Imagine it’s an August afternoon. It’s warm, but the cool winds foreshadow the Autumn to come. You’re walking down 104th ave, heading south from your parking spot on 83rd, surprised that you got a spot despite the Fringe being in full swing. But have you ever thought about the area, the community you’re walking through?

“Old Strathcona”, or as it was known at the time, Strathcona, was originally its own city. Sitting across the river from Edmonton, Strathcona was granted township in 1899 and status as a city in 1907. Much of the City’s early growth was due to the Calgary and Edmonton Railway, which despite its name actually stopped in Strathcona (although Strathcona was also referred to as “South Edmonton”). Compared to Edmonton’s current layout, Strathcona stretched from 109th street in the west to 97th street in the east, and from the North Saskatchewan River in the north to University Avenue in the south. 

Strathcona became part of Edmonton in 1912, and from there, its history also merges with that of our current city. Some other important points include a movement to preserve the historic buildings on Whyte ave and a subsequent lull in the area, but that isn’t super important except for the fact that it leads to the area we know today. 

Whyte ave, as much the heart of the Strathcona area as it was a hundred years ago, is still a vibrant area known for its wide variety of businesses. There are clothing boutiques, almost every kind of bar and restaurant you could imagine, and strange but interesting one-off niche stores. There are also a ton of cafes, both chains, and independents, and that leads us to Hexagon.

The Hexagon Board Game Cafe opened in 2014, just on the eastern side of the tracks formerly belonging to the Calgary and Edmonton Railway. It fits in with the general relaxed vibe of the area and offered something unique to people walking up and down the ave. Three years later, it moved to where it is currently on Whyte and 107th, and so much has changed in just those two years since we moved. The Raymond block building on 105th went from an empty lot to completed and filled with both local and international establishments. Pop-up shops have come and gone. The Strathcona Hotel, the oldest building in the area, experienced a fire and is now up for sale.

Through all of these changes, however, there’s been one constant: the community. It’s one of those things that’s hard to describe, but everyone who frequents Whyte ave knows what you mean. There are shared phenomena like the roller-blading guitar guy, or cheering at night after a hockey game, or going to the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning. There are the many festivals that go on in the summer, from the Fringe Festival to Art Walk, to Ice on Whyte. Most of all, there will always be a warm cup of coffee and an avenue to walk.