Many of us in Liberty Village live in small cozy spaces, this paired with the lockdown can easily make keeping active and health seem almost impossible, but it’s not! We just need to be creative, intentional, and conscious.
Move Your Body Everyday
Moving your body everyday does not mean you have to do an intense workout. A simple stretch, a few sit-ups and push-ups, dancing, running on the spot, all, or any of the above can help change your mood. Commit to moving your body every day either during your lunch break, after work before you transition into your evening or both! It will do wonders for both your mental and physical health. If you’re someone who is missing real-life fitness classes, Oxygen Yoga & Fitness is offering on demand classes, and F45 is offering classes live online.
Get Outside
It’s too easy to stay indoors for multiple days at a time. Make a conscious decision to get some fresh air daily, even if it’s cold or snowy, wrap up warm and just do it! Take a walk down to the lake, jog along the lakeshore, discover new routes, streets, and hidden treasures around the neighbourhood. Plan your walk into your daily routine – go for a walk before starting your workday to set the tone for the day ahead or go each day after dinner to help digest your food. Anytime of the day is a good time for a walk!
Meditation
It goes without saying that the pandemic can take a toll on our mental health. Meditation has both mental and physical benefits. Incorporating a meditation practice into your life can help you stay calm and centred in what can sometimes be an unpredictable world. Separating your mind and body from day-to-day stressors and concentrating on your breath for a few minutes a day can help reset your mind and mood. Allow your mind and your body to rest.
Fuel Your Body
When working from home without your usual routine, mealtimes can also be easily affected – this could go one of two ways. You may forget to take lunch breaks because you’re home alone and not consciously taking coffee and meal breaks. Alternatively, working from can also result in excessive snacking since you are at home and always close to the fridge and snack cupboards. Consciously schedule your lunch and snack breaks into your daily schedule – you can do this many ways like setting an alarm on your phone, adding breaks to your work calendar, or writing a reminder on a sticky note on your desk. Be sure to fuel your body with healthy foods full of nutrients and vitamins to help keep your mind and body strong, Organic Garage offers a wide range of speciality and organic choices.
Self-Care
It may seem like there’s not much to get excited about these days but planning events just like you would when we weren’t in lockdown can help us break-up our usual daily routine. Plan an at home spa and self-care days, do a face mask, take a long hot bath, sip on tea while you get lost in a good book. Make virtual plans with friends and family, play virtual games, eat dinner together, or simply grab a glass of wine and catch-up over the phone. Plan special meals at home – may it be takeout to support a local restaurant or learning how to make a new recipe paired with a delicious cocktail – give yourself an excuse to get dressed up! Cocktail kits like the “Bring Your Own Drink Kit”, from Local make life easy for when you feel like learning to be your own bartender. Add these events to your schedule, plan ahead, and give yourself something to look forward to.
Tap into Your Passions
Do something new that you’ve always wanted to try, get creative, and have fun while you’re doing it. There are so many things we all want to try but just don’t ever end up doing it – painting, jewelry making, drawing, writing, learning a new language, or redecorating our homes. We have the time to do it, now we just need be conscious, put our phones down, stop the scroll and be a little more conscious about how we spend our time. Binge watching your favourite show or scrolling through funny TikTok videos will feel so much more rewarding after you’ve learnt how to say phrases in a new language, or you’ve created a plan for that business you’ve always wanted to get started.
There are so many ways we can make this very different experience a positive one. Be intentional and get creative – move your body, calm your mind, and consciously make the most of your time.
This year more than ever it’s so important for us to show our local shops some real local love. This holiday season we encourage you to try to support smaller local businesses to help keep them in afloat during these unprecedented times so that we can enjoy them now and far into the future.
To help you support local businesses we have created a roundup of gift ideas and places you can shop locally over the next few weeks as you prepare to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. Don’t have time to read through the whole post? Scroll to the bottom for our list and quick links to websites and Instagram accounts.
#LoveLibertyTO
A Little Bit of Pampering
While we can’t go out to get our hair cut, coloured, and styled right now, one day we will be able to, and may need it more than ever. Give the gift of good hair this holiday season by purchasing a gift card to a local salon. Purchasing gift cards now helps support salons while they are mandated to stay closed and allows you to give a loved one some well needed pampering. You can purchase B.Suite Salon gift cards via email or DM!
You can also contact Beauty Room to see if their At-Home-Beauty Kits are ready for sale!* This is great way to purchase your favourite beauty products for yourself or your loved ones while supporting a local business. *At the time this post was written they were getting ready to be released
Cures Beauté has an online portal for purchasing instant gift certificates. Input any amount and choose to either send your gift of pampering via email to the lucky recipient or print the gift certificate out to give to that special someone in person.
