Fish ’n’ Liquor

In the middle of a wholesome block of shops in a middle-class Hamilton neighbourhood, the inevitable Thirsty Liquor franchise shouts out “Welcome” with bright orange signage. When a new playground was built next door in July 2019, the block suddenly became overrun with families. Maybe it would be surprising to hear that this sudden influx brought about no change in sales at Thirsty Liquor, but the coffee wait increased down at Jacks Coffee Lounge. The Cambridge Road dairy had to widen its aisles and lolly sales went through the roof. It was a midsummer afternoon when I arrived to talk to Karun Mittal, manager at Thirsty Liquor, and the only two things that could have appeased the heat were icecream and beer. People were busy buying both.

Karun Mittal stood behind the counter, smiling. Two things struck me immediately. He had facial piercings that looked preposterous and a smile so winning it transformed him. He smiled a lot. He insisted I take his stool. He placed it