Tag Archives: Your Hamilton Biz

Feb 01 2013
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Competitors gearing up for Target

Hamilton stores are altering their facilities and stocking their shelves to prepare for the arrival of Target in Canada.

Target Canada opening one of its first stores on Barton Street in Hamilton.

Target Canada opening one of its first stores on Barton Street in Hamilton.

Giant Tiger Stores Limited has seen several changes recently, including the redesign and renovation of its stores to make it easier to shop, said Julia Knox, vice-president of strategic planning and market research for Giant Tiger Stores Limited.

“We have more brand name grocery products and on-trend fashions at unbelievably low prices,” she added. “We’re continuing to grow by adding more locations and expanding in existing markets.”

Along with renovations to its current stores, Giant Tiger will be opening 10 stores across Canada starting in March this year.

McMaster University professor Marvin Ryder told YourHamiltonBiz that big stores are already undergoing several changes to prepare for Target’s arrival.

“Since they know when Target is opening, they have ample time to prepare for its arrival,” he said.

Stores are relabeling and reinventing themselves, he added.

Knox noted Giant Tiger offers unique products with fantastic deals.

“Everything is in a friendly store that is easier to get in and out of, and more fun than big box stores,” she explained. “We are also very focused on our local communities – we tailor assortments to better meet our customers’ needs. We also support local causes such as sports teams, community groups and food banks.”

Vincent Power, vice-president of corporate affairs and communications for Sears Canada, noted many improvements have been made over the past year but is not related or connected solely to the arrival of Target.

“We rebalanced prices across the company with our ’5,000 New Lower Prices’ program which we launched in 2012,” said Power.

“This provided increased day-in and day-out value prices which meant customers could buy with confidence every day on some of their most favourite items and brands. We complemented this with an on-sale strategy for other items because sales are still very popular with Canadians and they expect department stores like Sears to offer sales on great items from time to time.”

Sears also launched its LOOK! report, a quarterly magazine-type flyer, revamped its customer service and returns policy, its infants and nursery products department called “The Baby’s Room,” and online site.

“We dramatically began a store refresh program and revamped nine stores last year, including Lime Ridge, to modernize our selling spaces and provide a space to properly showcase our product, with an emphasis on women’s, men’s and kids apparel,” said Power. “For 2013, we have some stores scheduled for the same kind of refresh, and dozens of stores scheduled for a version of a refresh, but will provide visual presentation elements that will allow the merchandise to be shown in a much improved manner than we have today.”

Power noted that much of these initiatives to Sears are in part to address the competitive retail store industry in Canada. The renovations are scheduled to be complete by the end of spring and early summer of2013.

A spokesperson for Future Shop added nothing could be said at this point, but the Canadian Tire Corporation told YourHamiltonBiz they remain focused on delivering exclusive brands and innovative products to Canadians.

“Canadian Tire understands life in Canada,” noted the corporation. “We’re confident that our unique product assortment and the increasing number of exclusive brands we offer throughout our seasonal, automotive, living, fixing and playing categories, will continue to set us apart.”

There will be five Target Canada stores opening in Hamilton starting in the spring of 2013 with one at Centre Mall and at the Flamborough Power Centre in Waterdown. Three stores will be opening up in the summer at South Hamilton Square on Upper James, Meadowvale Power Centre in Ancaster, and Queenston Place in Stoney Creek.

Originally posted in Your Hamilton Biz.

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Jan 31 2013
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Reminiscences: Elsie Picone had a huge impact on her community

Though small in stature, Elsie Picone left a big impact with her community involvement and dedication to Dundas.

The matriarch of Picone Fine Food passed away on Jan. 29 at 85 surrounded by family.

Elsie Picone.

Elsie Picone.

Daughter Theresa Picone recalls her mother as community-minded and someone who was mentor to many people, especially women.

“A lot of women really appreciated her smile, her stamina, and seeing her cooking,” she said. “She lived her values, she had strong beliefs and she was challenging at times; but she instilled in me the strength to believe in your convictions and to never waver.”

She was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago, and hadn’t been working in the store this past year, her daughter said.

Her mother was able to do a lot of things and many people were generous with their time so she was able visit many places, she added.

“We knew cancer was just one of those things,” her daughter said. “At the very end it was quick and she didn’t suffer a lot. All of us were at the end for almost two days until she passed.”

Fara Mintz recalls working at the Picone Fine Food throughout high school.

Now a lawyer working in Toronto, it was her first job and the foundation of what she provides to her clients today.

Many high school students from Dundas and west Hamilton worked at the food store, she said.

