Along St John Rd at the Coffee Time

Mornings, afternoons and evenings this area has the most consistent informal gatherings of people in the Junction. Mostly of men, talking and sometimes playing games. Wonderful.

13 Comments

This is such an interesting and important interseciton, but sadly every business owner who has bought that coffee shop over the past few years has consistently under served its potential. Any new idea/blood injected into this location will be a benefit to kick start the vacant storefronts across from this coffee shops on Dundas and further west across from the car wash. Those are some of the last remaining storefronts being used as apartments.

CK! has consistently under served its potential. How would you propose to correct this?

I agree this site could see allot more business, it has lots of parking, the south side of the lot could be turned into a large patio. They could also sell espresso based coffee and draw business from the park and people going to and from the bus stop on Dundas.

I would also make a nice local pub with some good food and a little vision.

So what's wrong with a bunch of retired guys having a smoke (outside), socializing, and playing some board games? I know that the Junction is getting gentrified but, seriously, why do people have to get so uptight about anything even remotely outside of their comfort zone or their ideal of what a "trendy" (aka yuppie) neighborhood should look like?

I love the authentic old-world charm of that intersection, and the fact that it hasn't become a home to yet another espresso bar. There's nothing wrong with espresso bars, but we already have some good ones, and what makes this neighborhood great is precisely its diversity! If you want a neighborhood full of trendy espresso bars and nothing else, there are plenty in the city.

These fellows were here long before gentrification started and I sincerely hope that rising property prices and snooty attitudes don't drive them out.

the fact that there are always people there is a good thing – they're good people, they keep an eye on the neighbourhood and they cause no trouble whatsoever. The reason I left Roncy and moved to theJunction was because Roncy was all the same – all white couples with young kids. Way too homogeneous. A good neighbourhood needs a good mix. This group is part of it. Let's hope it stays this way. Toronto's history of neighbourhood development suggests otherwise but fingers crossed

People of all ages socializing in public is great. On a side note, I'd love to see that coffee shop redeveloped with a flatiron-style building on its unusual property.

For one, clean up the premises, make better coffee, clean and replace the bulbs in the bathroom, if you've ever tried to use the bathroom there, you will know what I'm talking about. If seniors/retired persons are their target market, then they could make the premises a lot more condusive to attract that demographic. The way it exists currently, its sort of a default hang out because it offers cheap coffee, free parking and lots of seating and there's nothing wrong with that, but there are far more businesses in Junction with locations that are far less attractive with far less sq feet to work with and the quality of service and products those businesses offer is far superior. For the location, the space and the parking this business has, the owners of this establishment haven't maximized the potential.

I go there from time to time and one thing I notice is the couple running the place work practically from sun up to close without help. They seem like nice people who work hard for a modest living. Many people don't have the resources or the knowhow to create a chic spot, which is fine because not every place needs to be upscale. I personally feel more comfortable there than at some of the newer spots that are popping up.

It is an honest business that serves it's own clientelle. It's good to have a variety of different options.

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