Downtown edition (Taylor's Version?)

Issue 4 Volume 1

Feb 08, 2024

FOMO: Fredericton’s Changing Downtown

Downtown Fredericton is always in flux, new construction, stalled construction, closed shops, and new restaurants. It’s hard to keep track of all the comings and goings. Every quarter the editorial staff at The Fredericton Word will try to keep you up to date on what’s changing. Shout out to the man on the street Bill Hunt for always giving us tips on what’s happening. If Taylor Swift lived in Fredericton she would hang out downtown.

I come from downtown, born ready for you - The Tragically Hip

What’s new?

Monks and Jonesie will be opening its second brick-and-mortar location downtown on Regent Street in the coming months. M&J built their successful Bishop Drive location on the backs of their popular food truck. This will be a great addition to the downtown food scene.

Bill Hunt’s first contribution, his reflection in the window

Benefit Body Spa - Open now. Fredericton’s first non-invasive med-spa. They offer medical and aesthetic treatments without injections, surgery or downtime. It is an alternative to traditional invasive treatments provided by a team of nurses and naturopaths. Two former New Brunswickers have returned from the big city to open their location at 123 York Street. We wish Megan and Marc the best of luck with their new venture.

Officer’s Square Skating Sqoval (it’s not a square, it’s not a skating oval, it’s a Sqoval!)- based on the number of people visiting Officer’s Square everyone knows the skating square is now open. It’s beautiful. Great views. Fresh air and already hosted many family events.

Viscount Kitchen - This new sit-down restaurant in the Service NB building on King Street is an extension of the Kings Place take-out location. The menu offers Filipino cuisine along with Canadian classic meals. Something for everyone.

Fresh Vintage - Though this store opened in October I would be amiss not to mention it. This beautiful antique and vintage store fills a gap in downtown Fredericton retail. Located at 81 Regent St, the 2-level store is a great option for the hard-to-buy person plus they will also assist in sourcing vintage items. It is amazing to see Ellen Messenger’s (owner and curator) vision come to life.

What’s Fresh?

11th Mile - renovations are complete at Fredericton’s best resto and the new space is stunning (check out the interview with Jennie from the11th Mile below!)

Wasted Fashion - Rumour is that this York Street boutique has had a little makeover. This feels like a big city fashion boutique with it’s carefully curated clothing but we are lucky enough to have them in downtown Fredericton.

What’s gone?

Starbucks Kings Place - The chain coffee shop will be closing on February 18. I hate seeing any business close its doors but with so many better local options I won’t be shedding a tear. Milltown Roasters across the street, the great service at The Tipsy Muse Cafe on Queen Street or Jonnie Java Roasters on York (rumoured to be the best coffee in the city) are much better options.

Bulgogi Korean Food - The King Street hole-in-the-wall has been downtown for many years but shut its doors with little fanfare in November.

Artful Persuasions - the collection of handmade products from local crafters will be shutting its doors on York Street in mid-March. Pop in to support local over the next few weeks.

Drop a comment if you know of any new locally owned businesses opening in the Fredericton area so we can help support them.

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Cheers!

with Jennie Wilson,

Co-Owner/Manager of 11th Mile

Cheers! is a Q and A with local celebrities (I determine who qualifies as a local celebrity, and bribes are accepted). I ask the questions I would ask if I was having a beverage or 3 with them.

Jennie, you and your husband Chef Peter have owned the 11th Mile for about 7 years and 5 in the current location on York Street. You have recently gone through renovations so it looks like your current location will be home for a while. What prompted the renovations and what do you like best about the changes?

I think we’ve all been customers of popular restaurants that just never level up. After a while, as a customer, I start to notice the chipped paint and the aging decor. It’s important to us to let our customers know that we are always working to stay at the top of our game and to provide a space that they want to be in.

Additionally, we finally made the money to upgrade and fix some of my
design elements from the 2019 version that we realized didn’t work once we were in the space. For me, the best thing is the changes to the lighting. Originally, we wanted an open-kitchen vibe, but fluorescent light pouring into the dining room from the kitchen was a serious error. In retrospect, we didn't have the budget to create a 'show kitchen'. Now, we moved the door around to the side- folks will still be able to pop in while they’re paying a bill and say ‘hi’ to the chefs, but the obnoxious glare of the fluorescents will be hidden.

The 11th mile can be tough to get a reservation on most weekends, do your
renovations increase the capacity?
Honestly, not a lot. There’s a lot of boring restaurant insider information I could go into here, but in order to maximize your staffing, you want to add about twenty
seats per server- if you get in the middle of that number, your staffing costs can get out of whack. This is why our patios seat about 20, so that it makes sense to staff an extra server. Our net increase to the interior is about four seats. This change was more about improving design. And honestly – while I have the opportunity, I’d love folks to know it’s not *that* tough to get a reservation. Give us 48 hours and a little flexibility. :)

For those who don't know you also own Coastline Pizza located on Main Street within the Half Cut Brewery. IMO this filled a need for high-quality pizza in the city. What prompted the pizza focus?
Mainly fear! The pandemic terrified us, because like so many small businesses, all our
chips were in one bucket. Diversification felt like a good idea. Peter had been
working on dough for a while, so pizza made sense as another leg to stand on. It’s
funny because we all like to think we are unique human beings, but we’ve found that
impulse reflected across our industry.

