DECA – Page 128 – Danforth East Community Association

March 20, 2013

Pop-Up Shop Big Ideas Night & More

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.

Joel A. Barker

Big Ideas Night

DECA’s pop-up shops started with a vision to change the Danforth. You acted. You scrubbed. You scraped. You painted. You walked in the door. And you shopped. Each of these are small, but vital acts that support the future of our community and of walking neighbourhoods in Toronto and around the world. People who change the world don’t do it grand sweeping gestures. Well, I suppose you might if you were Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. But those guys just give money to people who scrape, scrub and and walk in the door. In these acts you are creating a community that is more vibrant, walkable and safe. Now we’re asking, once again, for a little bit more. We need your ideas.

You are cordially invited to join us for the DECA Pop-Up Shops Big Ideas Night. We want you and we need your big ideas. Pop-up shops have already been responsible for the renting of two spaces on the Danforth and we’re looking forward to a few more pop-up tenants opening up permanent shops this spring. If you like the pop-ups and the activity they are creating, we’d like you to help us think about the future of pop-ups and where to go from here.

Wednesday, March 27 7-9 p.m. This meeting will be fun and interactive. We promise!

One Last Hurrah for the Current Pop-Up Shops: Krystle Lee & Fa Real

Fa Real Designz N Prints | 1898 Danforth Avenue
Tuesday-Saturday 12-8
Fa Real brand clothing is all on sale for $10. Plus, if you want your name put on a hockey jersey you can get it done for between $15-30.

Krystle Lee | 1801 Danforth Avenue
This weekend only she will be offering everyone and additional 30% discount (on select merchandise) off the already super low prices, best to go out with a bang!

If you haven’t had the chance to shop or you left that special something behind, now is your chance.

You can catch her this Saturday and Sunday between 1-5pm

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March 18, 2013

DECA Board Meeting, TEGH News & Bollywood at Monarch

DECA Board Meeting – TONIGHT

A group of your neighbours are meeting tonight to talk about pop-up shops, arts fair, trees, and other cool events in the neighbourhood – otherwise known as a DECA Board meeting. The meeting is at 7:30 pm. If you want to know the details please send us an email.

A Few Items from Your Local Hospital

Toronto East General is refreshing their strategic plan and is looking for community input. Have a look at the online survey and let them know what you think by clicking here.
TEGH and Toronto Police Service, together with neighbours and local city councillors, recently celebrated the creation of new mobile crisis intervention teams (MCITs) where a nurse trained in mental health accompany’s police to 9-1-1 calls where a person is suspected of having a mental illness or being emotionally disturbed. Read more about it here.
If you’ve ever been asked to ‘turn your head and cough‘ then this one is for you! TEGH Urologist Dr. Rajiv Singal will be hosting a tweet-chat this Thursday to answer any questions you may have. Follow #prostatecare from 6:30-7:30 pm on March 21st to join the discussion.
Speaking of colons… if you’d like information on colon cancer and local services, visit the information booth that will be set up in hospital’s Coxwell Lobby on March 26th from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Going Bollywood for Monarch Park

Students at local high school Monarch Park Collegiate are hosting a evening of Bollywood food, dance and a silent auction in support of a student trip to India. Have a look at the poster below for all the details.

March 13, 2013

All Things Art: DEAF & AOD

Art of the Danforth: Join the Team

Are you interested in participating in some way with the next Art of the Danforth (scheduled for May 2014)? If so, you’re invited to the following get together!

Thursday, April 18, 7:30-9 pm

Art of the Danforth 2014 Brainstorm 7:30 – 8:30 pm

East Danforth Creative Collective Annual General Meeting 8:30 – 9pm

At LucSculpture Studio & Schools

663 Greenwood (just steps north of Danforth)

For more information, or if you can’t make it, email: info@eastdanforthcreative.com

Danforth East Arts Fair: Call for Artists

It’s that time of year again. The Danforth East Arts Fair is accepting applications for the coming season. This years art fair will be held in East Lynn Park on September 14 & 15. Application deadlines are earlier this year in order to help us kick off a more vigorous marketing campaign, so please get your applications in for the early deadline of March 29, 2013 and pay a discounted application fee ($175). The final deadline for applications will be May 31, 2013 ($200).

