KWFAMOUS LAUNCHES THE CREATIVE CAFE IN DTK

Artists, creatives and neighbours celebrated the opening of The Creative Café at a soft launch event on Sept. 26. The 3,500 square-foot space is located inside the Bright Building condominiums at 741 King St. W. in Kitchener. It features a dedicated gallery and event space alongside a small cafe that can be used as a pop-up space for local food entrepreneurs.   

The Creative Café is the latest project from the team behind KWFamous, a non-profit group that hosts meetups, workshops, and events across the region. Robin Lindner, founder of KWFamous, said she pitched the idea to the building’s developer, Scott Higgins of HIP Developments, after reading his book The Joy Experiments.  

“Their whole mantra is bringing people together. So instead of creating an amenity space like a gym that no one would use, they advocated for creating a space that welcomes the community in,” Lindner said.  

The opening of The Creative Café comes three months after a similar concept failed to gain support in Waterloo. ArtsBuild Ontario had asked the City of Waterloo for a three-year lease for the former St. Columba Anglican Church site which the city had purchased in February 2025.   

Lindner said she was disappointed when she learned of the decision.  

“I don’t think there’s a lack of space. I think there’s a lack of willingness to give that space up and give up control,” she said.  

Lindner credited Higgins and HIP Developments for taking a risk to create a new type of amenity space for building residents and the neighbouring community. Higgins said arts play a critical role in making a community a great place to live, but, as a neighbourbood gentrifies, the artists who made it great can no longer afford to live and work there.  

“We’ve been building these backyards in the sky that no one uses, and then we’re building for-lease space on the ground floor that no small business can afford. We’re sterilizing our community,” Higgins said.  

The answer for Higgins was to work with the residents of the Bright Building and the City of Kitchener to change how amenity space was used. Instead of a gym or bowling alley on an upper level, the building has street-level amenity space and Higgins put out a call for a creative group to run it. The space is rent-free, but KWFamous is responsible for utilities and upkeep.  

“Working with the city and the residents allowed us to put amenities on the ground floor so that they can be amenities for the neighborhood, not just the residents,” he said.   

Lindner said Higgin’s vision is sustainable and has the potential to work for artists and the community.   

“I’m excited to prove the concept and build this with other creatives in the community. This is a space that residents can invite people in and be proud of, whether that’s having a coffee or checking out a cool film being played. It’s an extra bonus for people who live in the building,” Lindner said.  

KWFamous has also started discussions with the Waterloo Region District School Board about potentially offering workshops for students at the neighbouring Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute.  

“They have really great vocational and co-op programs, and we want to test out what we could offer them, whether that’s making patties with The Dessert Artist’s Rochelle Williams or pastries with Casey Ng from Nibble & Nosh,” she said.  

Beyond culinary opportunities, Lindner wants to create artistic outlets for high school students. She credits similar opportunities during her high school years for giving her the confidence to pursue her art.  

“There’s not a lot of outlets for people to be creative, especially for the high school students. It can be a tough time and having that creative outlet or being shown the possibility of doing a craft can be inspiring,” Lindner said.  

“There are so many things that can happen here if we keep this space as modular and open as possible. I’m excited for people to come together and learn something,” Lindner said. 

#AlexKinsella #brightBuilding #caseyNg #HIPDevelopments #KWFamous #nibbleAndNosh #robertLindner #scottHiggins #theCreativeCafe #theDessertArtistsRochelleWilliams #theJoyExperiments

“THE JOY EXPERIMENTS” ASKS HOW WE CAN DESIGN CITIES FOR SERENDIPITY

What would cities look like if they were designed not just for efficiency, but for joy? That is the question at the heart of The Joy Experiments, a new book by Paul Kalbfleisch and Scott Higgins looks at how private developers and community leaders can take risks that city halls often cannot.  

Kalbfleisch is a marketing consultant who works with clients in city building, urban development, and cultural planning.  

His focus is on helping city builders become society builders by prioritizing joy in how communities grow.   

“If I would put a creative brief on most of the projects that I try to get involved in, the objective is to create a space where strangers can become friends,” Kalbfleisch said.  

He said municipal governments are risk-averse when it comes to experimenting because of the demands for them to manage day-to-day issues.  

“For a real estate developer, they can experiment more. They can be bolder,” he said.   

“Once people see it being created, once they see it being successful, once citizens see it, experience it, then it becomes easier for city halls to start entertaining those types of spaces,” Kalbfleisch said.  

The concept for The Joy Experiments originated from Kablfleisch’s work with Higgins and HIP Developments, which involves creating spaces within cities to make them more vibrant.   

“One day, Scott said he really needed a manifesto so that local stakeholders and city builders understood what was motivating him to do more than what was being asked. Nothing makes people more suspicious of a real estate developer when they do start doing more than they’re being asked to do,” Kablfleisch said.  

