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Liberty Village has always had a history of being home to businesses of all industries, including some that continue to grow and exist today, such as General Electric, Canada Bread, Irwin Toy, Whirlpool and local success stories like Moveable and Beanfield.

We’re so proud that this continues to be the story for Liberty Village as we welcome businesses and organizations of all sizes, whether it be major social media platforms such as Tik Tok or solopreneurs and Toronto based artists like Nadia Lloyd.

It’s clear that businesses are attracted to Liberty Village as their home, and here’s why you should be to:

1. It’s Easy to Get Here!

Whether your clients and employees are city dwellers or live out of town, they can easily access your Liberty Village based office through a variety of different transportation methods.

TTC: The 504 King Streetcar is an East–West streetcar route stretching from Broadview to Roncesvalles with multiple stops on King St. West as you pass through Liberty Village. The 63 Ossington Bus is a North-South bus route from Ossington station to Liberty Village with multiple stops right within the neighbourhood. Additionally, you can arrive at Liberty Village with the 929 Dufferin Bus, a North-South bus route from Wilson Station to Princes Blvd.

TRAIN: The Exhibition Go Station is one of the Lakeshore West line stations between Toronto and Hamilton, and is connected to the Lakeshore East line which runs between Union Station and Oshawa. Soon the new Ontario Line will also link people from across Toronto to Liberty Village, with 15 new subway stops.

BIKING: There are many bike lanes leading into Liberty Village, including the nearby well-known Great Lakes Lakeshore Trail. Additionally Liberty Village has approximately 10 BikeShare stations, and a variety of bike racks and storage options throughout the area.

WALKING: There are plenty of entry points into Liberty Village if you choose to access the neighbourhood on foot! Be sure to check out Walk Liberty, our interactive online portal that showcases the rich history, public spaces and the dynamic eclectic businesses of Liberty Village!

DRIVING: Located only 5 minutes from the Gardiner Expressway, driving into Liberty Village couldn’t be easier! There are also plenty of parking options, including street parking, and two Green P  parking lots.

AIRPORT: Have clients arriving by plane? Liberty Village is conveniently located 20 minutes from Pearson International Airport, and only 10 minutes from Billy Bishop Airport!

2. A Community Amongst Communities

There is an undeniable sense of pride and community amongst businesses and residents who live, work, and play in Liberty Village. We are proud to actively collaborate with the Liberty Village Residents Association, and with our neighbours at Exhibition Place, Bentway Conservancy and Ontario Place.

3. Accessible Health and Wellness

An office located in Liberty Village comes with an abundance of health and wellness perks. If you have an office culture that encourages walking meetings or fresh air breaks there is no shortage of places to explore and green spaces like Liberty Park and Lamport Stadium. Beyond the outdoor spaces, Liberty Village is filled with local businesses that will help encourage a healthy work life balance: workout at F45 Training or Goodlife Fitness, grab a healthy lunch at Organic Garage, or take a mental health break at Liberty Life Yoga or Plum Mental Wellness.

4. The Creative Energy

With the abundance of growing tech start-ups, marketing agencies, publishing houses, design studios, media production companies, and creative industries that call Liberty Village home, the buzz and energy is almost undeniable.  Liberty Village is an inspiring place to be and has a rich connection to the arts. We have kept this history alive through our commissioned benches, murals, and art pieces throughout the neighbourhood. 

5. Hosting is EASY!

If your business requires people to visit your office from other parts of the country or the world, then your office should be in Liberty Village. Beyond the fact that LV is easy to get to from train stations and airports, we also have all the amenities your visitors could possibly need. 

There are great hotel and lodging options in the area, like HotelX, Sonder, Gladstone House and The Drake Hotel. There are also plenty of options for flexible workspaces, dry cleaning services, places to eat and entertain, fitness facilities and spas, options for takeout/delivery. It’s also easy to get to popular tourist attractions like the CN Tower, Air Canada Centre, and our beautiful lakeshore. 

6. Reliable, Flexible Office Spaces

Liberty Village is the perfect place to start a new venture, scale a growing business, or for an established organization to call home. From single desks to flexible office spaces, there are a variety of options for your business at The Fueling Station, WeWork, Spaces, Regus, Liberty Market and The Toronto Carpet Factory –  and reliable tier 1 internet options from Beanfield means you’ll never have to leave!

7. Music, Music, Music

Insert excitement and energy here! Liberty Village is the self-proclaimed music capital of Canada, and rightfully so. Liberty Village is home to music industry leaders like Universal Music Canada, JAZZ.FM, Music Canada, Live Nation, Sirius XM, Indie88, and more to come! Additionally, with Budweiser Stage and Echo Beach within walking distance, Liberty Village is hard to beat for its pulse on music and entertainment, and is sure to make your energy soar!

