JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

While Amy, Sarah and I wandered around Amherstburg's annual River Lights Festival on Christmas Eve ( more photos ), we encountered this sign outside of a downtown sushi joint (something I never thought I'd ever see in my hometown). So what is sushi? Check out the other side...

Source: The Mail and Empire , December 25, 1909 - JB

Christmas is days away and local shopping centres are packed with shoppers scrambling for last-minute bargains and procrastinators who suddenly remembered they have gifts to purchase. Scenes filled with mobs of shoppers and frazzled sales clerks appear to have been as common a century ago as they are now. While researching a holiday-related piece, I came across a special Christmas section of the Toronto News from December 15, 1909 that urged readers to shop early. Note the thoughtfulness expressed towards those who get the short end of the stick at this time of the year—a century later, these suggestions could spare us a lot of grief. Christmas is almost at hand and the spirit of Yuletide cheer already here. One can feel it in the air—can read it on the face of the passerby. Thoughts are turning to the selection of gifts—each one to add to the cheer of the time. If only those thoughts could be converted into action. If instead of thinking of selection the great public were...

(click for full-size version) But how could our intrepid writer not been impressed with the facilities, flat rates and "Fiddler on the Roof" while writing this advertorial? He's being paid to enjoy it...which makes me wonder how Mr. Halliday would have raved about a lesser establishment... I spent a considerable amount of time researching each and every room at the Harlequin Hotel and declare that these character-filled spaces have their own unique touches. I could visualize the merry moments of bliss that filled each eye-catching element of all twenty-five rooms. The sheets come in a rainbow of colours that reflect the moods and inspirations of previous guests. The lush carpeting retains an inkling of the form and function of times long past. Sam the manager has done a spectacular job taking every guest's needs into consideration, from the cool breeze percolating through the stained-glass windows to the complimentary selection of toiletries carefully chosen t...

This ad for a popular 1950s swimwear designer delighted quite a few websurfers when it was posted on Flickr. Chalk it up to the simple, classy style the ad designer used, or the hints of mischief emanating from the model's face. As for what a New York shopper could have done to amuse themselves after purchasing a "jewel of the sea," let's consult the "Goings on About Town" section (or, as it was subtitled in '58, "a conscientious calendar of events of interest"). If they were in a theatrical mood, productions in first run on Broadway included Look Back in Anger , The Music Man , Sunrise at Campobello and West Side Story . Under "Night Life", the "Big and Brassy" section might have caught their eye. At the Copacabana, " Ella Fitzgerald , as oracle of many voices, many moods, many tempos, can range from the romantic to the abstract as quick as a wink. She's the one good deed in a very long night." Use...

Scene from a psychogeography walk last week: The display greeted the group of walkers as they emerged from a neighbourhood park onto Brock Avenue. Nearly every traditional and commercial symbol of the holiday season was present amid the carefully constructed carnival of lights. The jolly big elf, snowmen, penguins, gift-loaded trains, nativity scenes...little was left out of this west-end front yard apart from an illuminated thank you note from the beancounters at Toronto Hydro. It would have taken a supreme show of willpower from any bypassers not to stop and observe the display and find subtle touches that would be missed by others. Just as remarkable was the simplicity of the lights next door. Knowing there was no way to compete with the neighbouring display, the house on the right opted for simple yet colourful strings of lights to provide a cozy December glow.

How secure would you feel on these balconies? I felt seasick looking at them during a lazy walk through downtown Montreal. Photo taken in Montreal, November 7, 2009 - JB PS : Over on Torontoist, blind workers and trained toasters .

For the past several years, an afternoon of apple picking has been part of my Thanksgiving weekend. As long as the weather cooperates, it's a chance to relive a favourite childhood activity, when the entire family would head to orchards around Essex or Harrow. Recent pickings have been closer the latter, usually at one of two orchards on Ferris Road. This year, Amy, Sarah and I headed to Twin Oaks, a no frills spot where the only razzle dazzle is the van where pickers purchase bags for the fresh apple goodness to come. The trees hadn't been fully picked over, leaving us with plenty of fruit to choose from and clown around with . Even the ladybugs joined in the fun, though they failed to wrestle any apples off the trees. I'm still making my way through the x-number of pounds I picked. Most have wound up in lunchtime salads, mixed with cheese, mandarin oranges and other goodies. All photos taken October 11, 2009 - JB

While Project Concern is still functioning, it should also be noted that none of the chains thanked at the bottom of the ad currently operate in the Detroit area: A&P later bought Farmer Jack grocery stores and exited the area in 2007 Kroger purchased Great Scott! supermarkets in 1990 Cunningham Drug Stores was bought by Perry Drug Stores in the 1980s, who was bought by Rite Aid in 1995 I have no idea what Quick-Pik was. *** The July 1978 issue of Monthly Detroit reported on the “un-Americanization of CKLW,” as the " Big 8 " was rebuked by the CRTC for not making enough of an effort to provide the proper amount of Canadian content to Windsorites. According to writer Judy Gerstel, “you have to understand right from the beginning when you’re talking about CKLW that it is a Windsor radio station licensed by the Canadian government and in Canada success, if not exactly illegal, is at least undesirable.” During the station’s license renewal, the CRTC expecte...

