Nick Dimitropoulos, owner of Vogue Men’s Wear and Tailoring, has worked in his family-run business for more than 40 years.

Gottingen’s old businesses are as alive as ever

Whistling cheerfully, Nick Dimitropoulos drapes a measuring tape around his neck. He selects a dark-coloured fabric and readies himself to mark out and cut a pair of pants. Though he keeps the tape handy, it’s clear he knows this pattern by heart.

Dimitropoulos, owner of Vogue Men’s Wear and Tailoring, immigrated from Greece more than 40 years ago to work with his brother in the tailoring shop he had opened on Gottingen Street.

Over the years, countless businesses have come and gone from the street. But Dimitropoulos says he plans to stay for good. He has many longtime customers from all over Nova Scotia, plus a few international clients.

As Gottingen Street develops, he and other veteran business owners are happy to see new customers in the area.

“We were downhill and now we’re going uphill,” says Dimitropoulos. “Only way to go.”

Moving forward

Dimitropoulos is not alone. Other business owners who have been on the street for a while welcome the new traffic. Many of them say they’re not concerned about possible rising rent costs, knowing that increases come with running a retail business.

Mike Crossman, owner of Monster Comics Lounge, moved his business to Gottingen St. eight years ago.

“If it goes up 10 per cent, then it goes up 10 per cent,” says Mike Crossman, owner of Monster Comic Lounge. “If it doubles, that’s a different story, right?”

Crossman moved his business from Robie Street to Gottingen more than eight years ago. His business has grown every year since. He has even moved locations on Gottingen, so that he has more space for products and events.

When he first talked about moving to Gottingen Street, some people questioned his plan, warning against a move to what they thought was a dangerous area. But Crossman is happy on Gottingen’s south end. He says he’s busier and feels more connected to the street than he was at the previous location on Robie.

“Gottingen kind of had a stigma about it, and that is starting to fade,” he says.

Room to Grow

One of the noticeable developments on Gottingen Street is the growing number of restaurants, including the recently opened EDNA.  But the owners of older businesses, like Island Greek Donair and Pizza, are not discouraged.

Demetrios Tsouros, of Island Greek Donair and Pizza, says he welcomes the recent influx of restaurants.

“We are seeing some new people here and there,” Tsouros says.

Demetrios Tsouros makes a pizza in his Greek restaurant on Gottingen. He welcomes new customers he says development will bring.

He has been making and selling pizzas on Gottingen for more than seven years. He says he came to Gottingen to bring good food and help the street grow.

Business hasn’t been great over the past year, he says, but it’s steadier now. Tsouros says he is supportive of the new housing, food and restaurant businesses because they will potentially bring more foot traffic to the street, which is good for all the businesses.

In fact, the new developments could make the street safer. Tsouros had a few break-ins during his first winter on Gottingen, but none since then.

Tsouros doesn’t feel threatened by a trendier Gottingen. He wants to stay on the street, and says he knows some of the businesses opening around him are another way to help the street continue to grow.

Bringing people in

Small businesses like Vogue, Monster Comic Lounge and Island Greek draw regular customers – people who come back every week, every month, or just pop in for a friendly chat. With new businesses and more traffic coming to the area, these three small business owners see the potential to expand their customer base and keep the regulars coming back.

For Crossman, this means that he has regular customers coming in for new games and comic books all the time. “That’s what I’ve kind of built the business around, the people who will come back every week. Some are every week, some are every month.”

Crossman keeps his store open late three nights a week for gaming events, video game and comic book releases. His says that his customers have no problems with coming to his store, whether they live in the Gottingen area, or in any other part of the city or province. On a Thursday night, many of his regular customers are in the store, playing in a Magic card game tournament until closing at 9 p.m.

“It’s a destination shop,” he says. “People want to buy their comic books. They come here for that, and they are going to come over and over again.

“Gottingen was the spot in Halifax, then it became the spot to stay away from and now its becoming … the trendy area, with lots of artists, musicians and students,” Crossman says.

Credits: Story by Ashleigh Beaudoin and Elle Naz Behnia

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