December 2018 | Urbanicity Hamilton

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 | H A P P Y H O L I DAY S

A GUIDE TO HELP YOU SHOP SUCCESSFULLY AND LOCALLY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

YUP, WE CAN MAKE PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING ART AGGREGATE, COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOP AND PRIVATE STUDIOS

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CONSCIOUSLY SHINING

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELLNESS

A FAIRY TALE OF HAMILTON

HOLIDAY STORY BY RYAN MORAN

C O M P L I M E N TA R Y

NO-STRESS NOËL

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HAMILTON’S FASTEST GROWING BUSINESSES In 2018, Hamilton’s Economic Development Office created an annual business recognition program to identify and highlight Hamilton’s fastest growing businesses.

Based on a number of criteria, these companies have shown to be the fastest growing companies in Canada’s most diversified economy.

Congratulations to all winners and thank you for your commitment to Hamilton’s economy.

investinhamilton.ca

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P U B L I S H E R + E D I TO R ANDREA FERNANDES andrea@urbanicity.ca L AYO UT & D ES I G N T a fa r i A n t h o ny COV ER P HOTO B Y J a ko b Owen s ( U n s p l a s h . co m) DISTRIBUTION urbanicity Magazine

urbanicity Magazine is wholly owned and published by urbanicity Magazine.

All content copyright © 2018 and all rights to distribution are reserved by urbanicity Magazine.

As a forum for ideas, issues, and experiences, the views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Publisher, Editor, other contributors, advertisers or distributors unless otherwise stated.

DISTRIBUTION 40,000+ readers per month.

Distributed throughout Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Waterdown, Aldershot, and Burlington.

12 issues per year.

(289) 796.0931 ADVERTISING INQUIRES advertising@urbanicity.ca

My father once told me that as you get older time feels like it moves much more quickly. I didn’t understand what he meant. In my world, the days were long, the summers lasted forever, and each year felt eternal. But as I get older, and the summers fly by, weeks are filled with work, weekends bursting with events, and each new year takes me by surprise, I remember those wise words and remind myself to enjoy every passing moment.

Another year has come and gone and the season of gathering with your loved ones and reflecting on the past year is upon us. It's time to relax, enjoy and celebrate all that life has to offer. Of course, we know that the holiday season can be filled with its own stresses of running around and making sure that presents are perfectly wrapped under the Christmas tree, but it’s

also important to stop and remember that your loved ones are out doing the same for you.

This issue of urbanicity was designed to help you relax this holiday season. Flip to pg. 12 for part one of 'A Fairy Tale of Hamilton'. Each week, up until Dec. 20th, a new instalment will be added to make sure you are taking some time to snuggle up with a good holiday read. Then flip to pg. 8 for our ‘No-stress Noël’ annual holiday gift guide. This guide has been designed to simplify your shopping experience, to help you avoid the malls entirely, and to give back to independent business owners, crafters, and creators in our city.

The urbanicity team would like to wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons and to thank you for supporting our business this past year. Enjoy the read and we will see you in the new year!

ANDREA FERNANDES

www.urbanicity.ca

Thinking about college?

It’s not too late to start this January.

Apply in-person at Fennell Campus and find out if you’re accepted the same day!

mohawkcollege.ca/sameday

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Yup, We Can Make Pretty Much Anything Art Aggregate, collaborative workshop and private studios SEAN MCCORMACK LOVES GETTING WEIRD EMAILS. He’s usually the last place of refuge for desperate people and companies with a wacky idea - “the weirder the better”, he says -who seek him out because they can’t make their (insert strange item) or can’t find anyone to create it for them.

Just recently someone was yearning to have a small, dead lizard board game piece. It’s OK, it wasn’t real.

Sean designed and built it, first making what’s called a maquette or model out of plastic with his 3D printer. Then there’s the restaurant owner who fancied ‘branding’ their logo into their glassware. Or the new nightclub in Toronto that wanted tables made with built-in ice buckets.

If you think that’s cool, wait till you see the rest of Art Aggregate, the space he and his talented family have built.

Art Aggregate came to life when Sean, among his many talents, was sculpting his creations in his driveway. Not surprisingly, the neighbours weren’t too happy about the noise, and Sean, a creative people-person wasn’t that delighted either; it wasn’t much fun working alone.

He needed a space he could share to make the noise required and where no-one minded if he made a mess. As it turned out, his mother Judy, a textile artist, and his father John, a contractor, also wanted more space for their work.

So the family began hunting across Hamilton.

For a while it was a case of extremes: the choice seemed to be either a mechanic’s garage – or a giant warehouse with nothing in between.

BY JULIA KOLLEK

Julia Kollek is a content and feature writer who loves finding local people who are doing interesting things.

