Toronto TeaHouse 501 Yonge Condominiums | 170.98m | 52s | Lanterra | a—A

It's not just you. I'm sorry that Cocina Lucero is gone, I'm hoping Papaya Hut will return somewhere, glad that Kathmandu relocated…

It seems pretty much everyone on here hated this complex. I didn't. For sure it was odd and long past its best, but there's nothing else quite like it in town, and it has funky 1970s-ish vibe that has always amused me.

I'm fine with TeaHouse though, and am hoping that they do achieve some intimate scale at ground level on Yonge. That'll be the trick here, and with just about every other redevelopment on this street.

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I miss it too. Especially the record stores and video arcades. During my high school days I'd go down on a Friday night and spend lots of time buying records and playing video.
 
I've never been to Melbourne but I like the photos I have seen from there. Apparently they have pedestrian alleys off main streets lined with shops, restaurants, bars etc. I think something like that would be a great result for Yonge St.
 
I think the Melbourne alleys may be perpendicular to the main street. You enter them directly from the YongeSt equivalent. I woukd take some planning to make this posdible.
 
Hanlansboy said:
I too agree it will look much nice then the tattered old structures that are currently there, but, I know a few of the store owners, they're loosing their livelihood, many deciding not to relocate because it's too expensive. As much as I love seeing tall building going up everywhere, the nostalgic side of me is saddened that many of the stores that gave Yonge it's character, will now be gone for ever, guess it's an inevitable side effect of growth, but there are days I get sick of seeing a wall of glass and steel, and long for the small shops that once occupied our streets, or is it just me?
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Don't they receive $$$ from developers? How can they lose their livelihood? If they want, they can always open new business on a different street. Plenty of vacate retail space on Queen East by the way.

And exactly which of these stores "gave Yonge its character?" Barrie or Peterborough wouldn't want any of them.

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They could relocate though generally that costs more than many businesses want or are able to spend, so they either close or move somewhere entirely different. Which is really a sign that their business needed to be re evaluated if it was struggling that much to stay open. Retail is tough.



I hope that eventually there will be good and varied retail again. Further north up Yonge there are many promising examples of varied retail.

Fingers crossed.
 
ksun said:
Don't they receive $$$ from developers? How can they lose their livelihood? If they want, they can always open new business on a different street. Plenty of vacate retail space on Queen East by the way.

And exactly which of these stores "gave Yonge its character?" Barrie or Peterborough wouldn't want any of them.
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Why would you think a tenant would receive money from a developer? The store and restaurant owners lost their leases and livelihoods, it's the landlord who made the money. The stores and restaurants were kicked out.

Moving your business, even across the street, would be very expensive. If you're a couple of years from retirement, you probably couldn't justify the capital investment.

I think Kathmandu, Papaya Hut, and Cocina Lucero gave the street character. Sure the building was hideous and needs to be replaced, but you can't tell me Tea House will have retail like this. Look at Five and compare the final result against the renderings. It's a great condo tower, but the renderings showed a bakery and a hat shop and a few other small retailers, eclectic retail like what we're losing here. But in reality, Five is getting an RBC.

There are 13 retail spots in 501 Yonge which will be replaced by 5 retail spots, a couple of which are tiny. The developer said no when asked at a community meeting if they would promise not to join the 5 retail spots into one contiguous space.
 
^ if you read carefully, I was responding to a post which claims the "owners" are losing their livelihood. Don't they get paid?
Plus, if your lease expires and the landlord decides to not renew the lease, I don't see any unfairness in that. There is no loss of livelihood to speak of. That's business and business moves when it's time.
 
The store owners are not being paid. Yeah, there is nothing unfair over the landlord choosing not to renew a lease but, it's also a cold way at looking at things. The store owners have invested alot in those locations. Just because they don't have the capital to relocate doesn't mean their business wasn't successful either. Oh well, that is progress. Just hope the end result isn't Chicago with same store on every block.
 
if the owners "invested a lot in the place", it would not look like that. I simply don't see their investment. They like any business only care quick profit and never bothered to place the buildings nice and attractive.

That's called change and business. I am not gonna miss them whatsoever. Cold or not, the compassion is excessively misplaced and the store owners probably all have much better lives than all of us.
 
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There is practically no money in retail. If Xmas didn't exist stores would not be able to pay their overheads the rest of the year. I'm sure there are exceptions though.
 
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