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Welcome to the Neighbourhood: Genesis Downtown

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Walk along Queen Street East near Carroll, just steps west of Broadview, and you’ll find a beautiful new addition: Genesis Downtown, which opened Canada’s first Genesis boutique showroom on May 31, 2017 right here in Riverside. You can’t miss it, they’ve even got a carpet rolled out on the sidewalk for you!

InsideOEM

Guests can get an up close and personal introduction to the newest luxury automotive brand at the Genesis Downtown boutique at 630 Queen Street East, or schedule a “Genesis At Home” demonstration and test drive.

General Manager, Sandy Glover, is no stranger to the Riverside neighbourhood – she is also GM of Downtown Hyundai, at Broadview and Eastern, part of the Downtown Automotive Group. Sandy and the team welcome you to drop in and meet Genesis Downtown!

www.genesisdowntown.ca

1st Annual Riverside Community Yard Sale and Fair: July 9th

Join in the fun at the 1st Annual Riverside Community Yard Sale & Fair on July 9th in Joel Weeks Park! Put on by Riverside community residents with the support of Councillor Paula Fletcher, TCHC, and the Riverside BIA. Donations are being raised for Kiwanis Boys & Girls programs. Come out and join the fun while supporting the community and getting some shopping in!

Let us know you’re coming via

https://riverside-community-sale-fair-2017.eventbrite.ca

Riverside Yard sale

Change is in the Air in Riverside This Summer

Change is always in the air in Riverside, check out some of the big and little changes in the ‘hood this summer!

The Broadview Hotel: Grand Opening Soon!

The biggest and most anticipated change coming to Riverside this summer is the opening of the revitalized Broadview Hotel. Now with a target opening of early July, the hotel has all sorts of hype surrounding what’s inside, from its amazing rooftop space to the lux toiletries (by Riverdale-based Graydon) and vinyl record collections that will be curated for its rooms (by Riverside’s own Tiny Record Shop!). Everyone is so excited to see the Broadview Hotel open its doors and discover what’s inside. Keep an eye out for announcements!

New ‘Riverside Roots Aboriginal Mural’: Coming to 650 Queen St East

Riverside is getting a new mural on the wall of 650 Queen Street East, thanks to support from the Riverside BIA, Canada 150, StreetART Toronto, and Woodgreen Community Services (for providing the wall for the mural). The mural is being completed by Aboriginal artists: Isaac Weber (a well-known street artist), Philip Cote (a veteran Indigenous artist, elder and muralist), and Destiny Rae Wheatley.

We invite you to join in the community consultation happening next week – RSVP at https://riverside2017mural.eventbrite.ca

The mural is anticipated to be completed by early August.

 

Broadview and Queen Keeps Changing

With the An Sibin Pub and now Dangerous Dan’s closed there is much speculation on what’s going in at either location. It’s top secret at the moment – and no we don’t have the answers – but have only heard that a big tenant has signed a lease at the former An Sibin. We will share any news when we have it.

Caribbean Sunset Opens

Caribbean Sunset opened up on June 15th in 753A Queen East, a space that had sat vacant for some months since vacated by Green Jar and formerly occupied by long time tenant Ambiance Chocolate.  Offering mouth watering fare such as Jerk Chicken, Goat Curry and Oxtail at reasonable prices- you can also get a fresh coconut to sip on! A big welcome to the neighbourhood for owner Douglas and his team!

Queen Garden Centre

They only opened in late May, but the Queen Garden Centre already feels like a fixture in the community. From their contributions to the success of local community events such as the Ralph Thornton Centre’s Spring Affair Fundraiser and Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest, to their hard work to beautify this former parking lot, they are an amazing team.  Stop by and say hello, while checking out their great native plants. They should be open three seasons of the year!

Clinique De Mode Opens

Another recently opened business animating a formerly quiet space is Clinique De Mode, a medical skin boutique that opened up in late May in the former Northern Cross Diamonds space at 750 Queen East. Check out their sunny space and see what they have on offer!

Urban House Cafe

Coming soon is the Urban House Cafe, which will occupy a formerly long time vacant space at 718 Queen East. They will be serving up breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and drinks inside and on their outdoor patio space. Read more about them on GOODHOOD.

