Toronto non-mall retail (Odds & Ends)

[taal]

That is very optimistic of you! I hope you're right.
I don't know.....we might be stuck with bridge and beach parties....and maybe warehouses on the periphery where they still exist.

Can't say I'm going to complain about that.

A lot of venues are disappearing not because of high rents but because of pressure from the residential sector. Remember Adam Vaughan's hysterics re: night life?
That and the conversion of old buildings into residential developments.

I drove down Shaw today from Bloor down to King on my way home....drove by Revival (which reminded me that nearby Mod Club is dead RIP) and am wondering.....when's that Metro property being redeveloped? There goes Revival!

@taal Do you guys have any decent venues up in your area?

Unfortunately NYCC has always been lacking in that category, less a few karaoke bars.

But an interesting observation is the retail "damage" in these parts has been fairly limited up to this point. Most of the businesses here seem to have found ways to carry on, I suspect a lot of this has to do with the types of businesses in this area. By far and large it's dominated by restaurants of various types (though fairly skewed to particular cuisines), and I've always found the demographic in this area routinely eats out. Given this, most of these restaurants seem to have gotten by on what must be mainly takeout service !

I see much less impact here compared to other parts of the city.

 

[SunriseChampion]

I see much less impact here compared to other parts of the city.

That's good!

My area isn't doing too poorly yet either, though on my block there have been some closures, one of which was a chain and another which was replaced by a chain. Two small businesses look like they may be done for as well. That's out of a small pool of businesses.

I'm sad anyway as three of my fav pubs have closed in the last year. I almost see no point in living here anymore if my community centres are being closed.

 

[Towered]

That's good!

My area isn't doing too poorly yet either, though on my block there have been some closures, one of which was a chain and another which was replaced by a chain. Two small businesses look like they may be done for as well. That's out of a small pool of businesses.

I'm sad anyway as three of my fav pubs have closed in the last year. I almost see no point in living here anymore if my community centres are being closed.

You mean Pete's Corner Grill? Lots of community outrage about that.

Which pubs?

 

[SunriseChampion]

You mean Pete's Corner Grill? Lots of community outrage about that.

Uh, is that the one up Queen Street way? That's too far north for me. I think I know what you're talking about though.

Which pubs?

Jersey Giant, Football Factory, and Foggy Dew

The Jersey Giant especially.....that place......I cried when it closed. I met so many great people there. Made friends with the staff. Had so many good times there. The back room was our clubhouse! That juke box ate hundreds of dollars of our money.
We weren't there often at times, but the staff would remember us and be overjoyed to see us even after a year's absence.

Anyway, pubs like that act as community centres for some people and having them close down to be replaced with bollocks is just a tragedy.

The only pub left that me and my crew frequent is a flippin chain that we only give the time of day to because of proximity to one of our hangouts.

Like, I don't even want to live here anymore. I know that sounds ridiculous and not just a little melodramatic, but between the dissolution of the nightlife scene and the closure of very cherished pubs to hang out at during the day there's not much left for me here in terms of social life.
Like nothing what the city used to provide me.

I'm not even sure which pub to make my next regular. Wheat Sheaf? The pubs in Liberty are always overpacked so somewhat useless on a lot of days, though I've made friendly with the staff at Big Rock.

Yeah....it's bunk.
When Foggy Dew closed (which was before the plague!) I was sad, but thought to myself that I still had the Giant and Football Factory for watchign football at. Well.....that was some short-lived optimism.

The DnB (see what I did there?) aka The Dog and Bear used to be a favourite as well when I lived on that block, but it's out of the way for anything in my life now to make it a regular.
Happy Coffee and Wine on my block is a new regular but it's a wine bar and my soul can't entirely live without a proper pub.

Any ideas?

 

[AlbertC]

Dog & Bear is good times to catch a sports game cuz they play the games with volume, have reasonable drinks, and make a mean chilli dog. But I stopped going when the crowds started getting over the top with the King West overflow probably around when the Raptors were making their championship push.

The Dock Ellis at Dundas W & Dovercourt is good for that too. E.L. Ruddy a bit west on Dundas remains one of my fav bars in the city, albeit for a different kind of vibe. There's also Dundas Video closer to Bathurst. Nowadays I have my spots in Bloordale or the Junction.

Gonna take some flack around here, but I was an avid Duggans Brewery goer in Parkdale circa 2013-15 before they declined and went through different concepts. I was definitely a regular back then, but mostly because I was cool with one of the waitresses there.

Man, I miss Saturday nights along Queen West for karaoke at the Gladstone. While I was never a Drake goer apart from when they did trivia nights during the week.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Dog & Bear is good times to catch a sports game cuz they play the games with volume, have reasonable drinks, and make a mean chilli dog. But I stopped going when the crowds started getting over the top with the King West overflow probably around when the Raptors were making their championship push.

Oh it was always like that on some nights. Never went there in the evenings....only mornings or afternoons. Had my regular booth and servers. It's been a few years now......whoah, like 5....

