The Beach Village continues to be an eclectic place to find a variety of businesses that are filled with local culture.
Over the past months, we’ve seen some changes to Queen Street. We’ve said good-bye to some long-time businesses and we’ve welcomed a number of new shops and services too. Mathnasium, Beach Toyz, Anastasia Metro Hair Design and Kind Exchange inject a freshness to the street.
Store turnover is expected to some degree, but we can help our local economy by supporting businesses where we live. The benefits impact all of us.
Dollars spent in locally owned businesses have three times the impact on our community as dollars spent at national chains. Local stores help to sustain vibrant, walkable communities which are essential to reducing automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
Active residents in our community
Recently, fellow board members of the Business Improvement Area (BIA), Ward 32 Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon and myself met with local residents associations to talk about the business environment on Queen Street East. We asked for their feedback about what they liked about shopping in the Beach Village and what could be done to improve their experience.
What we heard was that residents are looking for convenience, value, great customer service and a local scene or community event that draws people to our area.
Another passionate group of residents has started an open group on Facebook – ‘Community Cash Mob – Beach(es) Area.’
They’ve come up with a fun way to promote Beach Village businesses and make sure our community remains healthy. Be sure to check out their page for information about stores you might not have known about before.
Great ideas come in all shapes and sizes, and Beach Village businesses are supporting an initiative led by resident Cherie Daly on June 7 – Pop-up Play in the Park at Ivan Forrest Gardens.
This is part of the 100in1Day citizen-led festival uniting people to make Toronto a better place to live.
It’s by working together that we’re able to raise awareness about what’s happening on Queen Street and attract people to explore all the fun things that are taking place.
What’s on in the Beach Village
This month, The Beach Village is hosting a Spring Fling from May 23 to 25!
Visit businesses on Queen Street for amazing sales and take part in the fun activities and entertainment we’ve got planned at Ivan Forrest Gardens on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 from noon to 4 p.m. See our ad on page 19 of this newspaper for more details.
With summer just around the corner, we’ve started planning some exciting new initiatives to get people outdoors in our community.
Mark your calendars for Movie Night in the Beach Village – June 24 and July 31 at Kew Gardens and July 10 and August 21 at Ivan Forrest Gardens. We’re planning some movie theme nights and we’ll be showing some popular movies for all ages.
As Beachers, we all know it can be a bit of a hike from the boardwalk to the sidewalk. The BIA has it covered this summer – a free shuttle will be available every Saturday in July and August, from Woodbine Beach to the heart of the village, with stops at key intersections along Queen Street. Watch for the yellow buses with Beach Village banners and enjoy the ride. Strollers and dogs welcome!
There’s a lot going on – come and enjoy your Beach Village!
Rick Gabrielle is chair of the Beach Village Business Improvement Area
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