Shop by shop, Water Street West is on a roll

At the west end of Water Street, a little away from the fought-after retail space and high rental rates of many properties downtown, a string of new boutiques and shops have opened and brought energy to an old St. John's neighbourhood. 

Among the wide variety of stores on Water Street West are antique shops, a second-hand clothing store, a coffee bar and a toy store.

Most of the shops are also locally owned, and are clear passion projects filled with the sense of personality and creativity that has come to characterize many of St. John's most loved small businesses.

Many of the shops have been established in the last few years, as new business owners are increasingly pushed out of the downtown core by what some say is a high price for rent, a lack of desirable properties and the higher-risk proposition of opening a business downtown. 

Some shops may look unassuming, but if you take a closer look, chances are they'll catch your eye.

No longer the 'dodgy end of town'

One of the shops that may surprise you is Garage 606 Antiques and Coffee Bar.

When you walk into the store, to the left is a vintage Remington typewriter, old cabinets, aged china and faded cola signs. But on the right is a brand-new coffee bar, serving up artisanal small-batch coffee, hot cocoa and a variety of baked goods.

It's emblematic of the mix of old and new that populates many of the street's shops, and reflects a fascination with St. John's past and the uncertainty about of the city's future.

Garage 606's owner Alison Sturge said that in the seven years since her shop first opened, the area has come a long way.

"When we set up shop in 2008, there were a few little shops scattered along here, but it was kind of the dodgy end of town. It was, a little bit, not the prettiest place to be," said Sturge.

In the years since 2008, Sturge said the neighbourhood has slowly changed.

"There's a lot of interest, and the reality is that rents for small businesses in the core of downtown are exceptionally high," she said.

"There's no way a small little shop can survive with the overhead that they have. This end of town provides an opportunity for business to thrive with a lot less expense."

Lower risk than renting downtown

A few doors down from Garage 606 is Rock Paper Flowers, a charming boutique shop selling things like giftware, plants and fresh hand-tied bouquets.

It's the type of store that once wouldn't have been out of place on Duckworth Street, nestled around that street's stores, art galleries and cafes.

But when owner Patsy Power was looking to figure out how to fulfil her dream of opening a business, she gave up on finding a spot downtown when she was faced with the reality of the cost.

"Originally, I did want to go downtown and quickly realized that it costs a small fortune to have a store down there," she said. 

"I was talking to someone who is also a shop owner in Water Street West and she convinced me that this was probably a better option."

On average, Power said that the cost to rent a similarly sized shop in the downtown core on Duckworth Street or the more populated stretch of Water Street is around three times the amount she is paying for rent about a kilometre or two away on Water Street West.

The difference was substantial enough that opening here was an easy decision, said Power, even thought choosing to open on an unproven stretch presented a risk.

Far better than 'ludicrous' rents elsewhere

High rent forced David Guy, the owner of Boogaloo Productions,a guitar sales and maintenance shop, to move away from the downtown core.

For years he was based on Duckworth Street, but when his lease was up for renewal, he said that he had no choice but to move to a more affordable location.

"The rents downtown are ludicrous. They are way overpriced [and] small businesses just can't afford to be in there," he said.

"You've got 800 square feet for anywhere between $2,500 to $3,500 a month. There's just no way to do it."

Like Power, Guy is paying significantly less to operate his business on Water Street West, where he's been in operation for about three years.

He said that while it took the store a while to find a groove, business has been picking up, and musicians like being able to drive right to his shop with their gear instead of lugging it around town.

While Water Street West may lack in pedestrian traffic compared to the downtown core, Guy said that he's seeing more and more people walk further down Water Street to check out the shops.

Only just beginning

While some stores like Rosemill Antiques have been on Water Street West for more than 20 years, the string of new shops opening up over the past handful of years is noteworthy. 

It's still early to say, but it's not hard to imagine that the area around Water Street West could become a crucial third street away from Duckworth and the main section of Water Street.

To hear Brassy Lassy boutique owner Andrea Devine describe it, the street as it stands now is a haven for the type of people who may have been wallflowers in high school. 

"I think everyone at this end are kind of the people that I guess in high school kind of felt like they didn't fit in," said Devine.

By providing an outlet for dreamers to realize their vision of opening a small business, Devine said that Water Street West is proving to be an exciting fit for new business owners. 

"I've had amazing feedback, the people around here are awesome, and Water Street West is really up and coming."