New Business Round-Up (YEE-HAW!)

Rory Andrews Follow Me

Posted this 2015-08-11 2:30 PM ADT (updated 2015-10-20 1:51 PM ADT)

Are you one of the many shoppers in the Sydney area constantly lamenting your limited choices in vintage polka dotted dresses, Led Zeppelin vinyl, and designer cupcakes? In the past, this struggle was very real (as noted in the Ivany Report), but fret no more CBRM! Three new businesses have recently opened on Cape Breton Island that are looking to stem the tide of unmet consumer demand.

Some people walk down Charlotte Street and see nothing but "For Rent" signs and abandoned facades of businesses gone by. But those who look closer will find bright-eyed and bushy-tailed entrepreneurs taking "For Rent" signs down, and braving the harsh Cape Breton commercial climate with nothing but inventory under their arms and grit in their teeth. I recently took a close look around town and found some prime examples of intrepid folk swimming against the current of the Cape Breton Doom-and-Gloom economic narrative, so without further ado, I give you the

I rode a mechanical bull once and pulled a hammy. Also, horses scare me.

Atomic Records

Finally, a place where I can indulge in both my love for Johnny Cash and my closet "My Little Pony" fandom.

Location: 1290 Kings Road, Sydney, Nova Scotia

Take a dash of vintage Man-child nostalgia, a hefty dose of coffee table conversation pieces, and enough vinyl to make a Seattle hipster weep, and you get Atomic Records. As an individual that is intimately tied to nerd culture, I know nerds come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and breeds, and Atomic Records does its damnedest to hit all four corners of the nerd universe. Not into vinyl? Check out the large selection of vintage Star Wars merchandise. Are you over superheroes? Well step two feet to the left and see Atomic Records stunning array of Dr. Who memorabilia. Are you too intimidated to walk into a store cool enough to have an audiophile extra-terrestrial as their mascot? No worries! The owner is way too excited about his recent shipment of Bowser themed backpacks to judge anybody!

On a personal note, I took these pictures on Sunday, when Atomic Records was OPEN! It was such an unusual experience, I bought an R2-D2 mug just to celebrate the occasion. So attention Sydney businesses! If you stay open on Sunday, I will buy random items from you, in order to positively reinforce the Pavlovian need to stay open on Sunday!

They've got a ton of music I'm not cool enough to be aware of, and some that I am!

MacNeil Bakery

Because, face it, what the world needs now is more cupcakes.

Location: 54 Prince Street, Sydney, Nova Scotia

It's a well known fact that Cape Bretoners are a breed of humans that run on nothing but caffeine and sugar. Luckily we have Doktor Luke's to indulge our first, very real addiction of various coffee products, and now, a mere 5 meters away is MacNeil Bakery to satisfy our desires for everything caramel and chocolate. Doktor Luke's has been open for a little over a year, and in that time they have quickly become the center of the arts and culture scene in downtown Sydney. It's like Cheers, with less alcoholism (I want royalties if you put this on your sign, Missy). And now, as you ride the high of a military grade doubleshot of espresso, you can add to it the sugar rush of an oozing slice of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. These two shops, existing in what really is one giant room, have quickly created a symbiotic relationship that go together like a warm bed and a rainy night, except for the fact that they make you extremely awake.

If you see me sitting about, feel free to buy me a cupcake. I also accept gift cards!

Defiant Darlings

For the girl in your life that's tough, yet sassy!

Location: 230 Charlotte Street, Sydney

Have you ever wished 50's pin up art and Tim Burton would have a baby, and that baby would take the form of a boutique store? I know I do! Well wish no more, because Defiant Darlings has everything you need for your roller derby playing, sass-magnet friend who needs a new pair of pumps. Defiant Darlings carries a selection of swing dresses, corsets, and clothes with skulls on them to match both your quirky fashion sense and your love of death. Personally, I buy all my corsets online so people stop questioning my life choices, but it would be nice to try them on before purchase. They even sell bathing suits for what I assume are people that are going somewhere other than Cape Breton.

Defiant Darlings also sells a wide variety of leggings, because girls stopped wearing pants 2 years ago. In completely non-related news, Rory has been banned from wearing leggings since 2011, even though he was way ahead of the curve.

Aren't those red heels to die for! Oh, they would totally go with the owl handbag. Curse my bland heterosexual male fashion culture!

Conclusion

These new businesses are proof to me that downtown Sydney isn't as much a failed state, as it is a downtown in transition. It's easy to walk down Charlotte Street and only see the derelict Bean Bank and Yazer's, and not take the time to notice the Defiant Darlings and MacNeil Bakeries taking their place and picking up the downtown slack. And the fact that these businesses appeal to an edgier, younger generation, and are living proof that 80's kids have disposable income, is icing on my Millennial cake. And finally, imagine a world without cupcakes. Now stop crying and get down to MacNeil bakery and make your world a tastier place.

