Biscuit General Store Opens New Location In North-End Halifax
HALIFAX — One of the staples of Downtown Halifax’s shopping scene has left behind its Argyle Street home for new digs in the city’s north end.
Biscuit General Store officially opened its new location over the weekend. The shop now occupies a chic space at 2050 Gottingen Street.
It’s a monumental move for the retailer.
Biscuit first opened its doors on Argyle (in a “tiny space with no money!” as its website exclaims) in 1996.
Owner Wendy Friedman wanted to offer an alternative to shopping malls and chain stores that was “more local, more human, and more fun.”
That mission remains true today. And Friedman says it was part of the motivation for moving Biscuit.
Friedman told Huddle the business community in the North End feels more aligned with the kind of shop she wants to run — one that’s “deeply rooted in community.”
She loved her shop and Argyle Street but said downtown has been slowly shifting away from small, “hands-on” business to larger chains and restaurants owned by major hospitality companies.
Friedman has lived in the North End for decades and likes that the new Biscuit is closer to her home and her other store, the Independent Mercantile Company.
She knows and has connections to many of the nearby businesses and feels it’s a better fit.
The new Biscuit is a little smaller than the old shop, but Friedman says the space makes more sense.
A lot of the features of the old location were built right into the building. That meant she couldn’t change the awkward cash register placement, or the stairs leading up to and inside the building.
She’s happy her new space is more accessible for people with disabilities, and she also likes that it’s easier to staff, organize, and display products.
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As a lover of design, she was also excited to refresh the look of the shop. She says she thinks the new aesthetic remains true to her southern roots but is a fresh and exciting update.
Friedman says customers will recognize many of the same brands they’ve come to love from the store. But she has had to “hone” her selection a little bit to fit the new space. She says it’s a process she’s enjoyed.
“Sometimes I would be buying stuff that I really didn’t love just to fill up all that space that I had,” she admits.
As much as she loved her old shop, Freidman says she’s mostly looking forward. In fact, she’s not even all that sad to leave the old place behind.
“I didn’t have like a single tear rolling down my cheek moment, or anything,” she says with a chuckle.
Freidman says she’s already received lots of support from customers at the new location and encouraged anyone interested to drop by and check things out for themselves.
Biscuit is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Trevor Nichols is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].