8. Ongoing Business Improvement

The Liberty Village Business Improvement Area (LVBIA) is one of the largest commercial BIAs in Canada. The LVBIA works hard to support and create opportunities for the businesses who call Liberty Village home. From graffiti removal, to neighborhood-based events, like Give Me Liberty, to our monthly B2B conference call Liberty Connect, and initiatives like our Bonus e-Gift Card program, our BIA actively works to support each and every business that calls Liberty Village home!

9. Food, Retail, Service and Convenience

Whatever you and your employees need, Liberty Village has probably got it! Take-out options for lunch, restaurants for team outings, offsite boardrooms for important meetings, bakeries and balloons for celebrations, wedding venues and so much more! The mixture of retail, services and food options cater to your whole team – early morning workouts, lunchtime haircuts, mid-afternoon caffeine pick-me-ups, after work grocery shopping, Friday evening drinks – what’s not to love!

10.  Collaborative Environment

The mix of businesses in Liberty Village inspires collaboration, encouraging growth and expansion for businesses of all types – the opportunities are endless. Bakeries and restaurants collaborate to expand their menus and product offerings, marketing agencies work with tech start-ups on product launches… you never know who might be standing behind you in line at your favourite café or sitting beside you in your coworking space.  

If you’re thinking of moving your business to Liberty Village or are considering us as an option for expansion, please reach out to the Liberty Village BIA at admin@libertyvillagebia.com for information and resources to help make your move to and success in Liberty Village – EASY! We look forward to meeting you and sharing with you why we think Liberty Village is one of Canada’s best places to succeed.

Looking for ways to celebrate Father’s Day in Liberty Village this year? Here’s our breakdown of some ideas of ways to explore and support local! 

EAT

Celebrate Father’s Day at Liberty Commons with BBQ and brews! Pick-up a BBQ platter for 2 or 4, complete with an assortment of grilled and smoked meat, tasty sides, and dessert. Dining in? Dad’s first drink is on Liberty Commons! Taking your meal to go? Get a 4-pack of Big Rock beer with your platter!  

Want to enjoy a backyard BBQ with dad without the work? Pre-order a BBQ to go from Brazen Head, choose from dinner for 2 or 4 featuring piri-piri and whiskey marinated chicken, beef short ribs, jerk chicken wings, and delicious sides. Save yourself from bartending… add on a couple of cocktails to go. Feel like eating-in and hanging on the patio… you can do that too! 

Does dad have a sweet tooth? Get Nostalgic or have a bit of fun with a customized cake. For the Love of Cake in Liberty Village creates more than cakes, they create pieces of art. They offer delivery within Toronto and the GTA, just in case you’re not able to see dad in person this year. 

Not sure what you feeling like eating or want to take a walk to a local coffee shop?  Use the Liberty Village Eatery Map or our online directory to find something new you haven’t tried before! 

EXPLORE

This weekend is expected to be beautiful! Show dad around Liberty Village, give him a guided tour and show him some cool stuff! Use our Walk Liberty map to guide you through Liberty Village with some interesting history and pictures of what Liberty Village looked like in the past. Some of the stops may spark some interesting conversation or provide some photo worthy moments! 

Looking for another way to walk off the BBQ and drinks? In 2019 the LVBIA worked with 14 artists to create 14 metal benches all dotted around Liberty Village, follow the map and try to find them all. A great way to get some steps in, enjoy Liberty Village and peruse some art! 

SHOP

Dads can never have enough gadgets or toys, may it be around the kitchen, office or the yard, there’s always space for another cool gadget or toy to make life easier, smarter or more interesting. Try checking out Kitchen Stuff Plus or our local Home Hardware to find some little gifts that dad has always wanted or that he never knew he needed. 

Has the lockdown got dad taking up some new hobbies? Has he taken up walking or biking? Pick him up something healthy at the Nutrition House or Popeyes, help dad get healthier with a thoughtful healthful gift this Father’s Day!

Need more ideas of what’s in Liberty Village that dad might enjoy? Search our directory for businesses, restaurants, coffee shops and retailers in the area! 

Happy Father’s Day!

On April 2^nd communities around the world came together to raise awareness about autism and to provide their support. This is done through autism-friendly events and various educational activities, which continue to take place throughout the month with an aim to increase our understanding and acceptance of people with autism. 

It is amazing to see the number of organizations within Ontario and Canada that are working towards that same goal – supporting those with autism as well as their loved ones. Some of those organizations include Canadian National Autism Foundation, autism speaks, Canadian Autism Society.

To help raise autism awareness, we are shining a light on a local Liberty Village based organization, Autism Ontario. This year for World Autism Day, Autism Ontario asked the autism community what autism means to you to create a moving video compilation called “What Autism Means to Us”. 

