Cafes
Good Times Bad Times Cafe
Good Times Bad Times Cafe feels like it was plucked straight from Kensington Market. The nod to 60's rock is obvious, but the community-focused, sort of psychedelic vibe has more to do with the subtle intangibles. One of which, is owner Juan's joie de vivre.
I stop into the month-old cafe at Bloor and Sterling Road hoping to speak with owners Juan and Marco. "I'm Juan Marco," Juan says with no hint of a smile. Luckily, I know better, and we get right to chatting.
Juan tells me he and Marco have been longtime friends, and that they recently decided to give up their "explorer" lifestyles. They came across this space, which has housed countless variety stores in its past, and thought it would be perfect for a new tea cafe. So they got straight to work, filling the space with mostly salvaged furniture.
To call the decor at GTBG "eclectic" would be an understatement. It feels a little retro, with two 70s lamps enveloping the space in an orange glow, along with little artsy touches including a red side table topped with an assortment of glued-on buttons. There's an upright cooler display offering little baggies of trail mix, children's drawings taped to the wall, and a plush rocking horse in the middle of the floor for no discernible reason.
"We like to honour the little spirits," Juan says when I ask him about the kids' drawings. "A lot of them come in with their moms. It's pure; it's clean."
Along with juvenile-bred masterpieces, GTBT offers all sorts of books from its communal bookcase. "It started with my collection and Marco's," Juan says. "But now people are bringing in their own; anything that has inspired them, and that they want to share with other human beings."
While admiring the art or delving into a forgotten novel, customers can have their pick of 27 varieties of loose leaf teas ($1.50) sourced from Metropolitan Tea, along with a piece of pie ($2.50) made by a baker in Bowmanville. On Juan's recommendation, I go for a cup of Genmaicha Chai, which comes off as a verbose green with a little bit of spice, and pair it with a slice of blueberry pie.
It's a good snack-sized slice, about the size of an average fist, and certainly tastes homemade, as it should. All set to the backdrop of Japanese house music, I'd think I was on Augusta if it wasn't for Club Paradise down the road.
Photos by Kyle Burton
Discussion
14 Comments
Sort By Oldest First / Newest First
Subscribe
http://youtu.be/SDrABWb9VIQ
Unfortunately the title reads "Good Times Bad Times Cafe" which can lead to your misunderstanding.
We welcome all these little businesses giving a good name to a neighborhood that was full of hookers and junkies just a few years ago.
we love the eclectic vibe of their business & of those others that have settled in and around this corner.
We do love Zocalo they were the 1st of the trendier pioneers in the hood & we are supremely happy with Nonas - especially since they renovated !!
With GTBT we love that there is an inexpensive place to go & have a great cup of tea, chat with the area residents, play a boardgame or just lose oneself in a book.
We now have a great well kept variety store and laundromat that offers Drycleaning services& Lottery - across the street is a very good, inexpensive tailoring shop too.
Eventually, I can see that in the near future the Auto Shops on Bloor will relocate and we will have some other retail on the strip.
It has taken more than 15 years but we are finally getting the area attracting some cool businesses - so to those that think we don't need them - fine - I for 1 am happy to help keep these businesses in our neighbourhood as they help keep eyes on the street and makes the overall area that much more vibrant& interesting.
Cheers,
Philip
So, if one day we see thai, japanese, mexican restaurants opening in the neighborhood you will say again "Sorry but why bother when Zocalo is right across the street"?
Zocalo is a great place with amazing food. If more Zocalos, GTBTs, Neons, Holy Oaks open in the area then the rest will come.
... It's just a matter of time :)
for example, he would ask us "So, you are in high school?" then five minutes later say "you two are adorable, which middle school do you attend?" and when we went to order some take out tea, he asked "how's elementary school?". When we were walking out the door, he quickly commented "thanks for bringing in your smiles!"
He is probably just a little too friendly, but we recommend that if you are to run a business (or work at one) please do not come on too harshly to costumers.
Thanks for reading our opinions and we are not trying to be negative. It was a fun[ish] experience.
:)