Month: June 2020

COVID-19 has changed the way we all live, work, and shop. And these past few months have not been an easy time for our businesses here in Liberty Village. But now, we’re cautiously optimistic that we’re turning a corner.

As we all begin to venture out into our city again, the LVBIA is launching a local recovery initiative called LOVE, LIBERTY.

To learn more about LOVE, LIBERTY, we’re conducting a live Webinar on Monday, June 22, at 9:00 AM. Our team will walk you through how the campaign works, how it can help your business, and what tools and resources are available to you. Sign up at the link below…

libertyvillagebia.com/loveliberty

It goes without saying that Father’s Day might look a little different this year with limited places to go celebrate and having to adjust annual traditions. 

With that said, there is lots of opportunity to get creative and adjust to our current climate by shopping local and gifting somewhat non-traditional gifts and experiences. 

Checkout our Father’s Day Guide, 2020 edition. Our guide has two goals in mind, to help you celebrate all the seasoned dads, new dads, and future dads, while supporting the local businesses we love. 

Beer & Brisket

Can’t go to your favourite restaurant or BBQ spot? Why not bring the BBQ home to dad! Liberty Commons offers everything from prepared chef kits ready for you to throw on the grill to fully cooked meals for the whole family. Whether you’re a family that grills together or prefers to just dine together Liberty Commons has you covered.

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for gourmet barbeque and local beer, their beer shop is also open and ready to help you pair your BBQ with the perfect beer for a true restaurant experience right at home. 

The Gift of Fitness

Got a dad who loves to keep fit or is always down to try something new? With F45’s new online classes you can buy dad the gift of at home fitness and motivation so he can stay on top of his game. 

Set fitness goals together, encourage each other, and best of all, meet each other online and workout together! F45Live is a great way to see dad on a regular basis while doing something you can both enjoy and benefit from. While you and dad get fit together, you’re also helping keep the doors of your favourite local gym stay open. 

With $30 weekly memberships and zero commitment options this is a great way for dad to try it out and to tide him over until he can get back to visiting his regular gym. Read more about the people behind F45 Liberty Village and F45Live here. 

Fresh Fades & Cuts

Although at home haircuts have become a fad and necessity, they do not compare to the full barbershop experience. While barbershops aren’t open yet, the days when they’ll re-open, and fresh haircuts are a reality again are near! Word on the street that this may be happening sometime in June. 

In anticipation of the days when fresh fades and haircuts are possible, plan a father-son barbershop visit with an IOU to visit Axe and Hatchet or The Village Barbershop – take the stress off dad, by keeping an eye on re-opening dates, booking your appointments, and simply letting him know where and when! 

Home Improvements

Make plans this Father’s Day to work on a home project and build something together. 

Now that we’re all spending time at home more than ever, there’s even more reason to make it into a home we you and your family love, the smallest upgrades like a coat of paint or pop of colour on the front door can make all the difference, and plus there’s nothing better than bonding with dad over a little DIY project, right? 

May it be dad helping you up your home and patio game, or you helping dad with those never-ending projects at his place, your local Home Hardware is open and ready to serve you so you can show up ready to get that project done. 

Beer Tasting & Cocktails

There’s nothing like a cold beer or refreshing cocktail on a hot day. Treat dad to an at home tasting experience. Pick-up some of your favourite local beers, or a fancy cocktail kit along with all the speciality glassware and create an experience and memories you’ll remember forever. It’s never too late to start new traditions. 

With a variety of store fronts now open like, West Elm, Kitchen Stuff Plus, EQ3, Structube, Canadian Tire, and Home Hardware, you have endless options to find the perfect glassware and accessories to create a boutique experience at home. 

You can also check out our list of Happy Hour take-out options in Liberty Village for places to pick-up local cocktail kits and beers. 

Cake Delivery

Bakery doors may be closed, but their kitchens are open! For the Love of Cake is still busy baking and creating delicious sweet treats.

You can find a full list of what they have to offer on their website and contact them directly, or you can even have your cakes delivered via Uber Eats. 

Surprising dad with a customized sweet treat to satisfy his sugar craving has never been easier or more delicious than this! 

Shop “Local”

Treat dad to an at home restaurant experience without having come up with all the ideas, walk the isles of the grocery store or stand in long LCBO line-ups. 

You can literally, shop Local! Local Liberty Village has transformed into your local one stop shop for all things delicious and indulgent. Pick-up everything from meal kits, fruits and veggies, meats, snacks, cheese, pantry essentials, and so much more. 

You can even have everything delivered for free, though DoorDash while you clean and set-up your patio before dad arrives, or save 10% if you decide to pick-up.   

Checkout what other Liberty Village restaurants are also doing to make mealtime easier for you and your celebrations. 

We hope this guide helps you create new traditions and memories. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, grandads, and dads-to-be! 

Written By: Christina Noonan | Co-Creator – Liberty Life Yoga

Most of us are now close to the two month mark of our stay-at-home time in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This means that some of us have had time to process what is going on, take personal inventory of our emotions, and make a plan for what the next steps might include. It also means that for others, there has been little time to reflect due to working, home-schooling, personal and family health and well-being issues, food and safety issues, and the list goes on. While each of our situations can be very different, it’s important to show compassion for one another and be there to emotionally support those in our close circle and community. One of the most profound ideas I have seen throughout this pandemic is the idea that we are all in the same storm, and our boats may be differently equipped to handle the struggles at hand. ​

While we navigate each day simultaneously alone and together, it’s important to take note and care of your personal mental health. Again, this can look very different for each of us; a parent or caregiver of three might have only a bathroom break to take stock and check-in where a person living alone might have an entire afternoon or a luxurious quiet walk to be able to check-in and assess their mental health.Regardless, our mental health is an important piece of our overall health. We are moving through these uncharted waters as a human collective, so be kind and know that you don’t have to have this all sorted out and make sense of things that make no sense. Instead, focus on yourself; on what you can do to help keep yourself healthy, which in turn, helps keep those around you healthy.

