What’s Up on Woodbine?

If you frequent the Woodbine Avenue corridor, you may have noticed some changes along the strip, including new stores and new hours.

Leeman International (1202 Woodbine Ave)

Although this nautical and cottage gift shop is new to our neighbourhood, it’s not a new company. East enders Joyce and Jeanine purchased the 27-year old company and moved it closer to home from Markham. They have every type of boat imaginable, nautical themed lamps and mirrors, and will be expanding their home furnishing selection in the near future.

p.s. It’s suppose to ‘feel like’ -16C on Friday. If a Caribbean vacation isn’t in your plans then you can always pick up a schooner from Leeman and draw yourself a warm bath. Happy Sailing!

Changes at Valu-Mart

Well, the picture pretty much tells you everything I was going to say about this change. Happy Shopping!

wefunk Skateboards

How the Eurpoean skateboard company wefunk decided to pick our neighbourhood to open their newest showroom at 1083 Woodbine doesn’t matter. They are here and we’re all cooler for living here now. Fortunately, the boards at wefunk don’t look a thing like the florescent green Canadian Tire special that brings back scabby knee nightmares from my childhood. As their website says, they have “serious, calibrated sporting equipment”. Happy Skateboarding!

January 16, 2013

news for a chilly night

Here are a few tidbits to distract you from that Visa bill that recently showed up.

Happy 5th Birthday to Melanie’s – $25 prix fixe menu!

How much do we love having this superb little bistro in our neighbourhood? A lot, that’s how much. Melanie’s Bistro is turning 5, and to celebrate, they are offering a special $25 prix fixe menu, $2 off sandwiches and wraps at weekday lunches, AND half off desserts during the week. I’d say these are some pretty good reasons to stop in to celebrate right along with them!

Artisans at Work: Call-out for Teachers

Renos are under way at one of the neighbourhood’s new businesses, Artisans-at-Work, and owner Tara has asked us to post this message:

Artisans At Work, 2071 Danforth, is almost finished construction.

We will be open in February to the public for classes, workshops and events, whilst we continue to stock our shelves with Toronto artist’s work!

We would like to take this opportunity to invite all local art, music, dance, and theatrical teachers in the neighbourhood and beyond, to submit proposals to hold classes for children, teens and adults.

We are looking to fill many series of classes in time slots, but also single classes here and there. March break classes are also ready to be planned and booked!

Please submit your proposed class, time and day(s) preference, cost, and any other information to us by clicking here.

Thank you,

Tara

PS – Website coming soon: www.artisans-at-work.com; in the meantime you can “like” us on Facebook to keep in touch!

Monarch Park Stadium Info Night with Trustee Cathy Dandy – January 22nd

Trustee Cathy Dandy is holding a community meeting on Tuesday, January 22nd at 7pm at Monarch Park Collegiate (enter at the front doors of the school). The event is described as “an opportunity for the community to come together and discuss the new Monarch Park Stadium.”

DECADiaries Fun fact: You can call 3-1-1 to order a new recycling bin and/or second green bin – FREE! Garbage bins can also be exchanged, but remember that the larger the bin, the more you will have to pay for pick-up on your bill.

January 4, 2013

Busy busy busy – lots to tell you about!

Happy 2013!

Here is a random assortment of neighbourhood info for you to consider as you drink your tea, wine, espresso or whatever your Friday night fancy is.

DECA Board Meeting

The new 2013 Board will meet on January 15 starting at 7:30 p.m.. Our meetings are open to all DECA members, potential members, and interested others. If you want to come (and you know you do) please contact Anita by clicking here, and she can give you the meeting details. Oh, and we meet at one of our local, licensed establishments so at the very least, you get to drink beer or ginger ale while you revitalize your community. Win-win!

New Year’s Levee with East York Elected Officials

We have all been invited to the annual New Year’s Levee, this Sunday, January 6 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at East York Civic Centre at 850 Coxwell Avenue!!

Councillor Janet Davis sent out the following invite:

I hope you will be able to join me and our fellow East York elected officials at the annual East York New Year’s Levee. Welcome in the new year with MPs Matthew Kellway and Craig Scott, MPPs Michael Prue and Peter Tabuns, School Trustees Sheila Cary-Meagher and Cathy Dandy, Councillor Mary Fragedakis and myself. Please bring a non-perishable food donation for our local food bank.

Pop-Up Feedback

So, our December of pop-ups has come to a close, and we’d like to hear what your thoughts are on the project. Did you visit? Did you love it? Did you not love it? Did you notice? What are your thoughts on this project? Let us know by emailing here.

PS – One of our pop ups is still popping up, but they have taken over a different space. You can visit LEN at 1801 Danforth for the month of January. Their website is: http://len4all.com and they have a facebook page as well. Seriously, this store is amazing. I paid them a token visit in December, and went back three times to get something for every person on my list. They are THAT good.

Oaks ‘n Acorns

A new business is set to open across the street from East Lynn Park called Oaks ‘n Acorns. As an “activity studio for parents and tots”, they will host a variety of classes for children and/or parents, and their registration has just opened up. In fact, if you sign up by January 20, you can get a discount and free membership card! Click here for more info. It looks like they will also host birthday parties!

Even More New Stores

Have you noticed a few new stores this past week? The Dulux paint store is open at the corner of Moberly and Danforth, 2031 Danforth to be specific, and with a rumoured 25% off grand opening discount it’s not to be missed! There is also a Brand Name Discount Store that just opened a few stores west of Value Village. (I swear I repeated the address over and over to myself in order to include it in the post, but it’s really cold outside, so I believe that inhibited the formation of long-term memory. Someone should research that!)

