Visiting a downtown on the move...in Thorold

Being a long-time resident and supporter of downtown St. Catharines, I have written often in this space about goings on - both good and bad - in our work-in-progress downtown.  I have often written as well about the lengthy and sometimes stalled revitalization of downtown Niagara Falls.  But I have not written about downtown Thorold...until today.

I had occasion to spend some time driving around after work this afternoon and decided since I had a delivery to make to my accountant, Lucy Popoli in downtown Thorold, I would get out of the car and explore a bit of the downtown core on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

I'm not a stranger to downtown Thorold, as I have enjoyed many a visit in the past for any number of reasons, ranging from the Santa Claus Parade to the old days when the Thorold Arts & Crafts Show was held on a July weekend at Battle of Beaverdams Park.  I was even a visitor from year one to the annual Italian Festival until it appeared to run out of gas a few years ago.

A lot of my favourite Thorold haunts are still there:  Riganelli's Bakery on Ormond Street and Clarkson Cycle at the corner of Pine and Richmond amongst them.  Sadly, some of my favourites from the past are now gone:  Ricky's Big Scoop on Front Street (formerly on Pine) and going way back, the old grocery store on Pine near Sullivan that was right out of another era.

But to every end there is a beginning, and change brings with it some welcome new additions and an opportunity to revisit some old friends you haven't seen in awhile.  So it was on my walk along Front Street this afternoon.

I began my walking tour with a visit to the local heartbeat of downtown Thorold, Henderson's Pharmasave, still looking grand 75 years after it all began.  It was great to see things were still bustling inside, as they have been almost from day one.

I was also happy to see the best hangout for a leisurely weekend breakfast, Cosmo's Diner, still going strong with their newer facade, and other mainstays such as New York Bar & Grill and Elio's Foot Comfort Centre keeping the locals happy on a Saturday afternoon.

But there are changes afoot in the downtown, I found.  Next to Henderson's, for example, a big new building is well on its way to completion and I'm told it will be a walk-in clinic with apartments above.

There will also be construction across the street in the near future, I'm told, as the building housing Home Hardware is apparently coming down and a new mixed-use building there will house a newly-expanded Shannon Passero enterprise, moving over from their present location in the old firehall building.

Along a stretch on the east side of Front Street you can now find a number of nicely updated storefronts housing several new businesses and a bistro, adding some new flavours to the downtown.  I stopped in to two of them today:  The Pie Man of Thorold and The Honey Bee Store.

I was acquainted with Old Angus, the original Pie Man when he operated his original shop next to Clarkson Cycle some years ago.  While he still supplies many of the pies for sale in the shop even today, there is a new owner and for the last year the Pie Man has actually been a woman, Jen Cottage, whom I met today.  The pies look just as great as ever, and I came away with a tourtiere I plan to get better acquainted with very soon.

There are now 28 varieties of meat pies and sweet pies for sale, and space now to sit and enjoy a coffee with your selection right then and there should you choose to.  You can find out more about The Pie Man by checking out their website at www.ThePieMan.ca and also check them out on Facebook.

Just a few doors down I stopped in to chat with Chris Pezoulas, the affable owner of The Honey Bee Store.  The original Honey Bee store is still going strong on West Street in Port Colborne, but Chris tells me the new location in Thorold, open now since November, is doing just great, thanks.  He credits the obvious revitalization underway in downtown Thorold for his decision to open a second location in the town.

Chris stocks a large selection of locally-produced natural honey, as well as Canadian maple products, loose leaf tea and much more.  If you wish, you can sample many of the varieties of honey for sale in the shop.  I came away with my favourite from when I visited the shop in Port Colborne:  Basswood, which is particularly good.  It's in short supply, though, so get it while you can.

You can find out more by visiting the website at www.thehoneybeestore.ca or check them out on Facebook.

Now I know Thorold has had a bit of a bad rap over the years for reasons either real or imagined.  But I have always liked the city and always enjoyed my visits.  I recall back in the late 1980s a downtown revitalization was well underway and I was impressed with the transformation back then.  But things seem to stall for awhile there and the downtown appeared to be sliding backwards a little bit.

But now Thorold appears to be back on track and grabbing opportunity in a big way, and it shows with a renewed sense of pride in the downtown core.  It isn't complete yet, for sure, but the signs are pointing in the right direction.  I expect in a few short years the downtown could be a very trendy, fun place to be all over again.

I plan to return again soon, to revisit some old and new friends, and check out some businesses I didn't get to today, such as Gypsy Alley and a really cool looking Panini Cafe that looks particularly inviting.

Nicely done, Thorold.  You should all be proud of what you're accomplishing downtown.  And yes, people are noticing.

Enjoy your weekend!

March 28th, 2015.