What to know
- Torontonians love to complain that Queen Street West is “dead.” But most of the complaints are largely driven by nostalgia over high-profile closures like Steve’s Music Store and The Velvet Underground.
- Both the Queen West BIA and the West Queen West BIA say the strip is constantly evolving, with steady vacancy rates and rising foot traffic since the pandemic.
- Longtime staples like The Drake Hotel, Trinity Bellwoods Park, and Doc’s Leathers continue to anchor the area’s culture.
- Upcoming Ontario Line stops and FIFA World Cup events are expected to bring increased energy and visitors.
Torontonians on social media love to complain that Queen Street West is dead.
It seems every time a beloved cultural touchstone or a local business moves out of the area, Toronto residents flock to forums like r/Toronto to bemoan the slow decay of Queen West.
There’s always chatter about what made the street so special, whether that’s the MuchMusic headquarters, or the CP24 truck that’s embedded in 299 Queen St. W. More recently, the closing of Steve’s Music Store and the Velvet Underground have saddened even more nostalgic Torontotonians.
Read More
Simon Wong, the Executive Director at Queen West Business Improvement Area (BIA) understands, but doesn’t believe in the nostalgic lens people view Queen West through. He’s responsible for the stretch of Queen Street West from Bathurst Street to Simcoe Street and he says it’s normal to be “an ever changing neighbourhood” with a changing retail landscape.
“Our pedestrian traffic numbers have actually gone up since the pandemic,” he says.
Wong says despite high-profile businesses like Steve’s Music leaving the area, the vacancy rate on Queen West has stayed fairly consistent. He says for every business that is closing, something else always opens up.
Robert Sysak, the Neighbourhood Director at West Queen West BIA, which runs from Bathurst Street to Gladstone Avenue, echoes the same sentiment. He’s been running the BIA for 17 and a half years.
“Economics change for sure. But the one consistent thing, not just in West Queen West, but also in Queen West, is that the people who come in are so creative, have so much energy and such a uniqueness that never changes,” he explains.
Sysak shouts out the culture defining landmarks in the area that are still going strong, like the Drake Hotel, Trinity Bellwoods Park, World of Posters, and Doc’s Leathers, just to name a few.
“In West Queen West alone, there’s the Drake [Hotel] and Trinity Bellwoods Park. If you want to shop for eyeglasses, we have like five optical stores within walking distance of each other,” he says.
“You can go for an awesome coffee at Cafe 23. You can go to Doc’s Leathers, an icon in West Queen West. I’m just staring right now across the street at World of Posters. How often do you see a place [full] of posters? We have the comic bookstore, Silver Snail Comics.”
He acknowledges that storefronts on Queen West might have changed locations, “but they still exist.”
“Nothing stays the same. That’s the magic of time. Are there places here now that are different? Yes, but they are still just as exciting. And there’s new places that you can build memories at,” Sysak exclaims.
Wong says there’s also lots of exciting things to look forward to. For example, the two new Ontario Line stations that are under construction at Queen Street and Spadina Street and at Osgoode. He says these stations will help people who currently don’t have easy access to the Downtown Core to actually go explore Queen West.
“We’re at this impetus moment of transformation.”
Wong wants to remind Torontonians that the Queen West BIA will have a slew of events planned for FIFA as well, including a sidewalk sale, live music pop-ups, and a nighttime market party.
“Our biggest event is we’re doing a nighttime market party on July 2 to [celebrate] the ending of the last FIFA game in Toronto,” he explains.
“We’re taking over a Green P parking lot and turning it into a world market with a DJ, live music, vendors, and food. We’re programming it specifically with music that is representative of the countries that are playing here in Toronto. So everything from Caribbean to Thai music, to pop.”
Of course Queen Street West isn’t perfect, but Wong says it takes actually exploring and supporting the area’s restaurants and shops to keep it from dying.
“I’m not saying that there aren’t closures and challenges. But this is where we need help from people to continue to support [Queen West]. If you love some place, you put in effort and the time and patronage the area. So I would hope that people in Toronto do that.”
