Barton Boom
Written by: Carol Kehoe
Businesses New and Old Bring New Life to Barton Village
Earlier this year, a friend asked me to meet him at the bar Mosaic on Barton Street East.
I hadn’t heard of it, but my friend insisted and I’m glad that he did. Mosaic felt like a best-kept secret: it’s like a 1970s-style joint, with a long, great list of specialty beers and a terrific wine list. It has that mix of fun energy and cozy atmosphere that all great neighbourhood bars have. It feels like a place locals go, where everybody knows each other.
But Mosaic’s General Manager Olivia Cloutier told me that the secret is getting out. Cloutier has been overseeing the bar for the past year, and she tells me the customer growth has been exactly what she’d hoped for. “We’re glad to see many Hamiltonians from other parts of the city come in,” she says. “But we’ve also seen guests from outside the city, too.”
Mosaic – which opened in 2019, and relaunched earlier this year under new ownership – is one of up to 200 businesses that make up the Barton Street Village. It, along with several other new, cool bars and restaurants, are “block beacons,” says Barton Village BIA Executive Director Nadine Ubl. “Other businesses see the investment these owners are making and open nearby: the cluster helps bring a positive energy to the area,” she explains.
A main commercial line through the city – you can drive in a straight line from the harbour all the way down to Winona – it’s hard to avoid Barton Street. That gives it an interesting advantage for businesses new and old – advantages that are being acted on and realized.
The 300-400 block has certainly seen several specialty spots open, and many are now foodie destinations. Popular Motel Restaurant serves up exquisite breakfasts and sees many of its diners coming from Toronto, says Ubl. Meanwhile, Mike and Courtney Colas, previous owners of La Parisienne in Oakville, have established Verlan, bringing French-inspired crepes, and other goodies to Hamilton.
Mai Pai Tiki Bar is like walking into a 1940s-style tiki bar with fabulous unique pizzas and cocktails, and O Cantinho Churrasqueira & Café brings Portuguese cuisine – especially chicken and sausage – to Hamilton.
David Burns has a passion for oysters, which he’s been sharing with Hamilton and the surrounding area since starting Maisy’s Pearl in 2019. Maisy’s website boasts David as working in the oyster world for nearly two decades and a winner of oyster-shucking competitions nationally and worldwide. He uses only the freshest produce and delights in spending time educating others about the unique qualities of oysters, their health benefits, and sustainability.
Over at Barton Salumeria, the team specializes in curating grazing boxes and charcuterie boards with products sourced within Hamilton and from Ontario farmers and producers. Some of the meats are cured by the team itself, who launched the business after taking the craft up as a hobby at home.
The diversity of the new businesses is a testament to Barton Street’s rich history, says Ubl, when Barton Street was once Hamilton’s premier commercial area. Small businesses were the tenor of the 21-kilometre stretch. Shoppers patronized butchers, barbers, bakers, shoemakers, restauranteurs, launderers, and green grocers run by first- and second-generation immigrants that, together, exemplified and celebrated the Canadian dream and the diversity of a growing Hamilton.
That diversity has never disappeared, says Ubl. “Many entrepreneurs have been waiting in the wings, ready to jump in and get in on the ground floor of a Barton Street resurgence to bring unique foods and service to the area,” she says. A renaissance began in 2017, she explains, but was stalled by the pandemic.
Different offerings by bars and restaurants in Barton Village have flourished in the past few years because of people ready to turn the street around, says Ubl. Businesspeople inside and outside of Hamilton are getting in on the ground floor, she says.
“Barton Street is turning a corner:
The momentum is back.”
– Nadine Ubl, Barton Village BIA Executive Director
Image Location: Mosaic, Barton Village
Image Location: Motel, Barton Village
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