Autism Ontario is a charitable organization that has been representing autistic individuals and their families for over 46 years. “The organization is made up of knowledgeable parents, professionals, and autistic self-advocates who can speak to the key issues that impact those with autism and their families.” 

Their mission is to create a supportive and inclusive Ontario for Autism. The organization offers unique local programs and services, helps connect families with resources like Clinical ABA Supervisors and autism services, webinars, learning resources and more. 

There are currently 25 chapters across Ontario. Although COVID-19 has changed the way Autism Ontario runs many of their programs – they still operate through virtual and home-based events, webinars, online support groups and workshops. 

If you want to support Autism Ontario, you can donate to their organization or volunteer. Volunteer roles can be casual or something more committed – they look for volunteers to help with administrative tasks, help running events, Chapter Leadership Council and more!

If you are interested in volunteering with the Toronto chapter please email toronto@autismontario.com, or visit their website for more information. 

We can all be more understanding and kind to help create a better world.

Over the past few months, Liberty Village has seen lots of new business join the neighbourhood. Here’s a roundup of some of the newest restaurants, retail stores, and businesses that have recently (or will be) moved in. 

ALOETTE | @alotte_restaurant | Liberty Market Building

As if Liberty Village didn’t have enough delicious restaurants to choose from already, we’re being treated with another new option. Aloette, Alo’s (more casual) sister restaurant, is set to open in Liberty Village this August. Their first location open in 2017 at the corner of Queen St. and Spadina, Liberty Village is excited to be home to Aloette’s second location. Aloette is known for their elevated French diner cuisine, serving signature burgers, lemon pie, cocktails and more. 

ARVO COFFEE | @arvocoffee | 80 Atlantic Avenue

Liberty Village is home to Arvo Coffee’s second location for the past few months, with their second location located in the Distillery District. Don’t let their name fool you, their menu offers much more than just coffee, lattes, juices and ciders, their menu is also stacked with brunch options including gourmet breakfast sandwiches and bowls. Beyond their menu Arvo also has a bottle shop with a range of wines and beers and has an offering of virtual wine tastings and wine classes. 

BLUE ANT MEDIA | @blueantmedia | 99 Atlantic Avenue

Soon Blue Ant Media will call Liberty Village home, as they prepare to open their new Toronto office at 99 Atlantic Avenue. Blue Ant Media is a content producer, distributor, and TV Channel operator, making them the perfect fit for our already very creative neighbourhood. Blue Ant Media creates and products factual entertainment, lifestyle series, animation, and award-winning documentaries. Some productions Blue Ant Media create include Canada’s Drag Race, Doomlands, and Ted Bundy: Falling for a killer, to name a few. 

BURGER DROPS | @burgerdrops | 116 Atlantic Avenue

Liberty Village recently got to claim being the first permanent location for the Toronto burger phenomenon Burger Drops. Before opening their first location in Liberty Village, Burger Drops was most known for selling out of burgers within minutes of announcing their pop-up locations around the city last summer. The burger joint, that is now located in Liberty Village is known for their signature smash burgers made of AAA beef cuts and ground in-house and having line-ups out the door.

CHANG MAI | @changmaito | Liberty Market

If you’re looking try a new Thai spot, look no further. Chang Mai, recently opened their second and newest location in Liberty Market. Chang Mai is known for their modern take on traditional Thai dishes, using only premium ingredients, and seasonal vegetables grown locally. We’ve also heard great things about their cocktails too!

LAID FRESH | @laidfresh_canada | 54 Fraser Avenue

Did you say all day breakfast? If you love to eat breakfast anytime of the day, you’ll be glad to hear that Liberty Village just got the first Toronto-based Laid Fresh location! The concept restaurant was opened by award winning chef, Michael Lewis, out of Miami. He has brought his love affair with breakfast to Toronto for us to indulge in too. Get sandwiches, fried chicken, bacon, loaded waffles fries all day and night, when you wake up or before you go to bed, for lunch or a snack. The choice is yours. 

PENGUIN PICKUP | @penguinpickup | Liberty Market

You can now get almost anything delivered to Liberty Village’s local Penguin PickUp location at x avenue. Penguin PickUp offers a one-stop pick up location for all your online purchases. The service allows you to have online purchases delivered to their location where they store your purchases safely in a temperature-controlled environment. 

POPEYES | @popeyesca | 165 East Liberty St.

The classic fast-food joint from New Orleans, Louisiana is now open in Liberty Village. You can get your Popeyes fried chicken and biscuit fix in Liberty Village for the first time since Popeyes opened its first location in Toronto in 1984. Fun fact: In 2019 Popeyes opened it 200^th location in Canada. 

