DECA’s Veteran Drivers, Scene 4

If you have a kid and you’ve been to the farmer’s market in East Lynn Park, you probably know Melissa Peretti. She’s the person who plays with her or him, while you go smell the peaches and size up the fresh garlic.  For years now, she’s run a creative crafts table every week at the market, teaching kids how to make home-made maracas and finger puppets.

If you don’t know her from there, then maybe you’ve visited her storefront Mrs. Darling. She’s been one of our pop-up entrepreneurs not once, but twice.

But what you should really know about Melissa, is that she’s spent countless hours over many years helping set up and run the annual Danforth East Arts Fair. She is extremely humble about her efforts (“just one of a team!”), but we want to shout out our praises because we think, truly, she is an example of how much of a difference one person can make to a neighbourhood.

Somehow, we got her to join the board too.

Here is veteran DECA board member MELISSA PERETTI, in her own words….

Melissa Peretti as Mrs. Darling at the East Lynn Farmers' Market
Melissa Peretti as Mrs. Darling at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market
My name and age is… Melissa Peretti holding strong at 38. I grew up in Peterborough, went to an intergraded arts high school, and couldn’t wait to leave and find everything in the big city. What I have ended up finding is a welcoming, closeknit community unlike anything there was in my small suburban town, where you had to drive every where to get or do anything.

One thing people don’t know about me is… that I’m that “market craft lady” Mrs. Darling, and due to popular request I’ve recently launched my new interior design business for families to help them have creativity, play, and whimsy in the homes they should love to live in now though purposeful design.

I also belong to an awesome business ladies group, IBOSS (Independent Business Owners Stratagy and Support Group, but I like to think of us as a Secret Society). We meet monthly, usually at Cake Town, but had a spring lunch (in the pic below) at Melanie’s Bistro.

I moved to Danforth East… in 2005 two weeks after I got married in Italy, into a house on Strathmore Blvd., from Spadina and Queen. Big changes.

One change I’ve seen over the years….  the influx of young families. There are waaaay more little ones toddling around then when my eight-year-old was that young. You need a reservation to get into the sandbox at East Lynn now. (Joke credit Andrew Mattews)

The thing I love most about Danforth East is… the proximity to everything. I can get everything I need with in a ten minute walk, but if I do have to leave there’s the subway. Boom! DVP. Boom! Lakeshore Gardiner right down there. Beaches, Greek Town……

My biggest local pet peeve is… the sidewalk flower planters. But I know the street scraping is being rolled out in stages just now. (Thanks MMM!)

My neighborhood secret is… going with my daughter to Royal Beef on a Sunday to get a sandwich (which they will make you if you didn’t know) and her weekly supply of “crack ham”, better known as Applewood smoked ham. She’s nuts for it.

The place I go in DECA’s stomping grounds that you’ve likely never frequented is… my street’s progressive dinner party we host in the cold depths of February. Just when you are starting to forget what your neighbours look like, it’s a great time to make merry. The first one I joined, I brought my one-month-old baby along. She slept in the bassinet as we went form house to house. It was probably the last one were I was conservative with the wine pairings.

The thing I’ve done as a DECA board member that makes me most proud is… my work on the Arts Fair. Really a lot of fun. We are a small group (but can always grow!!). We hand pick every artist, try to create a perfect balance, making sure each one has a unique voice at the show. After all those months of work, there’s nothing like the feeling on a cool, dewy September morning, helping the artists set up and it all coming together.

My final word…. DECA always can use more hands. I was very intimidated by the super-involved, over-achievers when I started hanging around my first meetings. But not everyone has to lead a project to get involved. You just need to figure out what feels interesting and see where it takes you. A few hours lending a hand here and there really makes a big difference to pulling off most of the events we all enjoy.

DECA Board member Melissa Peretti (third from the left) and the other members of the local business group, IBOSS, otherwise known as the Secret Society.
DECA Board member Melissa Peretti (third from the left) and the other members of the local business group, IBOSS, otherwise known as the Secret Society.*
( *For those fellow solo-pronours, or simply curious neighbours, members of IBOSS pictured with Melissa in the photo include: Isabelle Bouchard, owner of Ankh Yoga, ankhyoga.com ; Heather Corbin, graphic designer, corbincreative.ca; Samantha Lowes, bookkeeper, lowesconsulting.ca ; Tobi Asmoucha, photographer, tobiphoto.com ; and Tammy Lai, accountant thecarrotcounter.com. Final member Queenie Best wasn’t there for the pic. She’s a graphic designer,   queeniescards.com.)

