There is a certain section of DECA’s area that sometimes doesn’t get all the love it deserves. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about the area known as E.O.W. – or east of Woodbine. (Okay fine, nobody calls it that, but I think it’s definitely going to catch on now that I’ve coined it.) Here is some of the exciting news from DECA’s east end…
Sandwich anyone?
We were all very sad to see the shuttering of True Brew Cafe in November, but rumour has it that a new sandwich shop is getting ready to open up in that space in the very near future. Stay tuned!
Bell’s Martial Arts
In early November, Tristan Bell opened Bell’s Martial Arts in the newly renovated building at 2200 Danforth Ave. New classes are being added all the time for children age 4 all the way up to adults, so call to find out about what classes might work for you and/or your family. The focus there is on building self-confidence, self-reliance, awareness, and strong bodies. You can contact Tristan to arrange a free trial class for you or your kids. What have you got to lose? To send an email, click here.
Kia Dealership
It’s really coming along, and it’s looking like it might be quite beautiful!
Danforth Village BIA
DECA is pretty connected to the Danforth Mosaic Business Improvement Area (BIA), which spans from Westlake Ave and west all the way to Jones. There is, however, a second BIA in our boundaries that goes from Westlake Ave and east all the way to Victoria Park Ave, called the Danforth Village BIA. They have an excellent website, which shows you all the businesses in that area, broken down into categories and there is even a map for ease of reference. DECA is planning to reach out to this BIA to get to know them better and see how we might be able to partner up. (And no, we’re not just cozying up to them because Target will be moving into their zone in a couple of months!)
Safe Crossing at Last
Many thanks to City Councillors Mary-Margaret McMahon and Janet Davis for extending the green lights at Woodbine and Danforth so that there is actually time to cross the street. Walking E.O.W. has never been so easy. (See? It’s catching on.)
Coming up: We’ve had some chatter on the blog about the BIA and the relationship between landlords, the city, the businesses, and our struggling storefronts. We’ll post more about that soon, along with exciting news about our ongoing Pop-up project!
3 cheers for longer crossing times at Woodbine and Danforth! Thanks to everyone who made this happen.
Speaking E.O.W….I recently discovered the gem that is The Twelfth Fret just on the east side of Valumart. Did you know they are considered the premiere store in North America for purchasing a banjo? I had a second hand guitar repaired by the capable restorers upstairs. They have an amazing selection of guitars, a generous staff, classes in all sorts of instruments, and just a ‘cool’ vibe that might match that new board shop down Woodbine :)
We tried Danforth Sandwich. Major disappointment. The chicken In their chicken sandwich is a breaded fillet like you get in the frozen section at the grocery store (and a cheap one at that). The bun is twice the size of the fillet, so the sandwich is mostly bun. Not enough tomato sauce and for the cheese they grate a miserly amount of mozzarella on top. Not nearly as good as San Francesco’s or even Colombo’s. We won’t be back.
We had a really positive comment on another post, so I guess the jury is still out! I encourage you to provide feedback to the owners if you weren’t satisfied – we all want them to succeed AND we all want a great food option!!