St. Thomas University sits right in the middle of the biggest hill in Fredericton, which works almost perfectly in dividing its uptown area from its downtown core. Along with a few other routes, Regent street connects the two – but are they really connected? Or is there an invisible rift between the two?
Zach Atkinson, who manages the events at the Capital Complex, a watering hole central in Fredericton’s downtown, says it depends.
“They’re different worlds for sure,” said Atkinson. “It depends on what you value – if you live further from the downtown you’re less likely to make it there as the city sprawls.”
Atkinson grew up on Fredericton’s north side, just a few minutes away from the tannery – a block of local bars – but much further from the top of the hill.
“For people like me the tannery is the centre-point between the north side and campus,” Atkinson said, using the town’s universities as a marking point in the middle of Regent street.
He said the Capital Complex keeps up with the ebbs and flows of the market by switching up drink specials, or hosting events that appeal to every interest like improv events, theatre productions or comedy shows. There might be a folk duo on Friday while Monday is host metal band. For Atkinson, it’s about balance, but also keeping a successful business.
“People might go uptown because it’s hard to park downtown and [uptown] is where all the deals are – downtown shops are independently run and have to charge more to survive,” he said. “Places like malls are one-stop shops – people are very likely to go there – half the difficulty is trying to come up with marketing and everything else for smaller businesses.”
Around the mid to late ‘90s, Fredericton’s Hilltop on Prospect street was the place to be on Tuesdays. Insanely cheap drink specials and a dance floor kept the place bumping until 2 a.m. Atkinson was only just turning 19 at the height of the Hilltop’s popularity, but can attest to the bar/restaurant’s glory days.
Beyond the Hilltop, there was something to do in Fredericton almost every night of the week at that time. Tuesdays meant Hilltop, Wednesdays, the now-defunct Chestnut bar. Thursdays were good for the Rockin’ Rodeo – formerly known as iRock – and then Fridays, the Upper Deck (what is now Klub Khrome). Most of these bars, however, were or are downtown.
Alan Robichaud worked as a server at the Hilltop two years ago, but remembers the atmosphere as hectic food-wise.
The restaurant has quieted down since its early days, something Robichaud credits to more commercially developed businesses in the area and a shift in Fredericton’s student scene.
“I found the uptown scene in Fredericton to be virtually non-existent compared to what it was maybe 20, 30 years ago,” said Robichaud. “You’d have nightshows and danceclubs but now that’s shifted to a more sterile environment – malls, fast-food chains, but not really much in regard to culture.”
Robichaud has over eight years of experience in the service industry and has worked multiple jobs in Fredericton’s food world. He says when the Hilltop first opened, the age group of its customers was broad. That’s now shifted to an older crowd – the Hilltop certainly doesn’t have rockin’ Tuesday nights anymore.
Even though Fredericton’s uptown has seen a huge influx of businesses and restaurants, they’re not as easily accessible as those downtown that sit closer together and are reachable by foot. Robichaud thinks it has a lot to do with the cost of competing against a vibrant scene downtown that is itself struggling to make money.
“You see more of that downtown now in a more concentrated area – you’ll see art galleries and music venues and a lot going on as opposed to uptown where there are only shopping centres,” said Robichaud.
For Atkinson, it still all comes down to personal preferences. He makes the point that a lot of students still frequent Fredericton’s uptown because it’s more accessible for them, being right in the middle. He also says it depends on what each venue is hosting, regardless of its location.
“If someone’s doing something that’s fun and people are going to take advantage of it – people come for certain things, or they don’t.”
