Corktown

[DSCToronto]

It looks like Pet-oriented stores are the new cannabis shops!!

 

[AlbertC]

A few doors away at 489 King St East there is also coming soon signage for the "Bark Bath & Beyond" pet grooming and boutique. So not a vet, but another dog-oriented service on the strip.

BARK BATH & BEYOND

Low Stress Grooming Experience in a Cage Free Facility

www.barkbathandbeyond.com

Brownie points for the whimsical store name!

 

[DSCToronto]

Brownie points for the whimsical store name!

Yes, those "Pet Shop Boys" do have a knack for 'smart names" See these people who seem to be all over and just opened @ Front and Frederick.

 

[CityPainter]

I guess this is right on the edge of Corktown/Moss Park but I noticed the old brick building at 102 Berkeley Street (which I think was originally a fire hall) is undergoing heavy renovations to become a recreational facility for pickleball and table tennis.

Application: Building Additions/Alterations
Location:102 BERKELEY ST TORONTO ON M5A 2W7
Application#: 25 170380 BLD 00 BA
Accepted Date: Jun 5, 2025
Project: Recreational
Work: Interior Alterations
Description: Proposal for interior alterations - convert to amusement centre - add 4 pickle ball courts, 3 table tennis, a bar and changing the vanity into a shower.

A bit of Googling suggests this will be 6ix Pickle. They are also on Instagram.

Sounds like a fun idea, and a nice alternative to the never ending furniture stores in the area.

 

[toonderly]

I guess this is right on the edge of Corktown/Moss Park but I noticed the old brick building at 102 Berkeley Street (which I think was originally a fire hall) is undergoing heavy renovations to become a recreational facility for pickleball and table tennis.



A bit of Googling suggests this will be 6ix Pickle. They are also on Instagram.

Sounds like a fun idea, and a nice alternative to the never ending furniture stores in the area.

I was very confused by this at first -- I thought the building that the Alumnae Theatre is in on the south side of Adelaide was the old fire hall and wondered why they were being displaced for pickleball. But I see this is a different address.

 

[CityPainter]

I was very confused by this at first -- I thought the building that the Alumnae Theatre is in on the south side of Adelaide was the old fire hall and wondered why they were being displaced for pickleball. But I see this is a different address.

Good point, sorry for the confusion. This is obviously a different building from the fire hall repurposed as a theatre a block or so south, but I for some reason had the idea in my head that this building was also once a fire hall. But though older Google Street View images show the year "1872" over the center door, it is not listed as a heritage property, and the only mentions I can find of its past uses are as a warehouse. And looking closer at it, I think it's too small/short to have ever been a fire hall.

It also notice this property is now owned by Lamb and they've made some proposals to replace it with a new condo, though that seems to be taking a while to work through approvals, hence the interim pickleball.

 

[Jonny5]

Brownie points for the whimsical store name!

I showed this to my sister who has run her own dog grooming business for 20 years and she immediately said the "cage free facility" tag was stupid. First off is the childish jingoism of "cage free" which appeals to shallow people that fall for smart-sounding marketing, but more importantly she noted it's simply dangerous.

Dogs are not hens. They each have very different personalities, and you should never let them be "free run". Even the smallest thing can suddenly set off an otherwise docile dog in what is a very stressful environment for them, away from their owners and with strangers doing uncomfortable things to them. They absolutely should be placed in crates... oh, sorry, "cages". After 20 years she has had about five sudden vicious attacks from a dog that was "such a good little boy who would never do anything bad," one where she had to go to the hospital for stitches.

And you know what will happen when one of the groomers is bitten or one dog attacks another is they immediately drop that whole concept. This is not a doggy daycare where they all become familiarised with each other. They will be surrounded by dogs they have never seen before and they should be segregated.