Midtown Tech, the local Apple Specialist, authorized Apple Re-Seller, and Apple Service Provider has reopened at Yonge + St. Clair. We spoke with store owner Graham Goodall, who explains the leap of faith he took to ensure the revival of this popular shop.

Yonge + St. Clair: Why did you decide to reopen the store, and what did the process look like?

Graham Goodall, Midtown Tech: I decided to open the store because of its great, central location. I also knew that many people in the Midtown neighbourhood rely on us as their go to Apple shop. When the old store suddenly closed in November, I decided to take a risk and take over the lease at 1391 Yonge St. I then started the process of achieving my own Apple Authorizations. That process took around 4 months. Today we are not only an Apple Authorized Re-Seller and Apple Authorized Service Provider, we were also awarded the Apple Specialist designation, which is used to recognize Apple Shops that have consistently excellent sales and service.

Y+S: What’s special about the Yonge + St. Clair neighbourhood that made you decide to reopen here?

GG: There is a very high volume of Apple users in the Midtown Area. Many of those customers are looking for a boutique experience and our team can provide a hands-on approach. Our store motto is, “we will always take the time to help you make an informed decision.” I think the personal attention we provide is very appealing to the demographic of the Midtown neighbourhood.

Y+S: What do you sell and what services do you offer?

GG: Midtown Tech is your one stop shop for everything Apple. We have all the latest tech for your Apple lifestyle. We sell all Apple products; both new and pre-owned. We are the premier destination for pre-owned Macs, iPads, and iPhones in the GTA.  We do warranty and non-warranty repairs on all Apple devices. We carry the latest and greatest in Apple accessories. We rent pre-owned computers. We can send on-site Apple Specialists to you, so you can have great service or private lessons in the comfort of your own home. Let us take the stress out of your Apple sales or service experience.  If it’s Apple, we can help!

Visit Midtown Tech in person at 1391 Yonge St., or visit their website to learn more about their services and products: www.midtowntech.ca

Rooftop Wellness is a new event series designed to refresh and recharge your mind, body and soul. From July 10 – August 28, enjoy free instructional sessions led by local wellness professionals every Wednesday from 7am – 8am on the rooftop of 40 St. Clair W.

Enjoy beautiful, unobstructed views of the downtown skyline from atop a high-rise building and practice healthy living from a range of wellness disciplines.

The Rooftop Wellness Series is hosted in partnership with Slate Asset Management.

See below for full instructor lineup and to register for your free class.

To sign-up for volunteer opportunities, please use this link: Rooftop Wellness Volunteer Form

Class availability will be limited due to high demand. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for ongoing updates.

Schedule

July 10 – 7am to 8am –  Optimal Movement Class | Ace Sports Clinic | Register Here |

UPDATED Due to Weather: July 18 – 7am to 8am – Yoga Class | Balance Fitness | Register Here |

July 24 – 7am to 8am – Pilates Class | SEMI Sports Medicine | Register Here |

July 31 – 7am to 8am – Fascial / Fascia Yoga Class | Healthy Habits 360 | Register Here |

August 7 – 7am to 8am – Stretch and Mobility Class | b-Stretched | Register Here |

August 14 – 7am to 8am – Yoga Class | Modo Yoga | Register Here |

August 21 – 7am to 8am – TBA | Register Here |

August 28 – 7am to 8am – TBA | Register Here |

The Summer Music Series is a multi-week showcase of musicians that bridges the gap between local, musical talent and busy pedestrian hotspots around the Yonge + St. Clair neighbourhood. This year’s schedule features a mix of seasoned and emerging artists, including the bright, and fresh sounds of Sabrina Adair.

Sabrina Adair, who has recently released her first, self-titled EP, “Sabrina Adair” (Spotify | iTunes) is looking forward to expanding her reach to a wider audience as she launches into her musical career. She shares her insight with us on the creative and technical process of professionally recording music for the first time, where she finds inspiration, and the motivations that drive her craft.

Yonge + St. Clair: What is your music and brand all about?

Sabrina Adair: Optimism. I am a practical, and positive person. When it comes to writing lyrics, there is always a positive tone to the songs. Even though the topic may be quite the opposite. I may be incapable of writing a ‘sad’ song because it wouldn’t feel natural. The times that I’ve tried it just feels fake, because, honestly it is. I want my songs to make people feel good.  Because I’m someone who turns the ugly into the good, and I want my music to showcase that.

Y+S: What were some of the most exciting, and most daunting parts of creating your new EP, “Sabrina Adair” that listeners might be surprised to learn?

SA: It was terrifying. I had to learn how to be the boss of a widely talented group of people whom all had been in the music industry for 20+ years. It was hard to find my footing. Not to mention I had never
worked with a band before. It had only ever been me. But these guys knew all the music theory, and it was like a different language that I didn’t speak. I just had to go with how the music ‘felt’. All while trying to keep it true to me.