Want to give the gift of relaxation? Liberty Village locals, Demo Soap, is your one stop shop for bath bombs, soaps and more, they are open for curbside pickup and offer free delivery across the GTA! Want to send a gift right to a friend’s door? Demo Soap offers shipping across Canada.
Baby and Mom
Looking for gifts for the babies and mommies in your life? Love Me Do Baby & Maternity in Liberty Village is open and will remain open throughout the current lockdown. In an effort to keep everyone safe and healthy the team at Love Me Do are offering some pretty special services. They are now offering free same day delivery, free shipping, curbside pick-up, and the option to shop by appointment.
Bespoke Sparkles
Looking for something sparkly for someone special this holiday season? Planning something extra special in 2021? Carnabys offers custom jewellery design, resizing, maintenance and upcycling! Redesign a family heirloom or purchase something new to pass down to you future children or grandchildren. The Carnabys design team is ready to help you virtually with your jewellery design needs while their production is working hard behind the scenes. Orders are available for curbside pickup.
For the Foodies
For your loved ones who are working from home or who just love a good cup of coffee, Balzac’sis offering same day delivery within the GTA. Choose your from their many blends and product offerings to have a caffeine filled treat, Balzac’s accessories and merchandise delivered right to you or a lucky someone!
Celebrations and special occasions may be going virtual, but they don’t need go on without custom cakes! Send a special sweet treat to a loved one this holiday season, nothing lifts spirits like customized cakes! Liberty Village’s For The Love Of Cake is taking online orders, and is open for curbside pickup and delivery. Get your creative juices flowing, send someone something funny, nostalgic or love filled in the form of cake this holiday season!
Want to send the gift of gingerbread but don’t feel like? No worries Mad Batter Bakers will do the baking for you. With so many designs to choose from and the option to request custom orders there’s a cookie for everyone, every holiday, every celebration, and all the special (and just because!) occasions you can think of – say it on a cookie!
Don’t forget to treat yourself this holiday season, indulge in great coffee, delicious food, and all things comforting while also supporting local restaurants and small businesses! Check out our full guide on how to support local restaurants along with our map of all the restaurants located right here in Liberty Village. Planning a virtual dinner party? Send dinner and a cocktail kit to your “dinner guests” too! A little reminder, whenever possible please order directly from the restaurant, take a walk, get some fresh air and pick-up your orders. Doing this helps ensure 100% of the proceeds are placed right into the pockets of the restaurant owners.
Health, Wellness, and Stocking Stuffers
While gyms and studios may not be open currently be open, you can still give the gift of health and wellness to those near and dear to you. Why not buy the yogi in your life 10 yoga classes, and help get them ready to return to their mats in the new year? On the Pure Yoga Liberty Village website you can purchase 5 and 10 class packs to use anytime, not only are you supporting a local small business, but you are stuffing a stocking with a unique thoughtful gift too.
Luxe Tanning can’t offer the gift of in-person tanning at the moment, but they are offering curbside pick-up and porch drop-offs across the GTA! Send them a DM on Instagram to find out more about their gift ideas including active wear from brands like Spiritual Gangster, swimwear, luxury soy candles, essential oils and more from brands like Happy Spritz and Lees and Alex!
Do you know someone who loves to rock climb or who has always wanted to try? Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing offers digital gift cards so you can share the gift of climbing! Gift cards can be used towards day passes, lessons, memberships, apparel, and they never expire. Once lockdown is over you and a bestie will be ready to get climbing!
For the fitness fanatics in your bubble, give the gift of F45 and then some… purchase class passes, protein powders, and F45 apparel all online! Keep your buddies fit in style, online, offline, and be ready for when in-person classes are back in session!
Matching Styles for You, your Pups, and the Kids
If you’re looking for ways to make the holidays special for your fur babies (and real babies), Liberty Pooch has an online store “Liberty Boutique” where you can find bandanas (pets & kids), bow ties (pets & kids), headbands (all size humans), birthday hats (pets), and reusable fabric face masks (kids & adults). Your orders are all custom made so you can match you and your kid’s headbands and face masks with your puppy’s and bandanas and bow ties!
Buy your holiday gifts local at these small businesses:
It goes without saying that the local restaurants in Liberty Village add so much to our neighborhood, they are the place where we celebrate milestones and special occasions, they are where meet-up with friends and colleagues or go on first dates, they are the place we go to enjoy summertime cocktails, or pick-up a warm meal when we just don’t feel like cooking, and they are the places we go to when we need comfort food at the end of a long day.
Now more than ever we as a community need to give back by providing some comfort to our local business owners and consciously help support local restaurants as much as we can.
To help you help our local restaurants here are some ideas on how you can #supportlocal during these unprecedented times.