#DECAgems nominee El Sol

There’s just one week left to nominate your favorite local businesses for the DECA Hidden Gems competition. On May 7, the final four will be chosen — based on popularity, merit and need. So, keep nominating — even if your favorite spot has already had a shout-out! We are listening. To date, more than 80 businesses have received nominations. That’s huge.

In the run up to the final four, we decided to highlight some popular nominees for you — just to share the love. We even went to visit them all in our mission for information. This write-up comes from our friend and fellow #DECAgems organizer Niamh Hill:

El Sol at 1448 Danforth is both a Mexican restaurant and gallery.
El Sol at 1448 Danforth is both a Mexican restaurant and gallery.

Did you know El Sol (1448 Danforth) is both a North Mexican restaurant and a gallery?

Before owner Yolanda Paez started working in the kitchen, she studied art in Mexico.

That’s why there’s art on the walls, weighing down the shelves and even covering the ceilings. (All of it is for sale too — check out the  sun (sol) figurines, Mexican glass collections and  sombreros in the back that curious guests are encouraged to try on along with maracas. Ole!)

Even when cooking up some delicious soft or hard tacos, empanadas or guacamole, Yolanda always has art on her mind. She laughs as she thinks about cooking in the kitchen and creating a poem in her head at the same time.

‘I’ve seen children grow up’ she says as she describes her 19 years operating on the Danforth. ‘They come in with their parents when they’re little, and then they come in on their own.’

She runs the gallery/restaurant with her brother Gonzalo. 

The ingredients the family uses are mostly imported from Mexico (locally when it’s not the middle of winter!) and the meals are always prepared fresh and entirely from scratch. Each year Yolanda goes back to Mexico for two weeks and purchases the spices, heading straight to the  market in Mexico City from the airport.

As soon as the weather is warm enough Yolanda wants to start hosting gallery nights on Monday evenings to showcase Mexican art and music. Along with drinks they plan on serving up a special menu of finger foods for visitors. She’s especially excited to open up the patio this summer and to paint the fence a new color, perhaps blue or yellow – she can’t decide.

What would Yolanda do to El Sol if she wins the #DECAgems competition? Marketing. Right now, they rely mostly on word-of-mouth. El Sol has a website, but between the gallery and kitchen, Yolanda can’t find time to update it.

El Sol 3

And the nominations are….

Our #DECAgems competition has been on for 1.5 weeks now. (If this is strangely the first you’ve heard about it, click here.)

The best thing about it, for me, is learning about places I’ve passed in our neighborhood, but never been into– for whatever reason.

We humans are funny. We settle into our habits fast.

I’ve also loved getting to know about some of people inside those places — the stories neighbors tell about them, the stories they tell themselves.

Take New Era Pharmacy. This place is right around the corner from my house. I remember when Monica painted the beautiful mural on its side. I started going there when I heard they delivered prescriptions to your door, and by God, they do! For free!

It has been nominated as a #DECAgem, so one of our volunteers Laurie Smith went in there to poke around.

She reports: “New Era Pharmacy is a family-run business at the south-west corner of Danforth and Cedarvale.

It’s been in the neighbourhood for the past 15 years, but moved to the current location in 2005. Badi Abdolmaleki, pharmacist brother Anis, and Reza (“like my brother” says Badi) run the thriving pharmacy which has grown to include a medical clinic with acupuncture and rehab services.
Why the “New Era” name?  Because the owners wanted to usher in a new way of customer-service, where people weren’t just strangers off the streets,  they were clients who were often known by name, and were made to feel welcome.

The name and strategy seems to have worked — Badi and Anis do no advertising, and have no website, and get their clients through word of mouth alone.

Biggest change Badi has seen over the past 10 years?  “There used to be people just hanging around the corners.  Now there are more families, people with strollers and dogs.  It’s a nice change.”

There are ten more days to nominate your favorite hidden gem in the hood. So, keep spreading the love. You can nominate it on Facebook (DanforthEastCommunityAssociation), Twitter (@decadiaries using the hashtag #DECAgems) or by e-mail at DECAgems@gmail.com.

