Art Crawl lover takes you on her favourite tour

For the past eight years, you could say that once a month James Street North gets reborn. It is never the same way twice.

A beautiful compliment of artists, entrepreneurs and neighbors come together or simply stop their day and stand still. They invite the world into their creative space to tour, revel in and possibly purchase a piece of fine art from a local artisan.

Michelle Boutilier

Art revelers from Toronto are coming more and more frequently and you can spot them two by two leaving the Mullberry Café arm in arm looking around nostaligically at the cute and quaint little Hamilton. And if you ask me, this is a great thing.

Local venue owners and artists first built Art Crawl more than eight years ago.

Many of them will be out tonight, some stayed and some will be back from London in time for the big show in September. Supercrawl takes the cake and it's only one month away.

Big Mike came from the West coast, played Art Crawl in June and after cutting an album in a local studio, he is now in Thailand with his lover.

Wax Mannequin is a local hero and heart throb. The only thing sweeter than him and a guitar is his wife and handsome son Saxon.

Artists rise, depart, return and play again and again and again at Art Crawl.

These neighbors have loved Hamilton with an everlasting kindness. Wrapping knitted sweaters around trees in the fall to painting flowers on chain link fences. The art in this southern Ontario hotspot now most certainly is as powerful as Steel.

My name is Michelle Marie Boutilier and I've lived just off of James North for two years. These are a few of my favourite haunts during Art Crawl.

Follow me through a few conversations about art, life, music, happiness and friendship.