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June is the name of the owner of this rather good curio/junk/nostalgia store. She had a much larger shop further west past the end of Somerset Street (1094 is almost at the western end . . . ) near the corner of Wellington and Stirling Avenue . June was a pretty serious player in the "picking" and second hand business. A fire levelled the building and effectively ended that. It is nice to see her back - even at a smaller scale.
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There have been a lot of different businesses here in recent years. It was Nesrallah's grocery for a long time but the proprietor was very elderly and gradually he stayed open less and less. At the end he was only open about 1 day a week. After he was gone, half the store seemed to be storage, then it became a used goods store, then a chinese pop/collectible/stuffed toy store opened and quickly failed. A quick rennovation of the property made room for Chachi's Pawn Shop and the India Express take away curry kitchen. The bookstore has only been there for two months and I am sad to see him go so soon because he has excellent books at reasonable prices.
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The intersection at Somerset and Preston is still a very Italian part of town. Preston street ("Corso Italia" ) is the secular heart of the Italian community for night life and community events . After today's quarterfinal victory in the FIFA championship hundreds of people blocked traffic , waved flags and made a noisy assertion of their pride in the performance of the Italian soccer team.
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This is the front door to the Plant Bath at the intersection of Somerset and Preston Street on the south west corner. The detail seen here is a relic of the original building which was gutted and rebuilt with a modern facility which opened after considerable politicking and community pressure 2 years ago. The spectator door that you see here is only a facade and when you proceed through this door you will find a large modern multi purpose room .
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The Middle East Bakery is a family business that makes excellent pita breads with different coatings like sumac, yoghurt, mint , cheese or ground lamb. You can walk in with two dollars and walk out with an excellent lunch/snack.
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There are maybe 8 or 9 (plus of minus . . . ) apartment buildings like this in the general area of Kent and Lyon street on the north side . They all seem to be about the same age and my guess is that they were erected somewhere between 1920 and 1940. This one has been rennovated and looks pretty good. Many years ago as an election enumerator I climbed the stairs of many of these buildings looking for people to add to the voters list. This was a fascinating and rewarding task to do. The diversity of tenants was wonderful.
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This garden on the north side of the street is affiliated with the Dalhousie Community Centre. This wildflower garden blooms from spring till late in the fall . During high summer it presents a spectacular display of life and colour on the street that is unique and a joy to behold. I never see the gardener(s) who maintain this patch which suggests to me that they really know what they are doing.
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Bubble tea shops are pretty common up and down this part of the street. This rather expensive (for what you get) and faddish treat has devolved to the point where the supermarkets are carrying bubble tea kits for home use. I still prefer having it brought to my table and relaxing in the cafe atmosphere . Mabel and I like to sit in the two chairs you see in the window.
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