Ten Questions for DECA Board Members: Lorraine & Stephen

Here is the second post in the series of Ten Questions for DECA Board members spearheaded by DECA volunteer Heather Bean.  She posed ten questions to each of our board members to learn a little bit about where they come from, who they are, and what their dreams are for our neighbourhood.  Meet DECA’s former treasurer, Lorraine Cheng and our local history expert and Jane’s Walk leader, Stephen Wickens.

Ten Questions for . . . Lorraine Cheng

Lorraine

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

I have been living in the neighbourhood since 2007.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Hong Kong.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Saturday mornings I have coffee, share a plate of fruit with my husband and read the Saturday newspaper at home.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmer’s Market, and what do you do with it?

Corn: steam it, put on butter, salt and pepper. Yum yum.

How did you get involved with DECA?

In 2008 I was at the market and signed up to be a member at large. From 2011 to 2013 I took on the role of treasurer.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

Too many! I would like to bring in more restaurants in our community.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

The fruit and veggie store—Kelly Food Market.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

A bookstore with a little cafe.

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

Get rid of all the nail salons.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

We are changing.

Ten Questions for . . . Stephen Wickens

wickens

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

My wife and I moved into DECA territory in January 2002, and clearly the timing was excellent.

Where did you grow up?

In the Beach neighbourhood, just a few doors up from the lake. From that vantage point, the Danforth seemed like an exotic, real-world place. I was quite excited when the subway opened in 1966. I remember going to see a few movies at the Prince of Wales theatre (now Valumart), and in the late 1960s, John’s Hobby Shop and, of course, Stan Lane’s Cycle and Sports (which I think was where the Home Hardware is now). Stan’s was the first store I knew of where you could buy curved hockey sticks.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

No set pattern, though it’s often reading the longer feature stories in the papers.

How did you get involved with DECA?

I was kicking myself for not being in DECA from day one. I had been involved in two previous attempts to start a neighbourhood association, but they went nowhere. When I heard that a group was up and going, I was eager to join.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

We’re working on it. Though only in its nascent stages, the visioning project should be a bottom-up consultation process aimed at generating a broad understanding of our neighbourhood economy. Armed with that, through DECA, residents should be able to contribute wisely and credibly to city planning policy discussions and debates over development proposals or empty storefronts.  It’s all about generating diversity and vibrancy.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

Most of the bread in our house comes from Celena’s. I go to Moberly Natural Foods and The Twelfth Fret. I love the chicken wings at TKO’s, but don’t get to eat them enough. I do my banking at the Woodbine RBC. Because we’re in DECA’s wild west, I’m often on the strip over to Greenwood. Local Supermarket has the best mangoes and the Linsmore has had some really fun bands in recent months. I go east of DECA turf when I have that fish and chip hankering: You can’t beat Duckworth’s at Main.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

A really good supermarket. We do most of our grocery shopping at the Coxwell No Frills, but…. 

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

As Jane Jacobs pointed out in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, we need to get lots of people on our sidewalks at different times of day, and for different reasons. She argued that a key and often overlooked factor in the decades of decline neighbourhoods such as ours experienced during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s was that we lost employment. It’s not that we’ll get the factories back, nor would many locals stand for the inconveniences of industrial neighbours but, again as Jacobs pointed out, office jobs fit wonderfully into residential areas around subway stations, as long as it’s all within a human/pedestrian scale. We need to become the model for the city’s mid-rise avenues plan. So, along with the residential density we’ll inevitably get in the coming years, we need to rejuvenate the mix of primary uses in the neighbourhood, mostly by getting people to come here during the daytime when so many of us are working in other hoods. A healthy time-spread of local foot traffic makes it so much easier for secondary-use businesses — local stores and restaurants — to thrive.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

There aren’t many prewar neighbourhoods that are still very much on the rise. But this is one. I also tell folks they should join me for the Jane’s Walk I lead each May.

Ten Questions for DECA Board Members – Natasha & Anita

DECA volunteer Heather Bean has been busy interviewing DECA Board Members for this new Ten Questions series. This series will run every Sunday for the next few weeks.  Heather posed questions to each of our board members to learn a little bit about where they come from, who they are, and what their dreams are for our neighbourhood.  Here’s the first two interviews of the series from our founding and past chair, Natasha Granatstein and current chair, Anita Schretlen.

Ten Questions for… Natasha Granatstein

natasha

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

My husband and I moved from our apartment in Parkdale to this neighbourhood in 2004. We first saw the house on a miserably cold and grey day in January. It was the fifth house we had bid on and we were getting used to losing bidding wars.  This house didn’t sell in the first week so we put in an offer and were shocked when they accepted it. We’ve never once regretted buying this house or moving into this neighbourhood.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Calgary and lived next door to fantastic neighbours who are still like family.  My parents were involved in our community association, and both sat on the executive board at various times. They were also involved when seven communities came together to raise funds and build a double-pad ice rink in our neighbourhood.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Most Saturdays I go to Legacy Cycling Studio just west of Coxwell and do the boot camp or the spin class. I often go to Royal Beef and Kelly’s fruit market for supplies. It’s not uncommon to make a stop at Silly Goose Kids for a birthday present or three.  In the winter, odds are good that I’ll spend some time at East York Memorial Arena watching some form of hockey, and if it’s a really early game, we’re likely to end up at the Sunset Grill for post-game pancakes and omelettes.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmers Market, and what do you do with it?

Tough decision. But I think my favourite thing to buy is raspberries. I have two little boys and they love to stick the raspberries on the end of their fingers and eat them off one by one. There are lots of yummy things at the market, but the sight of them having such a wonderful time giggling and soaking everything in makes raspberries the winner.

