Little Tokyo Enters the Deadpool
The revitalization of the stretch of Augusta south of Baldwin won't include Little Tokyo. I noticed the For Rent sign this week as I passed by the now vacated Japanese grocery store and culture shop in Kensington Market.
Little Tokyo was always a bit of a mystery to me. I liked that they used to offer me free green tea as I cruised around the store, but I always found their selection and prices much inferior to Sanko on Queen Street.
There was no note or indication of what will become of Little Tokyo, and whether we might expect it to resurface elsewhere. It's too bad. While the store definitely had its shortcomings, I do long for the sort of Japanese food, cultural and manga destination in Toronto like Cafe Zaiya/Kinokuniya across from Bryant Park in Manhattan.
Comments (11)
Their prices were far too high. I could find much of what I need at Sanko or T&T for much better pricing.
Tim, good taste.. I fell in love with kinokuniya right by rockefeller center when i lived in nyc in 1985...I could spend a whole afternoon there and still can...too bad we don't have any japanese department stores here, like daimaru,mitsukoshi or yaohan
I'd rather buy my Japanese food in a Japanese shop, because they know something more about it than me, who lived there a few years; however, the reality is even my Japanese wife buys it all cheaper in Korea Town. Too bad though, they were MUCH more friendly than Sanko.
Word from the owner a while back was that he was moving to Leslieville. No word on a re-opening yet.
Apparently Little Tokyo sewed the seeds of its own demise, by contributing to a revitalization that led its landlords to jack the rent up.
In any case, I thought it was a great store. I used to buy a lot there. I thought the pottery and dishes were all very reasonably prices; comparable to anything one might find in Japan.
It liked that store. It was brighter and more spacious than Sanko, which can be claustrophobic at times.
I first noticed its closure a while ago. I wanted to buy some tasty udon noddles I couldn't find elsewhere.
The owner is a good friend of mine. You're right David, the lease would have been 2x what it was, which wasn't peanuts to begin with .. and they also wanted a long term deal on it. That stretch of Augusta has changed a lot in the past couple of years.. many stores and cafes/restaurants have opened, drug dealers have been busted and crackheads started moving away.
friendliest and most helpful store owners in town. made me feel like i was back in japan.
i'd head to Leslieville just to give them my business, even if they are a bit more expensive.
@Gregg: so can you confirm the rumour they're moving to leslieville? it would make a great addition to my new 'hood.
one of the reasons i liked Little Tokyo is that i could work in a visit while shopping at kensington rather than head as far west as Sanko.
This store has moved before: for years, they were known as "booknet", mostly selling books and magazines on balmuto. They had to move when their old location was bulldozed for 2 highrise condos currently under construction.
I miss those guys at Little Tokyo already, I learned how to make awesome sushi and tastier miso and stuff from them. Super sweet, helpful people, I hope they open another location!!
hey Gregg, are you still in touch with the mgr, Ken? He's awesome. I met him again last summer but lost his email. Are you still in touch with him?
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