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Oh, and if you are wondering why your garbage didn’t get picked up today (Friday), it’s because of the holiday earlier this week. It pushes pickup back by a day so you can expect the pickup to take place tomorrow (Saturday).

Enjoy your chilly weekend.

December 21, 2012

Artisans at Work and Silly Goose in the News!

Artisans-at-Work…are workin’ late tonight!

In addition to the pop-up shops we posted about yesterday, we wanted to highlight a new business that has opened up on the heels of the success of the pop-up initiative. The Artisans-At-Work store and studio is located at 2071 Danforth. Many, many artists and artisans selling their handmade creations until 10:00 p.m. tonight (December 21). It is the longest night of the year, so might as well spend it shopping!! Here is a note from owner Tara:

Late Night Shopping on the Danforth!

From 4pm until 10pm Friday Dec 21!!

* * * * * * *

Artisans-At-Work

Presents:

A quality Arts & Crafts Show with 25 artists!!

2071 Danforth

(balloons on south side at Woodbine, just west of Pizza Pizza!)

Drop in tonight for some Egg Nog, Punch & Yummy treats!!

All quality, handmade items!

Featuring Baby Bibs, Ornaments, Toys, Jewellery(many kinds), Wood art, Stone mosaics, Knitted hats, Scarves, funky baby onesies, Winter Ponchos & Fancy Hair Clips

and oh…so much more!

Also open all this weekend: Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd

9:00am to 6:00pm

Stay tuned for our grand opening in the New Year!

After renovations, we will be an artisan’s gift shoppe, with 7 workstudios, and a Community Room for all sorts of events, monthly licensed open house evenings, children & adult art classes and all types of workshops! Have an idea to hold one, or attend one?

Please click here to be included in our upcoming invites, services & newsletters!

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Silly Goose Kids does it again!

On the topic of amazing stores in our neighbourhood, Silly Goose Kids’ owner Shamie was recently interviewed for an article in the Toronto Star about the more realistic doll from the UK called “Lottie”. Somehow, Shamie and co-owner Tracey have managed to get the dolls into the store just in time for the holidays. (Maybe those magic kits they sell really work?) If you have “liked” their Facebook page, you will already have reserved yours!

If you have any hard-to-buy-for kids or adults on your list, go to SGK. All of the staff are informed and helpful, and will offer expert advice to help you zero in on the perfect gift. There is lots of stuff that grown-ups would like too – like watches, retro toys, board games and more!

Silly Goose Kids’ hours to Christmas are Friday 9:30am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm, and Monday 9:30pm-3pm.

November 25, 2012

Danforth Avenue – then & now

Danforth then…

Before there were subways, there were streetcars. And before there were streetcars there were horses and buggies. BlogTO recently put out this post with some very cool pictures of what Danforth Avenue has looked like through the years.

20121112-danforth-west-east-lynn-1960-s0372_ss0100_it0282 — Danforth & East Lynn (1960)

Danforth now…

And the Danforth continues to change today. We’re excited to a few see new businesses moving into the area:

Dulux Paints (2031 Danforth), a Canadian company, will be opening it’s 7th location in our neighbourhood on January 2nd. Besides boasting premium quality paint and terrific customer service, Dulux is known for their involvement in the Let’s Colour movement which helps neighbourhoods turn grey spaces into more lively, colourful places. Hummm…..
Oaks ‘N Acorns (1856 Danforth) According to their Facebook page, Oaks ‘N Acorn is “a new Activity Studio and Stay ‘n Play Café providing a welcoming and creative hub where parents and children can participate together or individually in a diverse range of classes and workshops…” (Opening date is TBD)
The Pillow Shoppe (1434 Danforth) has recently opened with a vast selection of decorative pillows. Everything from sage to army green and olive to hunter green. (They have other colours too, but you know us, we love green.) Official grand opening weekend festivities on December 8 & 9! They even have a selection of giftware.
Metropolitan College (2017 Danforth, 3rd floor) offers all sorts of English language programs and seem to have already brought a boost in foot traffic to the surrounding shops.

Another change this year was the additional of decorative lights along the Danforth – thanks to the Danforth Mosaic BIA‘s Streetscape Committee for the shooting stars west of Westlake, and to the Danforth Village BIA for the holiday wreaths adorning street lamps east from Westlake. We think they’re a lovely, twinkling addition to the neighbourhood.

And in other Danforth retail news, a big congratulations to Wag on the Danforth being named one of Toronto’s best pet stores from BlogTO.

IMG_20121026_152423-225x300 — Oaks ‘N Acorns (1856 Danforth)

October 1, 2012

What’s up at Woodbine and Danforth?

Thanks to one of our DECA Board Members for tracking down answers to questions we’ve all been asking!

When is the Dollarama opening?

Today! Today, October 1, 2012 is the day that the Dollarama is opening. The paper came down over the weekend and the sign on the door promised that today would be the day. Let the Hallowe’en decorating begin!

When is the condo going to be built?

A huge building permit sign has appeared on the Carmelina Condominiums site, which has been a vacant pit for more than decade. Excavation equipment has started to arrive and developer Frank Magno hopes to break ground by mid-October. “We still have a few things to work out with the surveyors and stuff like that, but we’re getting close,” he says. The 148-unit, 12-storey building with ground-floor retail is supposed to be completed in fall 2013.

Stay tuned for details about this Thursday’s Harvest Moon Festival at the East Lynn Farmers’ Market. Ponies, music and bouncy castles, oh my!