Signs and Streets of the Quarantine - Part Two
In my previous blog post - Signs and Streets of the Quarantine - I shared images of storefronts in East Toronto and their hand-written or more personalized signs regarding their closures.
In this post, Part Two, I share images of a wider range of signs and scenes in East Toronto.
I captured all images in this post with my phone, while out for socially distant runs, between mid-March and early May 2020.
In order to make shopping local easier to do, I have attempted to include websites and street addresses for every business or organization featured in this post.
As the situation is continually changing, please check directly with each business or organization to find out their current status.
While it is now commonplace, in the early days of the lockdown it was a bit jarring to see masks and hand sanitizer for sale in convenience stores.
Platon Variety and Dollar Store
781 Danforth Avenue
Donation boxes covered with tape to prevent possible contamination was also a new sight.
And this sign, in the window of the above organization, OASIS Movement Addiction, Recovery and Employment Services (921 Danforth Avenue), is likely one of the toughest signs I have read:
Thankfully the sign below it notes that staff are still available.
I noted many churches with messages to communicate...
949 Greenwood Avenue
719 Greenwood Avenue
1050 Danforth Avenue
1891 Gerrard Street East
2174 Danforth Avenue
I noticed the Madinah Masjid (1015 Danforth Avenue) thanking frontline workers and reaching out to help those in need:
Sign near Madinah Masjid
1015 Danforth Avenue
And while messages of fear and conspiracy are out there...
Many are doing great work to help those who need it most...
St. John the Compassionate Mission (155 Broadview Avenue) runs many meaningful programs, which can be read about here.
I first discovered the mission through their bakery - which offers delicious sourdough bread and other goods - many years ago at the East York Farmers Market.
St. John's Bakery also serves as "a place of employment for individuals less fortunate".
The bakery remains open at 153 Broadview Avenue.
Some wonderful businesses along the Danforth had messages to share...
1214 Danforth Avenue
1276 Danforth Avenue
1364 Danforth Avenue
This poem by J.G. Lutes on a bike post (Danforth Avenue, a little east of Woodbine) caught my attention.
I don't know if this was posted before or after the lockdown.
Either way, the poem takes on added meaning in our current context.
2777 Danforth Avenue
2831 Danforth Avenue
Farther east along the Danforth, a gas station signaled their change in service...
3561 Danforth Avenue
I admired the Riverside BIA's messaging in support of local businesses.
One of those Riverside stores had this great artwork in their window...
792 Queen Street East
A little further east, in the Leslieville BIA area...
Good Neighbour (935 Queen Street East), with its stylish clothes and home products,
shares a positive message it their window:
"We are all in this together."
The stores in "Olde East York Village" on Coxwell (between O'Connor and Plains Road) were also communicating their status:
A fun window display of pet names at
1035 Coxwell Avenue
I discovered that Tails is now closed.
They are referring customers to Wag on the Danforth (1918 Danforth Avenue).
I know one of the owners of Wag on the Danforth - he is a talented photographer and a very nice person.
Please support their store, if you can!
Pulp and Paperie - a wonderful local gift shop
1042 Coxwell Avenue
I found the sign in this barber shop window rather surprising...
The coronavirus is definitely more than just a "seasonal outbreak".
1000 Coxwell Avenue
The signs at my local library branch, S. Walter Stewart, also caught my eye...
And this chalk graffiti (enhanced to make the words more apparent), at the same branch, made me smile:
170 Memorial Park Avenue
Some people are especially committed to sharing a "stay safe" message...
Seen off of Don Mills, south of Eglinton.
Unfortunately some are missing a key point of the stay safe messaging...
I see this poor behaviour so frequently while out running that I stopped taking photos it early on in the quarantine period.
I've seen many social media posts expressing frustration and amazement at this phenomenon.
Why do people improperly dispose of PPE - used to protect themselves - and potentially expose others to the coronavirus?
To quote Mr. Mehta in the wonderful CBC show Kim's Convenience, "The mind boggles."
Thankfully some are communicating the need to stop such ignorance...
I'll end with some words of encouragement that I've found along my runs...
To see more signs and streets of the quarantine, click here for my first post.
In the coming weeks I will share another post of street scenes that I've captured recently.
Thank you for reading this post. Please continue to support local small businesses as you are able in this tough time.