Courtesy of Bring Back the Hartman's Piano!!! on Facebook
If you live or work anywhere near Centretown, you’ve probably frequented the Hartman’s Independant Grocer on Bank Street. It’s likely that you noticed that there was something especially nice about this otherwise typical big box store. It wasn’t the produce, or the selection, or especially not the prices. It was the fact that in this age of heartless corporatism, the store had set aside a few square meters of commercial space for the community - nothing special, just a couple of armchairs and, of course, the piano. You’d hardly ever go into the place without seeing an old person or two hiding from the seasons while a rotating band of strangers pounded out a couple of tunes.
The piano is now gone. What was once a unique bit of community space has been replaced by the grocery’s new flower section, and Hartman’s has become just another big box grocery (albeit the only one for miles if you live right downtown). As a sign of how much the piano was appreciated, a new Facebook group asking for its return has already been established. According to a wall post by Ian Capstick, who took some time to speak with Hartman’s manager, the store needed the space because demand for produce is very high and the piano is to be donated to a community group.
If you would like to speak to Hartman’s about this issue, phone General manager, Robert St-Amour at 613-234-8692 ext 145.
Thanks to Sophie for the tip!
Update: Check out these other posts by local bloggers on the now infamous piano: Ian Capstick on Spacing Ottawa and Zoom at Knitnet.
I loved that piano and harboured a secret desire to sit down and tickle the ivories every time I went grocery shopping. My question is, what will happen to Billy and the rest of the people who played regularly?
I’m in Hartman’s pretty much every day and noticed the absence of piano right away. I’ve got admit it probably won’t make much difference to how often I visit, it is the only game for blocks, but it will be missed.
hey! this is a great story (not the loss of the piano, the campaign). My name is Britt Harvey and I am a journalism student at Carleton. I think it would be cool to do a little story on this. If you know any of the contact information for the people involved, (if it is okay with them), could you send it my way?
Thanks, (and thanks for this blog, without which I would never know of any the cool/fun things going on in ottawa!).
I shop at Hartman’s nearly every day and I don’t really care one way or the other. It’s pretty funny to call it a “controversy” (from twitter). To me whats strage about the whole thing is they removed the a place for people to eat the ready made foods which probably isn’t a great business decision. Where the flower stuff used to be there is now a big empty space. I wouldn’t be surprised to see crappy TVs and DVDs on sale there soon.
Anyway I suppose there is a valid point to the piano adding a bit of charm and character to an otherwise cookie-cutter grocery store, but do you know what would really add some charm: selling better food at more reasonable prices!
Thanks for blogging this!
There’s a rally tonight @ 6:30.
We’ll have a CBC TV camera there!
Please come if you can and be sure to say your from Apt 613.
Just look for the woman with short pink hair!
Facebook event listing
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=242909051335&ref=mf
The hanging out space at Hartman’s is great and so was the piano.
But now it kind of seems like Hartman’s is being punished for having done something nice.
Shouldn’t there instead be demonstrations at all the stores that have never had a piano for people to play?
Even tho’ i live just a stone’s throw from the Loblaws on Isabella, i’ve always made the effort to shop Hartman’s. I was drawn in by the great selection and well-stocked shelves (the latter being something that Loblaws can’t seem to get it’s head around!)
But Hartman’s is (or was) more than that. It was the full-service funky anchor to Ottawa’s funkiest neighbourhood; next door to art stores, camera stores, nightclubs, galleries, the Dirty Oak, and some of the funnest people in the city… Hartman’s was big, warm and friendly; the sort of place you’d deke into just because you knew you’d run into someone you knew (and of course you’d end up buying something!)
But now the piano is gone. And it’s not just the piano. There’s an effing TALKING TURNSTILE. How unbelievably tacky is that? And bag-it-yourself automated check outs; how cheap and convenient to not have to give jobs to real people!
to walk into Hartman’s is to be confronted by a maze of talking monkey-bars with only one thing to say… “Buy your stuff and get the Hell out; this is a hardcore retail environment, not some bleeding heart community center.”
Yeah, well guess what? It isn’t fun to shop at Hartman’s anymore. from now on i’ll be taking my chances with Loblaws; it may be humble, but it doesn’t feel like a cattle-yard.
Maybe instead of selling flowers they should think about selling more stock? Everything is always sold out.
I spoke with one of the regular piano players yesterday (Bob - Thursdays and Saturdays) and he said he turned up to work this week and found the piano gone. No notice whatsoever. And he’s been playing there for 4 years now.
The Hartman’s Piano was also a great place for photo shoots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/droplet_of_mercury/3983353255/in/set-72057594048971665/
I suspect the talking turnstile is there to control walking traffic. I have a feeling that shop lifting is quite a problem. But I agree they don’t need the talking part.
Personally, I like the automatic checkout counters. I’ve been a customer at this location for years. And I’ve encountered these young cashiers and bagboys babbling about what they did on the weekend, what they will do, where they will go… meanwhile providing less than courtous client service. I’ve actually stood there on a few occassion waiting for them to finish talking before they even started to scan my purchase. And I’m talking closer to a minute and not seconds.
So I hope it’s those useless ones they canned.
But for the most part, many of the cashier are amazingly wonderful.
And those that miss lounging around and listening to music, there’s the Royal Oak down the street and many others.
(Jessica Ruano) Bob turned up to work?? Were they even paid? I saw some put out their CDs for sale but I thought it was a ‘hobo pad’.
(Dave Three Rats) I’m surprised you’re not shopping at Herbs and Spices and all the other little small shops because they’re way warmer and friendlier of all the big box shops.