Sean McCormack's friends urging is immortalized at the entrance of Art Aggregate, that describes itself as a unique space for cultural innovators.

juliakollekcreative.ca

Photos provided by ART AGGREGATE

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He combined his passion for making things with an artistic streak and went to study sculpture at OCAD University.

Afterwards, he spent some time having fun building sets for movies and was even offered the odd part in front of the camera as an extra. But jobs in the industry were hard to come by, so though he yearned to spend his time being creative, bartending paid the rent for several years.

But hold that thought, because Sean’s inspiring career and life path beg to be told first.

At the age of three, he started tap class – and yes, he was the only boy. But that didn’t deter him. He took jazz, hip-hop and Irish dance classes too, and by the age of 17, he’d become a five-time Canadian Irish Dance Champion. Sean was talent-spotted and he was offered a position with the National Dance Company of Ireland.

Sensing this wasted talent, a friend finally took Sean to the side, and told him there was no time to lose: quit the day job!

That meant moving to Dublin.

Some parents might have cast doubts (or fears) – but not the McCormacks.

Why not? they said. So Sean deferred university and by the time he was 20, he’d travelled and competed in 45 countries.

As it turned out, bartending turned out to be key to his next adventure. Two regulars told him about a space on Nash Road he might want to see. And the rest is Hamilton art scene history.

Sean’s Dad John set about re-furbishing a site that had sat empty for six years.

It’s hard to imagine what it looked like when you see the beautifully-finished studios that have become co-working studios for artists in the city.

Professional dancing is a tough if exciting life. You’re performing every day, constantly switching time zones, cultures and food – and in the Irish Dance world at least, you’re old at 25. Sean was away for five years before he decided to come home.

fa o s n e dick

s a m t s i r Ch IN

WN OWNTO

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Could you find a way to put our logo on our glassware?

Sean McCormack is up for any creative challenege.

And the huge basement workshop houses every kind of tool you could possibly need to create a project in whatever material you fancied - wood, plastic, metal, bronze or fibreglass.

The huge tool-sharing dream is available to rent and to use. There is everything from giant table saws to screen printing frames and anything you could think of in between.

Everything, in fact, that would be too noisy or messy in your kitchen (or driveway).

But hey – when you bring the impossible to life, you need all the help you can get.

S

DUNDA

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TREE LIGHTING Friday, November 23rd at 6:30pm, Memorial Square HORSE & TROLLEY RIDES Saturday and Sunday Pick up at the Collins Brewhouse, 33 King St. W. CAROLLERS performing throughout downtown Free HOT CIDER & GINGERBREAD COOKIES STROLLING SANTA SUNDAY BREAKFASTS WITH SANTA See website for details

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FREE PARKING in city lots the entire month of December

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ANCASTER 905-648-6800

LOCKE STREET 905-529--3300

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Call Us, Email Us, Visit our Website…. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

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Consciously Shining A holistic approach to wellness

A yoga class with Kelly Toffner of Consciously Shining is unlike any yoga class you have experienced before. Toffner more aptly describes the sessions as “movement classes” rather than traditional yoga. These classes, which take place in various locations throughout Hamilton, do not just focus on getting into specific yoga shapes, but rather take a holistic look at the body, incorporating intention and wellness into every movement.

Kelly and her daughter finding playfulness and a joy while practicing yoga

BY ABBY SIMONE

In fact, the whole concept of Consciously Shining is geared towards a holistic approach to health and wellness. Toffner is situated in a unique position as she works part-time as an MRI Technologist, and therefore tends to see a lot of patients with diseases, sickness and immobility. This perspective allows Toffner to view the dichotomy of the wellness spectrum.

“Working in a hospital has opened my eyes to all of the possible things that can go wrong with the body. Some things are out of our control, but a lot is within it,” says Toffner. She sees wellness as an investment, citing things like therapy, movement, and nutrition as ways to empower ourselves, a kind of medicine.

Abby Simone is a freelance writer and editor currently residing in Hamilton Ontario.

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Photos provided by KELLY TOFFNER

Toffner turned to yoga after her life fell apart. She had always been an active person but had a negative relationship with food and body image. It wasn’t until after she had a child, got divorced, and moved back to Hamilton, that Toffner started to take yoga seriously and began a journey of self-realization.

In 2013 Toffner completed her yoga teacher training and since then has been teaching yoga in Hamilton to share what she has learned. She's taught in parks, clothing stores, restaurants, and even out of her own home, preferring the vibe of a community-based setting, and movement in everyday places. Toffner understands that walking into a yoga studio can be intimidating, which is why Consciously Shining classes are open and accessible to anyone who has a willingness to invest in their own wellness. No gym membership or fancy equipment is needed.

