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 Home to Bohemians in the 1950s and hippies in the 1960s, Yorkville's folk clubs and head shops have transformed into chic designer shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Shops sell toys, state-of the-art gadgets, Himalayan imports, and Canadian arts and crafts. Used clothing stores sell the cast-offs of Toronto's elite. Streets to browse include Yorkville, Hazelton, Cumberland, Scollard, and sweet little Old York Lane. The Victorian details (those still visible) are delightful. Take a walk through Yorkville and notice the row of restored Victorian working-class cottages on Berryman Street, and a late-1800s fire hall on Yorkville Avenue. Shops along Avenue Road, just outside Yorkville, sell antiques and fashions with Paris names and prices to match. Yorkville offers vintage buttons and trims, glorious costume jewelry, gorgeous Italian shirts, several bridal stores and much much more. The central courtyard at Hazelton Lanes, 55 Avenue Rd., an indoor mini-mall, is a patio in summer and a skating rink in winter. This is a great place for shopping. Merchants and town planners speculated that Bloor Street between Avenue Road and Yonge Street would be Toronto's Fifth Avenue, but the cold, 'uninviting' street never took off. Still, the clothing, jewelry, luggage, and shoe stores in this area feature haute couture for well-heeled tourists and wealthy residents of nearby Rosedale and Forest Hill. International chains include Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and Hermés. Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor St. W., Tel. 416-922-2333, an exclusive clothing emporium, stands next to the relatively plebeian Gap. In wretched weather, descend beneath Holt Renfrew to Holt Renfrew Centre, a clutch of shops and restaurants featuring some delightful specialty stores. From here you can walk and shop underground over to the Bay at Yonge and Bloor. This 'Tour of Yorkville' will show:
Some more practical numbers on Yorkville:
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