1. Purchase gift cards to a local restaurant for yourself, family, and friends.
2. Consciously choose to order takeout from local restaurants and when possible choose to order pick-up or use a local delivery service to help ensure a higher percentage of the profits go directly to the restaurant.
3. Share some virtual love by engaging with local restaurants on social media to help amplify their marketing efforts and “word-of-mouth” marketing by going the extra mile by writing a positive Yelp or Google review.
4. When dining in is not an option (and when it is) please leave a tip.
5. Make a conscious effort to see what else local restaurants are offering – opt to order from their bottle shop rather than lining up at the LCBO. Is your favourite restaurant offering meal kits, have they setup a mini grocery store or are they offering online cooking lessons? Shop with them, participate, show your support.
6. Get creative! Do you have a skill or service you can offer to your local restaurants to help relieve some of some of the extra burden they may be feeling during these times? Offer your photography services, social media marketing, free delivery services for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. We all have something to offer, we just need to get creative and decide to lend a helping hand.
To help you help support our local restaurants, over the past few weeks we have been working on developing an updated map of Liberty Village with all the restaurants and cafés in our neighborhood. We hope this resource makes supporting local restaurants easier for you and helps our restaurants. Remember to tag @libertyvillagebia in your social media posts and us the hashtag #LoveLibertyTO so we can help amplify and send the love you show online even further.
Within our vast business community here in Liberty Village we have several non-profits working hard to improve our lives and make the world a better place. We’re using our platform to highlight these organizations for all the good they do and thank them for all their hard work.
Autism Ontario (formerly Autism Society Ontario), originally founded in 1973, is a charitable organization that represents the thousands of people across Ontario on the spectrum and their families.
THE VISION…
BEST LIFE, BETTER WORLD,
MAKING AUTISM MATTER!
The organization speaks to key issues impacting those with autism and their families, and is comprised of knowledgeable parents, professionals, and autistic self-advocates. Autism Ontario is one of the largest collective voices representing the autism community.
Through their work Autism Ontario aims to support and advocate for autistic individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, invoice, religion, or gender identity. Beyond their advocacy, the organization also provides information, supports research, and provides programs and services all with the collective goal of creating a supportive and inclusive Ontario for autism.
There are many ways to get involved with Autism Ontario, one of those is by participating in events. This October you can get involved by supporting Autism Ontario’s involvement in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Virtual Race.
They currently have over 60 people registered to run for Autism Ontario as part of the Scotia Charity Challenge. Support Autism Ontario by sponsoring one of the teams or create a team of your own and start raising money while also getting active! Get all the details on the Autism Ontario page on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon website.
Did you know that Autism Ontario has 25 Chapters across Ontario? Within those chapters you can find local support and opportunities to volunteer.
Connect with Autism Ontario online to stay up to date with their accomplishments, help build awareness and support their mission!
CARP, which stands for Canadian Association for Retired Persons, is Canada’s largest advocacy association for older Canadians.
CARP members gain access to a variety of benefits, the fees paid by members help fund the non-profit organization allow them to advocate and push changes on behalf of retired persons across Canada.
THE MISSION…
TO ADVOCATE FOR BETTER HEALTHCARE,
FINANCIAL SECURITY, AND FREEDOM FROM AGEISM.
Over the years, through their advocacy, CARP has increased the Canada’s Pension Plan (CPP) from 25 % to 33 % of earnings. Increased eligible pension earnings from $54,000 to $82,700 annually. Restored Old Age Security (OAS) Eligibility to 65 down from 67, secured $3 Billion in Homecare Funding, and has reduced Senior’s Drug Co-pays in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
CARP is currently CARP is urging the federal government to address the financial concerns of seniors as a result of COVID-19 which has hit Canada’s seniors with a number of out-of-pocket expenses.
What does IAMAT stand for and what do they do? IAMAT stands for “International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers”. The non-profit organization keeps travellers healthy by helping them plan a healthy trip and award travel medicine scholarships to help improve healthcare in the places we all travel to.
The non-profit organization was established by an Italian doctor, Dr. Marcolongo, who at one point interned in Montreal. He was inspired to create IAMAT when treating a Canadian woman who was travelling Italy studying music.
The Canadian woman did not react well to the treatment, but since Dr. Marcolongo was trained in Montreal, he was able to conclude that a medicine that was harmless to people of Italian descent but was harmful to people of Anglo-Saxon descent and through this realization was able to save a life.
It was then that IAMAT was established with the mission of keeping traveller’s health by facilitating the collaboration between medical practitioners around the world to help travellers.
THE VISION…
TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE TRAVELLERS HAVE ACCESSTO QUALITY MEDICAL CARE
You may already be aware that Jazz.FM91 calls Liberty Village home, but did you know that Jazz.FM91 is non-profit organization on a mission?