I guess I should have waited a little longer to post the last installment of my stroll along Broadway Avenue . Almost two weeks ago, I noticed that the lot of Brennan Pontiac Buick GMC was emptier than usual. Upon closer inspection, office equipment was piled up in the showroom. Sell-off sale announcements were posted on all of the windows. In short: sixty years of car dealerships at the corner of Bayview and Broadway have drawn to a close.

Before reading this post, check out the related Torontoist article . This ad appeared in Toronto newspapers on September 8, 1948, the day before the Odeon Toronto's opening gala. I considered using it for the article, but none of the copies I found were in good shape. This version from the Globe and Mail was the least scruffy of the lot—the copy in the Star looked as if somebody had dropped a bottle of ink on it. To modern eyes, the coverage of opening night makes the event feel as if it was "let's suck up to the British" time...except that the speeches that stressed the importance of Toronto's strong ties to Great Britain were the norm during the first half of the twentieth century. When Mayor Hiram McCallum told the audience that “the future of this country lies with the British community of nations,” he repeated a mantra uttered by numerous dignitaries before him. McCallum also mentioned it was fitting that ever-loyal Toronto received such a fine Bri...

After a hard day of working on the railroad, in the repair shop, or on the assembly line, isn't it nice to restimulate your nerves with a relaxing cup of cocoa? I've been on a hot chocolate kick lately, or at least versions that aren’t just Swiss Miss in a cup. I foist the blame on Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, where I fell for the lure of a cup of Vosges Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa over Thanksgiving weekend. The Zingerman’s website describes it as: Inspired by the recipes of the Aztecs. Dark chocolate, ancho and chipotle chilies, Mexican vanilla beans, cinnamon, and cornmeal to thicken. Steamed with our Calder Dairy milk and a splash of 1/2 and 1/2, this drink is silky and rich. It packed a rich, peppery punch that felt soothing on a sunny fall weekend afternoon after gorging on the sandwich below. #46 Stan's Canadian Hotfoot at Zingerman's. More details . Locally, Soma Chocolatemaker in the Distillery District makes a mean Mayan hot chocolate. The main dra...

If you aren't up to braving the masses at the Santa Claus Parade this coming Sunday, you can head down to the Gladstone Hotel to check out the launch of the latest collection of essays about Toronto from Coach House Books, The Edible City . I contributed one of the essays, parts of which may not come as a big surprise if you've read some of the pieces I've published on the web over the years. Hopefully readers won't find the piece to be half-baked. - JB

With the Christmas shopping season underway, why not consider some literary picks from half-a-century ago for those on your gift list? This selection of books even fills CanCon rules, thanks to the selections from two Canuck literary titans. While researching a recent Historicist column , I stumbled upon reviews for both of these books while browsing microfilms of The Telegram . It appears that portions of The Desperate People were serialized earlier that year in the paper, so those with long memories may have remembered Farley Mowat's look at Inuit life by the time Laurie McKechnie reviewed it: Surely Farley Mowat’s book will stir the conscience, rouse the indignation of Canadians in much the same way the UNCLE TOM’S CABIN aroused America a century ago ...Mowat’s book is NOT fiction. It is tragic truth. It is a magnificent documentary—the story of a race of primitive people carefully constructed by focusing upon the facts of one fragment of their society. And through it ...

Part one of this journey . 1 - Northern Secondary School 2 - Brennan Pontiac/Buick 3 - Esso station Northern Secondary School marks Broadway's crossing of Mount Pleasant Road. There was considerable debate on what name to bestow upon what was then planned as a joint commercial/vocational school. Possible monikers were tossed around on the front page of the February 8, 1930 edition of the Toronto Star , along with fussy reasons for their unsuitability: "North Toronto": Would conflict with North Toronto Collegiate a few blocks away. "Eglinton": Would conflict with the public school of that name. "Mount Pleasant": Would sound too much like the cemetery of that name. "Roehampton": Name of one of the streets on which the school will stand, is deemed rather an awkward sort of name. Opinion now seems to favor the name "Northern Vocational School" as expressing both the location and the scope of the school. One further...