Inspired by former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the World, Kalbfleisch suggested Higgins write a book about why he was pushing forward projects like the Gaslight District, rather than what had been done in the past.   

“The idea of it is to explain to people why HIP Developments was so interested in creating spaces that connect citizens to each other. We wrote it consciously so that it could be a book that could speak to the world using Waterloo Region as a backdrop for the story,” he said.  

“We’re at the early stages of acknowledging that community doesn’t just exist. It has to be built. It has to be shaped. We have to find a way of taking people from isolation and division and create infrastructure that brings people together, that gives them some sense of optimism and collective joy,” Kalbfleisch said.  

The 224-page book is divided into 15 chapters with stories and strategies that Kalbfleisch said are a starting point, not a step-by-step guide.  

He added that the book was written to create a common language and a common goal for politicians, architects, community leaders, and everyday citizens.  

“That’s one of the reasons why we use the word, ‘joy’. We define joy as a feeling you get when you feel connected to something or someone, where you don’t feel completely alone, and it’s a collective feeling,” he said.  

To illustrate his point, Kalbfleisch used a typical neighbourhood park as an example of an amenity that brings people together, but is limited to people who live within walking distance.  

“We need to stretch beyond that and create places where strangers can connect with each other and become neighbours and friends, where the only commonality you have is the city you live in. To me, that’s the Holy Grail,” Kalbfleisch said. 

#AlexKinsella #GaslightDistrict #HIPDevelopments #holyGrail #municipalGovernments #paulKalbleisch #scottHiggins #theJoyExperiments #theNationCity #urbanDesign #waterlooRegion

COLLECTIVE ARTS BREWERY OPENS NEW LOCATION IN GASLIGHT DISTRICT

Fans of craft beer, live music and art now have a new gathering spot with the opening of Collective Arts Cambridge in the Gaslight District. Collective Arts is taking over the former Foundry Brewing Co. space in the project developed by Cambridge-based HIP Developments.
Collective Arts has already started brewing three core beers on-site. Hamilton hospitality group Equal Parts will run the taphouse, slated to open later this year.
Collective Arts celebrated its opening on June 29, 2025, with Off the Canvas, an event featuring music, a maker’s market, and brewery tours. Toni Shelton, vice president of brand and strategy at Collective Arts, said opening the Cambridge location was an easy decision for the Hamilton-based brewer.
“The Gaslight District embodies everything that Collective Arts already stands for. We’ve always been more than just a product on the shelf. We created our brand platform with the idea of creating spaces where all kinds of creatives can come together,” Shelton said.
On the operations side, the Gaslight District turned to a familiar partner, Equal Parts. The hospitality management company also operates The French in the Gaslight District and LaLa Social House in uptown Waterloo.
Jason Cassis, Equal Parts’ co-founder and CEO, said Collective Arts was a natural choice to operate the brewery in the district.
“Collective Arts is known for its commitment to art and music, and the Gaslight District is set up well for both of those cultural touch points because of the unique programming they’ll bring to the square,” Cassis said.
He added that the brewery is joining a growing list of breweries and distillers in the area.
“The City of Cambridge is getting some interesting beverage businesses, whether that be Willibald in Ayr or Farm League Brewing. It’s becoming a destination for beverage tourism,” he said.
Beyond beer and music, the venue will include artist studios. Collective Arts partners with artists to feature their work on cans and other packaging.
Waterloo-based artists Jeff Dillon and Taylor Armstrong have had their art featured in past collections, and Kitchener artist JJ Wilde was a featured artist on its Audio/Visual Lager in 2021.
Shelton said the brewery is always looking for ways to bring different artistic experiences to its communities. The brewery has invited artists from around the world to visit and showcase their work while also helping local artists reach a large audience.
“All the artists who are on our walls are internationally renowned artists who probably would never have come to Hamilton if we hadn’t invited them. At the same time, there’s a community art gallery with 20 Canadian artists. We’re able to embrace local and also bring global into local,” she said.
Scott Higgins, the president of HIP Developments, said the addition of Collective Arts to the Gaslight District continues to support the company’s goal of creating a space where everyone in the community can enjoy themselves.
“If you really want to be an inclusive community, you should measure yourself by how much fun you can have for free,” Higgins said.
He added that bringing Collective Arts to the district will add new entertainment opportunities for residents of Cambridge and Waterloo Region.
“This is going to increase the energy in the taproom and on the patio. Collective Arts joining us will help us make this place one of the best entertainment districts in the province,” he said.

#AlexKinsella #arts #Brewery #Cambridge #collectiveArts #GaslightDistrict #Hamilton #jasonCasis #lalaSocialHouse #music #Patio #scottHiggins #taproom