Three years ago, Queen Street was a sagging strip of struggling shops and boarded-up buildings. The former retail heart of Niagara Falls, Ontario, had been pummelled since the mid-1970s by two newer, customer-sucking malls that opened nearby.

Today, due to the unlikely mash-up of a large property developer and the local arts community, shoppers are back on Queen Street.

It all began when Historic Niagara Developments purchased more than 60 buildings on the street, renovated them and immediately offered the polished properties to artists for one year, rent-free. In turn, the community thrived.

“The revitalization brought arts and culture to a decrepit downtown, helping to [return] it back to the local community,” says Historic Niagara’s CEO Mordechai Grun, the person who spearheaded the project.

Queen Street’s restored buildings not only gave life to new businesses, but also revived old ones, like the Hi-Lite Restaurant (opened in 1931) and Roberts Jewellers (1946), cementing a link between the street’s proud past, and its vibrant present.

Get the full Queen Street experience by checking out these places:

Maestro Angelo Rossi Glass Blowing Studio & Galleria

The product of six generations of Venetian glass-blowers, Angelo Rossi sculpts rare cranberry-coloured glass and other custom collectibles out of air, fire and a robust imagination. Buy pieces ready-made or commissioned.

Taps Brewing Company Inc.

Call ahead to book a free tour and sample the unique lager, red cream ale and vanilla wheat at this locally loved microbrewery. While there, have dinner or stay for the live music.

Voices—Aboriginal Expressions Through Arts

More than just a place to buy a bounty of artwork and handcrafted jewellery from Mohawk and Ojibwa artists, this gallery is a centre for learning, too. Try a workshop in soapstone carving, beading or dream catcher creation.

Seneca Queen Theatre

Take in some live musical theatre at this former movie palace. Built in 1940, the neglected art deco beauty, rescued by Grun, is once again Queen Street royalty.

Paris Crepes Bistro

The Eiffel Tower on the roof may be tacky, but the gourmet cuisine served up by French natives Mireille and Thierry Clement is genuine. Try the onion soup, savoury buckwheat crepes and crème brûlée.

Hi-Lite Restaurant

Have lunch in a time capsule. Back when the Seneca was a movie palace, beboppers came here after the show to flirt and buy songs for a nickel. The jukeboxes are still here, along with the wooden booths, orange swivel stools and milkshake-makers.

Historic Niagara Artistic Exhibition Center

Buy work from local artists or national stars at this grassroots co-op. The sprawling gallery is housed in a beaux arts building built in 1904.