Face Furniture Optical has only been open for a month, but this new Cabbagetown eyewear shop is already getting a lot of buzz. It is the only eyewear shop in the area that carries high-end contemporary and vintage frames. With many one-of-a-kind pieces to choose from and with prices ranging from $185 to $1,000, there’s definitely a little something for everybody! [Source]

Email I received on behalf of the DVCRA; Dear neighbours and friends, In the past months, neighbours throughout Cabbagetown have witnessed disturbing activity, such as drug deals and acts of prostitution being conducted in laneways, the hillside along Riverdale Park West, and parking areas and side streets. This spring and summer seems to be more problematic than past years. Many of these events go unreported to police. In response to recent reports to police, Constable Lynn Robertson, the constable in charge of Crime Prevention at 51 Division suggests that neighbours call police whenever they see something suspicious and out of …

“Sherbourne and Selby” is a new development project by Cityzen Development Group currently in preconstruction at 592 Sherbourne St. Project Details: Development Name – Sherbourne and Selby Developer – Cityzen Development Group Project Type – Condominium, Townhouse Address – 592 Sherbourne St., M4X 1W4 Number of Storeys – 52 [Source]

BEFORE. 601 Sherbourne St. Jan 15, 1942. . . . . . AFTER.

About 50 Toronto Community Housing Corp. homes clustered in Cabbagetown are in dire need of maintenance and repair. The homes are starting to disintegrate – roofs need replacing and century-old wood trimmings are rotting away. The total cost is estimated at $750 million, which includes 619 city-owned homes as well. Why is it so costly might you ask? Well a once grand home just off Winchester St, needs $30,000 to $80,000 in roofing alone. It is expensive to fix because in order to preserve the historic nature of these homes (eg. slate vs. inexpensive asphalt roofs), the detail and quality …

City councillors voted unanimously to accept a business plan for Riverdale Farm, to maintain the necessary funding levels in order to keep the beloved farm open for now. The farm’s operations cost about $493,900 a year. So far, the coalition has raised $17,000 since June, and anticipate to raise $100,000 this year; with a goal of raising up to $345,000 if all fundraising efforts are successful. [Source]

Here’s a peak of the Berkeley Street Firehall, Circa 1970. See the transformation here, 30 years later.

Here’s an email from the Don Vale Cabbagetown Residents Association that I’d like to share with you all. Let’s all do our part in keeping the ol’ farmers market alive! The farm is open until 7:00pm on Tuesdays. ______________________________________________________________ Dear DVCRA Members, We are happy to announce that the farmers are back at the market with all sorts of wonderful produce, including beets, beans, late strawberries, kale, sugar snap peas and much much more. As you know farmers markets are increasing in popularity, with new markets popping up all over Toronto and this means there is a much greater demand …

Riverdale Farm will likely continue to operate at taxpayers’ expense, a decision by Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee that has left Toronto budget chief Mike Del Grande fuming. The committee voted on Tuesday to give the farm the money it needs to operate, against the wishes of Ford and Del Grande. “You get a little bit of noise and everybody has legs that wobble,” Del Grande told the committee. “So get a backbone.” The decision must be endorsed by the full council. When the farm was threatened with closure earlier this year as part of budget cuts, a local group …

Moss Park looks a little different this weekend. Yesterday, over 200 community volunteers got their hands dirty and set about to re-work this often-avoided park into a community-friendly space that will include a new soccer pitch, a vegetable garden, the insertion of rock and fauna diversions, and more outdoor seating–all ideas spurred forth by the community through a lengthy series of meetings. The project revitalizes an area that–let’s call a spade a spade–most don’t feel particularly safe walking around in at night (or even the late afternoon) and invites the many people that could benefit from a bit more urban …