Jazz.FM91 is Canada’s only broadcaster and registered non-profit charitable organization dedicated to enriching the cultural, educational and community experience of their audience. The radio station (originally launched as CJRT-FM) originated over 70 years ago at Ryerson University with the purpose of training radio and television broadcast students.
Since then the radio station has gone through its fair share of trials and tribulations. In the 1970s the radio station’s ownership was transferred from Ryerson University to a non-profit corporation (CJRT-FM. Inc.) due to financial constraints. During this time the radio station was supported by the provincial government and donations. 1996 the radio station was forced to become a self-sustaining broadcaster as a result of their government funding was revoked.
It was as a result of these ups and downs that JAZZ.FM91 made it their mission to execute a wide range of initiatives to enrich the cultural, educational and community experience of its listening audience. They did this by creating a 24-hour all-jazz format with programs that were targeted to support emerging artists, education and music therapy.
THE VISION…
ENTERTAINbring the world of jazz to our listeners and deliver a top-quality listener experience
EDUCATE enrich the cultural, educational and community experience of our listeners
INSPIREfoster new generations of jazz musicians and listener appreciation
How does JAZZ.FM91 execute on their vision and mission? They do this through giving opportunities for thousands of promising young students and emerging artists to gain experience in music and broadcasting through workshops, internships, scholarships, and jazz-related content and programs.
AZZ.FM91 relies heavily on its team of volunteers as well as it partnerships with educational intuitions. Want to give back to the jazz community? Simply listen into JAZZ.FM91, donate or join their team of 90 volunteers!
Redemption Paws is on mission to help dogs impacted by natural disaster and climate change. The Canadian based non-profit organization is with the dogs every step of the way they personally transport the dogs the make sure the dogs’ trips are as calm and pleasant as possible.
How does the process work? Redemption paws is a foster-based, shelter free rescue, where the dogs are cared for temporarily by highly skilled veterinarians until the dogs are matched with a caring appropriate home.
So before you buy a new puppy consider applying to adopt from Redemption Paws, they are currently looking for home in Toronto and the GTA, this ranges as far north as Barrie, as far south as Hamilton, as far east as Bowmanville (plus Prince Edward County), and as far west as Guelph/Kitchener/Waterloo.
Since being established in 2017 Redemption Paws has rescued and found homes for over 1,300 dogs!
The Word On The Street champions reading and writing in Canada. Formally name Promotions Committee of the Book and Periodically Council, is on a mission to better promote Canadian authors, books, magazines, and literacy. The non-profit organization primarily does this through a large-scale annual street festival held right here in Toronto.
THE MISSION…
THE WORD ON THE STREET CHAMPIONS
READING AND WRITING IN CANADA
PRIMARILY THROUGH A FREE CELEBRATION
OF STORYTELLING, IDEAS, AND IMAGINATION.
The Word On The Street festival is held each September, where they host hundreds of author readings for people of all ages, as well as a vibrant marketplace featuring the best selection of books and magazine.
As a result of the current climate The Word On The Street just wrapped up hosting their very first virtual event this past weekend. The event featured live stream readings and discussions for people of all ages with a range of interests.
If you missed their live event on the weekend, there’s still time to participate, in addition to the live streams the organization also took their vibrant marketplace online as well where you can shop a large range of Canadian literature. Enjoy!
War Child Canada, founded in 1999, gives children in war-affected communities the chance to reclaim their childhood! Through their initiatives, War Child helps children in these countries the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and violence.
War Child Canada was founded Samantha Nutt, a doctor who worked with children facing the violence and despair of war. After witnessing how long it took communities to recover from conflict, she created a non-profit organization advocating for children and families in war-torn areas around the world.
Since the first program 20 years ago, the War Child has reaches over 600,000 people annually worldwide. With each of their initiatives rooted in local, community-driven programs. The organization has also grown with the support from celebrity changemakers including Alicia Keys, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sarah McLachlan and many others.
War Child Canada is currently accepting donations to support vulnerable children, women and families who are already recovering from the shock of war and conflict also recover from effects of COVID-19.
We thank you Liberty Village for all you do in supporting causes close to your heart. We encourage you to continue to get involved with organizations that help support causes close to you. We also encourage you to share this causes with us on social… we want to hear all about your efforts and help you share the word! #LoveLiberty @LibertyVillageBIA
A huge thank you to all the non-profit organizations doing good in our world.
No matter how long you’ve lived in Liberty Village there is always new beauty, art, and culture to discover. With this in mind, we have created a compilation of nine Instagram worthy spots in Liberty Village to discover (or rediscover) this fall. Our list includes everything from coffee shops and bars to murals and nature!
