Keeping a grip on the old block
A one-time neighbour of Honest Ed’s will soon be dwarfed by Mirvish Village redevelopment. But the property’s owner says he has no plans to leave
“I’ve been amazed by how many people were surprised that I’m keeping it.” DAVID SPIRO OWNER OF BATHURST ST. PROPERTY
There’s a tiny shop on Bathurst St., surrounded by demolition and development. Its technicolour door is dwarfed by the skeleton of Honest Ed’s, and a shuttered storefront — recently sold — cosies up on the other side.
The smell of incense floats out the door when it’s opened, along with the faint hum of music. Long wooden bookshelves are filled with titles from Sacred Medicine to Cactus of Mystery: The Shamanic Powers of the Peruvian San Pedro Cactus. Patrons can pick up brown paper bags of sencha green tea or reishi mushroom slices for $8 a bag.
And while the block around them is seeing a mass exodus in preparation for Mirvish Village, a massive development that will include four rental-unit towers and a public market, the shop will continue peddling its eclectic wares as the buildings come down around it.
The owner and landlord of the property is David Spiro — who bought the 758 Bathurst St. lot back in 2005. “It was sitting there for sale for a long time,” Spiro said. A year or two after he decided to purchase it, he says Mirvish approached him with an offer to buy the property.
“They had an opportunity to pick it up from the person I bought it from, and I guess they just missed the opportunity,” he said. “I didn’t buy it to resell. It’s a long-term investment.”
For the past year, he’s been negotiating with developers while, all around his building, properties are shuttering for the redevelopment of Bathurst and Bloor.
“I really don’t have a clue what’s going on with Mirvish Village,” he said. “It’s very obscure, the whole thing about it. I know they’re boarding everything out.”
But as of a few weeks ago, a decision was made. Spiro is keeping the property, and the store — called Alternative Thinking — is staying put. “We’re definitely not selling. We’re definitely staying,” Spiro told the Star on Thursday.
“It’s private property,” he explained matter-of-factly. “No one can force you to sell private property, unless it’s the government . . . I’ve been amazed by how many people were surprised that I’m keeping it, including yourself.”
The developers treated them decently throughout the process, he said, noting that there had been “no issues.” But he says he never intended to sell. “It’s sort of semi-historical. At this point it’s been there for a long time, and I like the location,” he said. “It’s an interesting store in there.”
Inside the store, Mekvabishvili and his partner, Dominique Turcotte, say the decision is their best case scenario. “I guess (Spiro) just felt like having the property, and being supportive to the business,” Mekvabishvili told the Star.
Mekvabishvili has been running the store for around seven years. It started as a bookstore, but bit-by-bit, new sections were added — from shelves of crystals to rows of clothing and pendants. Their retail model aims to evolve, he explained.
“That has to do with sharing what we want to offer and what we want to provide, as well (as) getting feedback and developing what’s on the shelves with the community and the people that come through,” he said. “So that’s kind of how we grew.” These days, walking inside the store is like entering a kaleidoscope — bright, colourful and ever-changing. Large, vividly coloured prints are labelled “laser guided visions,” and miscellaneous lanterns with shapes cut out from them hang from a branch on the ceiling. In the centre, a cocoon-like structure wrapped in plastic leaves surrounds a curved wooden bench, which is softened for visitors with pillows painted in cosmic designs.
Like Spiro, Mekvabishvili has a fondness for the property on Bathurst. It’s near the heart of things, he said, near one of the biggest intersections in Toronto. “Over the years, the traffic on Bathurst has been increasing, so it’s really nice,” he added.
There’s been some animosity toward the development on the block, evident on Thursday from a profane note affixed to the window of a nearby closed-down store. But Spiro was pleasant while discussing the devel- opers. “They want to make sure that everything is going to be OK,” he told the Star.
And looking forward, he’s hoping it will be. “It’s going to be hard for a few years,” he mused. “But then the benefits will be huge later. The classic years of famine, and then some good years after that hopefully.”
Spiro appealed to the community to support the store while development is underway. As for what it’ll be like to stick around, he’s embracing the unknown.
“I don’t know. Ask me in three years!”