Craft beer store and brewpub Battery Park opens in Dartmouth

Downtown Dartmouth has a brand new craft beer store and brewpub.

Battery Park,a collaboration between North Brewing,Ace Burger and Brooklyn Warehouse, just openedon an already bustling block of OchterloneyStreet.

Business has been "amazing," saidco-owner GeorgeChristakos.

"It's exceeded our expectations.This is a pretty specialplace to do business.The people of Dartmouth support their own."

In fact, Battery Park is the latest in a string of independent foodand retail shops in the area, saidTimRissesco, executivedirector of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Association.

"We are getting a food scene," he said.

"People are never going to have a reason to go anywhere else, butdowntown Dartmouth."

The two-level business has a ground-floorcraft beer store that carries beer from North Brewing. Starting in the new year, specialty batches of beer will be made there. The upstairs is home to the eatery.

Reasonable rents attracting businesses to area

Rissesco saysreasonable rents areattracting first-time entrepreneurs and he's busyfielding calls.

"It's a lot of playing matchmaker, trying to find the right spot tofit people in," Rissesco said.

Christakos says the reasonable cost of housing indowntown Dartmouth is also a factor.

"There's a huge influx of young families moving here," hesaid. "I think they want the amenities that go along with a thriving neighbourhood, so we're seeing a lot more beautiful, unique businesses pop up."