Please visit us at deca-arts.ca for the 2013 exhibitor package and more about what you can expect this year.

March 8, 2013

Be a better you and support local businesses

Was February really only 28 days long? Holy moly! If you are like me, motivation has been at an all-time low. Just in the nick of time, here are some local options that will get you out and about.

Get Artsy

Julie Glick, who is an extraordinarily talented local artist and all-around wonderful person (who is an invaluable member of our Arts Fair team of volunteers) is teaching oil painting on Tuesdays at Artisans-At-Work, starting THIS Tuesday, March 12 for 8 weeks. There are only a few spots left. Details below!

Get Moving

We blogged in January about fitness options in our neighbourhood, but CareerFit Mom has some new classes coming up that we wanted to tell you about, including a free run club on Sunday mornings along the Taylor Creek Trails!

Get Shopping

This is not a pop-up shop plug. This is a personal story about my best shopping experience ever.

On Monday afternoon, on a day off shopping for sinks and toilets for my new bathroom, I finally made it into Krystle Lee’s pop-up at 1801 Danforth Avenue.

I expected to go in, casually browse through items, make polite conversation, and then leave. That is exactly the opposite of what happened.

Krystle was warm and welcoming, and I explained that I am recently back to work after having twins, which was my second pregnancy, so all of my clothes are either too tight, too old, or both.

Krystle literally took me through almost every garment in her shop. She encouraged me to try things on, even things that I didn’t think would look good. I learned that all of her clothes are Canadian-made – no sweatshops and as much as possible, Toronto-based designers. (What? Designer? Who do I think I am??) So I tried on many, many beautiful clothes. Krystle and I honestly assessed each outfit and she gave me tips and advice about fashion that I had no idea about. (If you know me, you will not be surprised that fashion info was all new to me.)

I was playing it cool and not looking at price tags, but when push came to shove, I had to start caring about the bottom line. Beautiful spring blouse? $35. Gorgeous black button-down dress? $95 Softest and best fitting camisole ever? $20 The prices were totally reasonable. (She has higher end stuff too, which is also steeply discounted, if your budget has a bit more give than mine!)

Krystle is a personal stylist and usually sells privately to clients who know about her almost exclusively through word-of-mouth. She buys her clothes with deep discounts, and her lack of overhead means that she can pass those savings right to her clients.

I left there with a great work dress, a georgeous sweater, and some really beautiful tops. Even more amazing was that for the first time in 15 months, since my twins were born, I am excited to get dressed in the morning and I feel better about myself than I have in a long time. To me, you can’t put a price on that.

You can find Krystle at 1801 Danforth Avenue for the month of March. www.krystle.ca

March 7, 2013

March Pop-Up Shop News

Did you hear? Two of the February pop-up shops that we fell in love with are sticking around another month! Now, they are the pop-up shops formerly known as the February pop-ups. (Thankfully, they have much catchier names:) Fa Real Designz N Prints and Krystle Lee will be gracing our neighbourhood with their awesomeness for the entire month of March.

Fa Real Designz N Prints | 1898 Danforth Avenue
Tuesday-Saturday 12-8
Birthday celebrations are happening. We hear there will be cake to celebrate owners Allister’s milestone. And this weekend only you can get custom tee’s for $20 (regular $30) and toddler/baby shirts for $10 (reg $15). There is also a end-of-winter season sale on FaReal clothing (hoddies, long sleeves and tees) and if you spend over $50 the toque is on them!

Read more about Fa Real owners Tracey and Allister from an interview they did with the Scarborough Mirror and check out what local resident, DECA Board Member and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee recipient Catherine Porter has to say about her experience with the shop below. And if you too would like to be the best gift giver in your family, you should visit Fa Real this weekend.

