Introduction to Greektown!
Greektown is a section of
Danforth Ave, Toronto, Canada stretching from Greenwood Ave. to Broadview Ave.
It was one of the main areas that Greek immigrants settled in during the early
1900s. Greek architecture and culture has been thriving in the area since as
far back as 1910. Although the area has expanded, the area has remained in the
same location for over 100 years. Since then, it has only continued to flourish
and in 1970 and 1980, Greektown was considered to be the largest in North
America. Currently there are over 25 000 people that call Greektown home and
around 15% of them are, of course, Greek. Some of the main features of
Greektown that make it unique are the restaurants, the architecture, and the
language that is visible on signs. It is so Greek that scenes from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding were hot in
Greektown. Opa!
Greektown has many attractions that truly make the area
authentically Greek. First of all, the many Greek restaurants that sit along
the Danforth are one of the main attractions. Locally owned restaurants such as
Messinis, Alexandros, The Friendly Greek, Pan, and many more offer a variety of
authentic Greek and Mediterranean flavors. This includes souvalaki, gyros, moussaka,
and more! It’s not just Greek food in Greektown though, many other restaurants
such as Mocha Mocha, Il Fornello, the many sushi restaurants and plenty more of
their own cultures dishes. To top off the food attractions in Greektown, is the
Taste of the Danforth food festival that is held annually on the street during
a weekend in early august. There are
attractions such as music, games, rides, and interactive sports but most of all
the food is the main attraction. People can come taste all the different dishes
and enjoy their day roaming through Greektown. Besides the food, Greektown
features authentic Greek architecture in the “Alexander the Great” park at the
corner Logan and Danforth Ave. Greek pillars and monuments of Alex the Great
circle the park which is always flourishing with people enjoying the food and
culture.
Because of the popularity and traffic of Greektown, the area
is currently facing one of its biggest problems yet. Chain businesses.
Greektown has always had a focus on local and independent businesses ranging
from restaurants to barbers. Unfortunately, there has been a recent flood of
chain businesses opening up stores along the Danforth in Greektown. Some of the
stores are: Yogurtys, Popeyes, A&W, Kitchen Stuff Plus, and Canadian Tire.
There even more and what these chains do is put local businesses out of
business. Oftentimes, they attract people but the prices are lower meaning
people go less to the local businesses. What this does is it forces local
businesses to go bankrupt. With more and more chains popping up, the worse and
worse it gets for local businesses. This results in Greektown losing what its
known for, Greek culture. If this issue doesn’t get some attention soon, Greektown
could become lost.
Local News - Elections
This past month Toronto had the municipal elections. This is where the city votes for the mayor, school trustees, and city councilors. Greektown is part of the Toronto – Danforth Region of Toronto or what is called Ward 30. Just like all the other areas of Toronto, Greektown went to the polls to elect the next city councilor for the area. The outcome resulted in Mary Fragedakis getting re-elected after being initially elected in 2010. She has made it clear that Greektown is important and continues to work with the BIA to make that Greektown remains. She also is involved in the community by coming to many of the major events such as the Taste of the Danforth to show her support for Greektown. The elections show that Greektown is an active community and that support for Greektown should continue over the course of the following years.
Local Person Profile - Irene Siskopoulos-Savatti
There are many local businesses each with their stories of
how they came to be and how they are today. Bigger chain barbers are phasing
out the smaller businesses but there is one barbershop in the heart of
Greektown that encompasses the spirit of a local business. Irene Siskopoulos-Savatti is the owner of Lord Byron’s Men’s Hairstyling located at
the corner of Logan and Danforth Ave. in Alexander the Great Park. Her father
started the business 32 years ago and she started helping him 27 years ago. Her business is more than just cutting hair.
By being in the same area and in the same community for so long, she has
watched kids grow up. She sees’ young kids come in and she is cutting their
hair until they are adults. The reason she has these experiences is because she
has maintained her local business in the heart of Greektown.
Links
http://www.greektowntoronto.com/
http://tasteofthedanforth.com/
http://www.toronto.com/articles/best-greek-restaurants-on-the-danforth/
http://www.messini.ca/
