Pat Phythian, owner of Frou Frou by Pat, explains why the neighourhood needs more music.

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Published Dec 13, 2024  •  Last updated 1 day ago  •  3 minute read

Pat Phythian, owner of Frou Frou by Pat, at her business on York Street in the Market. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIAOnce a gem in the centre of the nation’s capital, the ByWard Market is losing its place in Ottawans’ hearts. Longstanding businesses have closed. A rash of high-profile violent crimes—including a brazen daytime shooting—and rampant opioid abuse have increased calls from locals for help. The attempts to revitalize the area—from the addition of a $50 million neighbourhood police station to installing an undersized fake-ice rink—vary widely. But what say the people who are still there? We interviewed folks who live, work and play in the ByWard Market. These are their stories, in their own words.

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Pat Phythian is the owner of the boutique fashion shop Frou Frou by Pat. She also lives in the Market.

I’ve had this boutique since 2018. Since then, I’ve seen more and more street people, more drugs on the street. The drugs are different. It’s making them crazier.

When I took this place over, the drugs would be taken around the corner, out of sight. Now, I don’t know how many times I’ve had to tell them to move from my store. No crack at the store. Just do it somewhere else.

We’re told there is more police presence, but I haven’t seen anybody walking by. I see some cop cars sitting up there, they take their reports and then they take off. So no, I haven’t seen it.

The biggest challenge is the homelessness. The other, I don’t think it’s a challenge, but people are lazy. They need to clean it up. Clean up the market. Guess what a broom does? Clean it. Fix it. Plant some flowers. Make it look pretty. They’re just not making it look pretty. It annoys me.

The problem with this city is everything goes on papers, and the paperwork goes here, and here, and has to be signed by that person, and then goes back again because they miss something. So it’s two years down the road and they’re still talking about it. Just do it. It doesn’t take much. Get the street people involved, get them cleaning up, and make them proud of the area they live in. 

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I am so proud of the ByWard Market. I love it so much. It is so beautiful. It’s a place to bring people, you know? 

Somebody was saying they were listening to music, and when they told me they were listening to music in the ByWard Market, it was like a pink elephant walking down the street. We need more music. Music uplifts people. They’re just feeling very sad, like there’s no hope for the Market. 

Let’s put some fun into it, some music. Let’s get buskers again, get the Market going. People are saying, I went to Lansdowne, and you wouldn’t believe the food I got. What have we got? You know what have we got? Nothing. We’ve got nothing.

It doesn’t take a lot to improve the Market. Let’s stop with the paperwork. Let’s just do it. Clean it up, plant a flower, get some music, get some life. The life is coming out of the Market. 

But it’s going to change, it’s going to be good. Something is going to shift. People just need to be happier. There’s something in the air. I don’t know what it is in the Market. It’s a beautiful place, we just have to open our eyes to it and clean it up.

As told to Marlo Glass. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

MORE STORIES FROM THIS SERIESWhat it’s like to live in the ByWard Market

What it’s like to be homeless in the ByWard Market

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