Toffners movement classes are a mixed bag, no class is ever really the same.

“The focus now is more on being strong, moving intentionally and really considering what’s going on in the body,” says Toffner. There’s a lot of movements like jumping, getting up and down, working on stability, and finding your balance.

Toffner has a focus on longevity in her classes, she often says that her goal is to be 85 years old and be able to travel and live independently, “It’s movement that makes sense for the body, and movement for life.”

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Part of her yoga philosophy is influenced by being a mother. Toffner is a co-parent of a young girl and strives to be a strong role model to her daughter. From watching her daughter learn and grow, Toffner has learned a lot. She says, “Children are a mirror, they mirror the part of yourself that you’ve forgotten. A lot of adults are disconnected from the world and from the part of themselves that was playful, messy, and curious.” She strives to bring a sense of playfulness and a joy of movement back into the lives of adults.

However, Consciously Shining is not just about yoga. Toffner also offers styling services featuring curated clothes from thrift and vintage stores around Hamilton. The idea is to use clothes to help highlight the parts that you love about yourself. Toffner is also working on an online course which combats self-hate and is a strong advocate for reducing the stigmas associated with STI’s and sexual well-being. Her goal overall is “to help people feel amazing and free in their body.”

If you are interested in working with Consciously Shining in any of these capacities, you can visit the website www.consciouslyshining.com. You can also visit Instagram @consciouslyshining for updates on class schedules or to book a private yoga class.

COME SEE WHAT’S IN THE NEST! Unique, Canadian, handmade gifts and home decor items for the animal lover.

Find it here. Come to Nest.

171 Locke St. S., Unit 2 nesthamilton.com info@nesthamilton.com

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NO-STRESS NOËL A GUIDE TO HELP YOU SHOP SUCCESSFULLY AND LOCALLY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

Shopping during the holidays isn’t without its struggles. Between a long list of friends and family to buy for, coming up with creative ideas, and braving parking lots and last-minute buying trips, it proves to be quite daunting.

That’s why we’ve compiled this list of items that would make fantastic gifts for your loved ones (or workplace Secret Santa). And these present ideas give a little something back to you too

- avoiding the mall! Each item can be found at a local shop or online from a maker in Hamilton (often with pickup available). By shopping small, you know exactly where your money is going and you help to make the holidays better for the independent business owners, crafters, and creators in our city. Gifts that do triple duty? That’s the kind of shopping we like!

HAMILTON PIN TEA TOWELS HATCHET MADE WWW.HATCHETMADE.COM @HATCHETMADE THESE TEA TOWELS ARE HAND DESIGNED AND SILK-SCREENED USING SOLVENT-FREE INK BY LOCAL TEXTILE ARTIST CHRISTINA OBUCH. FOR THOSE WITH A PENCHANT FOR BIRDS (OR JUST A LOVE OF NATURE), THESE BIRDS OF PREY AND BIRD EGGS TEA TOWELS MAKE THE PERFECT GIFT.

PRICE: $22

CLASSIC STRING SHOPPING BAG

GIRL ON THE WING WWW.GIRLONTHEWING.CA @GIRLONTHEWINGHAMILTON THESE PINS WERE DESIGNED BY SHOP OWNER WHITNEY MCMEEKIN AND HAM(F) ONT TO CELEBRATE OUR CITY, WITH COLOURS CHOSEN TO COMMEMORATE DIFFERENT HAMILTON ICONS(TI-CAT YELLOW, GAGE BANDSHELL BLUE, AND JAMESVILLE PINK). PERFECT FOR YOUR FAVOURITE HAMILTONIAN OR PIN COLLECTOR.

PRICE: $12

MEN’S GROOMING PRODUCTS + LEATHER TOILETRIES BAG

PALE BLUE DOT @THEPALEBLUEDOTSHOP A 100% COTTON BAG IS JUST WHAT YOUR ENVIRONMENTALLY-CONSCIOUS CHUM NEEDS. IT EXPANDS TO HOLD 40 LBS BUT IS SMALL ENOUGH TO FOLD UP INTO YOUR POCKET OR BAG, MEANING THERE’S NO EXCUSE NOT TO HAVE IT WITH YOU FOR ANY SHOPPING TRIP.

STUDIO 205 @STUDIO205 THIS SMALL BLACK LEATHER CASE IS SIMPLE AND SLEEK. CRAFTED BY THE SHOPPERY USING LOCALLY-SOURCED MATERIALS, EACH POUCH IS HAND-DYED, CREATING UNIQUE VARIATIONS IN EACH PIECE. FILL IT WITH BEARD OIL, SOAP, AND A BEARD BRUSH FROM TOPHER’S SOAP COMPANY TO LEAVE YOUR FACIAL-HAIRED FRIEND FEELING FIRST-RATE.

