A Trip Around The World [Podcasting In The Market]

Christina and I had the idea of making a podcast tour about Kensington Market a while ago, but we didn't do it until now. I definitely wanted to do somewhere eclectic and quirky, and those words basically define the Market. I took on the role of explaining the history of the Market, and special celebrations. Christina decided to talk about all the different clothing shops and restaurants.

I think our main intention with this script was to not only exhibit an amazing place that is normally unheard of, but to talk about the origin's of Toronto. Kensington Market has changed so much with time, and continues to be a historical site. The following script is a LOT of information, but we wanted to make sure our script had a lot we could talk about if we were to actually make the podcast. Obviously not every store, for example, would need to be read, but we could list some and talk about the popular ones, such as the Hot Box Cafe.

Kensington Market [script]


ASHLEY:
Tired of shopping on typical Queen St. West, and in the need of affordable vintage finds, my mom suggested I try Kensington Market. I remember having no clue what she was talking about, until she explained that when she first moved to Canada at the age of 15, Kensington Market was a popular place for Portuguese immigrants. It was a popular place for a lot of other cultures as well, with people residing from Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and other countries in Europe. She said a walk through Kensington is like being introduced to all places around the world. When I finally did find the “Market”, as it is commonly called, I was pleased at how right she was. Located between Dundas and College, west of Spadina, the Market swarmed with a certain vibe that felt unlike any other Toronto community I had visited.

Kensington Market began as the “Jewish Market” essentially, with about 80% of Toronto’s Jewish population living in the area in the 1920s. Many of the Jewish residents sold goods right in front of their homes, creating a booming economy for the residents of Kensington Market. After the Second World War, many original Jewish residents moved to wealthier suburban areas and other immigrants from all over the world made the Market their new home.

CHRISTINA:
Stores

Clothing- there’s a long list of all of the awesome clothing stores Kensington has to offer. A lot of these stores are vintage clothing shops or silk-screen t-shirt shops, it may take a bit more time to search through everything, but in the end you’ll find something you love and that is perfect for your style.

AAA Army Surplus
Astro
Bubblegum
Bungalow
Courage My Love
Cute Stone
D Lovely
Dancing Days
Dean Horn
Ego
Exile
Eye of Shiva
Flashback
Fresh Baked Goods
G&P Fashion
Gale Designs
Ha-Ha Kids
Hardboiled Inc.
Harry David Limited
Iki
Jessica's Season Wear
Kensington Clothing Co.
Shanti
Shoney's Clothing
Sunshine Leather
The Cave
Tom's Place
Trend Setter Company Ltd.
Triple A Clothing
Twice As Nice
Urban Catwalk
Vintage Depot
Zimmerman's

This list alone would be enough to attract consumers and tourists, but it is only the beginning of what Kensington has to offer

Other noteworthy stores include
Orbital Arts- jewelry, home décor
Adrift- a skate shop
African Drums & Art Crafts
Butterfly- Jewellery/purses/hats
Essence of Life- organic items
Mad Scientist-electronics store
Reactive Ink- tattoo shop
Rhythm Corner-record and cd store


Now, everyone’s gotta eat, so naturally there are many restaurants available so we can relax and have a bite to eat.

Akram's Shoppe Middle Eastern foods
Amadeu's Traditional Portuguese
Amato's Pizza,pasta,salads
Ban Vanipha Lao and Thai food
Cloak & Dagger Eighteen types of beer on draft
El Trompo Authentic Mexican
Ideal Coffee Fresh organic coffee
Kensington's Grilled sandwiches, gourmet coffee and tea
La Palette Classic French Bistro, relaxed atmosphere - great selection of wine and beer
Patty King Patties/Bakery/West Indian and Jamaican
Roach-A-Rama and The Hot Box Café-Pipes/papers/hemp clothing, and a pot-friendly cafe
The Bagel All-day breakfast
The Fish Shack/Paradise Bay Fish and juices
The Last Temptation Eclectic menu, reasonable prices
The Restaurant in Kensington Organic,meatless,raw chocolatier

Probably the most interesting is, the Hot Box Café is a pot-positive café that promotes the normalization of marijuana use. Because they can’t legally sell pot, consumers must bring their own. They also have a list of rules for customers to abide by. The rules are:
1. no drinking or being already drunk (or hard drugs)
2. no dealing, asking, fishing, or mooching
3. all patrons have to be 10 years old or accompanied by a legal guardian (your 19 year old friend doesn’t count )
4. This is a restaurant, you must purchase something to hang out
5. seating maximum is one hour
and
6. all dogs must be on a short leash and well behaved

Their menu is quite appetizing as well, and it should be, since it is a restaurant, don’t let their pot-loving attitude fool you, this is a well thought-out service to the public.


And for groceries, just look for one of the 41 grocers to satisfy your needs. Most of these places are run by immigrants, they bring their culture to Toronto and are supported by those of the same culture as well as others.


Kensington is pretty much its own community, and there are many services that support this community; they include:

Chinese Lao Association
Fu Kien Society of Ontario
Hainan Association of Ontario
Red Pepper Spectacle Arts Harvest Festival, Passport Kensington, Festival of Lights
Scadding Court Community Centre Services for the community.
St. Stephen's Community Centre A multi-service, nonprofit agency serving Kensington since 1962.

ASHLEY
The Market itself is an array of narrow streets and alleys, which makes the usage of cars difficult. Usually, people walk or bike. The streets are usually busy with people shopping in some of Toronto’s best vintage stores, or buying fresh bruit and vegetables at stands piled with produce.

Kensington is home to its own festivals and traditions. The Winter Solstice in December is the date of the annual “Festival of the Light”, full of street performers and bonfires.

Car Free Sundays occurs 6 months of the year, where the Market restricts any use of cars and allows pedestrians to wander the streets, where businesses bring their stores outside. If only other places chose to ban cars for certain days of the year, we would surely le

- Kensington Market was named a National Historic Site in November 2006, by Parks Canada.

- Even though it is rich in diversity, there is a certain quality about Kensington Market that makes it very warm and intimate.


If you can get past the smell, Kensington Market is the place for you!


Works Cited:

"Hot Box Cafe." Roachorama.Ca. 2004. 27 Nov. 2007 .

"Kensington Market." Kensington-Market.Ca. 2007. 27 Nov. 2007 .

"Kensington Market." Tourism Toronto. 14 Nov. 2007