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Ten Questions for DECA Board Members: Amanda, Sheri & Shelley

Here is the fourth post in the series of Ten Questions for DECA Board members spearheaded by DECA volunteer Heather Bean.  She posed ten questions to each of our board members to learn a little bit about where they come from, who they are, and what their dreams are for our neighbourhood.  Meet DECA’s board members Amanda Olson, Sheri Hebdon and Shelley Darling – the dedicated women who provide you with news you use via this blog, the DECA Facebook page, Pinterest boards and Twitter feed.

Ten questions for… Amanda Olson

Amanda Olson

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

Just over two years.

Where did you grow up?

Ottawa.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Most often you’ll find me heading to Oakcrest Park with my two-year-old son for a little teeter-tottering, followed by some sliding, then perhaps a visit to Cake Town for the best scones in Toronto.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmer’s Market, and what do you do with it?

Everything! But we always love the corn. Boiled, barbecued, prepared any way. It’s such a treat to get corn for dinner that was picked fresh that morning.

How did you get involved with DECA?

As soon as we moved to Danforth East, my friend emailed me DECA Diaries as an introduction to the ‘hood. Just by reading it, I felt like part of a community. I also learned that DECA has been a part of so many events that make this area great, from the farmer’s market to the pumpkin parade, and I wanted to help out to ensure these fantastic things kept happening.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

Not yet . . . I’m having fun working on the great projects already underway. My passion is especially for the Pop-up Shops! project, which has already made a big impact on the Danforth commercial strip in a short period of time, filling up the empty storefronts.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

Tough question! But if forced by gunpoint to narrow it down, I’d say Manzer Hair Studio for cuts with Nicole, Moberly Natural Foods for most of my grocery shopping, and Silly Goose Kids for presents and any and all of our kid needs from bibs to music classes.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

Also a tough one. There are lots of businesses we could still use here. My top picks are a decent fishmonger and an LCBO (the situation at Woodbine is so desperate, I’d even settle for a Wine Rack!)

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

East side’s where it’s at.

Ten questions for… Sheri Hebdon

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How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

Eight years.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in North York.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Either taking my son to swimming or entertaining my twins, depending on whose turn it is to go to swimming.  There is also coffee–lots and lots of coffee.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmer’s Market?

Strawberries.  They are red and juicy and sweeter than any of those tasteless giants that one can get from the grocery store year-round.

How did you get involved with DECA?

I was enrolled in Baby and Me Yoga with Natasha, and she invited me to the DECA Cocktail party that year.  She asked me when I got there if I would be interested in joining the Board, and I don’t know what I said, but it wasn’t no.  About an hour later, she and Cath were standing on chairs and surprising everyone by confessing that the party was actually the DECA AGM.  I was there with my baby and while I was nursing him, all of a sudden I heard my name called and then got elected to the Board.  I tend to overthink things, so I am inclined to have Natasha organize all of my big decisions from now on.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

Not really. I tend not to be one of the big ideas people; instead I tend toward helping to keep things ticking along. I am on the blog team, so I get excited when we get lots of stats. I guess I’m the equivalent of the IT nerd of the team.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

I’m probably not original when I say Silly Goose Kids.  The space that Shamie and Tracey have created is so much more than a store.  My kids are so at home there, and we always have a birthday gift to pick up, so it’s both productive and fun!  I honestly don’t know what we would do without them.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

I would love a cheese shop and a really good breakfast restaurant.  I know that we have some breakfast/brunch spots already, but not one that I can get excited about.

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

Get rid of the Coffee Time at Danforth and Cedarvale, and get businesses or the BIA to commit to keeping their sidewalks free of cigarette butts.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

Danforth East is like living in a small town in the middle of the city.  We can walk everywhere, and wherever we go we run into friends and neighbours.  People really care about each other here, and are down to earth and generally so friendly and kind.  I honestly would never live anywhere else.

Ten questions for . . . Shelley Darling

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How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

We moved into our house in December 2008.

Where did you grow up?

Sudbury.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Usually a session of pancakes and maple syrup followed by swimming or gymnastics class.  Not mine.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmer’s Market?

A big bag of apples.

How did you get involved with DECA?

I was bored on my first maternity leave.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

Although the bigger community projects are wonderful and I take advantage of them fully, I particularly like the ones that foster more conversation with my immediate neighbours—like the #DanforthEast Garage Sale, or street parties.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most—and what brings you there?