The Dock Ellis at Dundas W & Dovercourt is good for that too. E.L. Ruddy a bit west of Dundas remains one of my fav bars in the city, albeit for a different kind of vibe. There's also Dundas Video closer to Bathurst. Nowadays I have my spots in Bloordale or the Junction.

Where? Is that in the suburbs?


Oh, you know what bar I really love(d) but haven't been back since I lived ten doors down? The Gem!!!!!!!! That's in your block.
That's the one place I would go north for still, but it really is madly out of the way of my social life geography.

Gonna take some flack around here, but I was an avid Duggans Brewery goer in Parkdale circa 2013-15 before they declined and went through different concepts. I was definitely a regular back then, but mostly because I was cool with one of the waitresses there.

Cool staff are half of what makes a place. Trust me, nothing at all special about Big Rock Brewery in Liberty.....I only go there now because I'm on first-name terms with the boss and some of the staff....but I haven't been there in a year either so who knows what's what.
I used to go to Duggan's when it was downtown. Haven't even considered it since moving back to Parkdale.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Cloak and Dagger is cool....but again, way out of the way for me and my crew.

 

[AlbertC]

Oh it was always like that on some nights. Never went there in the evenings....only mornings or afternoons. Had my regular booth and servers. It's been a few years now......whoah, like 5....


Where? Is that in the suburbs?


Oh, you know what bar I really love(d) but haven't been back since I lived ten doors down? The Gem!!!!!!!! That's in your block.
That's the one place I would go north for still, but it really is madly out of the way of my social life geography.

Cool staff are half of what makes a place. Trust me, nothing at all special about Big Rock Brewery in Liberty.....I only go there now because I'm on first-name terms with the boss and some of the staff....but I haven't been there in a year either so who knows what's what.
I used to go to Duggan's when it was downtown. Haven't even considered it since moving back to Parkdale.

The Gem is an OG spot, to the point where they're still operating cash only. Love the neon and neighbourhood watering hole feel. I would like to hit it up more but it's still at least a 7-8 blocks away walk from me, and isolated in a sleepier retail strip. Most of us Davenportonians just head south to Bloor, Dundas or Queen.

I don't mind Big Rock that much. I order brews from them on Ubereats when I get lazy nowadays. Staff there have always been friendly. Also back when they first opened, one of their waitresses move there from Duggans whom a Parkdale mate of mine quite fancied.

 

[SunriseChampion]

The Gem is an OG spot, to the point where they're still operating cash only.

I love them for that. I love cash only operations. It's the ones who don't take cash that I won't patronise.

Love the neon and neighbourhood watering hole feel. I would like to hit it up more but it's still at least a 7-8 blocks away walk from me, and isolated in a sleepier retail strip.

It's worth the walk....or take the bus that only comes once every half an hour or whatever it is.

Most of us Davenportonians just head south to Bloor, Dundas or Queen.

I was living above Sandal Man when I was going there so it was my local anyway, never mind how awesome it is otherwise.
I should start going back.....simple to get to for me even from here: 504 to 63 bus. Half an hour.

I don't mind Big Rock that much. I order brews from them on Ubereats when I get lazy nowadays.

I was getting growlers filled there last summer (and drinking half of them on the walk home hahaha) but they stopped refilling them at one point because of plague (which is stupid) so I haven't been back since.

Staff there have always been friendly. Also back when they first opened, one of their waitresses move there from Duggans whom a Parkdale mate of mine quite fancied.

Emily, by chance?

 

[AlbertC]

I love them for that. I love cash only operations. It's the ones who don't take cash that I won't patronise.


It's worth the walk....or take the bus that only comes once every half an hour or whatever it is.


I was living above Sandal Man when I was going there so it was my local anyway, never mind how awesome it is otherwise.
I should start going back.....simple to get to for me even from here: 504 to 63 bus. Half an hour.


I was getting growlers filled there last summer (and drinking half of them on the walk home hahaha) but they stopped refilling them at one point because of plague (which is stupid) so I haven't been back since.



Emily, by chance?

I'm actually a couple blocks even further west of where I grew up, after moving to the townhouse community at Davenport & Lansdowne a couple years ago. But I would totally still walk over to the Gem if needed. On a swift stride, I'd likely get there in about a shade under 20 minutes.

Although it's stagnated for some time, that little retail node around Ossington actually isn't too bad. Sandalman is still around. Dante's Inferno makes good panini's, albeit being only open for half the week. There's a decent cafe on the north side, and you can get a haircut at Ernie's.

The Davenport 127 bus comes every 20 minutes during regular rush hours, and probably scaled back to half an hour during the quieter periods. Before the current WFH era, that was my go-to route to head to work, taking it to Dupont station. Made life a lot easier and comfortable compared to the hectic Dufferin and Lansdowne buses.

I believe her name was Sarah, but it's been so long now. I know she eventually left Big Rock and moved on for at least 2-3 years ago.

 

[Johnny Au]

Marlee Village is slowly being replaced with condos.

Li Cheng (the only Chinese restaurant in the district) and Chalker's Pub have closed for good.

Even a few hair salons have closed and be replaced with condos.

