Heard On The Street

The owner of Nooch: A Vegan Eatery, is looking for a new location after giving up his restaurant’s space at 350 Cabana Road East in Windsor on September 1, 2021. Owner Keith Uruski says he had outgrown his existing space when it came time to sign a three-year lease renewal. “We had a chance to go month-to-month, but I wanted more certainty and when our landlord found another tenant, it gave me the impetus to start looking for something larger.” It has taken a little longer than he expected, but Uruski was close to signing a new lease by press time. He wasn’t able to disclose his new location until the fine details were finalized and expected to be open early in 2022. The restaurant specializes in vegan offerings, which include shareable plates, poutine, fries and tacos, as well as salads, gyros, Philly cheese steaks, chili dogs, veggie burgers and cheesy pasta. “We outgrew our old space in the first couple of months and we’ve been somewhat limited in what we can add to the menu because our kitchen was so small,” says Uruski. “So, it’s going to be nice to be able to expand and welcome back regulars, as well as attracting new customers.” For more details and the location of the restaurant when it re-opens, refer to: NoochWindsor.ca.

Already listed as one of the 41 coolest neighbourhoods in North America by MSN.com, Walkerville is about to get even cooler with the development of Distillery Square by the Rosati Group, in partnership with Mike Brkovich of The Walkerville Brewery. The development is expected to include stunning lofts in Walkerville distilleries’ former rack houses, with office, restaurant and retail spaces, along with a boutique hotel. The Square will also capitalize on the nearby riverfront trails, diverse restaurants and historic sites, along with eclectic stores throughout the neighbourhood. Find out more information on: DistillerySquare.ca.

A 26.4-acre parcel of land along South Cameron Boulevard on Windsor’s far west side, is for sale (as of mid-December 2021). It’s perfectly suited for various uses, including commercial and residential, says George Dragicevic of RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. Brokerage, who is handling the sale. The property, which has a 1,492-foot frontage on South Cameron, is listed for $1,499,999. Dragicevic states that, by comparison, a similar-sized piece of property in LaSalle was listed for $5.8 million and recently sold for $10.2 million. “It’s because there’s not a lot of land available that is ready for development,” he explains, adding, “Services come at it from all sides. There are a number of roads that dead-end at the property.” For that reason, Dragicevic points out that single-family homes would be a good use for the property on the west side before moving to higher-density residential and then perhaps commercial developments along South Cameron. The property was assessed at $3 million as recently as one year ago. Owned by a local numbered company, the property has always been a bush lot and never had any development on it. Dragicevic indicates that any development is a number of years away since an environmental assessment would first have to be conducted, which could take a year, followed by site plan applications and the rest of the processes that accompany a new project. It is currently zoned industrial (holding), which means no site plan or building permit applications will be entertained until such time as all conditions set by the municipality are met. For further details on this and other properties, visit: Remax-Preferred-on.com.

A former trampoline and amusement park is being transformed into an entertainment centre at 2411 Dougall Avenue in Windsor. While no opening date has been announced as of press time, Big Time Entertainment is in the process of replacing Springz Trampoline and Amusement Park. Billed on its website as the largest gaming centre in southwestern Ontario, the centre will include go-karts, glo-golf, axe throwing, fowling (football meets baseball), laser tag and more, as well as a full service café. For more information, view: Facebook.com/BTEWindsor or the website: Big-Time.ca.

A new clothing store featuring stylish men’s fashions from Turkey, has opened at 493 Ouellette Avenue in the heart of downtown Windsor. Fared Yako, who came to Canada from Iraq 18 years ago, opened Fa & Fred’s Fashion Men’s Wear in late October in a retail space previously occupied by Lazares & Co., a long time Windsor furrier (operating now on the second floor of the building with access off Maiden Lane). “I like the space and I like downtown,” explains Yako, who is also a singer with a number of YouTube videos to his credit. “No matter where I go across Canada and the U.S., downtown is where I love to be,” he adds. “It’s where everything happens.” The store features suits, jackets, dress slacks, ties, belts and shoes, all with a distinctive European flair. Check out the website: FaFredsFashion.business.site to learn more!

GUAC Mexi Grill, a new franchise restaurant, opened in early December at 400 Sandwich Street in Amherstburg. It’s part of a chain that operates almost three dozen restaurants across Canada, including 25 in Ontario. The menu features burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, taco bowls, salads and enchiladas with a variety of meats, fillings and toppings. There are also chip and salsa, fiesta potatoes and desserts including churros and brownies. See a menu online at: GuacMexiGrill.ca.