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Green Shoots of Spring

So I went away for a week or so and now I have a long list of things to tell you about.  No time for a preamble…

1. Carter’s Ice Cream store opened today and apparently opening day was extremely well attended.  A beautiful day helped I’m sure, but it’s easy to come up with good reasons to go for ice cream – especially when they’re so darn nice.

2. Country in the City is a garden accessories store that is set to open at 1769 Danforth (on the south side, west of McDonalds near Red Sable).

3. Reeves Florist and Nursery of Woodbride is opening April 15th (thanks Jen for letting me know).  This new GTA location is on the Danforth in the old Budget space near Greenwood.

4. Coffee Coffee is a new place getting ready to open in early April on the southwest corner of Danforth and Woodbine.  My intel is that the owner used to sell her wares at farmers’ markets outside of the city and has now moved into Toronto.

5. The former ‘Wind Jammers’ store across from Value Village will soon be a Rogers dealer.

P.S.  The Beaches Easter Parade is this Sunday at 2 p.m. from Munro to Woodbine.  A couple of Harlem Globetrotters will be the parade marshals and will be dilly dallying throughout the route.

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Transition Towns

The East Toronto Climate Action Group is presenting the movie – ‘Transition Towns’ at Coxwell library this Tuesday, March 23rd.  Doors open at 6:45 and the movie will start at 7:15 sharp.  The film talks about ‘life after oil and building a sustainable community.’

RSVP to Mary Margaret at spargy@rogers.com  416-693-9276

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DECA Bikes!

After three years of ‘hounding’ Mary Margaret McMahon and her ilk have convinced the City to install 10 new bike racks at Woodbine subway station.  This stuff doesn’t just magically happen – somebody makes it happen…and often that someone in Mary Margaret.

1st Ever DECA Bikes! Tune Up Workshop

On Saturday, March 27th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. bring your bike to the Danforth Mennonite Church at 2174 Danforth (one block east of Woodbine on the north side) to learn how to get your bike ready for the season.  Bring your bike and pay what you can.  For more info contact Jamie Thiers 416-587-7204 after 3 p.m.  or jamiethiers@gmail.com anytime.

Bike Sauce

Give us your poor, your rusty, your jumbled mass of old bicycles….Bike Sauce will breathe new life into them.  Your donated bicycles and bike parts will be used to put more bikes on the road and help people develop bike repair skills.  Bike Sauce is an east-end volunteer-run, registered non-profit dedicated to promoting cycling in Toronto.  It has three goals:

1. To refurbish old bikes and help people learn to repair their own bikes

2. To get more people cycling

3. To advocate for better cycling in the city

Does this sound like something you want to know more about?  Something you want to help make happen?  They need volunteers of all descriptions – from bike fixers to tea-makers and cheerleaders.

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Meat, Pie, Banks and The Oasis

Vincenzo’s Supermarket

Much-loved Vincenzo’s Supermarket (near Main) recently celebrated it’s 45th anniversary. Congratulations to Vincenzo and his family for some amazing staying power.

CIBC Closing

It seems the CIBC at Danforth and Woodbine is closing.  John Schofield tells me that it is slated to close in June to relocate to a new facility on Queen East in the Beach.  Members of the public who are concerned can express their views to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

Mmmm…Pie

Our friends at the Kimbourne Park United Church are selling fresh and frozen pies to raise money for kits for children taken into emergency care (PJs, teddy bears, toothbrushes etc.).  The deadline for ordering is THIS SATURDAY.  There are lots of delicious flavours and they cost $10-$14 for full size and $4-$5 for ‘minis’.  Call 416-461-7200 to order yours in time for easter!

My Urban Oasis

This is from the Business Improvement Association’s blog.  My Urban Oasis is a furnished apartment available for short-term rentals at Danforth and Woodbine above City Flowers.  I know someone who’s parents stayed there while they were visiting and they loved it!


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Danforth East Arts Fair Applications Now Up

Not to be confused with the Art of the Danforth Art Walk (April 23rd – May 2nd) the artists application for the Danforth East Arts Fair (Sep 18-19th) is ready!

The Danforth East Arts Fair will be held at East Lynn Park on September 18 and 19, 2010. This high-quality show grew from consistent demand for crafts at the Danforth East Community Association’s weekly farmers’ market.
Our inaugural arts fair, held in September 2009, attracted approximately 2,000 people per day. Artists from our own neighbourhood and from as far away as Peterborough and Sarnia shared their wares.  People were thrilled to have a new event in their community.
Join us this year: Grab an ice cream cone, a cappuccino or brunch, and then come wander through the park. Pick up some some soap, some new art, and maybe even a few Christmas presents to stash away early!

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Danforth Gem – Celena’s Bakery

By Gillian Grace

So fresh-pastry-starved was Danforth East, that I suspect we would have been grateful for any bakery. But Celena’s, which is having its grand opening this weekend, is not just any bakery — it’s a really good one. A worthy croissant can be hard to find in Toronto, but theirs is rich and buttery; the chocolate croissant (available only on weekends) is the decadent, Parisian ideal.

As any specs-wearing customer can attest, everything is made fresh daily, in house (to arrive on a Saturday morning is to experience temporary, albeit fragrant, blindness as your glasses fog up from the baking). An open plan kitchen lets you see the fresh loafs as they’re brought out from the oven. The interior is laid out for perfect sunny morning lolling, with lots of space for strollers and a wheelchair-accessible washroom.

It’s run by husband-and-wife team Celena and Richard, who met at the culinary management program at George Brown. Running a bakery of her own has been Celena’s dream since she was 16, and, when the couple started to get serious about their business plan, friends urged them to open in the neighbourhood. The two spent four months gut-renovating a former framing store, and soft-opened February 6th. Most mornings, they’re in the store kneading and mixing by 4:45 a.m.

So far, the whole wheat bread (baked in a tin to lend it the shape and height of a traditional sandwich loaf) is one of their more popular items, as is a roasted garlic sourdough (try it for an extra-tangy grilled cheese). Celena and Richard make all their own preserves, which they use to make the filling for their Danishes. Also much adored are their scones, which come in three kinds, blueberry-chocolate, strawberry and cheese. Place a special order for birthday cakes and larger numbers of cupcakes; individual cupcakes and smaller gâteaux are up for grabs in the fridge.

Up next? Celena’s is hoping to introduce meat and chicken pot pies, joining other savoury offerings such as a daily soup and pizza, as well as espresso, lattes and cappuccinos.