The two murals featured above may look familiar if you’ve been to the Liberty Market building over the past few years. In June 2016 Lifetime Developments commissioned the two murals.
Brian Brown, Lifetime Developments vice-president commissioned the murals to help capture both the pride that we have as residents and business owners in Liberty Village as well as the character of the people in the Liberty Village and the essence of our neighborhood.
The artist Ben Johnston, is a self-taught Canadian-born artist who has become known for his custom typography for advertising, murals, installations and events. Johnston was raised in South Africa and now spends his time between Canada and the US.
Within Liberty Village, Lifetime Developments owns the Liberty Market Loft at 4 Hanna Avenue, Liberty Market Tower at 171 East Liberty St., XO Condos at King and Dufferin, and the Liberty Market Building.
Balzac’s coffee has been a staple in our neighbourhood since 2006, the Canadian coffee shop now has 14 unique locations across Ontario, the Liberty Village location was their third location of the 14.
Along with great coffee, snacks and service, Balzac’s arguably has one of the most instagrammable floors of any coffee shop. The Liberty Village location floor features custom Art Deco tiles inspired by a 1950s café. Beyond the beautiful tiled floors, the café also features an authentic zinc bar from Paris.
The next time you stop by to smell the coffee, take a moment and take in your beautiful surroundings as well. You might be inspired to create a post or two!
The café is located in the Toy Factory Lofts, which was once home to the Irwin Toy Factory.
Our local brewpub and BBQ joint, Liberty Commons, emphasizes its modern day take on a classic fair by adding a bright fluorescent sign featuring the catchy saying “i don’t give a sip”.
The saying is pretty fitting with the brewpub offering a street level Beer Shop with eight taps, featuring their signature beers, seasonal offerings, and lots of rotating experimental brews made exclusively in house. The perfect fix for when you just want to let loose and not “give a sip.”
With all those brews, and the testing and tasting it must take to make them just perfect, we know that they the Liberty Commons crew does give a sip.
The Toronto Carpet Factory is naturally Instagram worthy with the beautiful windows and never-ending vines, add a beautiful mural to that and as well as the changing of the leaves in the autumn and the building become even more ‘grammable.
The mural is at 67 Mowat Avenue and looks like an old floral carpet. The carpet factory and the mural have been used as backdrops for photo shoots and has become a pretty popular for engagement and wedding photos.
So, the next time you’re walking past the Toronto Carpet Factory don’t forget to look up from your Instagram to potentially capture your next Instagram shot.
Organic Garage one of Liberty Village’s newer grocery stores, opened at 42 Hanna in 2018. Beyond the, 100 per cent certified-organic produce, unique packaged food options, BYOC (bring your own container) bulk food section, self-serve teaBOT, and 11-tap draft station of cold brews, Organic Garage is also quite the art piece.
The stores interior is covered with creative graffiti style art. The piece featured above is just one of the many murals. The walls are also filled with sayings, inspiring quotes, info graphics hashtags, and colourful imagery.
Before your next trip to Organic Garage, be sure to have you phone fully charged and ready to shoot and click!
Brodflour is another design forward coffee shop in Liberty Village located at 8 Pardee Avenue. Brodflour has a very minimalist Scandinavian inspired look with custom furnishings.
The light, airy and simple design can transport you into another place, inspire the inner interior designer in you and almost instantly make you want to share your coffee shop experience with your followers.
While the decor is beautiful and instaworthy, so are their drinks, sandwiches, and treats. From their wax paper wrapped loaves and open faces sandwiches, there’s so much inspiration for your IG.
Black Sheep is Liberty Village’s first speak easy. The cocktail lounge is tucked away on the third floor of our iconic Brazen Head pub, the space offers a cozy spot with a whimsical ambiance where guests can savor hand-crafted cocktails, local brews or a glass of wine. Their cocktails range from all the classics to innovative concoctions – you can think of it as a modern speakeasy.
Everything from the decor to their food, and specialty cocktails will have you pulling out your phone. Their decor features lots of rich jewel toned velvets, deep blues, greens and purples, lots of metal accents, luscious plants, as well as decor and picture frames on their walls. Your Black Sheep experience will have you posting to stories and your followers asking where you are!
Warning, their style may give you some decor envy and make you want to redecorate this fall.
It’s no mystery that Liberty Village is home to 100s of businesses and 1000s of residents, but some of the businesses on this list might come as a bit of a surprise or give you a new level of LV pride.
From fashion and accessories, to skincare and your favourite summer drinks, Liberty Village is home to it all. Who are these brands and how did they start?
Joe Fresh
Joe Fresh, is a clothing and accessory brand under the Loblaw group of companies. Loblaw created the brand in collaboration with Joe Mimran, co-founder of Club Monaco, the man behind Alfred Sung, you might also recognize him from the well-known CBC tv show, Dragon’s Den.
