Locke Street is a five-block stretch of Victorian shopfronts on the city's west side that has become Hamilton's hippest commercial strip — a mile-long parade of independent cafes, restaurants, vintage stores, bookshops, and design-led independent retailers. The transformation happened in the early 2010s as Toronto-priced renters discovered the neighbourhood, and although there has been pushback against the gentrification, the street is genuinely walkable in a way few Hamilton neighbourhoods are.
Notable stops include Mulberry Cafe for coffee, Bitten for crepes, the Locke Street Bakery, and a long run of antique and vintage shops at the southern end. The annual Locke Street Festival in early September closes the road to traffic for a day. Best on a Saturday morning.