PRICE: $12

PRICE: $8-$20, $65

RAW MINERAL EARRINGS RARE SPECIMENS WWW.RARESPECIMENS.CA @RARESPECIMENS

DOG PRINT APRON, OVEN MITTS, AND TEA TOWEL LULU & LAVIGNE WWW.LULUANDLAVIGNE.COM @LULUANDLAVIGNE

BY STEFANI SOLIMAN

Stefani Soliman is a social media marketer and freelance editor. She's an avid supporter of local businesses, Canadian-made goods and fashion. Along with her love of dogs, punctuation, and the ‘90s, Stefani is a keen recycler and instrument collector. Tell her a corny joke and you’ll be friends for life.

IF YOU’RE HOPING FOR A ONE OF A KIND GIFT, LOOK NO FURTHER. MADE IN HAMILTON BY JANE LABATTE, EACH EARRING IS MINED BY HAND USING ALL NATURAL, RAW, AND ROUGH ROCKS, MINERALS, AND CRYSTALS. BUY A PAIR OF MATCHING EARRINGS OR LET YOUR RECIPIENT BE CREATIVE WITH A MIX & MATCH SET OF FOUR.

PRICE: $34+

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO SPENDS THEIR HOLIDAYS (AND BEYOND) COOKING, THIS PLAYFULLY-PRINTED COOKING ATTIRE IS JUST WHAT THEY NEED. GO WITH THIS FUN DOG PRINT OR CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF ILLUSTRATIONS THAT WILL MAKE A FLOUR-COVERED KITCHEN A BIT MORE BEARABLE.

PRICE: $12-$26

@ stefsoliman

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EARRINGS, NECKLACES CATMAMOLA CERAMICS WWW.ETSY.COM/CA/SHOP/ CATMAMOLACERAMICS @CATMAMOLA CATHERINE LACKEY CREATES HANDSCULPTED AND HAND-PAINTED BEADS TO FORM UNIQUE EARRINGS AND NECKLACES. THE COMBINATION OF BRIGHTER COLOURS WITH GOLD SPECKS, GEOMETRIC SHAPES, AND DELICATE CHAINS MAKE THEM TRULY INDIVIDUAL PIECES.

PRICE: $28-$60

POUCH HATCHET MADE WWW.HATCHETMADE.COM @HATCHETMADE

GIRL GANG T-SHIRT

CAN YOU EVER HAVE ENOUGH PLACES TO STORE ODDS AND ENDS? THIS LOCALLYCREATED OBLONG POUCH WITH HANDDRAWN AND SILK-SCREENED FUNGI ON LINEN IS A FUN WAY TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED.

BLACKBIRD STUDIOS WWW.BLACKBIRDSDTUDIOS.CA @BLACKBIRDSTUDIOS.CA ONE THING OUR CITY ISN’T LACKING IS INCREDIBLE FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THESE LEADERS WITH THIS SHIRT MADE BY TWO LOCAL BOSSES THEMSELVES, BLACKBIRD STUDIOS, WHO DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE ALL THEIR CLOTHING IN HAMILTON.

PRICE: $24

PRICE: $20

HAMILTON TOQUE WHITE ELEPHANT WWW.WHITEELEPHANTSHOP.CA @WHITEELEPHANTSHOP

A WALK IN THE FOREST BOOK, ENJOY THE FOREST PUZZLE, KALEIDOSCOPE CITIZEN KID WWW.CITIZENKID.CA @CITIZENKIDTOYS IF YOU’RE HOPING TO INSPIRE A CHILD TO LOOK PAST THE TV SCREEN, WHY NOT GO FOR A CLASSIC TOY THAT CAPTIVATED CHILDREN FOR GENERATIONS? THIS MATCHING SET OF BOOK, PUZZLE, AND KALEIDOSCOPE WILL ENCOURAGE EXPLORATION AND IMAGINATION.

PRICE: $16-$30

CUSTOM MADE FOR WHITE ELEPHANT, THESE CLASSIC TOQUES ALLOW YOU TO STAY WARM, SHOW YOUR LOCAL CITY PRIDE, AND SUPPORT A SMALL BUSINESS ALL AT THE SAME TIME. IT’S THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!

PRICE: $32

GARDEN CITY ESSENTIALS SKINCARE WHITE ELEPHANT WWW.WHITEELEPHANTSHOP.CA @WHITEELEPHANTSHOP WITH COLDER WEATHER COMES DRIER AIR, MAKING SKINCARE ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT. START WITH ST. CATHARINE’SMADE FACIAL CLEANSING OIL, TONE SKIN WITH ROSE GERANIUM TONER, AND REPLENISH SKIN WITH RESTORATIVE HYDRATION DAILY MOISTURIZER.

