🗞️ Best of Shopping + Services

Good morning!

We’re two weeks into the Canada Post strike, three weeks out from Christmas and consumers have no money to spend this year—which have all combined to create a Bermuda Triangle-like vortex for local businesses.

In fact, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released a statement yesterday saying that after 17 days of the nationwide strike, small and medium-sized businesses have lost out on an estimated $765M in earnings—and warned that if the strike continues, it will have cost the sector more than $1B by Wednesday.

This is categorically insanely stressful for many business owners, and the CFIB went so far as to call the Canadian government “the real Grinch” for its lack of intervention.

As you gear up for the Holidays, let’s think local first and to give you inspiration, we have released our 2024 Best of Halifax winners in the Shopping + Services category. I just decided that I’m going to buy my dad a haircut for Christmas, and you are most certainly welcome to co-opt that idea.

Read all about the medalists below. We’ll be announcing the Music winners here Thursday, and if you want to see the whole list of winners early—as in right now—become a Coast Insider today!

Congratulations to all and to all a great shop! 🛍️

– Julie

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BEST OF HALIFAX

Here are your Best of Halifax 2024 winners for Shopping + Services

Make that seven Best of Halifax Gold Awards for Spring Garden Road’s Bookmark. In its 35 years downtown, the indie bookstore has survived a change of ownership, two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and Jeff Bezos’s ever-expanding tentacles to bring Haligonians the latest titles from authors big and small. That’s not a small thing, says manager Michael Hamm.

“People can buy certain books elsewhere, but it’s the relationship that we have with people and the friends we make that really counts,” he tells The Coast.

Bookmark’s victory—its first Gold since 2016—is just one of the many stories you’ll find in this year’s crop of BOH winners, which saw titles defended (Cedric Dechamp, Malyssa Burns and Demetrius Ferguson each picked up their third straight Gold Awards, for Best Barber, Best Hairstylist and Best Fitness Instructor, respectively), dominant reigns continue (a sixth-straight Gold in Best Clothing Store for Sweet Pea Boutique) and new winners emerge (a first Gold for Lucky Cat Barbershop).

The Coast’s Martin Bauman has you covered with all the Shopping + Services winners. 

Want early access to all the Best of Halifax winners, from Food + Drink to Public Life and Music? Become a Coast Insider today, and you’ll be the first in the city to know.

🤔 Need To Know

💉 The province’s chief medical officer says as misinformation has fuelled doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, the benefits are being forgotten—data for the province's fall vaccination campaign shows that uptake in high-risk age categories is much higher for flu shots than COVID-19 inoculations.

💃 Live Art Dance presents Chantal Baudouin, Les Nœuds de Gustav. December 6 & 7 at the Sir James Dunn Theatre. Visit our website for tickets.*

📮 Canada Post says it has presented the union representing the striking postal workers with a framework to reach negotiated agreements that includes proposals to bring greater flexibility to Canada Post’s delivery model and shows “movement on other key issues.”

🎄 The iconic Singing Christmas Tree returns to Alderney Landing's Christkindlmarket December 6-8, featuring enchanting performances by local choirs all weekend long!*

🧑‍🏫 Interested in learning French this winter? Check out our intensive courses at Université Sainte-Anne (online or in person)!*

⚖️ A Nova Scotia lawyer has lost his appeal of a suspension following an alleged courtroom struggle earlier this year that saw him restrained by deputy sheriffs.

🖼️ Mechanical Moments—A Collection of Kinetic Art from LoHiFi is on display now until December 29th at The Craig Gallery in Downtown Dartmouth.*

*Sponsored Post

SPONSORED BY SPRING GARDEN AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Shop Under The Stars with Spring Garden

Join the Spring Garden Area Business Association for the annual Shopping Under the Stars event on Friday, December 6, from 5-9pm. This festive celebration offers a magical atmosphere with holiday shopping, winter games and entertainment for all ages. Savour free hot chocolate, explore two-holiday markets, and take festive photos with holiday displays while enjoying music from carolers, live DJ booths, and Santa himself. Also, don’t stress where to park, six parkades are offering free parking during the event.

Don’t miss this perfect way to kick off the holiday season with family and friends!

MUSIC

Avril Lavigne brings “Greatest Hits” tour to Halifax

Ten-time Juno winner Avril Lavigne is coming to the Scotiabank Centre in the New Year. Twenty-two years after the Napanee, Ont. singer broke onto the radio airwaves with “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” Lavigne has announced she’ll be extending her “Greatest Hits” tour into 2025, with a pair of dates in Moncton and Halifax.

The Coast has all the details—including when tickets are available.

🗞️ In Other News

⛺ Community services providers in Windsor are calling for more support for vulnerable people after a man living in a tent died last week—staff with a local harm-reduction organization said a man was found dead in his tent on Tuesday afternoon.

🇨🇦 The latest attempt to bring down the minority Liberal government in Ottawa has stalled after the Conservatives blocked their own non-confidence motion from going ahead.

💸 A group of Halifax teens has been fundraising and spreading awareness in support of Lebanon—where over one million people have been displaced due to conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

🗓️ Things To Do

🗓 Annual Hydrostone Tree Lighting: Don’t miss this highly anticipated annual community tree lighting event! There will be free treats, entertainment, tickets on sale for an amazing neighbourhood-donated gift basket and, of course, a visit from Santa! Come cheer on the season. | Dec 6 | 6:30pm

🗓 Unwrapped—A Queer Holiday Concert: Featuring local queer musicians, the concert will include mostly non-traditional music, while also celebrating the diversity of the community. From solos, duets and the entire cast, there will be a variety of performances throughout the evening. | Dec 6 | 7pm | From $17

🗓 Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy—A Celtic Family Christmas: Join the MacMaster/Leahy family as they share their music, their unique way of life, and Christmas traditions still honoured and celebrated. The show features traditional and original music, plus some special numbers with their own incredible band, as well as personal stories and candid moments from the MacMaster/Leahy setting. Life is never dull, especially at Christmas. | Dec 7 | 7pm | $66

⚓️ What’s In The Harbour

🛳️ The Palmela vehicle carrier arrives in Halifax from Brunswick at 5:55am.

🛳️➡️ The MSC Matilde V container ship arrives in Halifax from Sines at 6:15am and leaves for Montreal at 12pm.

➡️ The One Hawk container ship leaves Halifax for Singapore at 11:30pm.

➡️ The Frisian Octa general cargo ship leaves Halifax for Moa at 2pm.

🛳️ The Box Endurance container ship arrives in Halifax from New York at 3:20pm.

🛳️ The Volga Maersk container ship arrives in Halifax from Montreal at 4:15pm.

🍴 Where To Eat & Drink

🍲 Warm up with the NEW Seafood Stew at Antojo Tacos: baby scallops, shrimp, haddock, tomato, corn, roasted red pepper, onion, garlic, shaved cabbage, cilantro.

🥕 Hold space for the carrots at Highwayman: charred carrots with herbed hummus, stracciatella, pomegranate, pistachio and chive.

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👀 In Case You Missed It

📚 In 2006, a student-owned bookstore opened in the basement at the University of King’s College. It was a co-op and it was going to make books cheaper and available for students. Just before its 10-year anniversary, Paul MacKay became the store’s manager. When he joined, the King’s Co-op Bookstore was struggling financially and was unsure it would survive the year. But look at it now, if you can. The Coast has more on one of Canada’s most difficult to find—but totally worth the search—bookstores

🪧 On Thursday Nov 28, roughly 30 students packed up their signs, blankets, snacks and water and walked out of the Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building on Dalhousie University’s Studley Campus. They had been there for over 40 hours, since a board of governors meeting on Tuesday afternoon, and had decided to leave “on their own terms,” the group posted in a story on Instagram. “We have not given up.”  The Coast’s Lauren Phillips has more on the 40-hour protest at Dalhousie.

🚨 A Lamborghini-driving lobster dealer in southwest Nova Scotia and his son have been charged with intimidating a buyer whose home was shot up last weekend—the latest in a number of allegations against the father related to threats and intimidation.

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