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Cabbagetown

UserNameToronto said:
I recall a place called Chapter 13 on the west side of Parliament north of Carlton. It was basically just a house made into a bar, with living room style furniture, a fireplace, and lots of games and old novels. Shabby chic. Dirt cheap. Like Tequila Bookworm, but without the live music. [edit - I typed this in, but urbandreamer beat me to the punch by a minute or two! I agree that TB's model is great and would patronize an eastside equivalent.]

I liked it a lot, but it was never really busy--I think Cabbagetowners are really loyal to the established businesses (HoP in this case).

Another place that might have a similar vibe is the Pie Shack in the Beach. So cosy.
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That was Chapter 11 and wasn't it more of a night-time bar type place?
I only went once, but recall it being around 11pm and it was quite busy.

RE: coffee shops; there is also The Epicure Shop, just south of Parliament. They have no seating, but have plenty of people stopping in for coffee and baked goods or sandwiches when I am there.
 
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In the Church Wellesley thread, somebody mentioned that Red Rocket Coffee is going to open up in the base of Verve on Wellesley.

Javaville seating: It had tons of seats and if I recall, also some booths. The building was an old fruit shop and had been divided in two. I think Javaville expanded into the other part and built up their food menu but later walled off that space and sublet it as a sushi place. I could be wrong on the history of it.

I found Javaville always dark inside but it did have character and was worth visiting. I was sad when they closed. I heard they always wanted to get an outdoor patio and there was definitely room for it on Carlton, but they didn't get a permit. On the other hand, Starbucks apparently does have permission to open a patio on Aberdeen which may happen this spring.
 
mgl said:
On the other hand, Starbucks apparently does have permission to open patio on Aberdeen which may happen this spring.
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Speaking of the Starbucks at Aberdeen, does anyone know why the condos on top are still empty? They've just been sitting there untouched for the better part of 2009. The drywall is up, but has not been painted. I doubt there's been a problem selling them.
 
Dilla said:
Speaking of the Starbucks at Aberdeen, does anyone know why the condos on top are still empty? They've just been sitting there untouched for the better part of 2009. The drywall is up, but has not been painted. I doubt there's been a problem selling them.
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I have no idea what's up with that. The columns at the bottom in the back still have insulating foam on them and haven't been finished. The building was left in such an incomplete state, it's a mess. If you spent this much, why wouldn't you spend a bit more to finish the building so you could make your money back?

I also noticed that the air conditioning units at the back under the overhang will block the parking spots as seen in the original render. That will reduce the value of the condo units.

The TD building across the street is coming along nicely. The bricks on the front are done now and they're bricking the Carlton side and installing the windows. It looks like top-notch work. Too bad the Starbucks building wasn't built by those guys.
 
I've moved away (I was previously living near the Pear Tree) from the area a bit (I'm down near Dundas and Parliament now), so I'm not in the Carlton area as often. I was yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised by the TD building. When the frame first went up, I thought it was a bit out of scale, but as the brick cladding is being added the structure seems to be falling in with the rest of the block, besides being a floor taller than everything else (with the notable exception of the building occupied by Tim Horton's building at Winchester). I'm looking forward to the brick work being finished on the Carlton side, now. This could turn out much better than I expected.
 
Dilla said:
I've moved away (I was previously living near the Pear Tree) from the area a bit (I'm down near Dundas and Parliament now), so I'm not in the Carlton area as often. I was yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised by the TD building. When the frame first went up, I thought it was a bit out of scale, but as the brick cladding is being added the structure seems to be falling in with the rest of the block, besides being a floor taller than everything else (with the notable exception of the building occupied by Tim Horton's building at Winchester). I'm looking forward to the brick work being finished on the Carlton side, now. This could turn out much better than I expected.
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Yes, the new TD building is a nice addition to the street. I would have liked to have seen more architectural work around the windows, since they just seem like blocks of glass, while surrounding buildings use brick-work around windows to make arches and other designs. However, it's still a great addition to the street. When I moved to Cabbagetown in 1998 the area was much less gentrified, now we're seeing some great projects.

On another matter, I have to say I'm pleased with Wing Machine. I thought they would take-up the old places drunks, drugs and dole-rollie group, but so far they've been a good addition to the area.
 
I've actually hung around at Wing Machine a few times. For some completely inexplicable reason they have Karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights...hello. They're is some weirdos in there, but they certainly haven't taken over the place, and it's nothing like it's predecessor.

There was a terrible little hole in the wall just a few doors south of there, was it called "New Town"? Anyway, it's now closed.

The CCAC has relocated into the location of the old post office above the Ben Wicks. I'm going to the HOP for dinner tonight, I'll try and get some information on their move into the old CCAC location. Also, it seems they're building a new floor beside the TD, above the organic store.
 
After almost a year's break, construction work on the condo floors above the Starbucks resumed today. I saw guys carrying in kitchen countertops. Now maybe they'll finish off the supporting columns in back which were left wrapped in foam for the winter.
 
I think the new TD building is pretty damn ugly. It looks like it's masking its drive to be cheap with a guise of pseudo-modern design. The only redeeming thing about it is the brick.

It needs more windows and a better focal point (right now it's the glass corner).
 
Roy G Biv said:
I think the new TD building is pretty damn ugly. It looks like it's masking its drive to be cheap with a guise of pseudo-modern design. The only redeeming thing about it is the brick.

It needs more windows and a better focal point (right now it's the glass corner).
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Dont' get me wrong, it's hardly a gem. It's just fitting in better than I had assumed it would. I saw the Carlton side this weekend, and now I wish they'd picked a brick which had more red. Ah, well.
 
I think the new building works rather well, seen from the street. The three inset bays in the wall, including those at the north and east ends that define the bank's limits, the placement of the windows alternating between large and square and small and vertical, the corner windows where the walls meet, and the decision to go with a single colour of brick has resulted in something distinctive - expressing variety within defined limits.
 
Interesting article. I think they're a little off about Starbucks, since Starbucks is never a pioneer of gentrification, but instead enters a new market it has already been gentrified.

Now if we can only get a chain book shop like Coles or Book City.
 
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