I am a good gift giver. I pride myself on this. I’d say I have the record in my family as the best gift giver.

I give thoughtful cool presents.

Allistar and Tracey at Fa Real Designz N Prints have helped me keep my record. I am in love with them. You will be too.

Let me explain.

Seven summers ago my husband’s family built a lop-sided cabin at the cottage. I was up on the roof too. The project ran over time and budget. So, for Christmas that year, my husband and I got everyone in the family (the Burt family — I kept my last name, thank you very much) custom-made shirts for the Burt Building Company. On the back it says: “We may not be smart…. but we’re slow.”

The shirts were a hit.

My sister-in-law just had baby number three. I needed to get little Ollie a gift. An AWESOME gift. So, I took a photo of the T-shirt — both sides — and emailed it to Allistar and Tracey, who specialize in custom-designed shirts. They have one of our pop-up shops on the Danforth, where the old jewellrey place was.

I asked them to approximate the design — use a triangle instead of a house, you know, whatever. It’s the idea that counts.

Tonight, I picked up a dark blue onesie that matches EXACTLY my own T-shirt — except I don’t have clasps at the bum, but you get the idea.

Allistar and Tracey are geniuses.

I got two more — three custom-made shirts for $50.

This place is the BOMB. It’s around for another month, as one of DECA’s pop-up shops. Lucky us.

We’d like them to stay even longer.

Don’t you have a gift to give someone? A soccer team to outfit? A street party coming up?

For more information about these pop-up stores, the DECA Pop-Up Shop project and DECA, please visit our website, and follow us on twitter @DECAdiaries.

February 28, 2013

Trees, Night Out with Neighbours & S Sense Closing Sale

DECA Tree Meeting

If talking trees in your thing then you should head to CakeTown (2039 Danforth Ave) this Saturday. The DECA Tree group will be meeting to talk trees at 1o am. You’ll recognize the group – they all have leaves in their hair.

Night Out with Neighbours: Ethiopia Edition

Last Thursday a group of neighbours got together for the first ever Ethiopian Culture & Cuisine night at Rondez Vous Ethiopian and Eritrean Restaurant (1400 Danforth Ave). Event organizers Susan and Tara provide an overview of the night below. For a look at more photos from the evening check out the DECA Facebook Page. Looks like we can expect more culinary fun in the future!

We arrived at Rendez-vous restaurant, warmly greeted by Banchi in her lovely African dress and were instantly transported from the February cold into the warmth of an Ethiopian evening. Banchi graciously gave everyone a glass of wine to enjoy with our delicious appetizer and then a scrumptious platter. She taught us how to use our hands to eat the Injera bread. That took a bit of getting used to and then there was no stopping us! The mildly spiced plate of curried meats and vegetables warmed our insides and satisfied our souls. This was followed by the wonderful coffee ceremony, an aromatic experience that filled the air. Banchi roasted the coffee beans with cardamon right in front of us. The taste of Ethiopian coffee melted the palette, and finished off the meal perfectly.

The night was capped off with a performance by Ethiopian dancers, Eske and Frey, in their colourful costumes. The African music and smiling faces of the dancers even moved us to join in and learn a few steps. For most of us, it was the first time we experienced Ethiopian cuisine and culture – and we all said, we are definitely returning to the Rendez-vous.

Due to the success of this dinner night out, it was suggested that we do this more often at the other restaurants along the Danny. So stay tuned for possible Italian, Thai, Mexican cuisine and culture nights!

Susan & Tara

Closing Sale at S Sense

S Sense in Design is closing their storefront located at 698 Coxwell Ave to focus on design consultations. Everything in the store is on sale, including lighting, home accents, and the displays. Laura is also offering onetime free home consultations during the month of April – hurry before she gets booked! Her last day is March 23rd so you still have time to say goodbye. Store is open Wednesday to Saturday 12 to 5 pm.

Psst: We hear that a very familiar business might be taking over this beautiful storefront soon. Stay tuned!