Yonge Street, between Gerard and Dundas, is getting a makeover, according to a Toronto Star article. The area is to get widened sidewalks and encourages new businesses such as cafes, retailers and so forth. Sounds like a good idea, but I think it needs to be expanded. The area south of Bloor to Gerard needs work as well – and a lot of it, at that. With the exception of a few places, such as College Park, a few Starbuckses and Second Cups and some restaurants, the entire area is a hot mess, even in broad daylight (and I don’t mean homeless people). How can Toronto ever come close to sophistication if the shops there sell $5 novelty t-shirts and staff stand on the street haggling people to come in? This kind of marketing works at an old fashioned open market, but not on Yonge. There, it’s just plain tacky. And don’t get me started on the adult entertainment places (okay, there aren’t that many, but still…).
Yonge Street, just south of Bloor
So what’s in my ideal downtown Yonge Street? It really isn’t too different from the proposal.
Chic Cafes: Especially independent ones with Wi-Fi like you’d find in the Annex. They have to make a mean espresso, serve some savoury (as well as sweet) foods and promote local artists by displaying their work (thus doubling as a gallery) or inviting them to perform in the evening. Must open until at least 9 or 10 pm. Patio/street level seating in warmer months. An Asian-style bakery would be very nice, too.
Restaurants: Anything but Thai/pseudo-Thai/pan-Asian chains or fast food Middle Eastern/schwarma places (There are too many of those. However, I’d love to see a middle eastern restaurant that is sit-down with service). Preferably not chains. Again, outdoor seating in warmer months.
Nice clothing and accessories shops: Mid-priced chains are welcome as long as it doesn’t become super-saturated like Queen West. The rent on Bloor Street is very expensive, which is probably why so many international stores are opening at Yorkdale first (and also because there just isn’t a place on Bloor for them. The only empty storefronts are too small for most clothing stores). We also need a place for sophisticated independent shops, which may be carrying both well-established and lesser-known brands. Price ranges should be mixed, from very affordable (in an H&M sense) to pricier, Bloor-Yorkville ranges. Major brands I’d love to see move in include J.Crew, Ann Taylor, Kate Spade and Tory Burch.
Specialty food stores: With all those condos going up around the area, people need places, other than chain grocery stores (there’s a Metro at College Park and I hear Sobey’s is opening soon) to buy food. Why not a nice cheese place or butcher shop? Green grocer? Bakery? I would also love to see a Pusateri’s type store specializing in Asian foods that is a little more affordable.
Independent movie theatre: Kind of like the Cumberland in Yorkville.
Galleries: Small ones, like those at the Distillery and Yorkville.
The strip in general: I’m a downtown girl who loves to walk. In fact, my husband and I rarely use the car – even to buy groceries. Wider sidewalks and more sophisticated shops would make the walk much more enjoyable, especially when all those novelty T-shirt places and the handful of adult-oriented entertainment joints shut down. With cafes, restaurants and shopping, who wouldn’t want to live downtown, especially if it were affordable? As the area improves, so would schools, making it okay to raise children.
Although there will definitely be some improvement to the area, I really doubt that it would be to the extent above. The current municipal government isn’t exactly known for being well-polished (especially the mayor). However, one can dream, right?
