From High Styles to Highrise Condos and Loft Conversions
The neighbourhood is a great place to hang out, with an eclectic mix of old and new, all styles all tastes and all kinds of interesting things going on.
Known for its cool styles and hip fashions, shops boasting chic, contemporary designs and old-world merchants, the Fashion District, spilling over from Queen West, King West, the Theatre District and the Entertainment District, is part of Toronto in flux, just making the change from garment factories to culture factories.
Along Spadina from Queen to Wellington Street and branching side streets are lined with great converted factory spaces, fabric shops, condos, art galleries and independent clothiers that wear the title Fashion District quite smartly. But the Fashion District was established long before the high-healed, designer sunglassed, urban chic moved in.
The funky warehouse lofts are true conversions, original factory spaces that were home to Toronto’s garment industry; furriers, textilers and clothiers of all varieties. Hence the title Fashion District, to honour the decades of garment production that established the neighbourhood, and not named for the coutured trendsetters that are moving in; though residents are keeping the legacy alive, and looking good doing it.
Over the years, the Fashion District has changed, and businessmen, like Herman Miller have seen it happen rapidly. Herman Miller worked in the Fashion District for over 60 years. His shop, Windsor Bridal, was on the northwest corner of Spadina and Richmond for decades. But in 1999, Herman had several reasons for moving his shop out of the neighbourhood, mainly as a response to the evolving direction of the neighbourhood.
In the Fashion District’s heyday, the streets were lined with clothing-related businesses and everyone was in the industry. Spadina Avenue was, until the past decade, a wide, badly potholed road without a streetcar lane down the middle. Street parking was a wild disarray of angled cars and trucks in the curb lanes. Parking lanes, loading bays and open allies were necessary to keep businesses in motion.
As the garment industry began relocating north of downtown, it became a mass exodus. Not only was it getting harder to move shipping trucks around, but the businesses that were disappearing thinned out the the draw for consumers and shoppers. Spaces were taken over by dot commerce, designers, artists and condominium projects. The downtown core’s real estate became too valuable as office and living space, and too inconvenient to maintain factories.
As the Fashion District continues to convert to shops, cafes, clubs and condos, the area is becoming the place to be - living, working, and playing. Many of the condo owners traded a commute for a walk to work. Living in the heart of the city offers more convenience than just a shorter trip to work; it changes a person’s lifestyle. Just down the street is the SkyDome, so catching a game or heading to a concert doesn’t need to be a planned effort, but becomes a spur of the moment opportunity.
Simply everything is close by - movies, clubs, the gym, a driving range. Friends that live in the suburbs want to stop in every time they make their way down to the city. There’s no need to drive a car because travelling by TTC and cabbing around the city is faster and can works out to be more cost-effective than a car, and its ever-rising insurance, parking and gas costs.
Living in the Fashion District can also add finesse to anyone’s wardrobe. Constantly passing window displays can be quite tempting, and constantly seeing the styles being set, before they come into the shops in the mall can result in a very trendsetting cache.
Herman’s son and business partner bought and moved into the District Lofts since the time the business had moved out of the neighbourhood. He knows the area well. He loves the area. He’s been part of the business and social community for much of his life and has seen the transformation occur.
He describes the Fashion District as tamer version of its former self. The area used to be a lot more edgy, a place where a tattoos, piercings and PVC clothing really used to turn heads. Now it’s so common to see purple haired people that nobody ever does a double take. It is a great place to people watch and everybody can be as individual as they’d like. There really is a lot of self expression going on.
He finds it ironic that despite the multitude of visual expression that goes on in the Fashion District, his condominium still has a rule on its books that requires all window treatments to appear white from the exterior to maintain uniformity and an appropriate looking facade.
Another odd thing he found when he first moved into the Fashion District was that it was badly in need of a grocery store. Transition took a while. A strong commercial presence for so many decades, the transformation to residential lagged until enough commercial space was converted to residential. But with all of the new condos nearing completion and becoming occupied, residential amenities are apace with the needs of a growing residential population.
The 50,000-sq.-ft., 24-hour Dominion is just a streetcar ride along King Street and services many of the young developing communities along the way. There is still the old-world friendliness and charm of Kensington Market and The St. Lawrence Market, just outside the community but still close by; each offers an experience all its own.
Eating at home is one thing, but downtown living has the temptation of dining out as a way of life. The Fashion District is surrounded by what should rightly be called the Epicure District so you can either make dinner or make reservations. Queen Street, King Street, and Spadina Avenue are full of some unbelievable restaurants.
China Town lines Spadina with every variation of Asian cuisine available, while Jewish delis, Thai restaurants, French, East Indian, West Indian, fusion, late-nite and 24-hour, hot dog vendors, pub style fare, sandwich counters, fast food joints, Middle-Eastern dining rooms, greasy spoons, cheapie, expensive, impress-a-date places, groovy diners, and health food specialists are all around - just to mention a few options.
Elements of the garment trade still remain in the Fashion District. Stock in the old shops and collections offered by wholesalers is unique. The entire experience is different when you buy from somebody who has been in the same place, making and selling the same things to generations of the same families.
But, like Herman Miller’s store, many are moving on, relocating, retiring, ending leases and making way for a new incarnation of the Fashion District. Yoga spas, pet supply boutiques, specialty coffees and designer everything are infusing the Fashion District and giving new meaning to the old neighbourhood name.
———————————————————————————
Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information
