In & Around Downtown Toronto...

[Diplomat]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

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Guess it was my store because as mentioned in another forum I had a Hope Chess...boxes more like it and that's where I shopped. As a teen whatever extra money I made I would head on down to Honest Eds and acquire something for my Hope Chess whether dishes, cups, pots, cutlery, curtains, you name it. Back then you could find quality stuff at prices that a student could afford.

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Actually, the prices I saw in there were very reasonable and I would imagine students still shop there. Of course with some things, given how cheap they were, the quality wasn't "A" grade, but nevertheless, it would be OK for some. If I recall correctly, there are still long line-ups whenever Ed throws one of those ridiculous sale where everything is just about dirt-cheap. Not to mention at Christmas time when he gives away free turkeys.

[ackeepod]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

in the early years the Jamaicans used to pronounce it
Bat-Hurst with emphasis on the Bat . Too funny !!

and yes, Mg most of our first business were there . ken and Tony's for hair dressing, Jamaican Restaurants, barbers, Fred Carby's Dentistry and Uniform Store, Joyce's West Indian Store, the landmark book store as was mentioned before , Sues hairdressing,..etc..can anyone remember the name of the barbr shop just south of davenport , on Bathurst on the East side?? Oh and remember, the Black owned tutoring school on Bathurst...: " Higher Marks Educational Institute" such a rich history on Bathurst fi chue
Thanks for taking the time to take and post the pix. May we pls have this archived..

[ackeepod]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

May I add that one time the uppity Jacan who wouldnt be seen ded in Honest Eds were once rushing it a few years ago because the word got out that the "Home Sweet Home" lamps were there for cheap and dem rush guh dung deh fi di nostalgia !

[Compry]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

Haki, you made me smile. I remember as a teen travelling from Bathurst (I said Batters back then) and Wilson to go all the way down to Bathurst subway, cross over the streetcar tracks to shop at Joyce's West Indian Store. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Do you remember Azans?

[ackeepod]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

yes, I remember Azans . They stll around?/ I know some of the relatives are still doing hair ..they used to be on Danforth in front of Shoppers World. They now do it from home..
Remembr how we used to go shopping in Buffalo for hair products and groceries at one point too..
As I read MG piece I remembered when Stan Grizzle was citizenship court Judge, he used to tell some stories bout Toronto back in his time ..all bout the donkey cart dem all over Toronto and his days as a porter on the trains.. lawd him love tell stories ..
just like we are doing now and the newccomers to Toronto can't imagine a time when yu couldn't get Black hair care products here ..or patties in the supermarket..we are becoming our parents wid all these stories [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70402-thinking.gif[/img]

[Compry]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

Azans was the only hairdresser we knew of back then and it was an all day affair. Now you can find one on almost every corner you can find one.

CEW, see what you've started? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Memories of the days gone by.

[Diplomat]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

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CEW, see what you've started? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Memories of the days gone by.

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Oh, and that is GREAT! I am really enjoying these side-trips down memory lane as you guys share with us all these little stories. There is so much about Toronto that I didn't know, and therefore these anedotes are really wonderful. When you mentioned Azans, I had vague recollection of a store in downtown Kingston. I had no idea there was a store with that name on Bathrust years ago.

Between you, MG, and haki, you guys can keep bringing the stories. I'm pleasantly surprised at how far back you go [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Suesumba]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

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For example, the late Harry Gairey, a Jamaican who was a pioneer on the railroads, lived near Palmerston, which is north of Bloor just west of Bathurst. He used to come and hang out at Third World Bookstore, which relocated north of Bloor after Honest Ed bought out all that property below Bloor.


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the first black judge, Stanley Grizzle can be spotted in wong's restaurant in the same neighbourhood, picking up a share newspaper on occasion. he's 80 years old now and has got the wickediss sense of humour [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[mountaingal]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

Yes, Sue - Stan Grizzle (pronounced Griz-zel) was rather garrulous,[img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] but a lot of those elders were. I found out at one point that his cousin was vice principal of STETHs in Santa Cruz, he had Jamaican parents. He told me one time that when he used to swear in new Canadians, a lot of them were taken aback because he was black, and would ask him, "what island are you from?" and he'd answer "Centre Island." [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

haki - didn't clue in till now that you're a Torontonian. And yes, I do remember Ken and Tony's on Bathurst, and I do remember the other barbershop just south of Dupont on Bathurst, the name soon come to me, start with a C, i think.

[mountaingal]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

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For example, the late Harry Gairey, a Jamaican who was a pioneer on the railroads, lived near Palmerston, which is north of Bloor just west of Bathurst. He used to come and hang out at Third World Bookstore, which relocated north of Bloor after Honest Ed bought out all that property below Bloor.


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the first black judge, Stanley Grizzle can be spotted in wong's restaurant in the same neighbourhood, picking up a share newspaper on occasion. he's 80 years old now and has got the wickediss sense of humour [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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to clarify, Stanley Grizzle was a citizenship court judge, which is something of a ceremonial position. he would test and swear in immigrants who were taking on Canadian citizenship. an old friend of mine used to say that long after his tenure ended, Stan still wanted people to call him Judge Grizzle. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Suesumba]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

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[Stan still wanted people to call him Judge Grizzle.

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come in like smaddy mi know wid a honorary graduate who insists on being called DOCTOR, even by his neighbours in a parking dispute [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

\o/

[Diplomat]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

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come in like smaddy mi know wid a honorary graduate who insists on being called DOCTOR, even by his neighbours in a parking dispute [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

\o/

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Behave [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Diplomat]

Re: In & Around Downtown Toronto...

As promised, I'm wrapping up my Summer 'tour' with some pics from the area of Toronto known as "little Jamaica". From Wikipedia:

<font color="blue"> Known on the streets as "Eglinton West," "Little Jamaica" is a retail section of Toronto situated along Eglinton Avenue West from Caledonia Road to Keele Street.

There are a large number of Jamaican businesses along this strip. There are also businesses by other Caribbean communities such as Trinidad &amp; Tobago. The surrounding community is culturally diverse and contains a large Jamaican population.

The businesses along Eglinton are frequented by many in the Greater Toronto Area's 300,000-plus Caribbean community.

This area is part of the York-Eglinton Business Improvement Area which stretches from Marlee Avenue in the east, to Chamberlain Avenue in the West (just west of Dufferin Street). </font>

I would say the area is more from Marlee to Oakwood, after that, it is more Italian businesses that one runs into. My guess is that one can find just about anything Jamaican in "little Jamaica".

[Diplomat]

Re: In &amp; Around Downtown Toronto...



For those in the know, does Ital still refer to food cooked without salt?

[Diplomat]

Re: In &amp; Around Downtown Toronto...