October 2026 turned into a wonderful month for walking! Today’s blog post is the result of one of those walks, on a day where the only clouds I saw were on this man’s sweater!
below: This is Bloor and Bathurst. Those tall buildings in the background are ALL part of Mirvish Village, the new development that replaced Honest Eds store (and empire).
below: In the beginning, there were two buildings that refused to sell out to the developers. One has since fallen and is completely gutted – the facade is covered with yellow bracing which means that it is being saved. I am going to say that saving it is a very good thing because the street level of the rest of the development is awful. It is bleak – boring and unimaginative.
below: Interior of the building above as seen from the back.
below: What you are looking at here is a small street of retail spaces between two tall buildings between Markham Street and Bathurst. In this picture, Bloor Street stores are in the background. Right now most of these spaces are empty and the signs are just for show. A bit of confusion because you can’t tell what is a real store!! The “It Takes a Village” sign (top left) is typical of an approach that the developers have taken – bringing in ideas and icons from Honest Eds.
below: Another example of the Honest Eds theme – “Still Honest. Still Here. Still Yours.” Still cringe.
below: A familiar sign from long ago. But at one point I began to wonder why. One one level it’s nice for the developers to acknowledge the history of the location but at the same time the large amount of depressing grey swamps the brightness of the Honest Eds sign.
below: Facing Markham Street
below: Markham Street may redeem the development. Renovations are still underway…
below: …. but there is now a small park and Blackbird Baking Company seems to be thriving.
I had hoped to make a whole blog post about Mirvish Village but maybe it’s just too soon. Maybe all it needs is more time and more people.
So…. Instead of more Mirvish Village, let’s continue walking west on Bloor… right into Koreatown.
below: … But wait, a little diversion for a plaque near Bathurst and Lennox
CONTRAST Contrast newspaper – the “eyes, ears, and voice of Canada’s Black community” – was published at 28 Lennox Street for 22 years. Founded by Alfred Hamilton in 1969, Contrast covered stories about Black life in Toronto including the arts, community life, as well as racism, discriminatory policing, and other issues facing Toronto’s Black communities. The first issue of Contrast covered the Sir. George Williams affair in Montreal. Major stories included the deaths of Albert Johnson in 1979 and Lester Donaldson in 1988. Both were shot by Toronto police…. “
Back to Koreatown….
below: Imoogi Dragon Mural – The Imoogi (“Great Lizard”) is a hornless ocean dragon or sea serpent. According to Korean legends, Imoogi is a dragon in training who needs to survive 1000 years to convert into a fully grown dragon. In some variations of the legend, the sun god transforms human girls into Imoogi on her 17th birthday. You can tell which girls because they are marked with the sign of a serpent on their shoulder. The mural was designed and painted by: Allan Bender, John Nobrega, and Stacey Kinder in 2019.
below: “Imagine your Korea” / Korea Town Mural (in two images). It was commissioned by the Korea Tourism Organization and the Consulate General of Korea and features several South Korean landmarks and cultural elements.
below: Bloor and Manning Ave
below:: The most photographed fruit market along Bloor West if not in the entire city – Bloor Fruit Market
below: Palmerston and Bloor
below: Clinton and Bloor
below: In the window of a store across Bloor Street from the Green Pharmacy there was a poster for Jujutsu Kaisen which is a Japanese manga series. Except here, four characters from the series are promoting four different drinks from The Alley which is new spot for teas and coffees.
below: Another store window, another poster, but this time it is for BTS, a Korean boy band. Stay calm, we’ve already missed the event (it was back in August). BUT apparently BTS love corndogs (“BTS + Corndogs = Perfection”) so remember that the next time you have a corndog! I’m not sure it matters, but BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan which translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts.
below: Fashion has become Fasion
below: A French newspaper beside a sign in Korean with a few English words. Topped with a pair of sunglasses.
below: Neatly stored, brooms and mops – all lined up outside a restaurant.
below: Kung Fu tea isn’t just tea…. there’s Kung Fruit Tea…. or you can try a Green Tea with Cheese Milk Foam…. or even a Brown Sugar Pearl Latte. Cheese milk foam?? – there are lots of recipes online if you want to try making your own which is essentially cream cheese with milk and/or cream.
below: Looking for lunch or snack ideas? This storefront features Katsuo Udon, Seafood Udon, or Black Beans and Noodles. Any takers?
below: After Udon, try some Ube! Ube is a purple yam (like a sweet potato). Nerd moment… Ube is the Tagalog word for Dioscorea alata which is the Latin name for this plant. Just in case you need to know, Tagalog is from the Philippines.
below: Zui Beer Bar with its large glass of Sapporo (Japanese) beer and a play on the words East & West. “Where East meets Bloor West”.
below: Pinks, blues, and three dimensional shapes
below: Beast Mode
below: Newspaper boxes and pay phones, once upon a time they were found everywhere, now they are almost obsolete.
below: Gas mask in the alley
below: Someone’s guarding the fire exit
below: As the world turns and everything changes… an abstract painting in blues now covers an older piece (by Kizmet?) on a wall that has seen many changes.
below: A Private Property No parking sign has turned into a declaration of love.
below: Graffiti and a political advertisement on the back of a traffic sign. On the right – Logan Choy was a registered mayoral candidate in the recent municipal election (Oct 26, 2026). On the left – T-bonez has a little feathered friend, or has the bird just found a convenient place to poop?! Below them, in blue, is Sailordude from trp613. He’s fully tattooed but can still wear a heart on his chest.
below: The Urban Ninja Squadron and all its friends. Sailordude is wearing a bear costume and carrying a crossbow – maybe he’s going bear hunting? In Koreatown?
below: Bearded Prof 416 with the CN Tower in the background and Urban Ninja Squadron in purple and orange. I’m not sure who T-bonez’s lady friend is though.
