I completely took the day off on Thursday while myself and two girlfriends went on an adventure exploring various Halifax & Dartmouth shops and spending a leisurely day together!
And, for someone who works the way I do…with so much going on all of the time and a whirlwind of chaos around me…it was EXACTLY what I needed to do to re-energize myself with this city that I absolutely love.
There was a time, where I knew every single decor shop and business that had opened or closed in this city. I LOVE to poke around and find new and fabulous places…but somewhere, in the middle of raising children, work and life in general…I’d kind of forgotten what it was like and how much I enjoyed it. In fact, during our adventures, I went to SIX places I’ve never visited before (along with a few that I have) and honestly, I kind of had this feeling like I’m missing out on what’s been going on…like maybe, I need to get away from the office from time to time to do a bit more exploring!
After all…there’s nothing better for the creative soul than being surrounded by another person’s creativity!
My friend Jennifer (I wrote about her off-the-grid home a few weeks ago) picked me up and we gathered our friend Victoria to have a day of adventure in celebration of Victoria’s birthday. We started with a coffee and a quick visit into Getaway Farms at the Hydrostone Market to pick up a few containers of fresh raspberries for the car (to go along with the Jill’s Chocolates and bottled water Jen had packed for our travels.) They were absolutely DELISH and I’ll definitely be stopping in very soon to pick up some amazing meat for the grill!
Following that, we took a wee personal adventure that I hope to tell you about at some point in the future…and then, we were off to see what Jen had in store at her shop, Renovators Resource.
Renovators Resource:
Located at 2457 Maynard Street in Halifax’s North End, Renovators Resource is a treasure trove of fabulous finds! Known for their architectural salvage, the shop is filled with plumbing and lighting fixtures, windows and doors, various hardware components, wood floors, stair and fireplace components and so much more…each piece having been salvaged from building dismantlings or renovations.
In fact, I spent some time admiring the various pieces that Renovators brought in from the dismantling of the old Lunenburg Foundry…and the history-rich pieces are truly spectacular!
It’s worth a visit to see all of the amazing things, and to find a little bit of inspiration for your next renovation project!
Workshop & Company:
From there, we headed across the street to the newly opened Workshop & Company.
Part of the 31 Westgate group of stores (with retail locations on Agricola Street in Halifax and Queen Street in Chester), Colin Blanchard and Kenneth McRobbie have, in my humble opinion, an absolute gem on their hands!! A converted two car mechanic shop that had been on Maynard Street for many years, this now-converted interior design shop is nothing short of stunning.
On entering the store through the two large garage doors that were opened to the street bringing in fantastic light…my eyes darted everywhere…from couches to beds to art to rugs to glassware to lighting to throws and pillows…I was all over the place until finally, I took my racing and over excited heart and sat down on the most comfortable couch imaginable to admire everything in its entirety!
Including Victoria celebrating her birthday.
And a coffee table book with my favourite design style!
While the store completely captivated my love of decor and design and had me decorating imaginary rooms in my mind, the only thing missing was someone to serve Lemonade. However, while Lemonade would have been a wonderful treat, added to the amazing atmosphere was the most charming sales person, Brian, who delighted us with various stories about the pieces we admired and joined us for a lovely chit-chat until both of us realized that he happens to be a young man I’d met many years before through family friends!
And then of course, we had to hug it out and take a selfie!
Mother’s Pizza:
By the time we’d finished admiring everything at Workshop & Co., it was time for lunch where, with a vote that ended in all of us wanting pizza, we headed to Mother’s Pizza at the Hydrostone Market where the lovely Alexa took care of us and told us all about her recent trip to Europe.
I’ve been wanting to drop by this place since they opened THREE YEARS AGO and I’m disappointed that it has taken me this long to get my act together. I enjoyed the BEST spinach salad I’ve had in a long time followed by the most amazing “White Pizza” that consisted of chorizo sausage, arugula, walnut, mozzarella, smoked provolone, honey and balsamic reduction. It was DELICIOUS and I’ve been craving another piece ever since we finished our plates and headed out the door!
Oh…and in case you’re wondering, the “door box” we walked through came from Renovators Resource!
Our morning of exploring was leisurely, lovely and full of creative energy which was exactly what I needed (even though it was Victoria’s birthday and technically the day was supposed to be all about her!!!) I had a smile plastered on my face from the time I left the house until we arrived back home many hours later…refreshed, re-energized and re-focused!
But before I get ahead of myself…we still had an afternoon ahead of us and with full bellies…we jumped back in the car, pulled out the chocolates and raspberries, and headed over the bridge to explore a bit more…
To be continued..
That was the BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!!! Spending the entire day hanging out with two of my favourite people! I was spoiled rotten, I tell you!
Halifax is such a fun city. There is always something going on and there are so many hidden gems in this city it’s hard to keep track. I love discovering new (to me) places and adding them to my favourites list.
It sounds like you had a great day!
I have to admit I’m just seeing this, although I did hear you met my sweet ‘boy next door’! I will never forget his face that NYE your brother came to our house and performed some magic…he was amazed…as he was when I told him the pregnancy potion he made worked!
Always love your posts, and do try to catch up when life is too busy to read them regularly!
TLH
XO