 

[Towered]

Uh, is that the one up Queen Street way? That's too far north for me. I think I know what you're talking about though.




Jersey Giant, Football Factory, and Foggy Dew

The Jersey Giant especially.....that place......I cried when it closed. I met so many great people there. Made friends with the staff. Had so many good times there. The back room was our clubhouse! That juke box ate hundreds of dollars of our money.
We weren't there often at times, but the staff would remember us and be overjoyed to see us even after a year's absence.

Anyway, pubs like that act as community centres for some people and having them close down to be replaced with bollocks is just a tragedy.

The only pub left that me and my crew frequent is a flippin chain that we only give the time of day to because of proximity to one of our hangouts.

Like, I don't even want to live here anymore. I know that sounds ridiculous and not just a little melodramatic, but between the dissolution of the nightlife scene and the closure of very cherished pubs to hang out at during the day there's not much left for me here in terms of social life.
Like nothing what the city used to provide me.

I'm not even sure which pub to make my next regular. Wheat Sheaf? The pubs in Liberty are always overpacked so somewhat useless on a lot of days, though I've made friendly with the staff at Big Rock.

Yeah....it's bunk.
When Foggy Dew closed (which was before the plague!) I was sad, but thought to myself that I still had the Giant and Football Factory for watchign football at. Well.....that was some short-lived optimism.

The DnB (see what I did there?) aka The Dog and Bear used to be a favourite as well when I lived on that block, but it's out of the way for anything in my life now to make it a regular.
Happy Coffee and Wine on my block is a new regular but it's a wine bar and my soul can't entirely live without a proper pub.

Any ideas?

No ideas unfortunately. I had never even been to any of the 3 pubs you mentioned. In my days as a strapping young lad, I was quite the night owl, but at this point I'm regrettably retired from night life.

 

[Towered]

Oh it was always like that on some nights. Never went there in the evenings....only mornings or afternoons. Had my regular booth and servers. It's been a few years now......whoah, like 5....


Where? Is that in the suburbs?


Oh, you know what bar I really love(d) but haven't been back since I lived ten doors down? The Gem!!!!!!!! That's in your block.
That's the one place I would go north for still, but it really is madly out of the way of my social life geography.

Cool staff are half of what makes a place. Trust me, nothing at all special about Big Rock Brewery in Liberty.....I only go there now because I'm on first-name terms with the boss and some of the staff....but I haven't been there in a year either so who knows what's what.
I used to go to Duggan's when it was downtown. Haven't even considered it since moving back to Parkdale.

For a craft brewery that's been around for a long time now, Duggan's surprisingly sucks.

 

[Northern Light]

No ideas unfortunately. I had never even been to any of the 3 pubs you mentioned. In my days as a strapping young lad, I was quite the night owl, but at this point I'm regrettably retired from night life.

LOL..........strapping young lad..................first time I've heard your voice in my head in a Scottish accent!

Do you know how weird it is to hear Count Frightenstein in a Scottish accent?

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Despite the presence of my ex-wife, I had many good times at the Jem. Reminded me a lot of the kind of cash-only bar you'd see in the St. Mark's Place - Alphabet City corridor (looking at you Otto's Shrunken Head).

Jersey Giant was stellar, was a regular there for many years. Always chose that place over any of the bars along the Esplanade strip *except* Scotland Yard, although just prior to COVID they no longer served Stock Ale on tap. Hope they hang in there, and The Flatiron as even though it's a Firkin, I'm a sucker for basement bars and its location in the Flatiron alone makes it unique.

I'm losing count of my regular haunts that are gone: Burgundy's (both iterations), Dukes of Richmond and Gloucester, Brass Taps, Old Nick, Overdraught, the old Markham Street spots, many others. I would be sad if the Bedford Academy closes, the bar is a nice, quiet spot and I'm old enough that I was a regular at the Ballroom back in the 90s so to lose both would be unfortunate. I still miss the Regal Beagle and the James Joyce. The Madison can be incinerated tomorrow and its absence would not be missed. It was really only good in its small, original incarnation before it grew like an amoeba and became the roofie launching point for frat assholes nearby. The Annex Residents Association must be wishing for its permanent demise.

The Imperial should be ok as I believe the family owns the building, same with Hemingway's. Not sure about the Strathcona: I knew the hospitality manager and I *think* that hotel is being used by the city as a homeless shelter. In terms of the financial district, I'm pretty sure one of the Dukes (Westminster or Devon) will be gone, hopefully the Piper's Pub in the Royal York hangs on. Beyond that we have to hope the other hotel bars will open up again as that's really all that would be left. In the west end losing the Bar With No Name was a big blow. I know the owner of The Wicket second-hand and he's hanging on by a thread apparently. Jenny's closed, then reopened, and now I'm not sure what's going on. Hopefully Loon's and The Local hang on.

I suspect a lot of Firkins are done but my old one at Yonge and Sheppard *should* be ok. I literally would have nowhere I feel like drinking in NYCC if it closes and I used to barhop from the Frog, Black Sheep, the old Keg, Congress, etc. back when I lived there. Definitely not much of a drinker's town left if these trends continue.