By Heino Molls — About a month ago I found myself in an area of Toronto that was called the “village” many years ago.
If you are familiar with the city, you might know this small neighbourhood. It centres around two streets called Cumberland and Yorkville between Avenue Road and Bay Street, right in the heart of Toronto.
Today it is probably the poshest area in Canada. It is so la de dah that the word trendy seems crass when used to describe this neighbourhood. It is the yardstick by which “upscale” is measured. Think of the swankiest fashion stores you can imagine. I am pretty sure they have to apply to open a shop down there. I bet there is even a waiting list.
It wasn’t always that way. I am surprised how few people remember how it used to be and the significance it had many years ago. I am saddened to note that no one I know of has documented the importance this neighbourhood had on shaping the culture of the city.
The importance of Yorkville Village will one day, I hope, be properly written, along with neighbourhoods in so many other cities. Character Schmaracter! We all know neighbourhoods with character. We should know how they got their character, how it developed. Someone should write good stories about neighbourhoods. I mean stories, not histories. Maybe someday someone will.
I have been thinking of how young adults today are being shut out of our neighbourhoods. Just like Yorkville.
I see playgrounds for children that are constructed with admirable science and planning. I see fabulous fashion outlets marketing clothes to parents with powerful plastic credit. I see entertainment complexes that deliver an array of movies and activities ready to jar the senses of children and adults. I see taverns and bars for 20- and 30-somethings with theme decors designed to stimulate all the senses — including the ones that make people spend money.
But for kids in their teen years, I see nothing. Maybe the mall, but that’s it.
It wasn’t always that way. There used to be places for young people to go. Like Yorkville.
Yorkville was once dotted with places called coffee houses. Coffee houses were places for young people to gather, hear a band or just sit and talk. The places I remember in Yorkville were called Boris’, El Patio, Charlie Brown’s and The Riverboat. Most of these places had cover charges to pay for the entertainment. Many people do not realize that these places were not licensed. They only served coffee.
If you could not afford to pay the cover charge to hear a band, like me when I was young, there were places that did not have bands and did not charge an entry fee. They were simply coffee houses. Young people were encouraged to come in and spend money on coffee, sandwiches and maybe a meal. They were welcome.
Today there are no coffee houses like that. At least none that I know of. Today we have Tim Horton’s, which is a wonderful place for me. But I am old. I like the convenience, the bright lights, the clean washrooms and the ability to get a quick coffee for the road.
Tim Horton’s is no place for young people who want to sit, talk with their peers, listen to their music and be in an atmosphere that they are comfortable in. Maybe even see a band.
When we look ahead, we should make certain that we remember that character cannot be built in planned neighbourhoods or created by the décor of a restaurant.
Character begins when people are still young. It is developed in an atmosphere of debate. It is created in places that are open to encouraging discussion and challenging thinking. It comes out of places like the coffee houses they once had in Yorkville.
If I could, I would open a coffee house for teenagers. I think our future depends on it.
Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email [email protected].
By: Heino Molls
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