So what's your favorite new business on Cape Breton Island? Let me know in the comments, and I could feature them in a future Business Roundup. Actually, just let me know so I can go there and buy stuff.

Posted by Rory Andrews
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Introducing 3 new businesses: Atomic Records, MacNeil Bakery, and Defiant Darlings.

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James MacKinnon Follow Me 2015-08-12 10:14 AM ADT Reply 5 0 Like a phoenix from the ashes, or maybe coal dust and slag in Cape Breton's case. I used to be apathetic about the state of small business in Sydney. For a long while, the only new store fronts going up seemed to be yet another smoke shop or beauty salon, which are good businesses onto themselves, but I really questioned the saturation point for the area. Contrast to now, where Rory has shown us 3 very different but viable businesses that not only keep the local economy moving, but also add a bit of cultural flair as well. Another good example has been the explosive popularity in food trucks over the past few years. Many themes, many different menu options, and everyone has an option depending on their cravings that day. The tailors, belt makers, and gyms in the area couldn't be happier with how popular these culinary creators have become. Community support for exploring what these shops offer has been great, and encouragement between local business operators to the new kids on the block has been phenomenal. It would seem like a limited market, but there's still enough diversity on the island that each business/org owes it to themselves to find their niche to deliver the best experience. Many people might see Cape Breton's limited spending dollars as an arena match to see who can come out on top. But it's the opposite. New business can learn a lot from established players, and old institutions can learn to keep up to date by talking shop with the new crew. Noone likes an arsehole (though we all know a few), so it makes sense to be a good member of the downtown community. Keep up the good, hard work Cape Breton. Rory Andrews My Post Follow Me 2015-08-12 10:44 AM ADT Reply 1 0 You got it James. Even though some people dislike the island mentality around here, I love how Cape Bretoners care more about Green Cove than Hilary Clinton, and are more in touch with what's happening on the Esplanade than Wall Street. Seems to me that the island mentality doesn't always translate to island spending. Personally, I would rather buy my boardgames from The Local NPC than amazon, buy my coffee at Dr. Luke's rather than Tim's, and go see the Roller Derby this Saturday instead of a Hollywood movie. It might be a bit more expensive, but I've never lived in a place before where it was so easy to be engaged in the community, and I'm not taking that for granted. Joe Ward Follow Me 2015-08-14 1:45 PM ADT Reply 0 0 Dr. Luke's has established a niche differentiation that will allow it to be successful without relying on "buy local" patriotism. Same with the food trucks. That's the most important point, IMO. Understanding local market dynamics will allow new opportunities to emerge. They won't succeed because people commit to buy local. They'll succeed because they are able to best create & fulfill a consumer need or desire, here in CB. And they can even have a value proposition that is superior to large corporate brands. We just have to spot those opportunities and it seems like local entrepreneurs are doing a great job at it lately. If I want coffee fast, I'll do the Tim's drive thru. If I want to sit down and enjoy a cool environment with my coffee, I'll go to Dr. Lukes or one of the other local coffee houses. #CompeteLocal #DiffentiateOrDie Richard Lorway Follow Me 2015-08-14 2:01 PM ADT Reply 1 0 I agree, Joe. I've always had an issue with Think Cape Breton First because it seems to be an entitlement argument. All things being equal, maybe it makes sense? But all things are never equal in the real world. If business owners pursued Think Customer First, I think it's a more sustainable strategy. Engage. Build relationships and trust. Provide better service. Design and provide a great customer experience in your premises. Don't expect me to pay more or put up with poor service because you are local. In fact, I don't mind paying slightly more, but I absolutely will not accept bad service, poor quality, or a poor user experience. Joe Ward Follow Me 2015-08-14 2:53 PM ADT Reply 1 0 Buy local type movements will always only empower a small segment of the population. Consumers are semi-rational actors. We fulfill our needs/desires in exchange for the best deal, unless we have some personal philosophy that leads us to do otherwise. I think more people have a quality focus than they do a "compromise to support local biz" mentality. Now, we can lobby to change that through marketing programs. But we're working against human nature. And I'd rather leverage the momentum of intrinsic consumer decision making processes. Meet their needs so well, they have no real choice to make. The reason the Glace Bay Minor Hockey 50/50 is so successful isn't only charity. It's the size of the potential reward. They carve into the 6/49/Proline market. So I really like "buy local" in terms of discovery of local options and alternatives. Lacking big budgets or marketing savvy puts them at risk of being drowned out by big brands, national franchises, etc. I'll assert that Rory's posts have been the absolute best contribution to "buy