Here are a few things that I have done and think are worth sharing:

1. Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself! Listen to your self-talk and the things that you say to yourself. If it feels challenging to be nice to yourself, think of the things you would say to a loved one or friend going through a tough time and say them to yourself.

2. Create a Routine: Take control of what you can! With so many unknowns out there, try waking up at the same time each day, setting structure to the day, and going to bed at the same time. Can you schedule a workout or a walk so that you know you have prioritized time to take care of you? Our brains favour the consistency of routine and it helps us to feel less anxious.
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3. Lean on Your Community: We’ve heard so many times that we are all in this together. While each of our days and situations can vary drastically, it’s important to stay connected. Reach out to your friends, family, and community at large. Perhaps your worship community is connecting online, or your regular bridge group still meets virtually; find ways to stay connected to your circle. When moments or days get tough, reach out to them and ask for support. It’s ok to not be ok, and to lean on those who care about you when you need them.

4. Get Creative: Spark your creative juices, or keep them flowing! You might do this by experimenting with new ingredients in the kitchen or find a new recipe. Perhaps you are finding new ways to exercise in your home (is anyone else doing counter push-ups and chair tricep dips?) or have dusted off something that used to spark joy and then you got “too busy” for.

5. Take a News Break: There is news everywhere! Pay attention to when the news starts to feel overwhelming. With constant updates on our phones, televisions, and computers, give your brain a much-needed break.

Of course these are just a few thoughts that have worked for me, but the ways to support your metal health can encompass so much and be a very individualized plan. Mental and physical health have always been deemed as important, but we may see even more value in it as we navigate this global pandemic. Be sure to take excellent care of yourself and to manage the things that you can control. We will make our way through this, alone and together.

Website: www.LibertyLifeYoga.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/libertylifeyoga/

Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/LibertyLifeYoga

Patio season is among us and take-out cocktails are in! If there’s ever been a better time to master your mixology skills, it’s now. Just because you can’t sit at a bar it doesn’t mean the bar cannot come to you. 

Many local restaurants are open and ready to setup you up for success in your mixology and bartending journey at home!

LOCAL

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If you’ve ever been to Local, then you’re definitely familiar with their ever-rotating taps, and as much as we’re all sad not to be able to dine-in, we’re happy to still be able to take-out and take advantage of their rotating weekly bar deals. 

The Local Corner Store & Offsales offers a variety of different take-out options. This week for $56 you can pick-up everything you need to make the perfect Moscow Mule. Your kit includes Tito’s Vodka, Fever Tree Ginger Beer, and fresh lime.

Not a cocktail person? Their menu also offers a wine, cups, & games combo, and 6-packs of beer or cider. Basically, everything you could possibly need on a sunny summer afternoon. 

Visit their website for weekly updated specials. They offer delivery and 10% off pick-up orders. 

MILDRED’S TEMPLE KITCHEN

If going out of good ol’ classic boozy brunch is your summer style, don’t let social distancing stop you! Midlred’s Temple Kitchen is keeping boozy brunchin’ alive with their take-out bottles and cocktail kits. 

For $37.00 you can save your muscles for your home workouts and pick-up freshly squeezed orange juice with a bottle of Cava Flama D’Or for the perfect at-home mimosa. If you’re not into classic mimosas pick-up your Pink Panther kit, complete with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and Belstar Cuvée Rosé. 

Other kit options include the Whitley Neill Gin & Tonic kit, the Whitley Neill ‘Rhubarb and Ginger’ Gin & Tonic kit, and the Mildred’s Caesar Kit, complete with Red Hot Millie Peppers Hot Sauce, Mildred’s seasoned salt rimmer and biodegradable straws.

Go to the Mildred’s Temple Kitchen website for a full list of bottles and kits, simply click add to cart and pick it up.* 

*Pick-up days and times vary, check their website for regular updates.  

THE CRAFT

Not everyone wants to be a mixologist, lucky for us the folks at The Craft get that. They’re keeping their take-out menu nice and simple for us by offering cold cans for take-out. No matter if you’re a stout, lager, or pilsner type of person they have a beer option for you, and for the wine lovers out there, add a bottle to your dinner order for two!

Check their take-out menu for their most-up-to-date rotating take-out cans. 

BIG ROCK BREWERY

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Craving some Big Rock beer? You can now order their brews for take-out. Pick-up a couple of cans of their Traditional Ale, Citradelic, Grasshopper, Pilsner, or Rhine Stone Cowboy to go. Are one of you a craft beer junky and the other a wine lover? Not to fear you can also pick-up sparkling, white, and red wine to go with your dinner. 

Find all they have to offer right here!

• Cheers to tasty and refreshing #HHHH (happy Happy Hours, at home!)

**Note we do not encourage drinking alcohol in public places, this blog post contains suggestions for at-home-use. Please enjoy responsibly. 

• The provincial government has approved the sale of liquor for take out
• Alcohol can ONLY be ordered for take-out from restaurants with the purchase food 
• Alcohol MUST be sealed and untampered with in any way
• Alcohol is to be consumed at home and not in public 

Need more information? 

• AGCO – Info Bulletin No. 61: Liquor sales licensees may now sell liquor for takeout or delivery along with food
• City of Toronto – Park Bylaws
• City of Toronto – Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines