Should we preserve Toronto business institutions?

While I was out at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore recently reading from my new book Hip Hop World, and asking some very tough questions about race, gender, globalization and youth culture, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread when the employee at the store informed me that the store’s doors may be shut by the time summer rolls around.

The idea of yet another crucial institution falling by the wayside does not sit easily with me. My definition of "institution" might fall loosely outside the textbook definition, but it involves time-honoured venues with a social purpose that have profound impacts on large groups of citizens.

I don’t have the space in this blog to list the large numbers of authors, thinkers, feminists and activists who have benefitted over the last 3+ decades from the Bookstore hosting events, readings, and engaging Toronto’s Creative Class to do more good. Are we going to now add this bookstore to a long and growing list of socially relevant not-for-profits with a deep, rich history that go under without a fight?

It’s the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. And this plea is coming from an African-Canadian man who sees the value of having a venue where mostly female writers and thinkers, including ones from racialized groups can get a chance, get some proper shelf space, more respect.

I’ve seen others bookstores and pop culture fare in my immediate community go six feet under - Third World Bookstore, 28 Lennox – and still other more mainstream-y venues like Sam the Record Man, Pages Bookstore – and I can truly report that too many of the things that make Toronto unique, in a liberal, progressive, all-inclusive, multi-culti kinda way have either fallen by the wayside, or are threatening to, as the gaps between the have and have-nots widens.

We make claims, often, of being this world-class cosmopolitan city. But where’s the political will to assist and help preserve these institutions that make Toronto unique?

Hey, I love H&M’s and Home Depot as much as the next working class guy, but some of these businesses that have taken the place of older buildings and businesses that are the living evidences of communities that make Toronto somewhat interesting, that work to conserve our cultural heritage, are contributing to the McDonaldization of my city. And Mickey D’s menu needs much tweaking.

Independent entrepreneurs in the city’s downtown core need better tax breaks, more incentives to help them navigate their dreams through a nasty gentrification that has driven large aspects of many lesser-off communities to the ‘burbs. There’s dollars and cents, and then there’s dollars and sense.

Is there some way to establish some piece of legislation to help preserve, for the benefit of the city, select venues of historic, traditional or artistic interest? Am I appealing to a venture capitalist of any political persuasion to come help save the day?

Maybe.

Can the fine folk at City Hall (or any arm's length investors with sway that might hang around in the shadows at 100 Queen St. West) please weigh in on this?

About Dalton Higgins

Comments

[Jean-Pierre Centeno]

I could not agree more.
I had a small business in Toronto employing 6 wonderful persons. After ten years of city hall abuse: fees for collecting garbage, ever increasing taxes, every licenses increasing 20 to 30 % every years, higher rents and utilities, not paying myself so I could keep the business going; I decided not to continue once the lease was expired. There is absolutely no resources for small businesses in Toronto. But lets not blame the City only, the Provincial and Federal Government are also responsible.
Just two example:
Small businesses collect now PST and GST, later HST. 90 % of revenues are paid by credit cards that charge 2 to 6 % processing fees (Those wonderful points you collect by using Avion etc. are charged back to the retailer by way of higher processing fees). Beside the government inaction on the gouging of the banks on the back of small businesses, one would expect to be able to deduct those processing fees from the monthly remittance to the government.
A friend of mine owns a small cafe in the west end, no liquor license. Catering to the community. He works 6 days a week and employs two people, it's very hard, so to increase sales he thought of using the front sidewalk to have extra tables in the summer. He went through the proper channels and applied to the city, neighbors were exited , mums with strollers wouldn't have to struggle with the door to get in, owners could be with their dog while having coffee all that while enjoying the sun.
After 6 Month wait the city sent him a letter that the permit for a boulevard license was approved but in order to get it he had to plant a tree in the city property for the cost of THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Until he agreed to it there would be no permit issued. My friend does not have that kind of money, so there would be no patio. Sad isn't it.
I just give up and wonder.

[Ed Butts]

Independent bookstores are important to our communities, but they are being killed off by big box giants that are concerned only with "best sellers". Some of those retail giants, like Wal Mart, even practice censorship. Support your local independent bookstore.

[Jeff]

If you want to keep a bookstore encourage friends to go there and buy books. Businesses that make money generally don't close, they grow, they expand but very rarely does a business turning a healthy profit actually close. As times move forward the nature of the city also changes, record stores are a call to a past when we bought our music in predefined packages now we buy it online. Bookstores are going to be a similar experience, less people will buy physical books as ebooks grow to fill the market. When these stores close and new owners and businesses take there place we continue to move forward, when they close and are repalced with empty stores main street stagnates. Toronto has a vivid cultural life because its young and in a constant state of rebirth, without this rebirth and change our cultural landmarks would belong to a previous generation.

[willmcguirk]

Folks shop where they want too. I dont like the loss of these places either and I endeavour to choose to spend my money at the mom n pops where possible but convenience is the deciding factor for me and many others. Maybe you can't hold on to them all but there should be enough folks in Toronto to make some of these businesses viable. Out in Oshawa we are having similar issues but we have a way way smaller segment of the popoulation to call upon for support.

http://durhamregion.typepad.com/will_mcguirk/2010/03/you-knew-it-was-coming.html

[Glen]

Should the City be directly propping up these businesses....No.

The city should stop killing them though with its punitive commercial property taxes (highest in NA) so that that they can survive. That little fruit market by your house may be paying 20 thousand per year. The high tax rates act like a price of admission, limiting competition to the benefit of larger companies.

[ibivi]

Loosing independent stores is ongoing problem in many communities. Record stores, book stores, specialty book stores, etc have been disappearing for years. The downturn in the economy hasn't helped this situtaton. Many store operators are retiring and are leaving empty storefronts in my neighbourhood. High business taxes and business rents are making opening new stores very risky. Living in Toronto is becoming increasingly costly. Many workers are also retiring and are transitioning into fixed incomes. Disposable income is shrinking. Recent utility price increases are consuming surplus shopping money forcing people to cut back. Looking for value is a greater concern than ever for people who find themselves having to adjust their shopping habits. The internet also makes it easier to shop without leaving your home. They are many discount stores and "dollar" stores which undercut the cost of many household items. These issues and others make the survival of many well-loved independent stores at risk. We wish it weren't so but it is a sign of our times.

[Sonny Yeung]

I think that some spaces are worth saving from corporatization. Here is the link
www.womensbookstore.com

[Wavemancali]

No, no, a thousand times no.

Lobby the owners of the building to lower the rent. Hold fundraisers to try and buy the building or try and support the store but stop with the mentality that taking money from taxpayers for causes you believe in is a good idea.

Taxpayer money should be spent sparingly as a last resort because we cannot say no.

[Ernest J. Guiste]

Well said - sir

Ernest J. Guiste.

[Paul]

I am totally in favour of preserving small businesses. I have had my own in various itterations over the years. My political views however run from the FAR left to the FAR right, depending on the issue. I believe in capital punishment, but I also believe in a womans right to controll what goes on in her own body, abortion if and when necessary. I want total accountability in gov't, yet support decriminalization of mariuana. I believe in assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, but not in large bailouts for business. Toronto, like all large cities, is really a collection of villages. I am extremely fond of Kensington Market, andthe Spadina area China town, which seems to survive very well all on its own without gov't bailouts or any other intervention. You can't kill them, they will just rise up again, like a phoenix all on their own. St. Lawerence market is another ketle of fish. Deeply entrenched in gov't intervention, and yet, I love it too. I believe that anything that is TRULY of value & worthwhile will survive with or without gov't help, but things do need support from the public. That is what really counts! Get involved! SAVE what you love! Become politically involved, and let nature take it's course.

[Fred]

Its beyond me why people shop at dollar stores or Walmart. I suppose its so they can have more poorly made junk. We should not be doing business with China. They have a birthrate of 130 males per 100 females. They are murdering 25% of the females in their country every year. If you buy Chinese you support the practice.

[greg]

I personally believe that small business should not pay any taxes to a certain point. They should be excluded from more than just GST and PST, but in a city like Toronto, where the governments of the day try to be all things to all people something has to give. In our appetite to be more green, to fight poverty, to be world class, to be the best place to live, the best salaries etc. etc. we have come to the point where the city has it's hands in everything and constantly needs to raise money. The victims of this is the poor, middle class, and small business.

We are at the point where having a simple food cart at queen and bay requires the owner to pay a tonn in municipal fees before he makes the first dollar. In an atmosphere like this, the only business that can afford Toronto will be Big Business. The Walmarts, the McDonalds etc.

Red Tape affects small businesses a lot more than it affects large corporations we should ensure that starting a business and operating it to a revenue point is very simple.

[greg]

dear blogger, I suppose you can take this topic to the st claire west business community who is currently sueing the city and province because the street car project has driven them out of business, or soon will be. There is also a lot of complaints from communities who have new bike lanes who have claimed that the city's move to rid the street of parking in order to make way for bike lanes is driving their customers away.

The city probably do not consider 'small' business a priority. Instead believe that if these fail bigger ones will come in who can shoulder the costs of development in a World Class city. Perhaps small businesses are just collateral damage, because in a sense, if areas develop as intended it is expected that businesses (especially deep pocketed ones) will be attracted to it.