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1 Bloor East, DEAD AND BURIED (Bazis, -2s, Varacalli)

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Great little post on blogTO.com on the fate of the Roy Square businesses:

This week I put on my investigative reporter hat and went for a stroll around the soon-to-be ghost town that is Roy's Square. I wanted to see how the businesses were coping with being kicked out and what their plans for the future were. In case you missed it, Roy's Square at Yonge and Bloor is going to be completely destroyed to make way for the behemoth that is 1 Bloor.

As expected, no one was happy about moving and some were quite depressed about it, but overall I was glad to see that most of the businesses will be living on in some form or another elsewhere in the city.

For a (somewhat) complete list of the businesses of Roy's Square and their fates, keep reading after the jump.

Businesses that are definitely relocating:

Biryani House - Possibly the best cheap Indian food in the city, Biryani House is moving to 15 Hayden St. This makes me very, very happy.

Marco's Shoe Repair - Get your Birkenstock's re-soled at 890a Church St.

YWCA Store - New location opening uptown at 81 St Clair East.

Falafel House - Shawarma now being served in their new location across the street on Yonge.

Super Discount Plus - Where else can you buy a used fax machine and Mach3 Razor refills? New location will be opening at 558 Yonge St.

Mudo - Yonge Street fashionistas can now shop at 660 Yonge.

Toby's - Grab some wings and beer at their new location at Bathurst and College.

Silver 4U - Moving to 913 Yonge.

Egyptian Psychic - She saw this one coming and secured a lease at Yonge + Yorkville.

Roy's Square Dry Cleaners - Moving to 25 Hayden

Lunch Break Mediterranean Food - Moving to 760 Yonge St.

Nails by Annie - Moving out to Kingston Road

Electronic Watch Service Centre - Moving up the street to 50 Cumberland.

Businesses that would like to relocate but have yet to secure a lease elsewhere:

City Optical - When I think of Yonge and Bloor this shop with its enormous and some would say hideous signage is the first thing that comes to mind. They are expecting to secure a location somewhere in the Bay and Bloor area.

The Salad House - Still looking for a new location.

Banana Leaf Thai Cuisine - Still looking for a new location.

Popeyes Fried Chicken - Mmmm fried chicken.

Businesses that are shutting down altogether:

Harvey's - Rest assured Harvey's fans, there is not a conspiracy to remove all Harvey's from the downtown core as a new location is said to be coming to Yonge and Dundas.

Mr Sub - Already emptied out. I think if you look hard enough you might be able to find another Mr. Sub downtown...

Felix & Norton - Already emptied out.

Smoke and News - After 14 years in this location they will be shutting down as they cannot afford to lease another space in the area.

Coffee Coffee - Already emptied out.

Roy's Garden Chinese Cuisine - Closing after 14 years in business.

Hyart Gallery and Custom Framing - Closing down but the owner said he will still operate his business out of his own house.

Japan and Korea House - Already emptied out.

Currency Exchange - Tourists will have to go elsewhere to get our almighty dollar as this place is already emptied out.

Ritz Carribean Food - Already emptied out but other locations are in the area like 606 Yonge.

New York New York Accessories and Body Piercing - Get something weird pierced at their other locations - Queen West and Sheridan Mall (North York) as this place is shutting down.

Zulu fashion Accessories - Already closed.

Caffery Van Horne - Already closed.

Also worth mentioning that The Shoe Company and the other businesses in the section south of Roy's Square and north of Hayden street (including The Naval Club) have another 7 months before they will have to vacate.
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That would be August before demo starts there then.......

(1 Month to destroy the Hayden block, 7 months to destroy the Y/B corner block)

January + 7 Months = August??

Construction Start ------> September???
 
A lil blast from the past before 1BE tears 'em down

fo1257%5Cser1057%5Cf1257_s1057_it0052.jpg
 
Holy Wow, what a great pic. Amazing how much is still there, briefly there....
 
My problem with today's scene compared to that in the picture is that in a tight situation, one cannot run away from the police/mafia/satan anymore on roofs of buildings and jump off and land safely on the awning. (Or, for greater comic relief, through the awning and into a crate of oranges.) The best you can hope for today is to land on some overweight suburbanite walking by to catch your fall.

In short, I miss awnings.
 
Yes now you just get soaked in the rain.

There is something almost charming about the above picture. Almost like it is not the same place. Everything seems to look so simple back than compared to what the intersection is today.
 
interchange42 said:
Back before Bramalea Ltd went backrupt (end of the 80s? anyone remember) they had plans to cut windows into The Bay's blank concrete walls. Subsequent landlords have not revived that plan, although we certainly enjoy harping on it here. In fact, let's say it again:

Somebody! Anybody! Cut some windows into the Bay store at HBC!
Dammit.

42
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I lived there when Bramalea went into receivership, it was 1992 or 1993
 
One thing telling about those old photos is just how nice the street level used to be on some of the commercial routes.
 
DaninToronto said:
There is something almost charming about the above picture. Almost like it is not the same place. Everything seems to look so simple back than compared to what the intersection is today.
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Indeed, and 50% less random gun shots too. Oh well, Toronto is spicier these days...yay! (careful what we wish for).
 
I wish the developer had put this project to an international competition. At 80 stories its going to dominate midtown for many years. No-one seems too enamoured, unlike for example 1 St Thomas.
 
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