A TASTE OF DOWNTOWN St. Thomas

by Sarah Noble from the Elgin/ St. Thomas Small Business Enterprise Centre @SBECinnovation

The Legends Tavern family just marked its 25th Anniversary. I sat down with owner Andy Lerikos just ahead of the celebration, and he was all smiles with anticipation for the day - an opportunity to welcome regulars and friends old and new through the doors. What’s clear in speaking with Andy is that his passion for the restaurant business is built around the people as much as it’s about the food.

Andy has made his life in the restaurant business, learning at his parents’ side in their family-style restaurant. It’s where Andy learned to cook, gaining satisfaction from knowing how to make food from scratch - a wide variety as the restaurant had an extensive menu and was open for three meals a day.

His parents retired in 1997, and thus began Andy’s quest for his own space, bringing him to St. Thomas. Andy was drawn to the things that are still paramount to the personality of this community - its location between London and the Lake, ease of access to the 401, small town feel with big potential, the climate, the people, and a pretty stellar location at the intersection of Downtown and the historic L&PS railway line.

But his initial vision was to build a sports bar that could grow into the kind of place where customers became friends and staff became family. Over the years, that’s exactly what Andy has built.

If you’ve been in St. Thomas for any length of time - you’ve likely heard of Legends. If you’ve been a part of the community for a while, you have probably made some of your own #LegendaryMemories at the landmark restaurant in the heart of Downtown.

When visiting Legends, you are almost guaranteed to see a familiar face or two; it’s part of the draw. But we still need to talk about the food! Legends is well known for its pub-style fare - there burgers. They often take a back seat to the wings but should be noticed! Andy laughs and says, “And our fries, people love our fries - If there is a crop issue and we need to temporarily change potatoes, folks notice, and I hear about it! Get me my potato!”. I attest to Legends fries being some of the best around - thick cut and perfectly cooked - they hold up well in the loaded fries or poutine options but are equally tasty on their own. is a good array of options, but certainly, some are more Legendary than others. Well known for their wings - Andy’s favourite menu item (Legends Mild Sauce, while I am a big fan of the Smokey BBQ), he loves getting inspiration from his customers on the flavours they are looking for or items to workshop in the kitchen. Andy’s menu suggestion - try the

My takeaways from Legends Tavern? It’s precisely a piece of the community that counts. I hope you visit in the coming months when the next phase of the Talbot Street construction is at the door. Legends has been where you’ve celebrated birthdays, gone on first dates, and watched “the game” a few times. You’ve sat in the sun on the patio with friends, maybe even worked there for a season or two. Over 25 years, Legends has donated to your fundraiser or sponsored your ball team. You’ve made memories. Why not make some more?

Legends Tavern is located at 600 Talbot St. legendstavern.ca

Joe Preston

Summer is in full swing in St. Thomas, Ontario! The flowers have bloomed, the birds are singing, and our local businesses are ready for a busy season. We have so many amazing businesses in our downtown core. Whether its shopping, food and drinks, or family fun activities, you can find whatever you’re looking for here in #therailwaycity.

If staying active is more your speed, our city has plenty of outdoor activities to offer as well. Spend a day in one of our many beautiful parks and take a stroll along our vast trail system. Cool off at

Jaycees Pool or one of our many splashpads. There’s no shortage of opportunity to get outside and soak in that summer sun.

Our city will host many exciting events this summer. I hope you joined me for our annual Canada Day celebration last weekend. Find all the details about future events on our city website: www.stthomas.ca.

The summer fun continues with the 9th Nostalgia Nights Car Show. Join us downtown on July 15th for an afternoon of games, music, train rides, and classic cars. Visit www.nostalgianights.ca/ to learn more.

I’m very excited for another beautiful summer season here in St. Thomas and I can’t wait to see you there!

Crock A Doodle, at 364 Talbot Street, helps everyone find a fun way to express themselves through paint-your-own pottery. For some this is a fulfilling opportunity to learn new skills and make a positive impact on their emotional well-being. For others, it’s a novel way of finding a cool and customizable gift for someone special.

“We are open seven days a week, and reservations are recommended. We have a full wall of different pieces for anyone to pick, ranging in price from $8-100. You can sit in the studio and paint, or we offer take home kits as well. All paints are waterbased and non-toxic.”

Crock A Doodle offers a wide variety of pottery ware to paint like tableware, jewellery boxes, figurines, candle holders, and more. “We have a bright, open space with lots of room for everybody. We are fully inclusive and have lots of fun events from kids’ pizza parties, Pride night, ladies’ nights, baby print parties, and more,” says co-owner, Nicole Ibsen.

“Once you are done, leave it with us and we will glaze it and fire it in the kiln. Within three to four days, your piece will be ready for pickup and is food grade safe.”

Nicole and Joel Ibsen opened their shop last December. “After being a data analyst for 17 years, I was involved in a car accident that made me unable to return to my career. So, we started this business knowing it would be a great addition to the community. Painting pottery is a great way to reconnect and have some fun away from electronics,” says Nicole.

In addition to having an amazing team, Nicole and Joel offer great customer service and help painters achieve their artistic goals.

“We are always updating our website and socials, so you can stay tuned. We also love being involved in community and participating in Downtown events,” says Nicole.

“The best part is making people happy and seeing their piece come to life out of the kiln. Come and join us for a fun day out with lots of laughter, great music, and sometimes some singalongs.”

You can learn more about Crock A Doodle online at crockadoodle.com/stthomas/ or visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/ crockadoodleinstthomas.

Technology has come a long way. With a handheld device, you can connect with anyone around the globe. You have access to an overabundance of information at your fingertips. It is a great way to enhancing convenience and improving your quality of life…until it breaks down.

We’ve all been there: a cracked tablet screen, battery life lasting half of what it used to, a button not working, etc. You need it fixed, and you need it fast so you can continue to stay connected. Cellular Magician at 808 Talbot Street will help you in a jiffy. “We will fix someone’s problem in hours, not days. In many cases, we can fix your problem over your lunch break,” says owner, Chady Boutros.

or other repair shops come to us for help! We are the repair shop for repair shops,” says Boutros. With the rising cost of living, getting a device fixed may be more reasonable on the wallet than buying brand new. “We have a wide variety of customers since everyone uses a computer, laptop, tablet, or smart phone. From kids, to businesses, to school boards, and families. We can have the problem fixed quickly at a reasonable cost. We also sell preowned certified devices with one-year warranty. We do our best to save people money.”

Cellular Magician has been in business for 12 years. “We are always training and learning. In many cases, we send staff away to other countries for advanced data recovery training,” says Boutros.

50% of people do not take medications as prescribed. This contributes to health complications in patients with chronic diseases. Learn how Yurek PharmaSync™ can help.

Yurek offers multiple delivery methods, including: creams, ointments, flavoured liquids, flavoured chewable, suppositories, lotions, and capsules.

Manual wheelchairs, knee scooters, rollator walkers, aluminum walkers, and transfer benches are all available to rent from Yurek.

“We are able to fix a client’s device quickly because we have over $100,000 in part inventory and therefore, do not need to wait for an order to come in.” In addition to speedy service, Cellular Magician is well-known for its highly trained technicians.

“In many cases, Wireless Carriers

Boutros and his team love to help people. If your device needs repairing, you can check out their website cellularmagician. ca and get an instant quote or book a repair or stop by 808 Talbot Street to meet the local magician, BJ Creelman.