The Cannon

After spending the morning at The Hamilton Farmer's Market and Public Library, my friend Sarah and I decided to take a trip to Ottawa Street.  Back when my Mom was a child, my Babcia would take her to the Avon Theatre to see movies like "That Darn Cat" and then off to pick up fabric and a stop by the butcher where Mom would get a big hunk of Polish sausage to munch on. 
Like many things in Hamilton, Ottawa Street had a grand heyday and then slowly started to decline.  It's still a beautiful street, but not a destination so much as it used to be. 
Stories like this make Hamiltonians sad.  We hold on to pictures of a bygone era and say "Wasn't this nice, don't you wish we could have this again?"  And sometimes, we get lucky.  Sometimes, a committed group of people get together and try to start up a community movement.  On Saturday, Sarah and I happily strolled in and out of boutique baby shops, antique stores and we were fortunate to finish our stroll at the Cannon Coffee Co. . 

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The two young women who own the shop were friendly and open to talking about owning a shop on Ottawa Street.  The coffee, using beans from local roasteries, was delicious and heady.  The decor was sunny and fresh and I hope that lots of people take advantage of the sunlight that floods the place and grab a coffee and a book and stay a while. As they work out their menu, the current price of a coffee is "pay what you will".  I hope they make LOTS!

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