Saturday, January 27, 2007
Back In Bidnezz
I'm back up and running at home, with the help of a crappy old laptop (who's battery doesn't seem to charge, so it's stuck to the wall like any other old PC), and as it's before 6am on a Saturday, so clearly I mean business.
Two thoughts this morning: Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich's suck. McDonald's Sausage and Egger is a vastly superior breakfast. Plus, you can't trust a man who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs... that's right, his coffee isn't that special either!
Secondly, the story of my favorite watering hole Hooligan's - and one of the worst tales of how the City of Winnipeg hates business.
Hooligan's is a classic neighbourhood pub. The only other drinking-destinations around here are the Sherbrook, Cousin's, and The Nook. The Nook is fantastic, and has some of the best food on the planet (in my humble opinion), but isn't really designed to be a bar. Cousin's is a deli that is absolutely overrun with Hippies and Marxists-in-training (it gets the University of Winnipeg crowd). And the Sherbrook, the only beer store for miles - also home to all the local lifelong losers.
Hooligan's however is an island of sanity amongst the unsane. The kareokee night has always brought out the freaks, but it's been a launching pad for many of the great local bands. A dimly-light beacon in the night, Hooligan's memory is short - meaning you can make a drunken fool of yourself one night, and all is forgotten and forgiven by the time you wander in the next day.
One day early last spring, almost a full 10 months ago, Hooligan's shut down for unknown reasons. There was no notice to their loyal customers, or staff. One fateful day, they just didn't open up.
As it turns out, there was a plumbing problem with the cities pipes leading into the building.
As it turns out, the work that needed to be done to fix the pipes needed to happen under the sidewalk out front of the building. At the same time, bridge work was being done on the Sherbrook St bridge and it was shut.
The City of Winnipeg, in it's infinite wisdom decided that they would not shut down a lane of traffic to fix the plumbing for Hooligan's, leaving its new owner in quite a bind, since he was unable to open his business.
After months of being forced closed, and once the bridge was reopened, the city finally did the work needed to fix the plumbing. And, it turns out, they did not need to close any traffic lanes. Of course by this time the previous owner had been forced to sell the business, but at the same time couldn't sell the building due to it's recent history.
It's another tragic story of how this city treats businesses as pet projects. They'll tax businesses into oblivion, but refuses to provide them the most basic services needed to operate. Sad, pathetic, and a pretty serious disincentive to take a chance in this market.
Two thoughts this morning: Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich's suck. McDonald's Sausage and Egger is a vastly superior breakfast. Plus, you can't trust a man who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs... that's right, his coffee isn't that special either!
Secondly, the story of my favorite watering hole Hooligan's - and one of the worst tales of how the City of Winnipeg hates business.
Hooligan's is a classic neighbourhood pub. The only other drinking-destinations around here are the Sherbrook, Cousin's, and The Nook. The Nook is fantastic, and has some of the best food on the planet (in my humble opinion), but isn't really designed to be a bar. Cousin's is a deli that is absolutely overrun with Hippies and Marxists-in-training (it gets the University of Winnipeg crowd). And the Sherbrook, the only beer store for miles - also home to all the local lifelong losers.
Hooligan's however is an island of sanity amongst the unsane. The kareokee night has always brought out the freaks, but it's been a launching pad for many of the great local bands. A dimly-light beacon in the night, Hooligan's memory is short - meaning you can make a drunken fool of yourself one night, and all is forgotten and forgiven by the time you wander in the next day.
One day early last spring, almost a full 10 months ago, Hooligan's shut down for unknown reasons. There was no notice to their loyal customers, or staff. One fateful day, they just didn't open up.
As it turns out, there was a plumbing problem with the cities pipes leading into the building.
As it turns out, the work that needed to be done to fix the pipes needed to happen under the sidewalk out front of the building. At the same time, bridge work was being done on the Sherbrook St bridge and it was shut.
The City of Winnipeg, in it's infinite wisdom decided that they would not shut down a lane of traffic to fix the plumbing for Hooligan's, leaving its new owner in quite a bind, since he was unable to open his business.
After months of being forced closed, and once the bridge was reopened, the city finally did the work needed to fix the plumbing. And, it turns out, they did not need to close any traffic lanes. Of course by this time the previous owner had been forced to sell the business, but at the same time couldn't sell the building due to it's recent history.
It's another tragic story of how this city treats businesses as pet projects. They'll tax businesses into oblivion, but refuses to provide them the most basic services needed to operate. Sad, pathetic, and a pretty serious disincentive to take a chance in this market.
Labels: Real Life