PRICE: $17-$32

ASSORTED LEATHER ACCESSORIES TUNDRA LEATHER @TUNDRALEATHER

FILOFAX PLANNER TAKE NOTE BOUTIQUE WWW.TAKENOTEBOUTIQUE.COM @TAKENOTEBOUTIQUE FOR THOSE FRIENDS WHO LOVE TO PUT PEN TO PAPER, THE QUINTESSENTIAL PLANNER, FILOFAX, MAKES THE ULTIMATE GIFT, WITH TABS FOR CONTACTS, TO-DO LIST, CALENDAR, AND NOTES. A SPLURGE, BUT A REFILLABLE ONE YOUR RECIPIENT WILL BE USING IT FOR YEARS TO COME.

A QUALITY LEATHER PIECE NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S HANDMADE LOCALLY. WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A LARGER GIFT (TOTE BAG WITH EXTERIOR POCKETS AND KEY RING), SUNGLASSES CASE, PASSPORT HOLDER, OR SIMPLY A KEYCHAIN, TUNDRA HAS A WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS. BETTER YET, THEY OFFER ON-SITE EMBOSSING, ALLOWING YOU TO PERSONALIZE YOUR GIFT WITH INITIALS.

PRICE: $16-$182

PRICE: $98

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JAMS, PRESERVES, AND BITTERS FOR THE KITCHEN SHELF

FRASIER FIR CANDLES & ROOM SCENTS LULU & LAVINGE WWW.LULUANDLAVIGNE.COM @LULUANDLAVIGNE

CONCRETE COASTERS

A UNIVERSALLY-PLEASING SCENT, THIS LINE OF FRAGRANCES WILL NOT ONLY FRESHEN YOUR HOME BUT HAVE IT SMELLING LIKE THE HOLIDAYS IN NO TIME. WITH A VARIETY OF CANDLE OPTIONS (METALLIC BIRCH, GREEN GLASS LEAVES, TIN), DIFFUSER, AND ROOM SPRAYS, THIS LINE WILL DELIGHT THOSE WITH CHRISTMAS-CENTRIC HOMES.

KITSU WWW.KITSU.CA @SHOPKITSU COASTERS MAKE A GREAT HOST GIFT FOR THOSE LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY PARTIES WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO SHOW UP EMPTY-HANDED. THESE ARE HANDMADE WITH A SIMPLE DESIGN AND COLOURWAY AND EASILY GO WITH THE DECOR IN ANY HOME.

PRICE: $16-$48

CHERRY BIRCH @CHERRYBIRCHGENERAL FIND A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF GIFT IDEAS FOR THE JULIA CHILD (OR SIMPLY DIE-HARD FOODIE) IN YOUR LIFE. FROM THE INTRIGUING STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC PRESERVE MADE IN NIAGARA, TO DILLON’S BITTERS FROM BEAMSVILLE, TO “CARROTS WITH A KICK,” FIND FLAVOURS THAT ARE AS SURPRISING AS THEY ARE DELICIOUS.

PRICE: $6-$17

PRICE: $40

HANDMADE JEWELRY AND CLASSES CARANINA WWW.SHOPCARANINA.COM @SHOPCARANINA CARANINA BERTONE CREATES BOLD YET DELICATE NECKLACES, EARRINGS, AND BRACELETS BY HAND IN HER STUDIO. THE STERLING SILVER DESIGNS FEATURE INTRICATE DETAILS THAT LEND THEMSELVES TO THE MINIMAL AESTHETIC. FOR THE CRAFTER (OR JEWELLERY LOVER) ON YOUR LIST, CARANINA OFFERS WORKSHOPS WHERE PARTICIPANTS BUILD THEIR OWN STACKING RINGS, BANGLES, OR HOOP EARRINGS FROM SCRATCH. FIND CLASS TIMES ON HER WEBSITE, OR GATHER A GROUP AND REQUEST A CUSTOM WORKSHOP SESSION.

VINTAGE TRAVEL 2019 WALL CALENDAR & VINTAGE POSTERS 2019 DESK CALENDAR TAKE NOTE BOUTIQUE WWW.TAKENOTEBOUTIQUE.COM @TAKENOTEBOUTIQUE THE VINTAGE-INSPIRED ARTWORK ON THESE CALENDARS MAKE THEM A FOCAL PIECE FOR YOUR DESK OR WALL, WITH BRIGHT COLOURS AND FUN DESIGNERS THAT WILL HAVE YOU LOOKING TO THE CALENDAR INSTEAD OF YOUR PHONE FOR THE DATE.

