Blog – Page 126 – Danforth East Community Association

May 9, 2013

A Danforth East Mother’s Day

Forget all those department store flyers that you get in the mail this week, Danforth East has your Mother’s Day needs covered. Whether she’s partial to the traditional gifts, prefers the gift of time or the gift of silence, there is something local for everyone.

Picnic in the Park: Put the little ones in the wagon with a large blanket, soccer balls and sunscreen and head down to Better Bulk (2044 Danforth Ave.). You can get some organic cookies, fruit and juice boxes, and some chocolate covered espresso beans might not hurt either. You also need to check out the fridge by the cash counter where there is a selection of fancy cheese that is a true hidden gem of the neighbourhood! Next, swing by Royal Beef (1968 Danforth Ave.) for some of their house-made-all-natural-nitrite-free sliced roast beef, some havarti cheese (can there ever be too much cheese?), kaiser buns, garlic stuffed olives and some of that delicious chocolate stuff they have on the top of the deli counter. (Bring extra freezer packs because you’re unlikely to leave without some meat for dinner too.) Pack it all up the cooler bag and roll the gang over to East Lynn Park for an afternoon of slides, swings, sandwiches and snacks. And if you were to drink wine out of a water bottle while you’re there, who would know? Not that we would ever suggest such a thing.

BackYard Oasis: Clean off the outdoor furniture and freshen up the back yard with some bright outdoor pillows from the Pillow Shoppe (1434 Danforth Ave). Conveniently, they have a buy 2 get 1 free promotion going on right now. Make sure to set out a icy cool pitcher of lemonade and some fresh fruit prepared in a bowl and some snacks from Plank Road Market (1716 Danforth Ave.) DECA fun fact: Plank Road Market was our first business revitalization project.

Green Thumb: If she views gardening as a relaxing and enjoyable activity and not a taxing chore, then have the kids tell her she’s loved by spending the day gardening together. You could pick up a flat of flowers from one of many local garden shops and wrap up some Gardener’s Hand Repair Lotion available at Len (698 Coxwell Ave.). And if she’s in need of gardening gloves, tools or gardening pots you’d better stop by Home Hardware (2154 Danforth Ave.).

The Simple Snooze Button: For many mothers an extra hour of sleep is literally a dream come true. So when the little ones start making noise on Sunday morning let mom sleep in. Take the kids out. It does not matter where, just not within earshot. Don’t return home until 11:00 a.m. and don’t dare walk in the door without a latte from Seb’s Cappuccino (1928 Danforth Ave. ) and a croissant from Celena’s Bakery (2036 Danforth Ave.).

Traditional Day: Treat her to a lovely brunch at Melanie’s Bistro (1870 Danforth Ave.). I recommend the eggs florentine. There you can present her with a gift card for some pampering – like a simple mani or pedi from Metro Nails (1985 Danforth Ave.) or services from SUGARMOON (1509 Danforth Ave.), who happen to have a Mother’s Day promotion on now too. Melanie’s is also a lovely spot for dinner, and they also rock the late-night dessert as well.

See? There are so many options to spoil and spend time with mom this weekend. Let’s be clear, if you can’t choose between these great options, it is possible to do all of these if you really want to hit it out of the park! We have so many wonderful businesses, so if you need more ideas please scroll through our posts. Feel free to leave a comment if you have other thoughts.

May 2, 2013

Kicking & Dancing All Summer Long

If you’re wondering how to keep your little ones active this spring and summer here’s a few ideas. Of course, there are plenty of options out there so if you know of other great activities in the neighbourhood please leave a comment on this post.

Dancing: Pegasus Dance Studio has a solution to spur creativity and movement in your little ones – dance and art camps. They have a variety of camps starting at 3 years old up to 18. See the posters below for all the details.

Or Kicking: East-ender Courtney recently launched a chain of Little Kickers for your budding soccer stars with classes in our neighbourhood. Programs are available (at various locations) starting at 18 months up to 7 years old, using a philosophy to “Play not Push“. Local classes will be held at Earl Haig starting at the end of May on Saturday and Wednesday afternoons.

Did you know there is a page on the DECA Website that lists a whole bunch of local amenities, including classes and parks.

May 2, 2013

Updates

A few updates…

Safety Notice – Update

We have an unconfirmed report that the female female with the gold tooth who was knocking on doors in the area has been caught. We hope that everyone who had contact with her is safe and sound. If you have firm info on this, please contact us or leave a comment below.

Len is opening where?

