Comment 51313

By Meredith (registered) - website | Posted November 10, 2010 at 08:57:31

The hipsters I knew when I lived in Toronto started businesses of a ton of different types that are still going five-seven years later, lived in spaces no one else would, tirelessly put on event after event, and contributed a ton of energy, productivity, creativity, beauty and product on their own steam - very entrepeneurial. And some of them are now settling down, buying lofts, having babies - in the same city.

Looks like a lot of the same is happening in Hamilton, but our environment makes it way harder - one is that there are less consumers for their products, but it's also harder to do some of the startup things and take the same type of risks, with less people overall to work with. On the other side, space is cheaper, both to live and to work, but our amenities just aren't as attractive, and it's hard to stay the course and settle into this city without the same amenities.

Not that any other demographic is less magical, but there's an incredible amount to be gained from these people - in free time, in creativity, in flexible hours. Age alone doesn't make for it (we do terribly at harnessing the creativity of the 16-21 demographic, and a cutoff of 35 is also pretty ridiculous) but there's just life-stage positional advantages there.

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose... being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." - G.B. Shaw

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