PRICE: $28, $17

HALF-MOON BAG

PRICE: $20+

KITSU WWW.KITSU.CA @SHOPKITSU CONSIDERED THE “IT” BAG OF THE YEAR, THESE HALF-MOON BAGS ARE MOST COMMONLY SEEN IN A BAMBOO WOOD. STICK WITH THE CLASSIC, OR GIFT THIS BRIGHTLY-COLOURED ACRYLIC VERSION FOR YOUR FASHION-FOCUSED FRIEND. IT WILL ADD A BIT OF WHIMSY TO AN ENSEMBLE.

FELTED MOUSE ORNAMENT

PRICE: $150

PRETTY GRIT WWW.PRETTYGRIT.CA @PRETTYGRITHAMILTON

LARGE ENOUGH TO COVER A DOUBLE BED, THIS BLANKET IS NOT ONLY WARM AND COZY, BUT STAYS SOFTER FOR LONGER AND GETS BETTER WITH AGE. MADE IN AUSTRIA, THIS NEUTRAL PRINT GOES WITH ANY BEDROOM COLOUR SCHEME.

FOR THE PERSON WHO MISSES THE WAY EVERYONE USED TO “DRESS UP,” THIS BOW TIE IS MADE FROM UPCYCLED VINTAGE FABRICS, IS REVERSIBLE, AND CAN BE WORN IN SIX DIFFERENT WAYS. ADD A TIE CLIP AND PAIR OF CUFF LINKS CRAFTED FROM WALNUT AND ALUMINIUM, AND YOU’VE GOT ONE DAPPER GIFT.

PRICE: $200

PRICE: $45, $95

PRICE: $10

TAKE NOTE BOUTIQUE WWW.TAKENOTEBOUTIQUE.COM @TAKENOTEBOUTIQUE

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M & V BOWTIE + NICOLE GAGNON CUFFLINKS

HANDMADE ORNAMENTS ALWAYS MAKE SPECIAL GIFTS, BUT THIS ONE HAS AN EVEN GREATER GIFT ATTACHED - $3 FROM EACH SALE OF THIS LITTLE GUY (MERRY MARVIN) GOES TO UNDER THE WILLOWS AT LYNWOOD CHARLTON CENTRE. THE FOCUS OF THE PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE A PHYSICAL-EMOTIONAL SPACE FOR CHILDREN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED ADVERSITY TO DEVELOP THEIR CREATIVITY AND COOPERATION SKILLS WITH ART, GARDENING, AND PLAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CHECK OUT WWW.LYNWOODCHARLTON.CA/ WILLOWS-FAM

100% ORGANIC COTTON BLANKET

STUDIO 205 @STUDIO205

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A FAIRY TALE OF HAMILTON

By Ryan Moran, Illustrations by Joel Moran

WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!

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A Fairy Tale of Hamilton

By Ryan Moran, Illustrations by Joel Moran

I’ve always loved the idea of creating stories of, about, not fully featuring a ghost, or two, or three. Not gooey, or in a city. A city’s mythos, so to speak. but still happy, maybe even comedic, with hints of melancholy. From Dickens’ Christmas Carol, to O. Clearly, every city has its stories, but I’ve always felt Henry’s Gift of the Magi, to Bill Murray’s Scrooged to like the mythos of Canadian cities, and Hamilton the Pogues “A Fairy Tale of New York.” particularly, whether because of our size, our relative historical youth, or because of our characteristic self- This short holiday serial is inspired by all those, if effacing Canadian-ness, are an excessively far cry not directly references them, such as in the case of from say London or New York. Yet, we very much “A Fairy Tale of New York,” my favourite Christmas have a body of myths surrounding us. song that I’ve always felt tells a story as relatable to Hamilton as it is to New York.

The holiday season is a particularly great time for stories, myths or otherwise. Personally, my favourite Below is part 1 of A Fairy Tale of Hamilton. To read Christmas stories have always been those that blend the full story visit urbanicity.ca, where from now until the real with the dark. Domestic and personal scenes Thursday, December 20th, a new instalment will be in cities and/or those with hints of the supernatural, if added. Enjoy and Season’s Greetings!

PART 1 OF 4 “It was Christmas Eve, babe. In the drunk tank. An old man said to me, ‘won’t see another one.’”

Began the classic Fairytale of New York, by the Pogues and Kristy MacColl.

But this wasn’t New York, it was Hamilton. It was still Christmas Eve though, and it was still a drunk tank.

“Well like I’m telling you I probably won’t be seein’ another one of these.”

Said the old man, Pat. Benj, drowsy, groggy and pained, booze emanating from his pores, struggled to sit himself up. “What? We were talking? Another one of what?”

“Christmas.” Said Pat. A gentle grin on his pockmarked face, red and bloated, a short layer of white fuzz adorning its lower half. He was framed with a walrus-moustache connecting to dishevelled wisps decorating his scalp as if a drunken spider was trying to catch the flies that should have been buzzing above him. “This is probably my last, hell, maybe won’t even make it to it at the rate I’m goin’, god willin’.”