How did you get involved with DECA?

I was on my first maternity leave. I wished for a better commercial strip so I could get a decent cup of coffee somewhere with my baby. I wished that politicians would pay more attention to this neighbourhood. At first, the group was going to centre around the intersection of Woodbine and Danforth. When those involved decided to expand out a bit further, I jumped in.  I said I would write a newsletter for them. Next thing I knew, I was hosting meetings around my dining room table, and I became the founding chair of the Danforth East Community Association. It’s still hard for me to believe that DECA’s become so much more than just the ideas of half a dozen people sitting around drinking wine.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

I would love for DECA to be able to invest in public sculptures and tuck them in nooks and crannies around the neighbourhood. Over time, they would become an attraction for visitors to come and take a tour of the neighbourhood and the sculptures. For residents, the sculpture would be little, almost intimate, pieces of art that become woven into the fabric of our community.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

Certainly the Legacy Cycling Studio. I try to get in there two or three times during the week at 6:15 a.m. and once on the weekend at 8:30 a.m.  I love Royal Beef, Silly Goose Kids, and Impressions (for my dental cleanings). These are the places I go because they have the things I need most frequently, but also because their owners have made the effort to get to know me and always make me feel absolutely welcome.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

I would love to see some more clothing and shoe stores. I’m thrilled to see some of the pop-ups trying out clothing shops.  I hope at least some of them can stay!

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

The LITTER!  I hate the litter on the Danforth. I hate the litter on the side streets. I wish the BIA would use some of its budget (which includes my tax dollars) to pay for extra litter pick up on the Danforth. But mostly I wish people wouldn’t litter. It makes me crazy.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

I tell them that I have terrific neighbours. I feel very fortunate to have landed here among such smart, funny, interesting, kind and down-to-earth people.

Ten Questions for…. Anita Schretlen

AnitaSchretlenpic

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

Three and a half years. We knew almost nothing about the neighbourhood when we chose our house and it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small northern Ontario mining town called Elliot Lake. Anyone who knows me now will not be surprised to hear that I did not fit in.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

My littlest one insists that I make pancakes on Saturday mornings. She’s pushy, so it’s turned into a bit of a family ritual. She talks about it all week and then manages to eat her weight in them, so it’s worth the effort.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmer’s Market, and what do you do with it?

There is no way I could pick one favourite thing. I buy as much as I can. In fact, I’ve been known to fill up the stroller so full of food that I have to make my two year old walk home. Everything’s so fresh and tastes so much better that my kids are actually excited to be eating fruits and vegetables. This past Thursday, they actually ignored the pizza on their plates and made dinner of the basket of peas I’d bought. Then begged for the raspberries for dessert.

How did you get involved with DECA?

A friend told me about the blog. I followed along for a while, and then decided I wanted to contribute, so I contacted the folks in charge. I believe my first contribution was hauling pumpkins for waste pickup after the pumpkin parade.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

I would primarily like to see more people getting involved in the projects we have going right now. We have a lot of supporters, but there are also a lot of people in the area who don’t know what DECA is. The more people get involved, as volunteers, members or participants, the more successful we will be in fulfilling our mandate.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

I’d like to say I’m at my gym, Bomb Wellness, every day, but I’m pretty sure they’d just laugh me out of there at that little exaggeration.  We’re at Silly Goose a lot-they are fantastic at helping choose birthday presents and we have our fair share of those. We also hit up Royal Beef pretty often; they have plenty of last-minute dinner inspirations and the quality can’t be beat.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

I would open up a kids’ clothing store. No, a home decor store. I mean a fishmonger… there’s such a market in this neighbourhood for so many things, I don’t think I could decide on just one…. Ummm, actually I could use a wine store for sure!

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

I’d like to feel safer walking around at night. Unfortunately that’s something that still needs to change.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

Mainly, I tell people what a great community vibe we have here. I love bumping into so many friends and acquaintances on the street, at the coffee shop, or in the park. The last neighbourhood I lived in was really beautiful, but no one talked to you. Imagine my shock when I moved here and a new acquaintance (with three kids under three and a full-time job, no less) showed up at my door with a lasagne after the birth of my daughter. That’s just not something you see in most parts of the city.

Suds & Skates: DECA Board Meeting & Skating at Local Parks

DECA Board Meeting Next Tuesday

On Tuesday, January 14th the DECA Board will be meeting a a local establishment to talk ideas and initiatives for the neighbourhood.  If you would like to attend, please contact us.

Local Skating – Monarch & East Lynn Parks Open 

Time to sharpen those blades!  Looks like a fun day has planned by the Friends of Monarch Park group for a day of skating this Sunday from 2:30 to 4:30p.m.  Also, the East Lynn Park skating rink is also open for business! Thank you to all the volunteer for bringing so much winter fun to our neighbourhood.

Skating

East York New Year’s Levee Today 1-3

Local residents are invited to welcome 2014 with area politicians and some of their neighbours TODAY, Sunday, January 5.

The annual New Year’s Levee, from 1:00-3:00p.m. at the East York Civic Centre (850 Coxwell Ave) is a traditional gathering meant to let local people meet their political representatives.

This year, Ward 31 Beaches-East York councillor Janet Davis, Ward 29 Toronto-Danforth Councillor Mary Fragedakis, Beaches-East York MPP Michael Prue, Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns, Beaches-East York public school trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher, Toronto-Danforth public school trustee Cathy Dandy, Beaches-East York MP Matthew Kellway and Toronto-Danforth MP Craig Scott are expected to attend.

Organizers say the event also features a jazz trio and light refreshments.

Food bank donations will be appreciated.