LEN for jewellery, Silly Goose for the obvious, Royal Beef for sausages and olives, Shoppers Drug Mart for diapers and milk.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

A cheese, wine, or clothing store.

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

The number of empty storefronts.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

We have the most amazing park—East Lynn.

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Ten Questions for DECA Board Members: Lorraine & Stephen

Here is the second post in the series of Ten Questions for DECA Board members spearheaded by DECA volunteer Heather Bean.  She posed ten questions to each of our board members to learn a little bit about where they come from, who they are, and what their dreams are for our neighbourhood.  Meet DECA’s former treasurer, Lorraine Cheng and our local history expert and Jane’s Walk leader, Stephen Wickens.

Ten Questions for . . . Lorraine Cheng

Lorraine

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

I have been living in the neighbourhood since 2007.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Hong Kong.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Saturday mornings I have coffee, share a plate of fruit with my husband and read the Saturday newspaper at home.

What’s your favourite thing to buy at the Farmer’s Market, and what do you do with it?

Corn: steam it, put on butter, salt and pepper. Yum yum.

How did you get involved with DECA?

In 2008 I was at the market and signed up to be a member at large. From 2011 to 2013 I took on the role of treasurer.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

Too many! I would like to bring in more restaurants in our community.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

The fruit and veggie store—Kelly Food Market.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

A bookstore with a little cafe.

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

Get rid of all the nail salons.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

We are changing.

Ten Questions for . . . Stephen Wickens

wickens

How long have you been living in the neighbourhood?

My wife and I moved into DECA territory in January 2002, and clearly the timing was excellent.

Where did you grow up?

In the Beach neighbourhood, just a few doors up from the lake. From that vantage point, the Danforth seemed like an exotic, real-world place. I was quite excited when the subway opened in 1966. I remember going to see a few movies at the Prince of Wales theatre (now Valu–mart), and in the late 1960s, John’s Hobby Shop and, of course, Stan Lane’s Cycle and Sports (which I think was where the Home Hardware is now). Stan’s was the first store I knew of where you could buy curved hockey sticks.

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

No set pattern, though it’s often reading the longer feature stories in the papers.

How did you get involved with DECA?

I was kicking myself for not being in DECA from day one. I had been involved in two previous attempts to start a neighbourhood association, but they went nowhere. When I heard that a group was up and going, I was eager to join.

Do you have a dream DECA project?

We’re working on it. Though only in its nascent stages, the visioning project should be a bottom-up consultation process aimed at generating a broad understanding of our neighbourhood economy. Armed with that, through DECA, residents should be able to contribute wisely and credibly to city planning policy discussions and debates over development proposals or empty storefronts.  It’s all about generating diversity and vibrancy.

Which business on the Danforth sees you the most–and what brings you there?

Most of the bread in our house comes from Celena’s. I go to Moberly Natural Foods and The Twelfth Fret. I love the chicken wings at TKO’s, but don’t get to eat them enough. I do my banking at the Woodbine RBC. Because we’re in DECA’s wild west, I’m often on the strip over to Greenwood. Local Supermarket has the best mangoes and the Linsmore has had some really fun bands in recent months. I go east of DECA turf when I have that fish and chip hankering: You can’t beat Duckworth’s at Main.

If you could open (or persuade someone else to open) a business on the Danforth, what would it be?

A really good supermarket. We do most of our grocery shopping at the Coxwell No Frills, but…. 

If you could change one thing about the neighbourhood, what would it be?

As Jane Jacobs pointed out in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, we need to get lots of people on our sidewalks at different times of day, and for different reasons. She argued that a key and often overlooked factor in the decades of decline neighbourhoods such as ours experienced during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s was that we lost employment. It’s not that we’ll get the factories back, nor would many locals stand for the inconveniences of industrial neighbours but, again as Jacobs pointed out, office jobs fit wonderfully into residential areas around subway stations, as long as it’s all within a human/pedestrian scale. We need to become the model for the city’s mid-rise avenues plan. So, along with the residential density we’ll inevitably get in the coming years, we need to rejuvenate the mix of primary uses in the neighbourhood, mostly by getting people to come here during the daytime when so many of us are working in other ’hoods. A healthy time-spread of local foot traffic makes it so much easier for secondary-use businesses — local stores and restaurants — to thrive.

When you tell other people about our neighbourhood, what do you say?

There aren’t many prewar neighbourhoods that are still very much on the rise. But this is one. I also tell folks they should join me for the Jane’s Walk I lead each May.