Nostalgia dripping from Tim Hortons decision to place museum in hometown Hamilton

Love it or hate it, Tim Hortons has become a cornerstone of Canadiana, a brand so connected to the country's identity that people request tattoos of its logo, a human rights trial garnered interest because it threatened to expose the restaurant's recipes and a man gifted temporary custody of a baby deer chose its one and only outing to be to the local Timmies.

The only thing fanatics of the 50-year-old coffee chain are missing is a clubhouse, a Mecca. A Graceland.

But that's a problem no longer, with the announcement that Tim Hortons will be converting its original location into a showpiece museum, and to the certain delight of Hamiltonians, it won't be in Toronto.

The Hamilton Spectator reports that the chain will transform its first location - located at 65 Ottawa St. in Hamilton, Ont. - into a two-storey showcase restaurant and national museum, highlighting the restaurant's roots and selling memorabilia. It will also feature a bronzed statue of founder Tim Horton, the Stanley Cup-winning Toronto Maple Leaf who founded the first shop out of the side of an auto body repair shop in 1964.

"We're creating a showpiece for the neighbourhood by doing something very different and unique," COO David Clanachan said, according to the Spectator.

"We believe the memorabilia belongs in Hamilton to pay homage to our history."

Tim Hortons has always celebrated its Steeltown roots, but earlier this year the chain frustrated locals by celebrating its 50th anniversary in downtown Toronto, where it recreated a replica of that first Hamilton restaurant.

A spokesperson said at the time that choosing one location to celebrate the milestone was "almost impossible," but that Toronto was selected because it would yield the highest level of foot traffic.

Regardless of what happened in the past, this is a welcome investment in Hamilton. Mayor Bob Bratina said during the announcement on Thursday that Tim Hortons had "plenty of excuses" to put the museum somewhere else, but decided to root it there.

The chain also recently picked up naming rights to the new Hamilton Tiger-Cats football stadium, and it's clear the company knows where its biscuits are buttered.