“She really instilled in me the value of hard work and also the value of respect and being respectful to the customers – it was about giving the level of customer service you would want to receive,” she said. “It was a phenomenal experience and the foundation of the success I’ve had since then. It is a huge hole for Dundas – anyone who knew Mrs. Picone, was truly blessed.”

Peter Hargreave worked at the store throughout high school and university, and said Picone and the store are a huge part of the community.

“She was somebody that put absolutely everything into her work, her store and into the community,” said Hargreave. “She was a woman small in stature and small in voice but she had a huge impact on the community. She treated us as family and always thankful and always gave back.”

Picone was a real pillar in the community and there are many political leaders in the province who stopped into her store for a piece of pie, added Hargreave.

MPP Ted McMeekin knew Picone for more than 30 years and noted she was a staple in the community.

“I’d go to her store and buy a pie because she makes the best pie in Dundas. If she wasn’t in the front then I would search her out just to say, ‘hi,’” he said. “When it comes to pies, she’s a real sweetie pie. She’s loving, kind, genuine, and the most friendly person there is.”

Picone received many community awards throughout her life, including Citizen of the Year, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and Paul Harris Fellowship. She was a founding member of Dundas Community Services and an active member of her church.

The Dundas Community Services recognized Picone in December for her outstanding volunteer work in the community.

She was one of the founding members of the group when it started 40 years ago and she remained committed to helping organizations and clubs, even donating a couple of pies, said McMeekin.

Picone’s son, Mark, also initiated an award in her name called the Elsie Picone Award. It is given to a graduating high school student for voluntary contributions to the community.

Dundas councillor Russ Powers she had been extraordinary.

Powers knew Piccone for nearly 50 years and met her when he moved to Dundas with his family.

“It was one of the few places in Dundas to go to if you lived downtown – it’s where my parents shopped, and ultimately where my wife and I shopped,” he said. “But it’s her personal contributions and, by extension, the contributions of her business, along with her mentoring to the youth in the community, that will be remembered.

A funeral will be held on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church (58 Sydenham St.) in Dundas.

Visitation will be held at the Cattel, Eaton and Chambers Funeral Home (53 Main St.) on Jan. 31 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Vigil prayers will be on Friday at 8 p.m.

Originally posted in Your Hamilton Biz.

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Jan 28 2013
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Hamilton businessman finds niche in the stars

A growing interest in astronomy has prompted a Hamilton business to switch from cameras to telescopes.

When Roger Burrough opened Camtech in 1976 he sold and serviced cameras. Now his company is called the Scope Store and while he still sells cameras, his specialty is optics – telescopes, binoculars and microscopes.

Roger Burrough and some of his telescopes.

Roger Burrough and some of his telescopes.

“The industry has changed over the years, and it’s become more and more about electronics so we decided to put our emphasis on optics,” Burrough explained. “After the recession of the early ‘90s, we had a good growth with the new digital age. With the new millennium we started to experience rapid price erosion, as was the case with all electronics, and with increased competition, our business model wasn’t sustainable.”

The decision to switch its focus more to optics and astronomy began four years before the last recession hit and slowed Camtech’s recovery, he says, though last year fared well.

The only other businesses that sell gear tailored for astronomy are in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo. Burrough hopes to become the third major store in the Golden Horseshoe.

Steve Kinsella, one of four part-time employees at Camtech, is an amateur astronomer, a member of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Burrough says the relationship with the two groups will help promote astronomy.

Burrough’s said the past year was his best ever for optics sales. He thinks some of the success was due to the addition of apps on smart phones and the growth in technology.

“Due to the proliferation of technology, more people are getting more interested,” he said. “It’s bringing more attention to the skies.”

The success of Burrough’s reinvented store demonstrates the popularity of astronomy , said Dr. Robert Cockcroft of McMaster’s Physics and Astronomy Department.

It is also a way to make astronomy accessible, said Cockcroft, who is also manager of McMaster’s McCallion Planetarium.

There has been an increase in attendance at the planetarium since the facility was relaunched with a new projector in 2008, he said.

“The (digital) projector has more capabilities, so now we can zoom in onto objects to view them as if we were looking at them through a telescope . . . we can show events such as meteor showers and many more,” he explained. “Apps certainly make astronomy more accessible. With a few tips, you can know very quickly what that bright object is in the sky that you’re looking at.”

Apps such as Star Walk, Starmap or SkyView allow the user to easily find constellations and planets in the sky simply by lifting their phone’s camera to the sky.

Apps such as StarMap have become popular.

Apps such as StarMap have become popular.