The most exciting thing about the whole process was feeling like I was a recording artist for the first time. Once we got to cutting the vocals, I got to let loose. And the less I thought about it, the better the result was.

Y+S: What drives or inspires the music you perform?

SA: I love to write music. I love how intricate music is. Whether or not someone hears it, I enjoy making every song I write. Storytelling and writing music are very similar. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an author. So maybe this is my way of creating my own little universe.

Y+S: The Summer Music Series is a way we connect musical talent with the Yonge + St. Clair neighbourhood, what do you hope people take away from your music during your performance?

SA: I hope they enjoy it! I’m new to the music industry, so I am still learning in so many ways. But I hope that they hear the music, and see me as a contender. If one of them walk away and a song of mine enters their head later on, I’ve done my job.

Y+S: Do you have any current projects you’re working on? Or anything you’d like to share with listeners?

SA: I have an entire album worth of music that is ready to be produced and released, but I need help getting there. If I could, I’d release it today. But I need the support. If you want to help, please take a listen to my EP, follow me on Spotify and Instagram and YouTube for weekly covers and updates, and share with your friends! If you take any
videos and pictures from the performance, feel free to tag me in them!

Y+S: What are you looking forward to the most this summer?

SA: I’m thrilled to finish writing some music that I have cast aside over the last year and to record demos of all my music.

But I have tickets to see Shawn Mendes in Toronto and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t most excited for that!

Watch Sabrina perform live at the intersection of Yonge + St. Clair on Thursday, June 27th at 5PM – 6PM and stay tuned every week for the roster of musicians that will be performing every Thursday at 5PM – 6PM from June 27th – August 15th. See the full lineup here, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for Summer Music Series updates.

The Yonge + St. Clair Summer Music Series is back for 2019! From June 27 – August 15, enjoy free live music every Thursday from 5pm – 6pm at the corner of Yonge + St. Clair. See below for full artist lineup, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for ongoing updates.

Schedule

June 27 – 5pm to 6pm –  Sabrina Adair | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |

July 4 – 5pm to 6pm – Jordo + Brigit 

July 11 – 5pm to 6pm – Gib & Tam | Website |

July 18 – 5pm to 6pm – Michel DeQuevedo | Website | 

July 25 – 5pm to 6pm – Claire Coupland | Website |

August 1 – 5pm to 6pm – Small Dog Barking  | Instagram | Facebook |

August 8 – 5pm to 6pm – JuiceBox Brass Band | Instagram |  Facebook | 

August 15 – 5pm to 6pm – TBA

The Yonge + St.Clair neighbourhood features a wealth of community history hiding in plain sight. One local gem is Gianfranco Scavo’s Salon Scavo located at 1470 Yonge St., which has evolved alongside the neighbourhood over the past 40 years.

If you ask Gianfranco Scavo why he’s not slowing down anytime soon, he will tell you that a combination of passion, love for the industry, family, community, mentorship and success for the people around him are some of the things that drive Salon Scavo even after 4 decades in the industry. And Gianfranco is gearing up for the next 4 decades and beyond.

40 years of commitment to one industry is an achievement in itself. Gianfranco is not only a successful business owner who has stood the test of time in an ever-changing industry, he has been and still continues to hone his craft by keeping his finger on the pulse of the industry. You can still find Gianfranco behind the salon chair, serving long-time clients who now bring their children and grandchildren to his establishment.

By way of tradition and his Italian heritage, Gianfranco would say the number 13 is a good luck number. Gianfranco joined Maurice Fiorio’s first salon location at 13A St Clair Avenue W (now St. Clair Tanning Spa) in 1979. Gianfranco recalls,  “We had 5 people when we started at 13A and built the team to 12. We then moved in 1996 across the street to 24 St. Clair Ave W (now the Royal Bank) and our team of 12 grew to a family of 20 and we stayed at that location until 2004.” Gianfranco’s face lights up when he reminisces over how it all started from his first location.

You can catch him and his abundantly talented family of stylists and colour technicians at Salon Scavo located at 1470 Yonge Street, a location they have called home for the last 15 years. In November 2018, Gianfranco took what he describes as, “a leap of faith” and decided to re-brand the business and renovate the 3,600 square foot salon

The business he has built organically from the ground up bears his name and is etched into the Yonge + St. Clair legacy where he has worked and lived for 40 years.

You can find Salon Scavo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or visit them at their storefront location at 1470 Yonge St.

Doors Open Toronto is happening across the city between May 25th – May 26th 2019, giving visitors exclusive access to explore urban spaces that are culturally, architecturally, and historically significant.