Joe Fresh focuses on creating affordable fashionable clothing, the brand prides itself on being able to provide access to high-quality garments without the high prices. Before working on the Joe Fresh brand, Joe also worked very closely with Loblaw to develop their President’s Choice Home Collection.
The Joe Fresh office is located at 2 Fraser Avenue just seconds from the Exhibition Go Station and not far from their storefront at King St. West and Portland Avenue.
If you don’t already recognize this brand because you own their amazing products, you’ll for sure start to notice their storefronts, especially with one of their original stores being located at Queen West and Niagara, just outside Liberty Village. The beauty brand has also become well known for their The Ordinary product line.
The company’s founder, Brandon Truaxe, became intrigued with the cosmetics industry when he discovered the steep mark-up on beauty products during an internship as an analysist at a cosmetic company in New York City. It was from this intrigue that DECIEM was born. Like Joe Fresh, this is a company that focuses on producing high-quality products for a fraction of the price. Truaxe, sadly passed away last year at the age of 40 years old.
DECIEM’s head office is located at 15 Fraser Avenue, minutes from their Queen St. West storefront.
Another company we’re proud to call Canadian and Liberty Village locals, is Mejuri. Mejuri, like DECIEM and Joe Fresh also focus on making high-quality products accessible to consumers. The brand focuses on creating high-quality fine gold and silver jewelry accessible to all women to easily purchase for themselves.
The company keeps their prices low and quality high by selling their jewelry direct to consumer and almost exclusively only sell their products online to also aid in eliminating additional mark-ups.
The jewelry company was founded in 2013 by Noura Sakkijha, who has a background in engineering and comes from a family of jewelry designers and Justine Lançon who has a background as an art director.
The company’s Toronto head office is located at 18 Mowat Ave, not far from their Dundas St. West storefront.
Unlike the other companies on our list this one is Italian founded and over 150 years old. The Campari group is responsible for creating over 100 products including a variety of spirits, wines, and soft drinks.
Campari and Aperol are spirits you probably know the, now global company best for. Aperol is especially perfect for hot summer days especially when served as an infamous Aperol Spritz. The company also makes SKYY Vodka, Wild Turkey and Forty Creek Whisky.
The company’s Toronto office is located at 1 Pardee Avenue. The office boasts a dark and dramatic entrance, while the rest of the space gives off a Palm Springs vibe. The space also features a beautiful bar used for cocktail seminars and daily family style lunches.
Liberty Village is filled with beautiful and dramatic charm, you never know what is going on behind the various closed doors in our neighborhood. What we do know for sure is that our buildings are filled with history, charm, and genius innovation.
At first glance it may not necessarily be obvious how much music is housed right here in Liberty Village, but if you really think about it our neighborhood is the epicenter of music and entertainment in Canada. We have the Budweiser Stage and Echo Beach right down the street, five radio stations, one music entertainment business, a non-profit organization Music Canada and so many others. In addition to this impressive roster we’ll also be welcoming Universal Music Canada to our neighbourhood very soon.
Universal Music Canada will be moving their headquarters from North York to 80 Atlantic right here in Liberty Village. Jeffery Ramedios, UMC’s president and CEO has a vision for Universal Music Canada to be a community hub for artists, media, partners, and music audiences.
Universal Music Canada has a roster of Toronto talent including but not limited to, Drake, The Weekend, Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, and Jazz Cartier.
When announcing the company’s move to Liberty Village, the president and CEO notes, “80 Atlantic will mark a new phase in the growth and evolution of Toronto’s music community, enabling artists to fully refine their craft here at home rather than resorting to exporting it raw for others to finish before bringing it to market”.
Universal Music Canada will be 80 Atlantic’s main tenant taking over 40,000 square feet of 87,000 square foot building. The headquarters will boast recording and performance facilities, retail opportunities, and artist promotional spaces.
The company mentions in their press release announcing their move to 80 Atlantic that Liberty Village is “at the heart of a culturally relevant community, within blocks of print, online, and broadcast media partners, music licensors and digital distributors, social media platforms, instrument makers, and music associations.”
Among those companies and associations are Music Canada, Live Nation, Roland, Zoomer Radio, Indie 88, SirusXM, Jazz.FM, and The Post Office.
Music Canada – Music Canada is a non-profit organization that advocates for music and the artists who create it. They do this by promoting the interests of its members, partners, and artists through various activities including; administrating the gold/platinum awards program for best-selling records in Canada, gathering and sharing technical, statistical and other information about Canada’s music community and so much more. The Music Canada team calls 85 Mowat Avenue, in Liberty Village home.
