Author: DECA

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

The nominations for our inaugural Danforth Gems competition are rushing in, fast and furious.

Less than a week since the competition launched, more than 50 businesses in DECA’s boundaries have received shout-outs from some 100 residents!

Gerrard Spaghetti & Pizza at 1528 Danforth Ave has been a popular with nominators on Facebook (DanforthEastCommunityAssociation).  “Amazing food and friendly service. It is a nice family restaurant that has been in the neighborhood for over 30 years. Pizza is sooooo good but they also have pasta, veal and chicken yum yum delicious. Then finish it off with a latte. You will want to eat there every night,” says Lisa.

Anastasia agrees: “I nominate Gerrard Pizza. It’s a lovely, quaint family dining room! They have the best pizza, panzerottis, and everything else on the menu! Their food is delicious. They also have a private banquet room, and a patio!”

Between forkfuls, Vicki nominated Basil Thai Kitchen (2326 Danforth) on Twitter (@DECAdiaries): “Tonight, enjoying delicious Thai & Malaysian takeout from friendly folks at Basil Thai on #Danforth, a longtime #DECAgems favorite.”

Pat sent her nominations in by email (DECAgems@gmail.com). “If you’ve ever had physiotherapy, you know that the weekly or sometimes daily treatments can go on for months which is why this gem is such a find for DECA residents. Lucky for us, the East Toronto Orthopedic & Sports Injury Clinic at 1577 Danforth is close to Coxwell. It’s a great resource with 15 fully qualified & friendly physiotherapists on staff. It’s clean and up to date, open Monday to Saturday and they have flexible pricing depending on the medical coverage you have. All pluses to make life that much easier in our neighbourhood.”

She sent a photo too! (Points from the judges for photos and detailed descriptions.)

Keep the nominations coming! You have till the night of May 7 to convince our team that your choice deserves to be among the top four. A week later (May 14), our panel of celebrity judges will crown the winner.

Tell us: What makes this place hidden, what makes it a gem, and why it deserves the prize. Become a serial tweeter if you have to! 

The winning gem wins a fancy marketing prize, including advice from professional designers, stagers, public relations experts, a photographer and website designer. It will make it a lot less hidden, and hopefully, a lot busier.

Kelly's Fruit owner is excited to be a nominee #DECAgems contest!! Which biz will you nominate? Tweet @DECAdiaries pic.twitter.com/7jK6i0uxlg

— Gay Stephenson (@gaystephenson) April 18, 2015