There goes the neighbourhood…

Oh Lakeshore Boulevard. Lakeshore, Lakeshore, Lakeshore, what is going on? I had such high hopes for us, but you’re kind of letting me down. I have given Lakeshore Blvd. first, second and now third thoughts. Lakeshore is the final frontier, the Wild West if you will. In a city like Toronto, it is hard to find any neighbourhood that has not seen the hand of gentrification, no street left without a blow dry bar or artisanal bike store or whatever bullshit on it. So then there was Lakeshore. After all of my years living in the city I had never ventured out that far west, never taken the streetcar as far as it could go. When I finally did I thought, why hadn't I done this before? Such a world of opportunity! How come nobody else seems to know about this place?

I’ll tell you why, because there is nothing there. After viewing some dismal commercial space prospects I've come to realize maybe Lakeshore is not all it’s cracked up to be. It has certainly maintained its authenticity, but maybe too much so.

It’s constantly being touted as ‘the next up and coming’this and that, but what is taking so long? Even the real estate agents can’t spin doctor this one, they know it’s a risky call. There is a distinct lack of retail anything in this area. The neighborhood is a crossroads where many demographics seem to collide and coexist, yet no real identity has been established in the area. I wanted to capitalize off of the blank canvas nature of the neighbourhood but unless tumbleweeds have credit cards I don’t foresee a whole lot of financial success.

For goodness' sake, there is still a Biway there. A BIWAY! Biway went out of business maybe…15 years ago? I guess Biway Lakeshore Blvd. didn't get that memo.

So, the prophecy came true, I put my cart before the horse and it rolled backwards off a cliff. My Lakeshore Superette seems to be more of a stupor-ette these days. Ah well, it’s not too late in the game to change my name, it may temporarily confuse the five of you who actually read this, but I’m sure you’ll adjust. In the meantime I won’t divorce Lakeshore just yet, but I’ll continue to search the city, there must be a reasonably priced hole in the wall with my name on it somewhere!

xx