Live Nation – Live Nation is responsible for bringing 40,000 shows, over 100 festivals to life and selling 500 million tickets to events worldwide each year. The global company produces concerts, sells tickets and connects brands to music. Liberty Village is home to the Lounge at Live Nation concert venue located at 15 Hanna Avenue.
Roland – Roland manufactures electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. The company has manufactured instruments that have had lasting impacts on music and have played a large role in shaping electronic music. The Roland Inspiration Centre, located at 1179 King St. West, in Liberty Village acts as a community hub for music makers and gives musicians a chance to test our instruments that might not be otherwise easily available.
Zoomer Media – Zoomer Media is a radio station, based out of Liberty Village. Through their various shows they offer Oldies Pop and Rock, Big Band Jazz, and Old Time Radio from the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. They also have a sister station called The New Classical, and have the largest broadcast footprint in North America and is the only AM channel still playing music in Canada’s largest market. Zoomer, goes beyond radio and is made up of four TV stations, five radio stations, including The New Classical FM. Zoomer Media made the move from their 550 Queen St. East studio to 70 Jefferson Avenue in Liberty Village in 2013, which is also home to the largest MZTV – Museum of Television.
Indie 88 – Indie 88 launched almost exactly 7 years ago today, on August 3rd, 2013. They were Canada’s first Indie radio station. The station prides itself on providing a platform for emerging artists while playing homage the classics that inspired them. The media company is also a multi-media hub for news, local lifestyle, and pop-culture content focused on unique and engaging stories. Indie 88 has called 20 Hanna Avenue in Liberty Village home since their launch back in 2013.
SiriusXM Canada – SiriusXM, founded in 2008, provides satellite radio and online radio services that are available in your car, home, and on the go. SirusXM subscribers get access to ad-free music, artist dedicated channels, comedy, entertainment, and sports coverage. The US based company’s only Canadian based recording studio calls 135 Liberty St. home.
Jazz.FM – Jazz.FM started 70 years ago as a radio station at Ryerson University with the purpose of training radio and television broadcast students. First launching with funding from donations from listeners, corporations, and foundations, it continued to grow into a 24-hour jazz station. The station now also provides programs that support emerging artists, education and music therapy. It’s Canada’s only broadcaster and registered not-for-profit charitable arts organization dedicated to enriching the cultural, educational and community experience of their audience. The Jazz.FM studio is located at 4 Pardee Ave, in Liberty Village.
The Post Office – The Post Office is a creative audio production agency that offers services ranging from full-service audio production and post-production, artist management and development, and lifestyle and influencer content. The Post Office has worked with brands ranging from Canadian Tire, VICE, Beer Fest, Ford Canada, Tesla, Google, The Toronto Raptors and Much Music. Their studio located at 171 East Liberty St. and boasts a 5.1 floating mix room, a fully equipped podcasting and voice over booth, and a 600-square-foot pop-up gallery and event space.
Needless to say, Universal Music Canada has definitely made the right choice in choosing Liberty Village as their new home. We look forward to the company moving into the neighbourhood and seeing all the potential collaborations and growth come to life among all businesses from the varying industries in Liberty Village.
If you’ve lived in Liberty Village for a while you’ve probably seen it change quite a bit over the past decade, with lots of new residential buildings as well as the reinvention of many commercial buildings.
Most recently, you may have noticed one the newest additions to our commercial landscape at the corner of Atlantic and Liberty St. This new addition is a project by Hullmark and could be considered the “sister” building to another of Hullmark’s projects, 60 Atlantic, most commonly known for being the home to Big Rock Brewing and their stunning patio.
80 Atlantic is Toronto’s first new timber-frame commercial building to be built in a generation. Not only are timber-frame buildings aesthetically pleasing, with exposed wooden beams inside the building, they are also more energy efficient and ecofriendly compared to buildings solely built with concrete and steel. 80 Atlantic incorporates exposed mass timber columns and beams with exposed cross-laminated timber ceilings. Truly a piece of art in of itself.
The new 5 storey building, once complete will house 79,758 square feet of office space, and 7,719 square feet of new retail space. A new hub and to let creativity, art, and innovation flow within our growing community. The building will also be the future home to Universal Music.
Liberty Village is pleased to welcome more arts to our neighbourhood, Universal Music is a natural fit and welcomed addition to our existing arts scene, including events and projects like the Toronto Art Crawl, our collaboration with Sketch, we’re also home to Liberty Arts Toronto, and the Liberty Market Lofts Gallery at 5 Hanna.
After almost 4 months of doing our own nails, trying to buzz cut our own hair, and letting our roots grow in, we’re so excited to be welcoming back so many beloved hair and beauty businesses in Liberty Village.
We’re excited for both our businesses who can re-open, get back to doing what they love, and for all our residents and visitors who can now enjoy the little joys in life like a little bit of pampering… all just in time for the summer heat!
