Uptown

2 February 2012Rachael K

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles
Forget all your cares and go

‘Uptown’, where all the lights are bright
‘Uptown’, waiting for you tonight
‘Uptown’, you’re gonna be alright now

-Adapted from Petula Clark’s ‘Downtown’

Brentwood’s ‘Uptown’ is the equivalent of Mill’s Bay’s ‘Downtown’. With its shops molded out of ‘tudor-esque’ building clay, the surprising array of restaurants and socializing spots provides an English feel to the complex.

The constant winter rain in Mill Bay, of course, also helps to solidify the English vibe.

The shopping center, just across the street from the school gates and knighted by Brentonians as ‘Uptown’, is a place of great joy for students…and is, I’m sure, the place where most of us burn through their shiny new, parent-funded, debit and credit cards. This magical place, which boasts having the “broadest selection of merchant services in Mill Bay” is where students congregate after classes when they need a refreshing, novel atmosphere, or they want to check a few housekeeping items off their shopping lists.

While certainly different from the grand metropolis environments many Brentwood students may be accustomed to at home (Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Toronto, Hamburg, Seattle, etc.), ‘Uptown’, includes, among other services, Thrifty’s grocery, ‘Wear It’s At’, Pharmasave, Rusty’s Coffee Shop, two (student-free) liquor stores and The Third Addition, providing the bare necessities that people, and especially students, cannot live without.

Thrifty’s is the local ‘go-to’ stop for groceries and treats when students have a pressing case of the munchies. The right side of the store is filled with healthy produce, the left with pre-made food, and the middle with…well, let’s just call it snack food. Hey, every grocery store always has a few aisles of processed goods…parents, please don’t judge the sugar count too harshly.

‘Wear It’s At’ is the local clothing boutique. For women (sorry, gentlemen) this is the shop for sweaters in winter, dresses in summer, and scarves for the brisk seasons in between. A few girls have even purchased their fabulous snowball dresses at this little boutique, as the back wall is routinely filled with new formal wear. So, for the teenage girl stranded in a small town with limited shopping selections, this place is like the North Pole to an elf. Pure Heaven.

Pharmasave is where one gets toothpaste when it runs out, make-up when the supplies are low, and goodies when one’s hidden, super-secret chocolate stash runs dry. While the shop is routinely home to everything from cough drops to stationary, Pharmasave also holds a few irregular surprises throughout the year like holiday bulbs at Christmas time, a changing jewelry case, and a back massager station (random, but true). The permanent, in house Post Office is also a convenient location to drop off those occasional letters home.

Rusty’s is Mill Bay’s Starbucks. Locally owned and locally brewed, the coffee shop is a little piece of home comfort for the homesick. Outfitted with pillows, local artwork, and a smell that breathes holiday baking, Rusty’s can rouse a slew of moods: a meditative relaxation with cocoa, or a caffeine high with coffee – whatever the student desires.

Last, but not least, ‘The Third Addition’ sparkles like a diamond in the rough. My personal favourite, this boutique hides away in the corner of the Mill Bay complex, with its treasures almost completely hidden away from the causal browser. Once one ventures into this little store, however, an assortment of random little gifts greets you immediately after the door chimes. All the stocking stuffers, coasters, candle holders, mugs, gourmet chocolates, and local jewelry one could ever want are located here. It’s even owned by the parent of a former Brentonian.

That is a quick summary of the resources Brentwood students have at their disposal just outside the boundaries of the school campus. Whether one needs a new pair of socks, or just a warm drink on a chilly evening, ‘Uptown’ is more than willing to provide…and swallow up your cash.  

It is a merchant complex, after all.
 
Rachael K