Toronto-based culture writer Layla Ahmad grew up downtown and remembers Queen Street West to be the hot spot as a teenager. But over ten years later, she says the street has lost its “cool” allure.
“I feel like Queen St. is just an extension of the Eaton Centre now,” Ahmad said. “It had its Hay Day. It’s become super commercialized. All the little boutiques and cute spots and fun places that used to make it such a destination have been replaced by [places like] Shoppers Drug Mart.”
Store closures, car-crashes and seemingly never-ending construction on Queen St. W.—is the once bustling downtown strip headed toward its demise?
“I feel like when too many people find out about a place, and it becomes gentrified and commercialized, it loses its cache,” Ahmad said. “I feel like that’s definitely what happened with Queen West.”
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Ahmad adds that while the street gets better the further West it goes, the stretch near University St. is definitely not the go-to.
Now, she says Dundas West is the place to be for its fun bars, coffee shops and restaurants.
QUEEN ST. THEN-AND-NOW
As a number of well-known retailers and businesses have closed their doors on Queen St. W. in recent months and a string of dangerous events have taken place on the main Toronto road, the attraction of the well-known street could be put into question.
Kaitlin Narciso, an executive of video production at local lifestyle publication Streets of Toronto, says in regards to its “cool factor,” Queen St. W. today doesn’t compare to the days when the street was home to MuchMusic.
“As someone who grew up when 299 [Queen St. W.] was still MuchMusic and MTV Live and Queen Street West was very much a music lover’s haven, I definitely think a lot has changed on Queen West,” Narciso, who worked her first job at The Marilyn Denis Show, told Now Toronto.
“I miss live music on the streets of Toronto–particularly on Queen Street. But I think anyone who visited MuchMusic when the garage windows were open and listened to their favourite artists playing from the street, would have a very similar reminiscing/ bias mindframe.”
She adds that while the development of downtown Toronto streets are inevitable, she will always love the street so long as it keeps its balance of big companies and small businesses.
“I also think there’s a nice balance of retail, restaurant and bars, so for me, I still do encourage people to visit, especially if they’re out-of-towners,” she said. “Though, my favourite street currently—which reminds me of Queen Street especially when they host OssFest—is Ossington.”
Toronto influencer and actor Jordan Shore says he is also a fan of the Ossington strip for its top-to-bottom mix of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.
Shore, who has lived in Toronto for almost nine years, thinks Queen St. W. had its “moment” back in 2014 and 2015, a time when it was known for being a foodie destination.
“I would say the vibe of Queen Street in general is still cool, I still do love walking down, strolling with a coffee, bopping into some stores, but it wouldn’t be a street I would necessarily go to to find a place to sit down,” Shore told Now Toronto.
STORES CLOSING UP SHOP ON QUEEN ST. W.
While the street is home to quaint independent shops, including Type Books and boutique clothing stores such as The Latest Scoop, a string of well-known retailers on the strip have recently announced permanent store closures at their Queen St. locations.
After 20 years, fashion retailer Zara closed its doors permanently at the Queen St. location on Nov. 24.
Just last week, the CP24 office in the iconic 299 Queen St. W media building announced it would be relocating to Bell Media’s Agincourt studios in Scarborough, Ont.
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Last year, global clothing brand H&M announced its closure on Queen St. W., quickly followed by shutting down its Bloor St. location, leaving only one flagship location left in Toronto at the Eaton Centre.
And in early 2025, the Queen St. location of Adidas will close its doors, according to Retail Insider.
LOCAL OPINIONS
Now Toronto took to the streets to ask locals their thoughts on if Queen St. W. is still a vibe.
“I don’t do Queen street that often. It’s not where my friends go,” a resident named Mason said, adding that they prefer King Street West. “It’s where a lot of the bars are. I like to go to the bars [on King St.] and blow off some steam on the weekends.”
Meanwhile, Estevan and Eddy, who work at a tattoo shop on Queen St., said they appreciate the diversity of the street which allows them to meet people from different walks of life.
Eddy adds that the street is also great for vintage shopping. “I think the Black Market is cute. Public Butter is more down on Queen, but it’s very cute.”
“I think the whole Queen St. is nice. At least this part, from University to the West,” Estevan said.
Meanwhile, Emily, who works at a shoe store on the strip, says the vibe of Queen St. isn’t what it used to be.
“Clothing-wise, yes, vibe-wise, no.” I feel like it was a vibe a few years ago but I feel like it’s just dying down.”
She adds that there’s a lot of stores going out of business and that Kensington and Liberty Village are the new neighbourhoods to be.
Online, one user thinks the most vibrant parts of the street are from Ossington to Roncesvalles and Queen S. E. from River Street down to the beaches.
While another said Queen St. East is “where it’s at.”