A friendly reminder to everyone that as we enter Phase 2 in Toronto, all businesses are adapting their services and processes to ensure they put the health and wellness of their customers and staff first. Be sure to check what protocols your favourite Liberty Village businesses are putting in place before your heading to your appointments, when in doubt give them a call.
The Village Barbershop | 107 Jefferson Avenue
Check The Village Barbershop website for updates on all the details and what to expect before and during your visit.
Axe & Hatchet | 120 Lynn Williams Street
Check the Axe & Hatchet Instagram feed for all their updates on what their services will look like during this time.
B.Suite Salon | 132 Atlantic Avenue
B.Suite Salon has opened their doors, with a few new policies and procedures. Get the details here on their Instagram feed.
Luxe Tanning + Swimwear | 171 East Liberty Street, Unit 142
Things at Luxe Tanning may look a little different, but they are open and ready to serve you. Check their Instagram feed to see what’s changed.
Cures Beauté | 171 Easy Liberty Street, Unit 141
A few things have changed at Cures Beauté, but beauty isn’t one. Check their Instagram for an overview of what to expect.
Smooth Wax Bar | 110 Atlantic Avenue
The Smooth Wax Bar have anxiously been waiting to reopen their Toronto location and the day has come. Call them at 416-516-9229 to get the details or visit their website to book an appointment online.
X-Nail & Spa Salon | 111 Jefferson Avenue
Get all your professional nail care needs met at X-Nail & Spa Salon, call them at 647-341-7250 to get up to date information on new protocols and to book an appointment.
Lydia’s Nails and Spa | 100 Western Battery Road
Lydia’s Nails & Spa is open, call them at 416-516-3998 to book and appointment to get your nails freshened up for summer.
L Studio | 38 Mowat Avenue
L Studio is open and ready to provide all the things you need to freshen up your locks. Check their website to book an appointment and get all the details on their new protocols.
Salon Tocci | 171 E Liberty St
Salon Tocci is open, call them at 416-531-4247 or email them at info@salontocci.com to book one of their services: haircuts, colours, extensions, treatments and bridal.
As of June 24th Toronto, patios have officially re-opened their gates and are ready to serve you! Kick off patio season right by visiting one of your favourite spots in Liberty Village.
Here’s a breakdown of 11 patios open in Liberty Village right now:
Aroma Espresso Bar
It’s official, you can now enjoy your favourite coffee, sandwiches and baked goods on the Aroma patio in Liberty Village. Take in the sunshine with all your favourite take-out eats and drinks on their patio on a first come, first served basis.
Brazen Head
The Brazen Head is excited to welcome you back. They are now accepting walk-ins and reservations. You can book your table in advance by sending the BH team an email at brazenhead@fabrestaurants.ca or by finding a table online HERE.
Caffino Ristorante
Caffino Ristorante has been serving Liberty Village classic Italian cuisine since 1996. They’re now open again and ready to serve you on one of their two enchanted patios. Head to open table to book a table or give them a call at 416-588-9010.
King Rustic
King Rustic, at the corner of King and Strachan have re-opened their patio and are serving their full menu with the comfort foods you know and love. To make a reservation you can send an email to kingrusticltd@gmail.com or give the restaurant a call at 416-792-5910.
Liberty Commons
Liberty Commons is open and serving up pup fare and craft brews on their patio! Visit their website to view their full menu and to a make reservation.
Local Public Eatery
Local’s patio is open and ready to serve you and your crew! Seating is available on a first come first served basis. Reservations are not an option but food and drinks on the patio are, just show up!
Merci Mon Ami
Merci Mon Ami’s patio is now open and they’re ready to feed your cravings for everything from wings and tacos to burgers and salads. Pass by or give them a call at 647-436-3832 to make a reservation.
Mildred’s Temple Kitchen
Mildred’s Temple Kitchen is not quite ready to open their patio yet, but they will be very soon. Starting the first week of July Mildred’s will begin to accept weekend brunch reservations! Follow them on Instagram for real-time updates.
School Restaurant
School’s patio is officially open 7 days a week. Reservations are recommended and can now be booked online via their website. Due to popular demand, dine in times will be limited to 75 minutes during peak times.
The Craft Brasserie
You can now get your “flight fix” again at the Craft! Their patio is open daily 11 am – 11 pm. There is a 90-minute limit per table. While reservations are recommended walk-ins are also welcomed. Give them a call at 416-535-2337 to book a table.
Williams Landing
The Williams Landing patio is open with the classics you know and love along with new giveaways and contests. While the patio is open on a first come first served basis, on busy days and at peak times you’re encouraged to join the waitlist on the day you plan to visit. You’ll receive a text once your table is ready.