Your two food ventures filled a gap in the Fredericton food scene. In your opinion what do you think is missing in Fredericton for cuisines or restaurant concepts(for the record I think we need 24-hour greasy spoon diner)?
Well, Fredericton Twitter wants a sandwich shop, but there’s no consensus on what that means. I think you could argue for so many concepts- but ultimately, for us, we have to follow our hearts. Chef-owned restaurants are special because they’re focused and passionate. Asking a chef to conceptualize a menu that they don’t care about, well, we might as well just work for someone else if we can’t do
the things we love. We also care about our quality of life- I’m not running a 24-
hour joint, ever.

I have spoken to Fredericton restaurant owners in the past and they say Fredericton is a tough restaurant market. Despite the high employment and high median income Fredericton likes its pub food. Do you agree with that assessment? Does Fredericton offer any unique challenges to having a successful restaurant?

The first few years were definitely a challenge, and to be honest, I would have given
up. As with most businesses, 80% of our sales come from 20% of our customers. We just had to find those people, and then nurture those folks to keep the conversation going. Surviving to that point is tough.

Do you think the Fredericton market has changed in the 7 years you have been here?
We’ve definitely seen an explosion of cocktail culture, which has been really fun to be a
part of. We love watching spots like ‘El Mariachi’ and ‘The Feel Good’ open. Restaurants owned by a working chef are very exciting, and I think they round out the food culture here.

I don't know if you get much opportunity to try out other local restaurants, if so is there any you would recommend as a hidden Fredericton gem or even a Fredericton mainstay that is consistently good?

We tend to get out for lunch mostly- we head to Byblos, El Mariachi, The Feel Good,
and Betty Lee’s. I have a weakness for the burrito bowl at barBURRITO if I’m on the
run.

Renovations are done. 11th mile and Coastline Pizza are popular what's next for
Jennie and Peter, any big dreams? (hint: open a speakeasy)
Steven, I’d be very silly to answer that. You’ll see ;)

Thanks so much for your time Jennie, I appreciate you!

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The Hood: Little Free Libraries of Downtown

This week’s guest writer is Rosella Melanson

A downtown box, also showing a “zine” waiting for neighbourhood contribution.

The luck of the box

Let me tell you about the brilliant authors I’ve discovered on my walks around Fredericton.

Not that I meet anyone on my morning walks. The few other people around are busy scooping after their animals.

Fredericton is manna territory for readers. Two universities. The provincial capital. Lots of readers, except, from all evidence, for the ruling politicians.

But when I pause and look into the many book boxes in Fredericton, I’ve been introduced to authors and books, even ideas, that I would otherwise not have been exposed to. It’s better than the Internet these days. Even when I’m in the best bookstores, I’m overwhelmed or I’m distracted by the marketing, and don’t often discover new favourites.

The luck of the boxes has been much more satisfying.

I’ve found boxes where it feels like the books have been curated for me. Recent books on North American politics, European mystery writers, Maritime history, Acadian novels. I’ve discovered Icelandic and African authors, picked up classics like Heart of Darkness, Things Fall Apart and several from French literature, as well as humorous or odd books. Not your typical best-sellers.

I usually find at least one book box on my 60- to 90-minute walk around the downtown neighbourhoods. One particular walk gets me to 5 of the best.

Fredericton is manna territory for readers. Two universities. The provincial capital. Lots of readers, except, from all evidence, for the ruling politicians.

Some boxes have a mix of both children’s and adult books. Others are mostly recent non-fiction, others predictably, boringly, Nora Roberts/James Patterson/Danielle Steele. Some are always a wild mix. Others consistently have some books in French. Occasionally you will find puzzles and magazines, and all sometimes hint that someone is clearing out their history, gardening or cooking books. Some boxes have had participatory things, like a hand-made zine where you are invited to add the next panel or paragraph. I once saw some free hand-made postcards of flowers, with postage included!

Books I’ve taken from a book box, once finished, usually get returned to a box or passed on to someone else. I’ve added many of my own especially when I did a pandemic-fuelled purge of my personal library.

The number of boxes seemingly continues to grow. I discover a new one every year, it seems. The great majority are weather-proof, beautiful and well maintained, often built to match the house on whose lawn they are placed. One lovely one disappeared last year, likely taken away by the mosquitoes: it was placed under intense shade in a wet area and I’d see people looking quickly in the box while stamping their feet and slapping themselves. Another disappeared after the house was sold.

Some boxes display a logo and QR code of the “Little Free Library” organization. If you go on the website of this U.S. non-profit, you can see a map of the affiliated boxes in any community, including Fredericton. However, only a few of Fredericton's boxes are affiliated. But, on your way to the mapped ones, chances are you will find others.

You will notice on that map that there are few in Fredericton North. Studies show that book boxes pop up disproportionately where there are already libraries and bookstores, not where there is a dearth of access to books. Neighbourhood income was the most likely determinant of the presence of Little Free Library boxes. Do better Fredericton.