[AlbertC]

The Young People’s Theatre's have acquired the 3-storey commercial space in the podium of the building at 161 Frederick Street (near King East & Sherbourne) for expansion of their operations:

‘Bursting at the seams’: Young People’s Theatre expanding into second building

New location just steps away from organization’s heritage building.

www.toronto.com

The Young People’s Theatre (YPT) is expanding.

The national organization based in Toronto dedicated to presenting theatre for young audiences has announced it is purchasing a new facility just steps away from its existing Front Street location.

The new location, a three-storey commercial space at the podium of a residential building at 161 Frederick St., will add a total of 12,000 square feet of space inside a fully accessible building.

With two buildings at the Front and Frederick streets intersection, YPT aims to create Canada’s largest state-of-the-art theatre complex for young people.

“YPT is bursting at the seams,” said Executive Director Nancy Webster, in a news release. “We have been focused for more than 10 years on a capital plan to build a new YPT. With performing arts venues now temporarily closed, we’ve been offered the time — and now the space — to reimagine and plan for growth, with great support to take us there. With this launch, we encourage our corporate community and the public to help us make this important project a reality.”

The organization is in the midst of what it calls Room for Imagination expansion project, a $10.5 million fundraising campaign to expand and improve. This funding will pay for the new space, plus improve the company’s existing 123-year-old heritage building at 165 Front St. E., which YPT had occupied for the past 44 years. The old building had previously served as the horse stables for the Toronto Street Railway Company.

YPT says it is halfway in its fundraising goal. This capital work will help YPT serve more than 100,000 young people each year.

 

[soundmuseum]

The Young People’s Theatre's have acquired the 3-storey commercial space in the podium of the building at 161 Frederick Street (near King East & Sherbourne) for expansion of their operations:

‘Bursting at the seams’: Young People’s Theatre expanding into second building

New location just steps away from organization’s heritage building.

www.toronto.com

I guess this means that Neo Coffee is going to vacate their space on the ground floor?

 

[AlbertC]

I guess this means that Neo Coffee is going to vacate their space on the ground floor?

Possibly. Although, there doesn't appear to be any info on Neo's website yet regarding their future at that location.

 

[AlbertC]

This article references that the ground level has a coffee shop leased at the building, but appears to indicate that the theatre expansion should be happening regardless of it (?). Perhaps there's a separate entrance available. As most of the operational space they need isn't necessary to be street facing.

Young People’s Theatre Announces Room for Imagination $10.5 Million Expansion Project

TORONTO, April 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celebrating its 55th anniversary, Young People’s Theatre (YPT) is proud to announce the launch of the Room...

www.globenewswire.com

 

[AlbertC]

The Lee Valley store at King W & Portland is set to close in a few weeks:

https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/mwtcrt

 

[Richard White]

The Lee Valley store at King W & Portland is set to close in a few weeks:

https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/mwtcrt

Great store if you are a landscaping contractor but for the average person they are way overpriced.

I once went to their store in Scarborough and while they do have hard to find landscaping items, they do not sell things most people would need (that they cannot get cheaper at Lowes, Rona, Home Depot, Etc).

 

[AlbertC]

Silver Snail Comics are moving to 809 Queen St W, a bit east of Trinity Bellwoods Park.

Some commentary from their owners about the move:

“This was a long-term goal to get back to Queen,” Hamelin says. “That’s the home of the Silver Snail to us.”

Hamelin also made the move to improve accessibility. Whereas the old location resided up a flight of stairs on top of venerable burger joint Five Guys, the new location will be on street level and fully accessible by wheelchair.

“Accessibility was a frustration for years with the [old] space,” Hamelin says, “so now that we’re able to reach comic readers who, through our old location, were never able to come [is huge].”

Hamelin says that the move wasn’t solely motivated by a return home. The shift south also represents a change he perceives in Toronto’s retail landscape.

“In terms of the way that the pandemic has reshaped the city, Yonge and Dundas isn’t the shopping mecca it once was,” Hamelin says. “There was Hairy Tarantula, there was 401 Games up the street, there was the HMV there. Businesses have just been closing. People aren’t going out and being like ‘Oh I’m just going to go and walk up Yonge Street and check out the stores.’ It didn’t really feel like the place for us anymore.”

Now surrounded by like-minded businesses, Hamelin and Gingras are excited for the future.

“It feels much more like a community, and there’s foot traffic,” Hamelin says. “It’s going to have a much more similar feel to what the old store was.”

In keeping with the communal theme, Hamelin and Gingras have commissioned local artist Yannie Lo to paint a mural that will encompass the entire front of the building.

Popular comic book store Silver Snail moves back to Queen West

Silver Snail Comics will be moving to Trinity Bellwoods

trnto.com

 

[AlbertC]

Commentary on the growing number of weed stores in the city:

New office towers, bike lanes and dozens of pot shops: How Toronto has changed while you were locked down

Here’s your guide to key things that have changed in the city since you last looked around.

www.thestar.com

outline.com is available for purchase - Sedo.com

outline.com

If a pre-pandemic Torontonian were to time travel to the present, one of first things they’d likely notice — after all the people wearing masks — is how omnipresent recreational cannabis stores have become.

These stores are, it seems, on nearly every block in the downtown core — quite an about-face for a city that arrested tens of thousands for marijuana possession in the aughts and early ’10s.