local" here, in terms of their power in discovery. For those of us that have read these posts, I think it's lead to a shift in perspective on what's here and what's cool about the downtown, etc. Also huge validation for the objectives of this platform. However, in this local economy, there will never be a day that I would suggest it's not in the best interest of people to continue shopping at places like Walmart. We have a lot of kids living in poverty, many people on pension, disability, or social assistance and they have to make their income stretch. But overall, it ensures that we have wider consumer choices, can leverage our disposable incomes more effectively, and have enough left over to actually spend at some of our local brands. I'm pretty sure our food and beverage industry benefits from the savings. Saving $20 on something we want on Amazon may lead to spending $20 at Louann's, Dr. Luke's, Downtown Nutrition, etc.
Richard Lorway Follow Me 2015-08-12 1:43 PM ADT Reply 0 0 Good post. I'd like to see lots more stories about new entrepreneurs. How do we define "new business?" Past year, past 5 years? Rory Andrews My Post Follow Me 2015-08-12 3:18 PM ADT Reply 1 0 Haven't really put much thought into it. I just thought these were new and rad and worth talking about. I would say the past year would be good, but we can always keep our ear to the ground for new openings happening around town. I say we figure it out as we go.
Janet Dawson Follow Me 2015-08-12 9:29 PM ADT Reply 3 0 There's another new retail shop right next door to MacNeil's Bakery and Doktor Luke's. Three of them in fact! My Fair Ladies (48 Prince St) has been open for just a year now - we're in the throes of planning our first anniversary party for next month As We Speak. We're all about fair trade, social activism, and ethically sourced goods from all over the world. "All over" includes Cape Breton, of course: in addition to fair and ethical goods made by artisans in over two dozen countries, we also have a selection of work by local Cape Breton artisans. Joan and I (Red and Blue) are all about supporting makers around the world because we're makers ourselves. Tucked into the back corners of My Fair Ladies, we each have our own wee little shops where we sell our own things, and where we also pay forward our love of textiles by teaching classes and selling hard to find supplies. My shop is The Bobbin Tree, Joan's is Needleit Studio, and together we have stuff for stitchers, knitters, spinners, weavers, hookers, quilters, felters, beaders, dyers, and more. Not only that, My Fair Ladies, The Bobbin Tree, and Needleit Studio aren't the only new kids in the building: the Social Salon and Spa opened in the same building (the Crowell's building) just a couple months after we did. So grab a cup of coffee and a brownie (I recommend the Chocolate Coma!) from the lads and ladies next door and come check us out! We'd love to show you around. :D - Janet aka Blue Rory Andrews My Post Follow Me 2015-08-13 1:22 PM ADT Reply 1 0 I walk by you guys all the time. I will have to stop in and have a look around. Are you in the same space as Louann's Cafe? I went there last week and was really impressed by their lunch menu. I thought it was more of a coffee and scones kind of place, but I got rocking garlic fingers. I feel like some people look at Downtown Sydney like a failed mall, but my generation and people younger see it as an actual place to live. I would love to live above those shops and walk to work everyday, and I would absolutely love if I didn't need to own a car. I think downtown could be that. I think it's already on its way. Janet Dawson Follow Me 2015-08-14 2:26 PM ADT Reply 1 0 Yep, we're next to Louann's with a connecting door between. Lots of folks come in to shop while they're waiting for their lunch orders. :) Next time, try one of her all day breakfasts or soups - yum! Mathew Georghiou Follow Me 2015-08-14 3:37 PM ADT Reply 1 0 Janet ... please post your business story on goCapeBreton.com so everyone can learn more ... and hopefully you can win some new customers too ... we created goCapeBreton.com to help businesses like yours succeed ... and it's free! Joe Ward Follow Me 2015-08-14 2:36 PM ADT Reply 0 0 I like Louann's. Very relaxed environment. Merrill Carmichael introduced me. I don't get there often, but definitely recommend it as well. Will try the garlic fingers next time out! ;) Steven Rolls Follow Me 2015-08-13 1:43 PM ADT Reply 1 0 Oh stop complaining Janet, you know we love you. Thanks for the info and I hope everyone takes an exploratory day and pops into every shop on Charlotte St they have never been in.
Matthew Butler Follow Me 2015-08-19 9:09 AM ADT Reply 0 0 Apparently I may need to stop into Glace Bay Variety, which sounds like, while it has a little bit of everything, it's becoming a candy shop too. Read this article from Cape Breton post and I'm curious now. http://www.capebretonpost.com/Business/2015-08-18/article-4250154/Glace-Bay-Variety-hopes-to-satisfy-customers-sweet-tooth/1
Kelli Jackson Follow Me 2015-08-27 11:04 AM ADT Reply 1 0 Oh crap, on the downside, I just moved to Halifax. But on the upside, I can afford to shop now! I can't wait to check out these shops (including Janet's shop; I'm a sucker for yarn) when I'm home! Downtown Sydney is great, I love the buildings there. It's a pretty cool place when you stop and really look at the buildings, vacancies aside. Aaaaaaaand.... I REALLY NEED that Eddie mask! It would look nice with a pink polka dot dress.