One of the latest additions to Mom's collection of seasonal decorations is this charming pumpkin-headed lady. I wonder what name Dad would have bestowed upon her, as he did with many of the human-like figures found around our house during holiday seasons. PS : A pile of posts this week on Torontoist, including the first edition of IFOA , 1960s beverage dispensers and a diabolical intersection in North York .

“A Merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.” The desire to play and frolic seems to be a heritage of mankind. In infancy and early childhood this joy and exuberance of spirit is given full sway. In youth, that effervescent stage of human existence, “joy is unconfined.” But in middle age and later life we are prone to stile this wholesome atmosphere of happiness, with care and worry and perhaps, when a vexed or worried feeling has been allowed to control us, even forbid the children to play at that time. Why not reverse things and drown care and strife in the well-spring of joy given and received by reviving the latent spark of childhood and youth; joining in their pleasures passively or actively and being one of them at heart. So presuming that “men are but children of a larger growth,” the games, pastimes and entertainments described herewith were collected, remembered and originated respectively with the view of pleasing all of the children, from the tiny tot to, and includin...

Photo taken in Ann Arbor, October 10, 2009 - JB

Before reading this post, check out the related installment of Historicist . Mingling amidst meat. Photo by F. Ellis Wiley. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 124, File 12, Item 7. The F. Ellis Wiley fond on the City of Toronto Archives website is a treasure trove of images that preserve changes in the city during the 1960s and 1970s in glorious colour. The site has preserved Wiley's organizational scheme, which allow for leisurely flips through sets of buildings (many downtown, many long gone), parks and tourist attractions. His set of pictures of St. Lawrence Market pictures from the early 1970s through late 1980s provided a springboard for a post on the changes the local landmark experienced during that timespan. Warning! The pictures after the fold may not be suitable for those made squeamish by certain food items sold in the open. Reader discretion is advised...but you know you're going to look anyways. You survived the first picture, after all. Admit it. ADMIT IT!...

Readers of this site love Croft Street . Hits still come in for the series of posts I wrote four years ago about one of the city's most interesting streets. The graffiti, murals and other decorations that line the street are ever-evolving—several of the works I captured back in 2005 are long gone. A post-Nuit Blanche stroll through the neighbourhood provided an excuse to snap a few shots of the current crop of art along Croft Street's garage doors and walls. A departing citizen wishes peace on Toronto before heading to the west coast. Someone has to look out for the well-being of the neighbourhood.

The first few hours I spent in Seattle made me wish I had stayed longer in Portland—call it a combination of fatigue and bad luck. After whizzing up I-5 and dropping my belongings off at the hotel, I drove into the city in search of dinner. I hadn't looked at guidebooks beforehand, figuring I'd stumble upon a secret treasure. Not much caught my eye on the roads between Seatac Airport and downtown. I wound in Belltown, where parking was non-existant. Next try was Pioneer Square, where barely anything appeared to be open and a homeless guy dogged pursued me for spare change. Frustrated (and tired), I picked up some mediocre Mexican takeout on the way back to the hotel. My disposition towards the city improved the next morning, thanks to time Pike Place Market .

Nuit Blanche summarizing moment: just after midnight, Sarah and I stopped by the bustling food court at Village by the Grange . Tables were filled with customers, nearly all under 30, fuelling up for the rest of the evening. The woman behind the counter at the Greek stand was in a joyful mood, knocking the tax off our hefty containers of pastitsio and souvlaki because “it was the city’s night to enjoy.” Despite crowds and transit issues, it was a night to enjoy. The rain held off, the temperature wasn't extreme, fellow Torontonians appeared to be soaking in the atmosphere. If the art didn't grab you, the people-watching and snippets of overheard conversations did. Much of our enjoyment was outside the food court on McCaul Street, which was closed off for exhibits related to AGO and OCAD. While it was busy, we didn’t feel like we were drowning in a sea of people like the disaster movie scenes we passed by to the east on the Dundas streetcar. The atmosphere was light-he...

To quote my partner-in-crime: "Colour her eyes devilish; colour the flaps of her hat, her horns, diabolic: shades of red. Isn't she a pretty demoness, the SAS hostess?" The Executive Coloring Book ( presented for your pleasure at Ad to the Bone ), published in 1961, was a satirical depiction of the life of a grey-suited, pill-popping businessman—the sort of client needing the kind of vacation SAS could provide. Not to mention the nineteen additional stewardesses...hmm, maybe this ad should have been printed in Playboy instead of Harper's . Source: Harper's , April 1962 - JB PS : Over on Torontoist, an ad for the old Thrifty's clothing chain featuring a Blue Jay who liked to water the field .

