10 Outta 10

We proudly present the 10th episode in our series on St-Henri entrepreneurs - an interview with Travis Driscoll and Nick Oaks of Bait & Schlang Tattoo.

In retrospect, it's unsurprising that all of our interviews have featured driven, talented people. These are, after all, non-negotiable prerequisites for opening and maintaining a successful business. This fact is crystal clear when speaking to Travis and Nick. Knowing that they needed full control over their art and business, they struck out on their own, and have become prominent figures in not only St-Henri, but the Montreal tattoo industry at large.

Here's episode 9 of 10 of our St-Henri Entrepreneur series. And what's a St-Henri podcast without an interview at everyone's favourite watering hole, Bar de Courcelle?

Jesse-Lee Fafard, one of the owners, was kind enough to sit down with us and give us the ins and outs of running a pub, right in the heart of St-Henri.

This is our most delicious episode yet: Josie Weitzenbauer - owner of Léché Desserts. If ever you wondered how much time and effort goes into creating these incredible doughnuts and owning this kind of shop, this is the episode for you. Spoiler: it takes A LOT of time and effort.

Here's an interview with Kevin Chen and Ben Lavoie from Helios Makerspace. They're volunteers and council members at Helios - a non-profit workshop that gives St-Henri locals access to carpentry tools, classes, and project space. So if you're making a new year's resolution to become more handy, this is the best place to start.

Episode six! Meet Jessica Starnino and Mackenzie Snow - the owners of La Luncheonette, a cozy and warm community-focused restaurant at the corner of St-Jacques and St-Philippe.

All businesses have to suffer through a bit of the unforeseen, and La Luncheonette is no exception. They experienced an unfair share of bumps and bruises in their first year. We'd never try to scare anyone off from opening up a business, but if you're unsure whether or not you have what it takes, maybe listen to this episode first. Mackenzie and Jessica set the bar for will and determination.

On our fifth episode, we spoke with Paul, George and Ray of Crossover Comics. You've probably heard the following advice in the past: "Never go into business with family or friends". That never made sense to us, and it certainly didn't make sense to the owners of this extremely popular Montreal comics and games shop.

Today we present, what was at the time, our very first recording of the 10 outta 10 podcast: an interview with the owners of the Atwater Market riverboat, Canal Lounge. A completely DIY effort, this chic and cozy cafe is a labour of love for its two owners - Gurvan Bartholo and Jeroen Ter Schiphorst.

If you ever wondered what sort of hoops you'd have to jump through to open a business, imagine what it's like opening up that business directly on the Lachine Canal. It wasn't easy.

Have you ever wondered about what kind of companies populate all of the old industrial buildings in St-Henri? Places like Chateau St. Ambroise, the RCA building, and the old warehouse at 3500 Saint Jacques are testaments to the hood's industrial heritage. Nowadays, these spaces have been totally refurbished, and now host fledgling start-ups and established players in the tech industry. Everyone - not just young professionals - is looking to take advantage of an up-and-coming neighbourhood and its generous rent prices.

Scott and I figured we ought to talk to someone from one of these businesses. Who better than Paul Kruszewski? He's the CEO of wrnch, an Artificial Intelligence company doing incredible things with motion capture tech.

Episode 2 of our series on St-Henri entrepreneurs! This week's interview is with the brewmaster at Brasserie McAuslan, Dave Brophy. He's been with the company since its infancy, used his library card to learn how to brew beer, and still remains a creative force in Montreal's brewing community.

On episode one of our St-Henri entrepreneurs series, we speak with Montreal native, Tony Campanelli. The owner of a cafe that bares his name and a pizzeria called Adamo, Tony is considered by some to be an agent of gentrification in the neighbourhood - but that's usually what happens when you're the first guy to open up shop on a street that's long been neglected. Whatever your politics, it's tough to deny the fact that Tony started from modest means, was driven to succeed, brews a fine cup of coffee, and slices up the best pizza in town.