A Locke Street Christmas

City Life

Perhaps the best time to enjoy Locke is on a cool, crisp day in December, when the street is decorated festively for the Christmas season and browsers line the sidewalks.

By Ryan McGreal
Published December 13, 2010

I lived on Locke street in the mid-1990s, when it was a comparatively dispirited place. Among the sleepy antique and consignment stores were just a few highlights: Ron's Big Easy, a cajun restaurant run by Daniel Lanois' brother, the late Ron Lanois; Henry Black Books, run by the charming and book-obsessed Henry Black (who, I'm sad to learn, just recently passed away); a strange place called Agnes' Floral Creations and Gifts, the purpose of which I was never quite able to determine, given that they didn't seem to sell actual flowers.

Since then, and particularly in the past decade, Locke Street - indeed, the entire neighbourhood - has undergone a renaissance that has been nothing short of breathtaking. As the antique stores have slowly migrated to Ottawa Street (another traditional commercial district undergoing a revival), a wide variety of new stores have crowded in, filling a variety of niches and and collectively providing a pretty comprehensive suite of businesses.

Locke Street now has bakeries, a butcher, a grocery store, cheese shop, restaurants, book store, clothing stores, cafes, design shops, a delicious burrito hut, galleries and more.

Perhaps the best time to enjoy Locke is on a cool, crisp day in December, when the street is decorated festively for the Christmas season and browsers line the sidewalks. To give you a taste of what the street has to offer, here's a sampling of photos taken over the past few days.

Locke South banners and wreaths hang from the hydro poles

The reinvented Courtyard provides intimate fine-dining

Earth to Table Bread Bar already feels like an instant classic. They started a bit rocky but listened to customers and iterated rapidly.

Decorations in the window of Lulu and Lavigne

Epic Books is epic

Christmas trees line the sidewalks

La Jardiniere always has magnificent Christmas decorations

Decorative pieces fill the windows at Textures, an artisans' co-op

Sweetness Bakery: their chocolate mint cupcakes are delicious

A Christmas tree in the window of Locke Street Antiques, one of the last remaining antique stores

Kataya: don't be put off by the creepy hand doorknob. They have some great women's fashions designed in-house

Apparently a pinko cyclist is shopping at Forrat's Chocoloates
Looks like a pinko cyclist is buying some chocolate at Forrat's

The Art Alley wraps around the side of Ten Thousand Villages

The arrival of Starbucks did not signal the death-knell of independent coffee shops on Locke

Bad Dog Cafe: reports of its impending death were greatly exaggerated

The tree stump in front of the Hellingman office is decorated for Christmas year-round

The Beasley House Bistro predates the recent wave of hipness on Locke Street

The past two Saturdays, a horse-drawn carriage has taken people-watchers up and down the street

Decorations line the front pillars of the Wrapping Room

Kutz 4 Kidz is in on the decorating action

Dusk falls over Citizen Kid

The Bar on Locke comes to life

Lights blaze from Goodness Me, downstairs, and Pure, upstairs

Paradise Lost: the iconic fish and chip shop awaits new owners

The decorations at La Jardiniere are best appreciated at night

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Ryan wrote a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. His articles have also been published in The Walrus, HuffPost and Behind the Numbers. He maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.

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By mystoneycreek (registered) - website | Posted December 13, 2010 at 09:03:59

Fantastic visual tour!

I took a friend to Locke Street this summer to show her what another BIA had accomplished; she was amazed at the breadth of the various boutiques.

I lived there late-80s/early 90s, so remember an even older version of the street. I'm so glad it's progressed from 'Antiques Alley', because it's always held so much potential, especially given its history.

I still sigh when I walk past where the Regent Cinema used to be...

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