For one day only on Sunday, May 26th, IBI Group will be opening its doors between 10AM – 5PM (last entry 4:30PM). Come explore their location during Doors Open Toronto at 55 St. Clair Avenue W.

Learn more about Doors Open Toronto locations, and IBI Group’s May 26th itinerary on the Doors Open Toronto website.

This month we are welcoming iQ FOOD CO. to Yonge + St. Clair as they open their tenth storefront location at 2 St Clair W.

We spoke with iQ FOOD CO.’s CEO Alan Bekerman, to talk about the booming restaurant chain, what drives their brand vision, and to learn how the community at Yonge + St. Clair plays a role in iQ’s long-awaited arrival here in midtown.

Yonge + St. Clair: What is iQ all about?

Alan Bekerman: We’re a seasonal kitchen with sustainable food and scratch cooking at our core. Almost everything that we serve is made daily in-house by our teams. More than half of all the food we buy is sourced within < 100 km’s of our restaurants, and while not everything in our shops is organic, there’s a lot of it. Because of our approach, we recognize that as we grow, we have a real opportunity to change the way food is consumed and experienced.

In terms of inspiration, though we’re a restaurant company, a lot of what moves us comes from outside the industry. Fashion, art, music, design, architecture and technology are central to inspiring the creativity that shapes our brand.

Y+S: Why did you decide to open your newest location at Yonge + St. Clair?

AB: Embracing neighbourhoods in their early stages has been our M/O since day one (we launched our location at 18 York St. before the likes of Apple and Amazon arrived; launched at Yorkdale last September in a newly built west wing of the shopping centre that’s still very much in development; and earlier this year opened up in a Yonge and Sheppard Centre that’s currently under construction). That commitment continues today with our newest, and 10th location, at Yonge + St. Clair.

While the neighbourhood’s been around for as long as I can remember, it’s changing  quickly and food – specifically – is becoming a lot more exciting in the area. We’re happy to be a part of the shift.

Y+S: Your store interiors are exceptional. How do you go about the designing them?

A+B: Thx!

Our design process is more principle-based than it is formulaic. Though we have 10 locations, they’re all uniquely different. When we look at and ultimately build out spaces, we work to create environments that make sense given the context of the neighbourhood.

Will our guests primarily be taking their food to go? Dropping in post gym? Are they looking for a place to hang out? Meet up w/ friends? Something else…? What’s important to the community and neighbourhood? Those are the kind of questions we ask ourselves.

In terms of materiality and aesthetic, we’re pretty consistent: lots of natural materials (wood, stone), greenery and great art.

Y+S: What makes your new location at Yonge + St. Clair unique?

AB: Our kitchen!

The kitchen at our Yonge + St. Clair location is the largest we’ve ever built.  And while that might not mean much to our guests (b/c they don’t see it), it has a huge impact on the experience. Our teams have more space to prepare food with even more care. And happy teams mean even better service.

I remember hearing Howard Schultz (Starbucks’ former CEO) say something to the effect of  “the front of house is where we impress but the back of house is where we win.”

Those words feel particularly true at our Yonge + St. Clair location.

Y+S: What do you hope people take away from their iQ experience?

AB: We’re on a mission to fuel dreams through food.

For the small amount of time people spend in our restaurants – whether it’s through the music, the service, the aesthetic, or the general energy – we hope to inspire. And through our food, we hope to give our guests the nourishment they need to keep moving forward in pursuit of the things they love.

Visit iQ FOOD CO. located at 2 St Clair W., and their website at https://www.iqfoodco.com/

Welcome to the 2019 installment of the Yonge + St. Clair Summer Music Series that aims to connect this bustling community to a roster of vibrant, live performances over a span of 8 weeks.

We’ll be featuring a new musical performance every Thursday between 5PM – 6PM for the months of June-August.

We’re looking for musicians of all types. Please note that these performances will be held outdoors rain or shine without the use of a tent/stage. Minimal tech requirements are preferred, and submissions who have links to examples of their work will also be preferred. A battery-powered amplifier can be arranged if needed.

Please fill out our form below if you are interested, and let us know which dates you are available.

Submission Deadline: June 6th, 2019

Selected artists will be notified by: June 13th, 2019

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected will be contacted.

All inquires can be made below after submitting interest. Please no phone calls.

On May 3, 2019, we welcomed over 60 guests for a free tour of the neighbourhood as part of the international Jane’s Walk festival. The tour was led by Alex Bozikov, author of Toronto Architecture: A City Guide, and architecture critic for the Globe and Mail.

Bozikovic led the group to prominent mid-century buildings in the Yonge + St. Clair area, offering stories behind their architecture and history.

Tour locations included the Deer Park Library, the former home of legendary Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, the Imperial Oil Building, and the Deer Park Junior and Senior Public School.

A big thank you to Mr. Bozikovic for leading this free walk, and to all of the participants that joined us.