The application takes a GPS coordinate of your current location and calibrates where you are in relation to the stars and planets.

Cockcroft says astronaut Chris Hadfield’s venture into space and outreach initiatives with the elementary school in Mississauga have also been great for astronomy.

The transit of Venus was very popular, he said.

“I brought in 300 pairs of the solar glasses and sold every single one. They were coming in from Niagara because no one else had them,” Burrough said.

More than 500 people used special glasses at the planetarium, Cockcroft added.

Free telescope viewing sessions were started after that and they will re-start later this year.

Along with meteor showers, this coming year will feature the path of two comets. The first comet will be brightest in early March (designated C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS after the telescope in Hawaii that discovered it) but scientists note it is difficult to predict, stated Burrough.

A second comet (ISON) will appear in November and may become the brightest comet ever and even be visible during the day.

“During the night it will be brighter than the moon,” said Burrough.

Burroughs hopes to offer Astronomy 101 classes with the Hamilton Public Library, hold

drop-in sidewalk astronomy nights, and a trade show in May. Discussions are still under way for hosting a Star Night again at the Binbrook Conservation Area, after the first event was washed out several years ago.

Though many events are done on fairly short notice due to unpredictable weather, Burrough hopes this year will bring many more interested astronomers out to look at the night sky.

Originally posted in Your Hamilton Biz.

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Jan 18 2013
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11 new restaurants open in downtown Hamilton

Downtown and want something Peruvian for lunch? Maybe some Pollo a La Brasa and Aji Sauce? How about some Empanadas?

Culantro Peruvian Cookery on King William, a block west of the Lister Block, is just one of a growing number of independent restaurants popping up in the core. Last year, the city says 11 restaurants operated by independent owners opened downtown, not including the growing Ontario-established Burrito Boyz chain.

Kathy Drewitt, executive director for Hamilton’s Downtown BIA, explained they are all independent mom and pop shops rather than the typical restaurant chains.

“There are a lot of new restaurants coming in offering very eclectic palates that will appeal to anyone who likes different flavours of food,” she said. “We just had a new Peruvian restaurant open up and who would’ve thought a Peruvian-themed restaurant would appeal to those in Hamilton?”

Culantro Peruvian Cookery opened up on Dec. 1 and Drewitt has been told the restaurant keeps running out of food because they have become quite popular.

Another popular restaurant is Jack & Lois on James Street North, which was voted best new restaurant by Hamilton Magazine last year.

Named after his grandparents, owner Eric Bowden opened his retro-styled restaurant in February and has seen a steady increase in clientele.

“I wanted to open on James Street North particularly because of what was going on down there,” he explained. “I was working in downtown Hamilton at the time and decided to look up some properties on Craigslist. I looked at the neighbourhood and I decided I wanted to make this happen because Hamilton is far more interesting right now in terms of rejuvenation.”

He said it is easier to operate in Hamilton than Toronto because costs, such as rent, are lower.

“There is a lot of undiscovered gems in Hamilton,” Bowden said. “It’s a great place to shoot films, the arts is developing, there is a music scene; it’s burgeoning. The city is setting itself for success right now and councillors are changing antiquated laws for new business owners. They’re not perfect but they’re listening and making changes.”

Drewitt pointed out the usual corporate models, such as Kelsey’s or Jack Astors, don’t fit well in downtown storefront units.

“They usually want bigger spaces and lots of parking,” she said.

The proximity to entertainment facilities, including Copps Coliseum and Hamilton Place, is also a plus, she added.

There are more than 180 restaurants in the Downtown BIA, which is the area within MacNab, Rebecca, Mary and Hunter streets, as well as James Street North and South.

“You can see all the different flavours of restaurants that we have and you don’t have to go far to find a good restaurant downtown,” Drewitt said. “There’s a lot of variety, which is great for everyone.”

New restaurants that opened in 2012:
Culantro Peruvian Cookery, 47 King William Street, 905-777-0060
Baltimore House, 43 King William Street, 905-526-3408
U Shao BBQ, 27 John Street S., 905-521-8880
Corner Tea House & Asian Bistro, 29 John Street N., 905-527-0739
8090 Tea House, 149 King Street E., 905-525-8788
It’s a Food Thing, 49 King William Street, 289-808-2155
Jack & Lois, 301 James Street N., 289-389-5647
Ben & Thanh Thai & Vietnamese Restaurant, 113 James Street N., 905-528-6888
Appleberry Café, 312 King Street E., 905-962-8488
Radius, 151 James Street S, 905-393-1658

Originally posted in Your Hamilton Biz.

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