Community hub gathering momentum with more businesses and Holiday Night Market

By Chris Penton

A mild fall has allowed Beechwood Market to extend its Monday “Mini-Markets” throughout November and into December. Photo: Doug Banks

My last update on The Hub was in the Chronicle’s May edition. Much has happened since then and much is in the works.

To bring you up to speed, The Hub is the former Terry Fox Centre (once housing Encounters With Canada) at 1805 Gaspé Ave. Situated at the edge of Ottawa, the only things between us and Quebec are a bunch of pampered RCMP Musical Ride horses, a wide strip of NCC land, and the mighty Ottawa River.

The building, sitting on three acres, is a true mishmash of amenities. It contains a commercial kitchen, classrooms, an auditorium, offices and two floors of huge open space (formerly dormitories).

With so many local businesses on our roster, we want to do our part to keep them going all year, while introducing something a little different to our neighbourhood.

Ottawa Street Markets moved the pickup location for its online farmers’ market to The Hub in early April. Since then, we have been trying to diversify and better serve the community. We introduced Monday ‘Mini-Markets’ in front of our garage door, and will soon open an indoor farm store. Baccanalle has not missed a beat in producing their special blend of Caribbean food by taking advantage of The Hub’s commercial kitchen. Available for pickup or delivery, Baccanalle’s prepared frozen foods can be ordered at Ottawa Street Markets, along with 40 other local vendors, at: www.ottstreetmarkets.ca.

Manor Park Community Council (MPCC) continues to run fitness and yoga classes at The Hub. They will also open a daycare service in the coming months.

Polaris School, a private Waldorf school, is our newest neighbour. The school kids brighten up the building with an injection of new energy.

There is talk of a health centre of sorts taking over some of the office space. Stay tuned for more on that.

You can expect special events to appear on the radar. The first is a Holiday Night Market. Working with the MPCC, our combined crew will bring over 20 local vendors to offer food and beverages — including mulled wine and craft beer, and holiday gift ideas. This fun and festive evening runs on Saturday December 4, from 5-9 pm. For more information, visit the website at: manorpark.ca/community-events#holiday%20market.

We are excited with our progress; soon you will have even more reasons to drop into The Hub.