Distillery District

[xmyth_]

We walked through the new Cooperage Market today. Really nice set of interconnected spaces with lots of raw brick and other rustic features. It opens to the outside in three different spots, so far as I can tell. The crafty vintage vendors aren't really my thing (aside from maybe the Pen Shoppe) but I hope they do well when the tourists start arriving.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7174856

The previous location of the Pen Shoppe has already been claimed by some sort of health and wellness business that is opening soon.

Was happy to see the tables and umbrellas are already set up in the main square, and people were filling the patio at Mill St Brewpub already. Winter is over!

I think the former pen store is being taken by a witch from Halifax.

The loungewear shipping container (next to the Bergo shipping container) has different signage for health and wellness and I’m not sure where their actual studio is going to be

 

[Tulse]

We walked through the new Cooperage Market today. Really nice set of interconnected spaces with lots of raw brick and other rustic features. It opens to the outside in three different spots, so far as I can tell. The crafty vintage vendors aren't really my thing (aside from maybe the Pen Shoppe) but I hope they do well when the tourists start arriving.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7174856

The previous location of the Pen Shoppe has already been claimed by some sort of health and wellness business that is opening soon.

Was happy to see the tables and umbrellas are already set up in the main square, and people were filling the patio at Mill St Brewpub already. Winter is over!

The main problem with the Cooperage Market is a lack of signage indicating it's actually there. It's not very easily discovered, and the smaller internal boutiques have no visibility outside.

 

[mcbg1]

The Distillery District is pretty dead most of the time (Christmas Market aside) and should move towards more mainstream ambitions.

 

[Richard White]

The Distillery District is pretty dead most of the time (Christmas Market aside) and should move towards more mainstream ambitions.

It doesn't need Walmart, Starbucks, Circle K or the like.

The character of the Distillery District comes from the small local shops.

 

[mcbg1]

It doesn't need Walmart, Starbucks, Circle K or the like.

The character of the Distillery District comes from the small local shops.

right and those businesses are thriving and are bringing so many people to visit the area. People just to see the pretty buildings and then see actually useful stores and restaurants and cafes.

 

[CityPainter]

The Distillery District is pretty dead most of the time (Christmas Market aside) and should move towards more mainstream ambitions.

Really? In my observation it strongly depends on the day of week, the time of year, and the weather. On any reasonably sunny warm day I see people streaming there en masse along the Esplanade. I often can't get a seat at Arvo, the business I frequent there most often. The Winter Village crowds are not a realistic bar to measure normal business by, it's an insane madhouse that can't be sustained year round.

And if the district does want to attract more people, I think the better approach is to continue to frame themselves as a unique destination. If 'mainstream ambitions' means accepting the same chain restaurants and shops as every other mall in the GTA they will doom themselves, being smaller, with less parking and no roof compared to other competitors.

I would like to see more boring/practical retail for locals open just outside the Distillery boundaries, such as in the Cherry House where the Shopper's now is. Maybe a proper convenience or grocery, another bank with an ATM, etc. or even a chain fast food would be fine there, in my opinion.

 

[mcbg1]

Really? In my observation it strongly depends on the day of week, the time of year, and the weather. On any reasonably sunny warm day I see people streaming there en masse along the Esplanade. I often can't get a seat at Arvo, the business I frequent there most often. The Winter Village crowds are not a realistic bar to measure normal business by, it's an insane madhouse that can't be sustained year round.

And if the district does want to attract more people, I think the better approach is to continue to frame themselves as a unique destination. If 'mainstream ambitions' means accepting the same chain restaurants and shops as every other mall in the GTA they will doom themselves, being smaller, with less parking and no roof compared to other competitors.

I would like to see more boring/practical retail for locals open just outside the Distillery boundaries, such as in the Cherry House where the Shopper's now is. Maybe a proper convenience or grocery, another bank with an ATM, etc. or even a chain fast food would be fine there, in my opinion.

It would help to have more housing around it. Can't understand why we still have decrepit buildings, parking lots and car dealerships nearby when the area could be teaming with life with the upcoming Ontario Line and the whole waterfront development.

 

[CityPainter]

It would help to have more housing around it. Can't understand why we still have decrepit buildings, parking lots and car dealerships nearby when the area could be teaming with life with the upcoming Ontario Line and the whole waterfront development.

Parking lots? I take it you haven't visited for a while. You'll be happy to hear all the nearby parking lots are gone since pandemic times, replaced with massive (and mostly quite nice) new rental buildings. Cherry House (855 units), Maple House (770 units), Birch House (238 units) have all infilled the parking lots immediately adjacent to the Distillery. A big condo at 28 Eastern just a block north recently finished, with another 379 units. Several very tall towers will soon be built on the new Ontario Line station. Edit: And immediately south on Parliament, there are also the Goode Condos (557 units) and No. 31 Condos ( 467 units) towers wrapping up.

I can only think of two "decrepit" buildings in the area, those on the north side of Mill St. One remains a mystery, the other is stuck in permit hell for eventual conversion to a hotel.

The car dealerships, inexplicably, remain.

 

[Natika33]

right and those businesses are thriving and are bringing so many people to visit the area. People just to see the pretty buildings and then see actually useful stores and restaurants and cafes.

Myself included, I know several people who go to the Distillery District whenever they need a host/hostess gift, want to shop for slightly more high-end stuff without crowds (Fluevog, etc), go to an art gallery or play and have dinner somewhere atmospheric, etc. I've even gone to the Distillery District for no other reason than to have a cup of Soma's hot chocolate, Balzac's coffee, or the Sweet Escape's ice cream while walking around and enjoying the vibes. It's an efficient area to shop for unique items without having to run around to a bunch of different far flung spots. And that's not even mentioning the number of tourists who go there. We need more unique areas with unique shops like the Distillery District, not more areas with Shopper's, Timmie's, etc which are already a dime-a-dozen.

 

[xmyth_]

I’ll echo the Soma love, I do appreciate how they’re quietly awesome and not too busy most days.

Art galleries are kinda dead in the Distillery. The new crafters market has supplanted one of them, and it seems as though Arta has been hosting a crafters marketplace more and more. If Corkin is closed, I wouldn’t be surprised. I don’t think I’ve seen a single person go in there.

Summers are busy, the two months of Christmas market are busy. But there really isn’t a lot of normal everyday joints beyond coffee and pastries.

My random personal hope is that Illuminarium goes out and gets replaced by a St Viateur bagel bakery, with seating. I think it would do well with some ovens and that whole conveyor belt with fresh bagels, some other items to buy and a large enough indoor place to sit.

I imagine that when the subway is done, and they put towers up, we’ll see ground level retail more in keeping with resident needs. Hopefully the remaining business slots at Cherry House along Trinity get some cheap eats.