If you have questions or feedback, please contact:

Hope Hamilton (HopeHamilton@cmail.carleton.ca)

Hope Hamilton (they/she) is an MA student in Art and Architectural History at Carleton University. 

Raised in Ottawa's West Wellington neighbourhood, Hope is a white, settler, queer, mad, and chronically ill person. They currently work as a research assistant and tour guide at the Carleton University Art Gallery, while also fulfilling roles as a graduate student and family caregiver.  In their spare time, Hope enjoys drinking coffee, collecting trinkets, and spending time with their cats, Fluffy and Tiny Tim.

Hope fondly remembers trips to Westgate Mall, which began in their childhood during the early 2000s. 

As a child, Hope visited Treats Bakery with their mother and rented movies at Blockbuster with their family. In their youth, visits to Westgate included stops at Marianne’s to see a family friend, at the travel agent for travel plans, or at the pet store for dog food. Later, as a teenager, Hope opened a customer account at Kardish Health Food Centre and ate at Monkey Joe’s Restaurant with their mother, grandmother, and cousins. During adolescence, they waited in line for hours at Service Ontario and browsed craft supplies at Dollars Mart, where they later bought a blue sundress, still owned today. By the time Hope reached their mid-twenties, they often brought their partner to Rockin’ Johnny’s Diner for a delicious and affordable meal that well surpassed a homemade breakfast. 

Now, in their late twenties, they still occasionally visit Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up snacks: an unnecessary and expensive habit sustained by a persistent, nostalgic desire to stay connected to Westgate Mall.