As of Wednesday, there were 151 cannabis stores authorized by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) in Toronto, with another 116 in the process of getting AGCO approval. A quick cross-reference of local stores listed on Google with the AGCO’s authorized cannabis stores list reveals there are some operating without permission, making the true number of stores hard to gauge.

Weed stores are growing like, well, weeds. Much of their proliferation happened in the past few months, perhaps aided by increased marijuana use to cope with the pandemic, the government of Ontario temporarily loosening rules around selling cannabis and thousands of small businesses closing due to lockdown.

In January, the Star reported 359 authorized cannabis shops in Ontario. Now, in June, there are 795, with another 887 applications currently being reviewed. The AGCO has been authorizing 120 new stores per month since February.

But are all these stores here to stay? Will the smoke bubble burst after reopening?

Trevor Fencott. CEO of Fire and Flower, Canada’s largest cannabis retail chain, said probably not.

“I don’t think demand will plummet after the pandemic,” said Fencott, adding that he believes much of it is owed to cannabis stigma being gradually eroded. “What I do think will potentially be a big problem for mom and pop (cannabis) stores is them not being given the tools to compete post-pandemic.”

Fencott said people have become reliant on delivery services and expect them from cannabis stores now — a power they may lose when the pandemic ends.

“Mom-and-pops’ way of competing, both with big chains and the illegal market, is service driven,” he said. “And if you don’t have the tools to service your customer, you’ve got two hands behind your back.”

 

[DSC]

Commentary on the growing number of weed stores in the city:

New office towers, bike lanes and dozens of pot shops: How Toronto has changed while you were locked down

Here’s your guide to key things that have changed in the city since you last looked around.

www.thestar.com

outline.com is available for purchase - Sedo.com

outline.com

One major problem with weed stores is that the government Regulations insist that (innocent) people walking by the store cannot see inside them. This results in opaque or removed windows and a lack of 'eyes on the street" and any interesting store fronts. We are apparently mature enough to be able to watch people buying booze (and drinking it OUTSIDE) but seeing pot on display will cause some sort of uncontrollable urges. Time to cancel THAT Regulation!

 

[AlbertC]

The Rexall store at the former Brunswick House in the Annex has closed after 3 years:

NEWS: Brunny Rexall to shutter (May 2021)

gleanernews.ca

 

[AlbertC]

Toronto brand, Peace Collective, have closed their flagship store at 131 Ossington Ave:

Toronto clothing brand Peace Collective has permanently closed its flagship location

Clothing brand Peace Collective known for their "Home is Toronto" and "Toronto vs. Everybody" shirts has permanently closed the...

www.blogto.com

 

[Richard White]

Toronto brand, Peace Collective, have closed their flagship store at 131 Ossington Ave:

Toronto clothing brand Peace Collective has permanently closed its flagship location

Clothing brand Peace Collective known for their "Home is Toronto" and "Toronto vs. Everybody" shirts has permanently closed the...

www.blogto.com

With their Union Station outpost closed at the moment I am surprised they did this. I wonder if they will be moving to online only once the dust settles on Covid.

 

[AlbertC]

With their Union Station outpost closed at the moment I am surprised they did this. I wonder if they will be moving to online only once the dust settles on Covid.

Based on their IG post, they do plan on reopening their Union Station store in the near team.

They also plan to open a new flagship store later on, although the location hasn't been disclosed yet. Curious if they stay on the west side as their brand fits Queen or Dundas West. Or if they may shift towards the East End or elsewhere.

THE PEACE COLLECTIVE on Instagram: "WE'RE MOVING 🚚💨⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Ossington has been the home of our flagship store since 2016, and 131 Ossington Ave will always have a piece of our hearts. We have loved being a part of the Ossington community and have enjoye

984 likes, 69 comments - peacecollective on June 10, 2021: "WE'RE MOVING 🚚💨⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Ossington has been the home of our flagship store since 2016, ..."

www.instagram.com

 

[Richard White]

Based on their IG post, they do plan on reopening their Union Station store in the near team.

They also plan to open a flagship store later on, although the location hasn't been disclosed yet. Curious if they stay on the west side as their brand fits Queen or Dundas West. Or if they may shift towards the East End or elsewhere.

THE PEACE COLLECTIVE on Instagram: "WE'RE MOVING 🚚💨⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Ossington has been the home of our flagship store since 2016, and 131 Ossington Ave will always have a piece of our hearts. We have loved being a part of the Ossington community and have enjoye

984 likes, 69 comments - peacecollective on June 10, 2021: "WE'RE MOVING 🚚💨⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Ossington has been the home of our flagship store since 2016, ..."

www.instagram.com

I found the Ossington location to be far out of my way coming from Scarborough. I wanted to get some of their masks recently but was adverse to spending a boatload of money for shipping within the city.

What they need to do is open in a better, more accessible location, that or sell their merch in partner stores.

Unless you live in Liberty Village, Ossington is not easy to get to.

 

[AlbertC]

I found the Ossington location to be far out of my way coming from Scarborough. I wanted to get some of their masks recently but was adverse to spending a boatload of money for shipping within the city.

What they need to do is open in a better, more accessible location, that or sell their merch in partner stores.

Unless you live in Liberty Village, Ossington is not easy to get to.

Maybe somewhere on Bloor West, like between Christie to Spadina could work for them. Being on a subway line should help with presence and accessibility.