25km from downtown Halifax via Highway 103 is Tantallon, a bedroom community of suburbs and suburbs and nestle right by St. Margarets Bay. Right at Exit 5 is all the retail services one could hope for. A big box in a small package with chain stores abound but there is still some independent spirit here amongst the paved parking spots where SUVs and Minivans drive 80km/h to get from store to store.
Right on the exit is the first set of retail, Hubley Plaza anchored by Sobeys, and a collection of gas stations , Sobeys FastFuel, Wilsons’s and Petro Canada. Some typical fast food Tim Horton’s DQ, KFC and McDonalds (which used to be unique looking with a lighthouse theme but is now generic new style McCafe). There is a Rona hardware (formerly Pierceys), Scotiabank, Great Canadian Dollar store, UPS store, Pizzatown and a GoodLife fitness. There is Public infrastructure as well with the St Margarets Bay fitness Centre and the Tantallon Library in the mix. Some independents as well we have Lefty’s Restaurant &Lounge, Moon Tong Restaurant, Artistic Sole, Best Friends Pet Supply, Sutherlands Jewelry and your usual mini-mall stalwarts Eye Clinic, Dental Centre, Hair Salon, Physiotherapy and Vet Clinic.
Heading Southwest on Hammonds Plains Rd. You will pass the new Sir John A MacDonald School , at the intersection of HP rd. and French Village you will find Esso complete with Robins Donuts and a conveince store and and a parking lot ice cream shoppe. Further to the end of Hammonds Plains Rd. we hit our second pocket of retail but there are some really interesting shops around here a bit of urban in the sub-suburban land. Right in front of you will be the Atlantic Superstore to it’s left is a small size Canadian Tire that when you go into it feels as if the building is incomplete.
A few mini malls in the area complete with Credit Union Atlantic, Dental, Clinic, Law Office, Medical Centre, Hearing Clinic,Tanning Salon, Hair Salon, Physiotherapy and Insurance. There are some real treats out here Delish a British store complete with delicious Cornish pasties and scotch pies, British confectionery and groceries. A great little spot to take folks on your way to or from Peggy’s Cove an #HRMGem. Breathing Space Yoga has a studio and Rebel Space indoor playground and cafe ages 3-10 on the playground , I call unfair ageism. I’ll have to settle for cappuccino and carrot cake. Sandwiched between them is a Smitty’s. Across the Bay Rd there is the staple of all maritime rural communities in the form of Home Hardware. Bay Rentals for all your industrial rental needs I wonder if they have Bobcats? Then there is a Shoppers Drug Mart but nestled in with those stores is Otis and Clementines a charming little cafe and book store that I am sure inspires teenagers in the area of a life beyond the burbs as this shop has the feel of a big city independent bookshop. To end things off Exit 5 has it’s own little organic and natural health food store Mariposa which offers some yummy things like FoxHill Cheese and other healthy and organic treats baked goods and ice cream to the people of the area.
So a bedroom community with just a little more culture there are some charms to this little area and if you live just past the subdivisions you may have all this nearby and the city 20 minutes away and large lot of land looking at the sea it’s not so bad.