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A couple of women began screaming at each other on the other side of the third-full, cafeteria-esque room, walls stained with what looked like decades of various fluids, bodily or otherwise.

Benj, unsure of which struggle he’d rather take up; the one to follow the drunk’s conversation, the one to figure out how to get out of there, or the one to just to ignore it all and not feel like death, involuntarily responded. “And what rate’s that?”

--Ally slowly opened her eyes, the jarring fluorescent lighting on drywall and taupe flooring was agonizing. Her mouth was dry, her head was throbbing, and glancing down she could see an IV in her arm. “Am I in a hospital?” she said to the faint sense that someone was nearby to hear it.

“Yup,” came back a raspy, broken female voice.

She cautiously rolled over on her gurney, to make eye contact with the voice.

Sitting up on her own bed, against a wall and across the hall was Carol, a heavy set, weathered woman with greasy,

and inconsistently grey toned hair. She could have been a healthy 70, or a very unhealthy 50, Ally couldn’t tell.

“You been here about five hours, sleeping the whole time, a guy brought you in, haven’t seen him since.”

That brought some snippets of the night before roaring back to Ally, but still blanking on anything leading up to her being here.

The hallway was quiet, it was just the two, the tinny pagings echoing across the PA, and faint beeps coming from nearby rooms.

“You’re ok though,” said Carol, “overheard the nurse say you just had too much to drink. Made me jealous really, I still don’t feel like I’ve had enough!”

She roared with laughter at her own joke. Ally winced.

--Benj had his face buried in his hands.

For the most part, he regretted asking Pat about “the rate he was goin’ at,” the only part of him that at all embraced it was the part that needed something to distract him from his nausea.

For what felt like the last three hours, actually 30 minutes, Pat had rambled on about the glory days of Hamilton Christmas Eves, of all the parties and bars, halls and music, big bands and bright lights. Decorations and bulbs on strings adorning Gore Park on King Street. Deep snow and holidays classics at places like the Palace or the Capitol, big old cinemas no longer standing. Of how his parents owned a hall on MacNab north where brass bands would blow people away when he was a kid, the dinners and mock-Sinatra crooners at the Blue Grotto when he was a teenager, the late-night punk shows at Corktown into his 20s and 30s. Of how he dabbled in performing himself, singing in rock bands in the 1970s and 80s, inheriting his parent’s hall, and getting into arranging shows himself.

“What about you?” Pat finally offered.

Dreading the moment when he might have to contribute to this conversation himself, Benj simply replied, “I’m in a band.”

This was true, but he also spent his days getting fired from any number of menial jobs for being consistently

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unreliable. The latest being a few weeks ago as a busboy, at a place his friend owned on Hess. The resulting shortfall in money kicked-off a series of events that climaxed in his selling his furniture on Kijiji, which itself had a big hand in why he now found himself where he was.

After dropping out of Mac some years ago, Benj periodically bartended or took jobs working at any record shop between Hamilton and Toronto, with the aim of supporting himself enough until the band took off. The problem was that the unreliability he came to be known for at these jobs also carried over to his artistic relationship with bandmates. Officially he was now on shaky ground trying to start band number four due to what he defined as creative differences but was actually a blend of flaking on practices and his own unjustified ego.

Instantly likeable and able to hold a room, he had an unbridled energy for life that many would take for authentic interest. Although, it was also deeply rooted in personal self-indulgence, and his need to be entertained and pandered to. As such, he was both never short of new opportunities and new people or the need for new opportunities and new people.

However, more recently he found himself often oscillating between periods of increasing substance abuse – which he decidedly remained all but oblivious to – and moments of sober clarity, which brought about a sense of depressive self-awareness.

to be anything different made him feel like spiralling into nothing.

Pat had not stopped talking since Benj said he was in a band. Excited to find a “fellow” musician he continued to go on about his “old-lady” the singer and how he’d see her soon, mistakes he had made in life, and faults he could never go back and fix.

“As long as you ain’t dead, you can just choose to change your lot,” Pat extolled, “changing your life looks hard but choosin’ better can be easy. And that’s all change is, a bunch of better choices brought together. Easy.”

Benj’s name was just called.

“Yeah you,” said the Officer, standing at the door at the far end of the room.

He got up to leave when Pat called after him “Hey! Can I look you up on the outside?”

“Uh… sure.” Said Benj, dozily replaying their conversation to make sure he hadn’t given Pat any information that would allow him to do that, as Pat started singing Good King Wenceslas.

Benj was processed out. He was given his personal belongings back – his phone, wallet, the keys to his truck, his coat - and information on paying his fine.

