Electric and Eclectic Kensington Market

  I’ll start this blog with a little bit of honesty…. Kensington Market is not a market. What it is, is so much better. What it is, is a crazy cool, offbeat, charming, eclectic, extremely diverse neighborhood set in Toronto. It’s very much like one of my grandma’s crazy quilts. Bright and colorful with the only cohesiveness being the edges drawn together with hard work and love.

To give you a little history of the area. In 1815 George Taylor Denison bought a 100-acre plot and built his estate on it. Then in 1850-1860, the land was divided up into plots for the British and Irish immigrants. As the influx in immigration continued, they divided those small plots up into even smaller plots where small cottages were built. The migration to Canada continued and in the early 1900s Jewish families from Eastern Europe flooded the area. They built small stalls to sell their goods in front of their homes because during that time they weren’t legally allowed to own a business. That being said, they could build synagogues and there were once 97 of them in the area. WOW. Later Victorian homes were built with the ground floor being a storefront and the family lived in the rooms above.

In the 1960s the area saw a major boom with families from all over the world moving in. People from India, China, Portugal, Italy, and many African countries rounded out the neighborhood. Today it’s diversity at its best. The entire world in one neighborhood of free spirits and cool vintage shops and restaurants. The area should be a model for the rest of the world because of the love, tolerance and just overall absolute diverse coolness of this place.

      It’s not a huge area and can easily be seen in a day… but what a day it is. The small streets make driving all but impossible except for the native Candian drivers, so I just took an uber. I arrived just outside the main hubbub and followed the crowd to the main street of Augusta Avenue where you can get everything from Somali Samosas to Chicago deep-dish pizza. It one of those busy places you can just lose yourself in the hustle and bustle.

There are no big chain stores, only independently owned, mostly family-run stores. I love these types of stores!!!  A few times in recent history some bigger chains tried to move it but the tight-knit neighborhood residents banded together to blocked them… I just love an underdog story.

         Almost every square inch is covered with art. You can walk two feet without seeing a mural or a sculpture.

The vibrant colors just add to the fantastic experience that is Kensington. Some of the best street art in Toronto can be found in the little alleys all up and down the streets. Some of its political, some looks like tagging while others are just beautiful expression through murals. I think my personal favorite was the picture below which is a shout out the Czech painter Alphonse Mucha.

               Let not forget about the food.  The streets, the people, the food all come together in this crazy mixed up, super cool place. The food is often a mash-up of several cultures. One restaurant the Rasta Pasta is a fusion of Jamaican and Italian food.

I was feeling like Mexican so I tried three of the best pork tacos I ever had at a place called La Casa De Las Margaritas. A little down the street you can even get ice cream covered in edible gold!.

One of my favorite parts about the market was the vintage clothing stores and outside shops. I know used clothes aren’t for everyone but I found some fabulous treasures. One, in particular, is a place called  Courage My Love…. What an uplifting name.

They had a ton of cowboy boots along with some of the best vintage clothes in the area. But if boots aren’t your thing, then there are about 50 other stores there to help you find the perfect vintage chic.
        It could be said that Kensington Market is just a little neighborhood in Toronto but in my humble opinion, it’s definitely one of the best. So if you find yourself in Toronto make sure you spend a day getting lost in this wondrous, eclectic, artistic, free-spirited place.