Badi at New Era Pharmacy, 2163 Danforth
Badi at New Era Pharmacy, 2163 Danforth

Show Royal Beef some love

Thanks to James Madge for this post:

Do you know Carmen Estrela?

She’s your friend. She’s your neighbour. She’s the woman who runs Royal Beef, that fantastic neighbourhood butcher that helps you feed your family. She’s the nice lady who hands out free salami to occupy your kids while you are shopping, and the one who sponsors your hockey team.
Carmen is having a bad week. Heck, a bad month.
Thieves broke into her business the other day, smashing things in their wake. 
They’d already broken in three weeks ago, stealing the $200 that was in the cash-register float. Carmen opted to leave the empty cash register open after that break-in. They smashed it anyway.
She is stressed about all this. Not only do these break-ins keep her up at night, but they cost her money.
Carmen Estrela is your friend, your neighbour.
Go see her this weekend. Buy something. Tell her you heard about the news and that you are sorry. That’s not the kind of neighbourhood DECA is. It’s a place where we take care of one another.
The money you spend will help ease the expense Carmen has incurred because of these thieves. 
The consideration you show here will go a long way in helping her feel better

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#DanforthEast Garage Sale: Save the Date!

Save the date for the 3rd Annual #DanforthEast Garage Sale!

Saturday June 13th (rain or shine)

Do you want to clean out a basement, sell those old skis or go bargain shopping while meeting up with your neighbours?  Then save June 13th when DECA will be hosting its third annual neighbourhood wide garage sale.  Last year we had over 160 individual sales all across the Danforth East and this year we are hoping to be bigger and better.
Stay tuned to the blog for info on how to sign-up and other details.

#DECAgems for Kids

John and Heidi of John's Hobbies
John and Heidi of John’s Hobbies

Parents: have you ever tried to “just take a quick peek” or “check out what this place is like” at a local kids’ business—while you have your kid in tow? Yeah, me neither. We would likely be rewarded with either a) a major meltdown or b) a sizable hole in our pockets.

So for those moments when your kid grew 6 cm overnight or you need a last minute gift for your niece or nephew, your neighbours and #DECAgems are here to help!

Ages and Stages (1522 Danforth) is a consignment clothing shop specializing in children’s and maternity clothing, and also sells toys, games, outdoor equipment, pretty much anything you need for little ones. Mia says, “the owner, Nicki, goes out of her way to help local families find great deals for family and children’s products.”

Merrily, Merrily started out as an online store and now has a pop-up shop at 1854 Danforth. Jason nominated this “phenomenal baby and tots clothing consignment store” as a DECA gem on our Facebook page, adding that “what is amazing is that every item they have is also online so you can shop and reserve or buy before you even get there.”

Meri echoes the thoughts of so many of our neighbours: “Argh it is so hard to just choose one, our stretch of the Danforth plays host to so many unique and amazing businesses!” She settles on Silly Goose Kids (2054 Danforth) because “the owners do an amazing job contributing to the community via donations and their time. They have created a wonderful and welcoming store, hosting a wide range of year round fabulous events. It’s the place my son and I most look forward to shopping in.”

Universal Diapers, 1987 Danforth and East Lynn Avenue, specializes in baby and adult diapers and offers a variety of other clothing items. Lori nominates it as her #DECAgem, “the owner, Lewis, was fantastic at ordering in what I needed and over the last four years has changed his store significantly to meet the needs of parents in the neighbourhood. Aside from diapers, this store is a great alternative to a big box store for baby/kid stuff.”

For a slightly older crowd, Steve recommends John’s Hobbies (2188 Danforth), a long-standing Danforth fixture. “I still remember thrill of going John’s Hobbies with my mum to buy an Aurora AFX slot-car racing set, and considering we rode the streetcar over from Yonge, it had to be pre-1966. Even then, John’s was a Danforth fixture and gem. Aside from selling model kits, radio-controlled planes and classic train sets, the place lives by its original slogan: ‘We service what we sell.’”

What are your other favourite #DECAgems? Tell your neighbors about them! Spread the love. And nominate them on Facebook (DanforthEastCommunityAssociation), Twitter (@decadiaries using the hashtag #DECAgems) or by e-mail at DECAgems@gmail.com.

— By guest blogger Razili Datta