A new downtown home for Jiinx Grooming & Pet Services
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The number of Canadian households with pets has continued to grow over the last several years, and Amherst is no exception to this trend.
In 2022, we presented a new business certificate Jiinx Grooming; a little over three years later, we’re back – but this time it’s to celebrate their move into a new, larger location for the booming business.
Mayor Rob Small and members of Town Council dropped into 8 Havelock Street recently to check things out, congratulate owner Kimberly James-Cartmill on the move, and ask her how it all came about.
“It was lot of hard work. A lot of hard work,” responded James-Cartmill, when asked about the process of changing locations. “Right from the beginning we said probably at the two-year mark – we had a two-year lease – we’d be looking at moving into something a little bigger, a little more retail friendly. And it was definitely a want to buy instead of leasing. So, when the opportunity came up, we started looking and, you know, landed on this place – which is great. I love it.”
Mayor Rob Small, along with Deputy Mayor Davidson and Councillors Ripley and McManaman, recently presented Kimberly James-Cartmill - owner of Jiinx Grooming & Pet Services - with a certificate to celebrate the business's move to a new, larger downtown Amherst location.
House of Birria welcomed to downtown Amherst
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Flavour. Quality. Consistency. Tacos. These are just some of the words people are associating with House of Birria – one of Amherst’s newest restaurants.
Mayor Small and Councillor McManaman popped in to the Prince Arthur Street establishment not long ago to see for themselves and congratulate restaurant owner Teilor Gibson by presenting a new business certificate.
During their visit, they asked Teilor what helped her decide to set out on this journey. It all started when she discovered birria tacos online one day and asked her mom, Tina, to make them for her.
“Birria is a Mexican beef or chicken stew,” Gibson explained. “Since my first experience, I’ve tried birria tacos from Halifax to Florida and they don’t compare to what we serve here. I’m hard to please when it comes to food.”
Having high standards and operating with consistency is very important for both Teilor and Tina, so when Teilor decided to open a restaurant, it was a natural decision to invite her mom to work alongside her.
“The opportunity was there and I thought it would be good for me,” Gibson shared. “Opening a restaurant is something my mom always wanted to do, too – and she never had the chance; I had that opportunity and we both love to cook. We both have high expectations with our food, so I think we can please the majority of people.”
“She keeps me on my toes, too – which is nice,” Gibson added with a laugh.
Amherst Celebrates African Heritage Month 2025
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The Town of Ahmerst hosted a flag raising and proclamation ceremony on Monday morning to mark the beginning of African Heritage Month.
Mayor Small read the official proclamation, then those gathered heard a message from Tammy Gero - Vice-Chair of the Board of the Cumberland African Nova Scotian Association (CANSA) before raising the Pan-African flag.
New Resiliency Resource Available at Amherst Police Department
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The Amherst Police Department has just welcomed a new member into its ranks; their new volunteer chaplain, Evan Oxner – Lead Pastor at Amherst Wesleyan Church.
According to the International Conference of Police Chaplains, someone in Oxner’s role has the life experience and neutral perspective to offer advice when life’s challenges visit, helping to boost resiliency. Chaplains are experts in ecclesiastical matters to those inquiring, but serve an invaluable secular purpose as well.
“We’ve been here for almost 10 years now,” Oxner shared. “My wife and I moved here back in 2015, and since we’ve been here, we’ve had all three of our kids. It’s wonderful.”
One of the first people that Oxner met upon moving to Amherst was Police Chief Dwayne Pike, and he’s built a pretty good relationship with the Chief and his family since then.
“I’ve got a brother who’s in the RCMP,” Oxner said. “I’ve gotten to know some of his friends and people connected with him. As we got to town here, I got to know other cops and other first responders, and it just seemed like I was building more and more connections with people in that realm.”
Throughout his work in the church, the community, and now in the police department, a common foundation for Oxner is developing and nurturing genuine relationships with others.
Amherst Police Chief Dwayne Pike pictured with Pastor Evan Oxner – the APD’s new volunteer chaplain – at a recent meeting of the Amherst Board of Police Commissioners.
Holiday Events in Amherst
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This weekend marks the start of the holiday season in Amherst. For complete details on events this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, please visit our Holiday Events webpage.
Amherst Marks Remembrance Day
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On November 11, 2024, Amherst paid tribute to its veterans with a respectful cerermony in Victoria Square. Many active service members and veterans took part in the event - both officially, and as attendees. Thank you to everyone who participated, and to everyone who came out to honour our veterans who fought for our country, and to honour those who continue to fight.
A collection of photos from the ceremony is available on our Town of Amherst Facebook page.
The cenotaph in Amherst's Victoria Square is adorned with memorial wreaths after Monday's Remembrance Day ceremony.
Amherst Firefighters Hold Annual Banquet and Awards
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The members of our Amherst Fire Department and the Amherst Firefighters' Association hold their banquet every year on the first Saturday in November, which took place this past weekend. This is an event for everyone to gather together, meet new members and socialize, as well as celebrate achievements.
All active members of the Amherst Fire Department gathered for a photo on the department's apparatus floor before the annual banquet got underway on Saturday night.