Contrary to what you may have read this afternoon, our friends at LEN are not setting up shop at 698 Danforth Avenue, which is at Pape. We are quite happy to report that they are opening at 698 Coxwell Avenue, which is just north of Danforth Avenue on the west side. Yay! We’ve updated the original post but can’t recall all those emails.

(Big thanks to one of our readers, Alison, who pointed out our error!)

55 Division Town Hall – New Date is May 15

The 55 Division Town Hall has been rescheduled from May 8, 2013 to May 15, 2013. All other info is the same. Click here to see our updated post for the details.

Does this nice weather get you outside and talking to your neighbours? Why don’t you talk to them about DECA! They can sign up for the blog, follow us on Twitter (@DECADiaries), like us on Facebook, and/or pay $10 and officially join DECA!

May 2, 2013

Pop-Up: Musical Talent & New Business Alerts

Musical Talent?

June is going to be a busy time for Danforth East. The Pop-Up Team is busy planing a ‘Pop-Up-Apaloza’ of activities all month long and are looking for musicians/bands of all types to volunteer at the June launch. Although we do not have money to compensate alternate arrangements can be made – like busking or community hour for students. Please contact Maximilien if you’re interested.

New Business Alerts

A few weeks ago we hinted that a new business would be moving into 698 Coxwell where S Sense previously operated out of. Well it’s now official. After a successful experience as a pop-up shop in December and January Len: Democratic Purveyors of Fine Art & Beautiful Things is back in the neighbourhood. They will be doing a soft opening this Saturday, May 4th from 11-6 PM and would love to see their friends from the pop-up shop come in to say hello. Next Saturday, May 11th they will have a Grand Opening with tasty treats for all! And if you haven’t made the connection yet, May 11th is the day before Mother’s Day.

In other pop-up news, one of the vacant store fronts that was the home to the original pop-up shop in October has been rented. Canadian Nutrition Super Stores has opened at 1948 Danforth (formerly Metro Nails). So if you are a fitness enthusiast or wishing you were then you should stop in to say hello to Deon, the store manager. Apparently they aim to please and are offering a 20% discount on everything in the store right now. They don’t mind special orders or stocking special items either. Welcome to the neighbourhood Deon!

Don’t forget about this Saturday’s Jane’s Walk in our neighbourhood with DECA’s own Steve Wickens @ 10:00 a.m.! For more details, click here.

April 30, 2013

New development and a new date for Investing 101

New Development – Community Meeting on May 14

There is a new development being proposed at 2359 Danforth Avenue. Do you know where that is? Go ahead, guess. Okay fine, I’ll tell you. It’s the Morris Auction Sales building, on the south side between Woodbine and Main. As someone who lives close to that desolate patch of Danforth Avenue, I am tentatively excited about something coming in to add some more life to our lonely little stretch.

Here’s the really cool news so far – the people who purchased the property and who hope to develop it, they are working with Councillor McMahon to get community input on their plans early on, which is over and above the two mandatory meetings that they are required to hold. DECA is reserving judgment on the proposal until we know more, but we like the effort, and we are urging you to show up and have your say now. They are listening.

Community Meeting for 2359 Danforth Development, with Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon
May 14, 2013 @ 7:00 p.m.
Main Square Community Centre, 245 Main Street (just south of the apartment buildings)

Investing 101 – date moved to May 13

You know how it is. You send out a blog post for an event and the next day, a scheduling snafu occurs and you have to change the date? Yeah, so, that’s what happened. New date is May 13 and all the other info is the same (7:30-9:00 p.m. at Lazy Daisy’s Cafe 1515 Gerrard St E). Here’s the updated post – please join us for this great DECA Learns event!

April 30, 2013

Quick Safety Notice – Doorknocking

Here’s a quick safety notice from 54 Division to be aware of:

Residents should be aware that there is a suspicious female conducting doorknocks in the East York community in the area bounded by Danforth/Mortimer Ave and Coxwell/Woodbine Ave. The incident occurred in the following manner;The female knocked on the resident’s door during the daytime hours. When the resident answered the door, the female asked for a glass of water. When the resident returned with the water, the female had partially opened the resident’s door and was seen peering inside the home. The female is described as a female with olive skin, possibly Eastern European descent, slim build, 5’7″-5’8″ tall, dark black hair and dark eyes, one gold tooth (molar) wearing a long black dress.Residents are advised not to open the door to strangers and to report suspicious activities/persons by calling the Toronto Police Service non-emergency number at 416 808-2222.