Riverside Square Full Steam Ahead

After a long hiatus, the Riverside Square development – that will stretch from Queen Street, south to Eastern and west to the East Don Roadway – is full steam ahead. With the crane in place since late March, work is well underway on Riverside Square’s four-level-deep parking garage, which will rise to grade level over the next several months. Following the completion of the project’s first phase, future residential and commercial phases will add even more life to the 4.5 acre site, while a new public park fronting Queen Street will create a new neighbourhood amenity.Read up on the latest from Urban Toronto.

Burger Shoppe/ BQM Getting Licensed

The Burger Shoppe/ BQM is moving forward with getting their liquor license so you can enjoy some brews with your burgers!

Speaking of Brews…Saulter Street Brewery is Opening!

Eastbound Brewing Co. opened up just recently at 700 Queen E to much acclaim, and now Riverside’s second brewery will be opening soon!

Anticipated to be opening in June, the Saulter Street Brewery is going in at 1-31 Saulter St (walk down Strange Street past Stemz to find it), and will be equipped with a 20-hectolitre brewery, a 40-seat tasting room with a retail area to try and take home beer. We look forward to their Riverside Pilsner!!

Check out more news at GOODHOOD and saulterstreetbrewery.com

Genesis Downtown

In late May, Genesis Motors Canada launched its first Canadian retail boutique at 630 Queen Street East in Riverside. “Athletic elegance in design is at the core of Genesis vehicle design for its vehicles, and that inspiration is reflected in Genesis Downtown. With sleek, modern, and rich finishes, this new space sets the brand apart from traditional dealerships with a luxurious, yet welcoming, boutique-style facility for clients.” Read more.

Last for now but certainly not least….

Riverside Celebrates 150 Banners are Up!

Thanks to the Ontario 150 Celebration program for support of Riverside’s festivities in 2017, Riverside now has colourful banners celebrating this special occasion as well as local pride. These special banners will be up until the end of the year to enjoy!

Riverside’s New Mural: Tkaranto Past/ Tkaranto Future

Riverside has a new mural created by artists Odinamaad (Isaac Narcisco Weber), Chief Lady Bird (Nancy King) and Dave, along with Indigenous youth and traditional knowledge keeper Philip Cote who helped with youth workshops to conceptualize the mural design. The work on the mural was completed on July 20th on the walls of Woodgreen Services at 650 Queen Street East.
See a video of the completed mural!

      

The artists’ creation is rich in symbolism, stories and connections – from the floral designs on the west wall, all the way to the feather on the south wall. This is a mural full of messages of celebration and survivance of the past, as well as welcomings and good wishes for the future. No piece of this mural is without meaning and is truly a blessing to have it as a part of Riverside.

Stay tuned for details of mural launch celebrations coming up on August 27th, 3-6pm outside 650 Queen St E – pls save the date!

Rendering of mural design on 650 Queen Street East

Background 

Toronto has the largest population of urban indigenous populations, but there are few public visual markers that showcase the cultural vibrancy, voice and creativity of these communities.

As a district with a long and rich history, the Riverside BIA feels it is important to ensure that there is also reference to Indigenous heritage. For this reason, we focused on engaging a group of Aboriginal artists to do a piece in Riverside that speaks to the area’s First Nations heritage. The ‘Tkaranto Past/ Tkaranto Future’  (Toronto Past/Toronto Future) Mural will reference historical communities in the area, but also showcase the community as being one that is vibrant and contemporary.

Detailed sketches of mural designs

The piece is a blend of traditional woodland and contemporary street art styles – reflective of the different generations that have been involved in the mural’s creation. Philip Cote, is a veteran Indigenous artist, elder, and muralist. Isaac Weber is a well-known street artist. Destiny Rae Wheatley is a young emerging artist. Chief Ladybird is of Potawatomi/Chippewaand  is a visual artist and teacher from Mnjikaning Rama First Nation, based in Toronto. Further, these artists have engaged with the next generation through a series of workshops with youth from Council Fire, to help inspire the mural design.

 
Left to Right Philip Cote, Two Youth  from Council Fire, Destiny Rae Wheatly, Isaac Narcisco Weber 
The Community info session for the mural was held on June 21st at the Ralph Thornton Community Centre.
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The mural painting took place from July 16th-20th.

Thank you to mural supporters:  This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada,  StreetARToronto, Cultural  Hotspot , Ontario 150, and Woodgreen Community Services (for lending us their wall!)

Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada, StreetARToronto, Cultural  Hotspot , Ontario 150, et Woodgreen Community Services

THANK YOU & PHOTOS- Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest 2017

Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest, in its 5th year, was described by Riverside festival-goers and businesses alike as ‘the biggest and best celebration yet’ with:

  • 2 days of fun activities celebrating 150, Indigenous roots and local business and community
  • 10,000+ people coming out to Riverside on June 3rd & 4th
  • 50+ participating restaurants, vendors and retailers hosting events/ activities
  • 20+ live performances by Toronto musicians and artists
  • 6 street closures over the weekend packed with fun & meaningful activities and attractions
  • 350+ volunteer hours contributed
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This event could not have happened without the support of so many amazing people!!!
 
THANK YOU:
  • Riverside Eats & Beats 2017 Sponsors: the Riverside BIA, Ontario 150, BMO Queen & Saulter Branch, Hullmark Developments, Downtown Automotive Group, & Metroland Media!
  • Riverside Eats & Beats Marketing Committee: Adrienne, our Event Chair, for helping host a fantastic Munro Street closure party; Chef Scott for bringing Toronto Food Tours Culinary demos, a pig roast, and a walking tour to the festival, Karen for event photography, Lynne for leading the Riverside ArtWalk Tour, Giancarlo, Alexis and Jeff for coming out and lending their muscle to help run the show. Glenn, Maria, John & the whole Ralph Thornton Community Centre team for lending event equipment and hosting ESCAPE childcare activities all weekend. Dave for open the doors at Eastbound all weekend, and Lynn for bringing support and great activities via BMO.
  • Riverside BIA Board: Rosie, Adrienne, Dave, Natasha, Athena, and Ellen who hosted amazing activities during the festival. Special thanks to Ryan at Hullmark for sponsoring the event, and to our Chair, Mitch for helping lead our Samba Toronto parade and supporting our special MomenTO activities with the City of Toronto and Councillor Paula Fletcher.
  • Street Closure Hosts: Big thanks to: Barb Nahwegahbow for hosting the Indigenous & Ingenious Summer Show & Sale on Broadview; Arts Market for hosting a fun pop market on McGee; to Nell & Natasha for hosting their always-popular free annual BBQ on McGee; Oma Chiropractic, Quince Flowers, and Switchback Cyclery for hosting the Munro Block Party; Queen/Saulter Library, who hosted activities on Saulter; and Artists’ Network for cross promoting and collaborating on outreach with the Riverdale ArtWalk, so our two events come together as one.
  • Riverside Restaurants, Retailers and Community Centres who hosted excellent activities:  Shout out to the many who hosted great food tasters, specials and other activities including Kaboom Chicken, The Wine Rack (we love your dancing grapes!!), Tabule, Arts Market, Common Sort, Downtown Toyota & il ponte, Dimensions, Pulp Kitchen, Eastbound Brewing Co, Butchers of Distinction, The Opera House Grill, Mary Macleod’s, The Peasant Table, The Comrade, Smash, Chi Junky Studio, The Broadview Hotel, Here & Now, Irish Design House, Bergstrom, Sash & Bustle, Broadview Bakery, Mustard Seed, I’ll Be Seeing You, Lan Restaurant, and Sugar Loaf!
  • Artists, Musicians, Artisans and Vendors who helped enliven our streets and community spaces: Don Valley Stompers; Youth Drum, Suzanne Smoke & Cedar Smoke; Metis Fiddling & Jigging Trio; Lindsay Foote; Samba Toronto; the Entertwangers; Elana Harte f/t Jen Benton; Dustin & Pat; Tune Your Ride’s bicycle-powered line up; Evolve Skate Camp and PirateLife, plus many more fantastic local artists and vendors.
  • Our local political reps: Councillor Paula Fletcher for her ongoing support in helping make these street events a success, and our MP Julie Dabrusin and MPP Peter Tabuns.
  • Graphic designer Geo who created the fresh, enlivening promotional materials that helped make this event come to life and captured people’s attention online and on the streets
  • Other Eats & Beats Volunteers: all our fabulous, hard-working George Brown ESL Students, our Marketing Committee members, and other volunteers for their essential support and extra hard work this year!
  • Riverside BIA Maintenance staff Drew for helping get the moving parts into the right place at the right time
  • Last but certainly not least the amazing, strong BIA Office Team: Jennifer, Bradley, Anjuli, and Barb for supporting every step to make this event a success!

Now, if you attended the festival please let us know what you thought of Eats & Beats 2017 to help us all improve for the next one, to make it even better:

www.surveymonkey.com/r/K8Y2W6P

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