As he left the detention centre he turned up the coat collar in a weak effort to conceal his identity and contain his shame.

He had become particularly insecure, about himself, about the reality of his situation, about the little that he felt he made of himself and his talents, and about the diminishing likelihood that he would.

This helped little, as parked outside nearby, Officer Ahmad clearly saw the young man he had brought to the intoxication detention centre earlier that morning and watched him walk off down the street.

He was six years too late to join the 27 club, something he would bemuse out loud but lament in private. The sense of desperation he now felt at trying to be anything better than what he has blurred the lines of selfish ambition and self-absorption, all through a funnel self-destruction.

---

The only bright spot was that recently he had fallen ass-backwards into carpentry. Through parties and late nights, he had met an owner of a business that specialized in reclaimed carpentry, furniture and renovations. He had started assisting him regularly for money, and from there, small seeds of interest had been planted and were beginning to sprout. However, he felt stalled by the blended fear of failing who he wanted to believe he was, and the intimidation he felt by the amount of work required

Urbanicity - December 2018.indd 13

Carol finally stopped singing.

In a hushed tone that clearly had the intention to still be heard and including everything from Billie Holiday to Stevie Nicks – the latter being particularly grating to Ally, as she lay on her side, unmoved since she woke.

“I was a wonderful singer,” said Carol, in a way that made Ally feel as though she was both informing her and reassuring her that it could ever possibly be true. “My man and I used to play halls, and he’d set me up with shows or bands to play with, he had all the connections.

This time of year was especially the best for it.”

A twinge of anger and remorse flashed through Ally, she didn’t want to hear another word about Carol’s man. “Why are you here?” She quickly interrupted.

“Oh, I walked into a bus.”

The carelessness with which Ally had initially asked the question, looking to just change the subject, immediately dissolved into shocked concern for Carol.

“What? Are you ok!?”

“Oh yeah! I am now, was a bit messy earlier, but hey, look at me! How about you? Do you sing?”

“Again with the singing,” thought Ally, shifting slightly back to carelessness.

Ally did sing, as a matter of fact, and well. Yet, it wasn’t her passion, nor her interest or pursuit. In general, she had a hard time answering what any of those were.

Ally studied sociology at Ryerson, not because she specifically wanted to get into public policy, or social work, or anything that would directly come from her degree. When asked why, she would simply shrug. University seemed like the next natural step in her life and that degree seemed credible-enough.

Of course, she would express interest in the topic, and maybe even out loud discuss the possibility of careers related to it, but it was never serious.

Serious came after, when she made one of the first real decisions showing commitment to herself, enrolling, excelling and completing culinary school at George Brown. However, following that she just unambitiously languished in a few Toronto kitchens before coming back to Hamilton to initially do the same, before settling into a service representative role at a Service Ontario centre. She hated it but reasoned that it had benefits and paid her bills and debt.

She was smart, capable, and highly personable with a slight shy streak, but she was also inconsistent, particularly in service to herself and her own wellbeing. Much of this had to do with a contempt that she held for herself. An unreasonable insecurity rooted in the belief that though she was worthy of better things, she could neither accomplish them herself nor was she necessarily deserving. She would never admit it but her devotion to her relationships, though very much a selfless interest in the wellbeing of others, was also very much an evasion of her own self-care. A comfort in being with or surrounded by others, rather than just being in her own company.

Somewhere along her way, she misplaced herself. She put herself second, not because of generosity, but because she didn’t believe she can deserve first, and surrounding herself with messes to take care of, people or otherwise, became a balm. This led to a faceless, deep seeded resentment that lacked an outlet until moments of anger with others or self-destruction with herself.

“No.” Replied Ally after a long pause.

“But oh my god, you walked into a bus?

Like were hit by it?”

“What? Oh yeah! It was a while ago though, I’m fine now and will be leaving soon. My man and I had a fight, and I wasn’t thinking when I walked away from him, and it just happened.

Really though, I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an idiot. But it’s also so like me to be consumed more with being pissed about him than to focus on myself and my own way. To expect him to be better more than I just expect me to be better for myself.

I’m mad, I hate him, but I forgive him, I always do. But if I could go back I’d damn well make choices for me and based on me, not through him and dependent on him. See where those chips might land.”

Ally’s name was suddenly called, with a jolt she leaned up on her elbows and looked to where it was coming from.

“Ally?” calmly repeated the nurse coming down the hall. “Oh good, you’re up.

You're fine, it just looks like you drank a bit too much, we’ll just have the IV taken out of you and then you can go.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Replied the nurse.

To be continued online at urbanicity.ca Part 2: Monday December 10 Part 3: Thursday December 13 Part 4: Thursday December 20

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