(Published in ARTSBeat - October/November 2002 Issue)
Apart from its plethora of relatively affordable and quality antique shops, Locke Street also runs the gamut of services from Jim�s (auto) Service Centre at one end to Paradise Fish & Chips at the other. It also boasts a library (remember those?), two computer equipment stores (new/used), a walk-in medical clinic, several restaurants, at least two still-functioning churches, a bakery, a flower shop, and even a �new-age head shop� discreetly tucked away on an upper floor. Community Midwives of Hamilton is also located there.
One of the many stores I entered was Second Chance, a 10-year resident of the street, whose helpful and congenial owners sell brand-name garments (although not exclusively) on consignment for the white-collar working man or woman as well as those more artistically inclined. The consignors are offered a 50% return on any successful purchase within 90 days, after which time the unsold garments are donated to a local women�s shelter. Another second-hand clothing shop, Twice Lucky, specializes in designer clothing.
Mundo, a gift shop providing colourful crafts, percussive musical instruments and garments from such exotic locales as Bali, Nepal, India and South America, is extremely impressive (I overheard one female passerby saying that it was her favourite shop). Speaking of music, I discovered a CD called �The Hamilton Spectator 2000�, which featured songs from local musicians Ray and Emily Materick, Jack Pedler, Martin Verrall, Andrea Lake and Shely � hardly antique but sure to be a collector�s item! Further down, I discovered a vintage Harmony Stella acoustic guitar from the �30s/�40s on sale for a mere $100!
The newest enterprise in this family-oriented community is The Regent, a co-op venture by Maureen (Ona) Corcoran (who teaches yoga) and Lisa Borkovich, in partnership with Paula Gallant, who teaches drama and creative movement (dance). The facility�s services are aimed at children as young as three, right up to young adults. In that same vein, there is a children�s choir at St. John�s Anglican Church.
The Locke Street Festival, one of the summer�s best organized, yielded many delights for people of all ages � a fire-torch juggler, antique cars, face-painting, karaoke (provided by Rhythm Rob�s), martial arts demos, dance routines, a beer garden (set up near Good Vibrations, an outlet that often features live music), and several performers, including The Fabulous Hornets, Bushmill Minstrels, Mike Daly and Paul Coombs.
