[murmur] will soon putting up the green Ear signs in Dundas Square as part of “The Networked City,” a series of installations that will be along Yonge Street from Dundas to Queens Quay. More on that next week.
We are currently looking for stories about Dundas Square. About stuff that has happened there, or memories of what was there before. Wasn’t there a jeans store there? And a Licks? Did you ever go there? I seem to remember a bikini store there, with bikini’s hanging everywhere. Trips to the big city meant crazy bikini stores. By the time I moved to Toronto, the block had already been cleared out.
The square is one of Toronto’s newest public spaces, and most divisive. Some people like the bright lights, other people want more trees. We hope to throw into the mix the voices of the people who have some attachment to the place, and perhaps give people a new reason to visit.
If you have a story, or can hook us up with somebody who does, or want to go out and record somebody yourself, please email us ASAP. This project is going up quickly (late next week!), and we are looking to get stories soon.
EDIT> Marc at Paved just forwarded me a link to this old Eye Weekly story from around the time they were tearing it down. Maybe it will jog some memories. Anybody know where some of these people can be found now (the Dundas Square ones mostly)?
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Rockwell’s “The World Biggest Jean Store” was on the South East corner for years. They are now located just off the square. I bet you could get some good stories from the owners. I don’t think they were happy with being evicted.
Back in the 70’s, I remember the Coles book store, which was located one store south of Dundas and Yonge, east side of the street. Probably the busiest book store in Canada despite its small size.
There was a basement space just south of Coles which the late Classics bookchain used as a discount centre in the late 1970’s. Many obscurities found and bought there.
And who can forget the Yonge Street summer mall in the early 1970’s when the street north of Dundas was closed.
Cheap clothing store for time immemorial at the first store on the south-east corner of Dundas and Yonge. Jeans, jeans, jeans in the early 1970’s.
At Lick’s in the 1980s, the staff used to do team- or march-style cheers while they worked.
They still do those cheers/songs @ Licks.