Holiday parties and vacations didn’t stop the flow of small business in December. Here’s what opened and closed in Atlantic Canada last month.

What’s Open

Chuck Hatchets | Charlottetown, P.E.I.
P.E.I.’s first axe-throwing pub Chuck Hatchets opened their doors December 1. The lounge, located at 236 Kent Street, offers beer on tap from local breweries like Upstreet Craft Brewing and P.E.I. Brewing Company and axe-throwers can munch on food from local pizza shop Famous Peppers.

Landwash Brewery | Mount Pearl, N.L.
Newfoundland’s latest addition to the craft beer scene opened December 6 at 181 Commonwealth Avenue. Along with their retail shops, the Landwash Brewery taproom has a selection of rotating taps of Landwash’s own brews along with other local favourites and kombucha from The St. John’s Fermentary.

Pink Flamingos Cabaret/Lounge | Moncton, N.B.
Pink Flamingos Cabaret and Lounge opened on December 15 aiming to provide entertainment for the LGBTQ+ community and allies at 234 St. George Street in the space that previously held Triangles, Moncton’s only LGBTQ+ bar.

Green Door | St. John’s, N.L.
Green Door Restaurant and Bar opened at 310 Water Street mid-month with a variety of dishes from all over the world — a sampling from the owners’ world travels — and craft beer dominating the taps.

Audrey’s Little Shop of Plants | Dartmouth, N.S.
Audrey’s Little Shop of Plants opened up just before Christmas, on December 23, at 104 Portland Street for all your terrarium needs.

Coffeeology Espresso Co. | Halifax, N.S.
Just before the end of the year, Coffeeology Espresso Company opened on December 27 at 1587 Dresden Row, where Soled Out Sneaker Boutique Ltd used to be located.

What’s Shut

Island Memory Gift Shop | Summerside, P.E.I.
After 10 years in the downtown area, Island Memory Gift Shop closed their doors on December 1. The owner, Doris Flamminio, who sold her own crafts as well as those of at least 20 other local artisans, says she is closing due to personal health reasons.

Topmar Building Supplies | Fredericton, N.B.
The Fredericton arm of Topmar Building Supplies started selling off their inventory on December 5 and closed their doors at 140 Clark Street two days later.

Frank’s Finer Diner | Fredericton, N.B.
Frank’s Finer Diner, which started out as a fish and chips joint in 1966, closed just before Christmas. The Fredericton restaurant has been a staple in the northern part of the city for more than half a century, and the closure leaves 12 people out of work.

Golden Image Center | Bathurst, N.B.
After nearly 30 years of business, Golden Image Center closed their doors at 1173 St. Peter Avenue. The end of the year marked the end of their business — according to a CBC Radio interview, the photo supply store couldn’t keep up with online retail sales.

Game On! | Summerside, P.E.I.
Game On! gaming store in Summerside, P.E.I. which supplied games like Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons, as well as a place to play them, closed at the end of December so owner Josh Pyle-Carter can focus on his Halifax venture, Deck Box.

Bad Bones Ramen | St. John’s, N.L.
After a year and a half of business, Bad Bones Ramen has announced their closure with an ad in the local independent newspaper The Overcast and confirmed with CBC that the rising costs of rents in the downtown area are the reason for their end of year finish. They closed December 30, but there are already rumblings of a new location.

Did we miss something? Know of a business opening or closing in Atlantic Canada? Email our Associate Editor Gabby at [email protected] and let us know!