from the new downtown bus depot, you see that the space is much more quaint than the average comic book store.
Their neighbours are Media City and House of Toast, which lends it’s own brand of cultural significance to the block.
Inside, the floors are wooden and creaking underfoot. The faces of grunting superheroes and menacing villains contrast uniquely against the alcoves, glass doors, and quaint air of the space.
They go out of their way to take care of their downtown clientele.
Located at 327 Chatham St. W., Windsor, Ontario, they’re open Monday to Sunday, 12pm – 8pm.
Call them to see what other pecial events they have up their sleeve, such as the early (Thursday) showing of the new Iron Man 2 movie. 519.254.9482
Watch this video interview to learn more about Free Comic Book Day and the store’s general operations.
Downtown, interviewing, and investigating 6-months free rent at 500 Ouellette Ave. Entrepreneurs will love this.03:07:45 PM August 23, 2010from TweetDeck
