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Letter from the Creative Director
I decided a few years ago to go into book design, a field that it turns out sits at an odd (but delightful) intersection of the worlds of publishing and design. I took an undergraduate degree in fine art, focussing my assignments as much as I could on book design. Now I’m in Centennial’s publishing program to hopefully balance out my education across the two fields a bit better. I decided that I’d spend the time learning to write quick and natural calligraphy, since I would be taking lots of notes for the first time since university, and that was a skill that would undoubtedly help me with making hand-lettering…
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Rebuilding My Routine: A Journey to Mental Well-Being in a New City
In the months leading up to my arrival in Toronto, I had been experiencing some trouble with my mental health. There was too much uncertainty, and I was questioning every single one of my choices.
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Non-vegan restaurants where you can actually eat as a vegan
As a student on a budget, these are my top 4 Vegan places that helped me get through my first semester at Centennial College
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Love Letter From a Commuter: Why the Don Valley Should Be Protected
Dear Don Valley, It is 9:39 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, and I am driving down the Don Valley Parkway, heading to Centennial College for my first day of school. Up until today, I have never been a commuter; I have always lived close to school, so driving every day from my small hometown north of the city is rather new to me. Already I find the bumper-to-bumper traffic along the DVP to be as tedious and exhausting as the constant exhaust fumes that are spewing out of engines all around me. But there is one silver lining: as I take the exit at Don Mills Road and the…
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Designing a Neighbourhood: The Go-To Design Hub
I met Armin Martiros, the owner of Design Lab, on a bright, warm day. His shop, similar to that day, was warm and bright. While walking along Pape Avenue, I stopped at a storefront window, displaying one small, white sofa covered with a fluffy, ash-grey blanket, some pillows, and a matching side table. Drawn in by the design, which resembled a cozy, nicely furnished home, I decided to have a look inside. The first thing I noticed was that the space was filled with personalized everyday items, things appearing both practical and pretty. Later, after browsing the shop’s webpage, I saw that cushions, lamps, Acapulco chairs, sofas, curtains, colourful glasses,…
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A Night of Fun and Laughter on the Danforth
It was an unusually warm night in late October when I threw on my faded denim jacket and worn-out Converse to make my way toward Comedy Bar on the Danforth for the first time. Wedged between an unassuming cigar shop and a residential building with plain, grey-scale facades, the massive sign that spans the venue is hard to miss. “Comedy Bar” sits across the top in glowing red letters. Details on the headliners, showtimes, and website shine below, framed in beaming yellow show lights. As I walked toward the illuminated sign, I thought about the first comedy show I attended. I was in my early twenties, struggling to get through…
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Goodbyes Are Only Temporary: Danforth, Coal Mine Theatre Is Not Going Anywhere
“We were going to find a place along the Danforth or we were just going to stop,” says Ted Dykstra, co-founder of the Coal Mine Theatre (CMT). The relocation of this admired East End theatre had one priority leading the search—to remain on the Danforth. “We feel very grateful and lucky,” says Ted of being able to stay along the Danforth at their new location, 2076 Danforth Ave., following a tragic fire at the previous location in September 2022. For the past seven years, the CMT has been bringing never-before-seen theatre to this neighbourhood. Their ambition has been to bring highly acclaimed plays to Toronto. Despite the non-existent grants or…
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Independent Bookshops Remind Us of the Value of In-Store Browsing
When Amazon packages can be delivered to your door within 24 hours, it’s easy to fall into the trap of shopping for books online. But by shopping online, you miss out on the pleasure of getting lost among the shelves and the chance to connect with people who are passionate about reading. Re: Reading Used Books (548 Danforth Ave. at Carlaw) and the Scribe (375 Danforth Ave. at Chester) are two independent bookstores that truly capture the magic of in-store browsing. Re: Reading Used Books Re: Reading Used Books carries books and movies in a wide range of genres, but the atmosphere of the store is a homage to sci-fi.…
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How We Immortalize Our Cats: From Ancient Pottery to Etsy Shops
As a kid, I grew up with three cats. In the 90s, that meant we filled albums with Kodak photographs we got developed at Walmart. Photographs of us—my family—with our beloved little guys and some of just Rex or Chloe or Max, alone, because we needed to bring that love we had for them to life, to put it somewhere tangible, somewhere we could look at and hold in our hands. Obviously, this is not a unique experience. The rise of kitty fame on the Internet makes that ever clearer. But we—humans, lovers of cats—have been filling proverbial albums with Walmart-developed photos for as long as cats have been domesticated,…
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People of the Danforth
There’s a peculiar phenomenon that I stumbled across on the internet the other day: The Danforth Community group on Facebook, filled with missing pets and keys, business ventures, quirky events, and a bunch of really lovely people. After my initiation (my request to join was approved), it felt like I had opened a treasure chest of community secrets. I dug through hundreds of posts discussing matters related to the Danforth, and honestly, I got jealous. I don’t live on the Danforth, nor do I visit the area often, but looking through the group unleashed an itching curiosity as to what made their community page so lively—the members were so helpful…
