I love Barrington Street. Or, perhaps I love what it could be. Yes, Spring Garden Road has better shopping, and Argyle has more to do, but no other street in Halifax comes close to the charm, the warmth, and the urban character of Barrington. And no other street says “Halifax” to me like it does. No doubt the street’s seen better days. A victim, like many cities’ once thriving commercial streets, of the insidious effects of suburban sprawl and the malls and strip plazas that come along with it, it isn’t the destination for Haligonians that it once was. In old photos from the archives, Barrington is buzzing with activity, offering nearly everything the urban person of the time could need. Now, there are as nearly many papered over windows as there are shops to browse and restaurants to pop into. Even so, a walk along Barrington from Spring Garden to Duke is fascinating, rewarding the stroller with gorgeous architecture, a comfortable street presence, and historical energy. I can’t wait for the street to regain some of its magic.

Signs point to things changing for the better. With high-end retailers like Attica not only moving into the neighbourhood, but restoring buildings to their former glory, investment is being made. Having recently been designated a heritage district by the city—finally—there’s real hope for a renewed political will to improve the district. And rumours abound about new shops planning to locate there, pending renovations, and new investment in the wings.

No Barrington Street isn’t really the retail hotspot, the vibrant hangout, or the restored beauty. But it is an incredible place to enjoy, full of potential, and a small taste of the Halifax of yesterday.

A graduate of both the Film & Television and Media Copywriting programs at Toronto's Humber College, and a multi-award-winning copywriter, Brad Dykema has worked at advertising agencies across the country and beyond. Brad's career has taken him on a journey from his native Toronto's Communique Group to Vancouver's high-profile PJDDB, to Amsterdam, where he joined the ground-breaking StrawberryFrog, and then back to Canada. Throughout, Brad's work has consistently been recognized for getting clients noticed and achieving their objectives. Since settling in Halifax, he has established himself as one of the region's most award-winning copywriters, collecting dozens of Ice Awards for work done at trampoline, Extreme and Colour. The extensive list of clients Brad has worked on includes notables such as Nova Scotia Tourism, New Brunswick Government, Microsoft, Sun-Rype, Alexander Keith's, McDonald's, Telus, Credit Suisse, Atlantic Lottery, EastLink, Workers' Compensation Board, and Aliant. His work has been recognized with an impressive list of awards from Marketing, Bessies, New York Festivals, ICE Awards, Extra Awards, Advertising and Design, London International Advertising Awards, Archive Magazine, Applied Arts and more.