What do your shoes say about the state of the economy and those who have benefitted or suffered from the recent economic malaise? Are fresh shoes a sign of hope and progress? Do well-worn shoes indicate degrees of comfort with one's position or a sign of incipient poverty? To communicate the differences between economic conditions and perceptions in Canada and the United States, shoes used in this performance art piece were acquired at shopping centres in Niagara Falls, New York and Toronto, Ontario. Participants will be encouraged to sit next to fake green plants to contemplate the theoretical artificiality of economic and monetary concepts. Performed between 4 and 5 A.M. at Brookfield Place in Zone B, October 4, 2009 In Reality : the energy boost provided by heaping helpings of Greek food at midnight had faded by the time I snapped pictures of our shoes during a rest break. Sarah had invested in a comfy pair of walking shoes earlier in the day, which paid off during our Nu...

While researching an upcoming Historicist piece this past weekend, I stumbled upon this odd notice from the business section of the October 12, 1936 edition of the Mail and Empire . No idea what the backstory is, other than it appears to involve mining speculation. Johnny did pretty well for himself after he changed his name soon after his assumption of mascot duties at Mad magazine in the mid-1950s . The fame he achieved made up for past jobs in the advertising world, which included promoting soda pop and painless dentistry, portraying a victim of a deficiency disease, and assuming the role of assorted grinning idiots. - JB

Another example of YouTube proving long-term childhood memories are correct: a Levi's ad that stuck in my head for years featuring a slightly creepy alien warrior who uttered "LE-VI-ZUH!" a lot and chuckled at the end of the commercial. I'm not surprised that I don't remember the wussy human. The warrior made at least one other appearance, shown above. The jean-makers animated ads from the late 70s/early 80s are stunning in their design, rotoscoping (basing the animation on human models) and overall quirkiness (A farmer who shows great pride in his denim crop? How would jeans have fit humans if we had physically evolved in different ways?). - JB

You've been waiting all day for this. A nice, romantic dinner with your beloved, where love is in the air as you gingerly tear into a rack of meaty pork ribs. Neither of you will care if sweet BBQ sauce drips onto your chic blouse or comfy sportcoat—it's being together in the moment that matters. Your relationship is sealed under the gaze of smoking dogs playing poker. The painting may be gone, but Tunnel Bar-B-Q carries on . Detroit Monthly ran the same review of TBQ for years: "For many Yanks, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is a long driveway to this rib shack. Big meaty ribs, oversized salads and diet-shattering desserts. The decor is Early Franchise." *** Also in the June 1986 issue of Detroit Monthly : * A profile of longtime WJR morning host J.P. McCarthy , a Detroit radio institution from the early 1960s until his death in 1995. McCarthy was usually on in the car at the start of long roadtrips—he always talked about his golf game. Other elements I rem...

Click on photos for closeup. One useful task accomplished while resting at home over Labour Day weekend was a long-overdue cleaning-out of the family liquor cabinet. We're not known for overindulging in booze, so bottles of alcohol tend to stick around for years. Mom was certain that a few bottles near the back predated me, possibly back to the late 1960s. Among the ancient treasures we found was a bottle of Marie Brizard creme de menthe of indeterminate age. If any liquor historians can date this bottle based on the pictures above, I'd love to hear from you.

Before reading this post, check out the original article on Torontoist . In case the fine print is too fine—left to right: Ben Wicks, Paul Rimstead, Peter Worthington. Photo by Norm Betts. The Toronto Sun , October 24, 1972. Paul Rimstead wasn't kidding when he said the other papers paid next-to-no attention to his mayoral campaign. Passing references were made to him in the Globe and Mail , while the Star couldn't resist a potshot or two. Case in point: Jack Miller's television column from the December 1, 1972 Star , which noted Rimstead's appearances on CITY: The station even managed to present him in a suit—a nice blue suit—as part of a male fashion show on the afternoon Sweet City Woman series this week. It’s rumoured he’ll be wearing a suit again for tonight’s debate, indicating he takes CITY even more seriously than they take him (which is more seriously than most people take him). This attitude may partly explain why Rimstead was not thrilled when t...

It's been awhile since I've written about a psychogeography walk. Blame it on an inability to keep track of time—I've been lucky to post photos from recent strolls within a reasonable amount of time. Let's see if this entry will break the cycle...probably not, but it's worth a shot. *** Last week's walk began at Union Station, where I positioned my mini-tripod to snap the shot above of the Royal York Hotel. From Union, we headed to the new underpass on Simcoe Street south of Front. The abrupt truncation of the bike lanes at Front was noted. It's grey, spare and nothing that will invoke dramatic oohing and aahing. We stopped at Roundhouse Park to see if several vintage train cars destined to be displayed in the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre could be viewed. They were there, but under wraps. The roundhouse was a hive of activity, thanks to a raucous crowd that we initially thought was a film festival tie-in party at Steam Whistle Brewery. It tu...