SONDER | @sonderstays | 1100 King St. West

Sonder  is a new way of finding short and long-term accommodations, the company is on a mission to redefine hospitality globally and recently opened their doors at The Liberty, a new hotel offering in Liberty Village on King Street West. Sonder aims to offer flexible accommodation for short- or long-term guests. The hotel is the first-of-its-kind in Liberty Village, ideal for business and leisure travellers alike. 

TIKTOK | @TikTokCanada | 

Liberty Village is home to the very first TikTok Toronto office. The insanely popular, fun, and addictive social media platform is growing their Toronto / Liberty Village based team and is currently hiring for several roles from marketing specialists, HR, and content to client solutions and brand partnerships. 

WENDY’S | @wendyscanada | East Liberty St & Strachan

Wendy’s, another beloved, classic fast-food joint, is making its way to Liberty Village. We have no confirmed dates or exact location yet, but Wendy’s will be part of the Liberty Village Landscape. Soon we’ll be able to pick-up our favourites like a Wendy’s Frosty right here in the neighbourhood. 

Every year, March 8^th marks International Women’s Day. It is a chance for everyone around the globe to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide, TOGETHER

We here at the LVBIA, are taking International Women’s Day as an opportunity to shine a light on some of the women in Liberty Village.

Happy International Women’s Day Liberty Village!

The magic of Valentine’s Day is in the air! With Toronto being shut down and all of us doing our part by staying home, we have the beautiful opportunity to get creative with our Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day celebrations. 

It’s the perfect holiday to support local businesses while creating a special day and bringing extra joy to our loved ones. Let’s take this opportunity to show some love to our friends, family, partners, lovers, and small businesses – if there was ever a year to make an extra special effort it’s 2021!

To help get your creative juices flowing, we have created a round-up of some local Liberty Village businesses you can support for Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day 2021. We’ll also take this opportunity to remind you to slip a little gift in there for yourself – because we should all celebrate self-love too! 

Creative Gift Ideas

Carnabys Custom Jewellery – Carnabys has call Liberty Village home for x year now. They are well known for their custom creations. Give them a call if you’re looking for something extra special for that special someone – they have a range of jewellery options including rings, necklaces, custom pieces, they are also well known for making old heirlooms new again. 

Balzac’s Coffee Roasters – Balzac’s Coffee Roaster is a one stop shop for the the coffee lovers in your life, Balzac’s offers more than just coffee, they have a whole online shop with accessories, apparel, breakfast and tea lover bundles, basic pantry items like honey and snacks, and more. Coffee is the gift of warm hugs when you might not be able to give them in person. 

Love Me Do Baby & Maternity – Love Me Do Baby & Maternity is the perfect place to shop for all the mammas and mammas to be in your life. Give the team at Love Me Do Baby & Maternity in Liberty Village a call and let them know you’re putting together a special gift for the mammas in your life for Valentine’s Day. They will have lots of great ideas to help put something special together to help you make mamma feel pampered and loved. They also have great gifts for kids too! 

Demo Soap – We all know someone who loves to take baths and loves to smell delicious. Demo Soap will have gift ideas for the bath lovers in your love and those who love things scented. Demo Soaps has lots of original scents and collections to choose from, even special soap roses for Valentine’s Day. Demo Soaps makes shopping easy! You can choose to hand pick your own soaps or pick up a gift box, and for the DIYers in your life they have soap making kits, the perfect stay at home activity. 

T.O Balloons – Want to get creative and think outside the bouquet? Send a heartfelt message with a custom bunch of Valentine’s Day balloons, balloons are also a fun way to elevate your at home celebrations. T.O. balloons have special Valentine’s Day packages available to make things easier for you or work with their team to create a custom order perfect for the loved ones in your life. 

Tasty Sweets, Takeout Specials & Boozy Treats

Mad Batters Bakers – The team at Mad Batters Bakers in Liberty Village never disappoint, they are always there for us when we need a tasty treat. As usual they have custom sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies ready for us to bring in another special occasion. They are taking pre-orders for special Valentine’s Day cookies in a variety of shapes and designs. 

For the Love of Cake – Cake is always a good idea. For the Love of Cake are our local cake experts who offer us so many options to choose from. They offer everything from Cupcake Bouquets (that taste much better than roses!), custom cupcakes and cakes, custom edible figurines, or why not jump on the pinata cake trend and give your loved ones something to smash! No matter what the special people in your life are into, there’s something for them this Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day.

Brodflour – Treat your special someone to a cozy breakfast in bed or a late morning brunch affair. Brodflour has everything you need for the perfect take-out brunch experience. Pick-up your favourite coffee or teas, stacked and decadent sandwiches, and sweet, tasty treats to finish it all off. Build your own brunch experience to enjoy at home and skip the cooking for curbside pick-up. Why not drop something nice off to a friend on your way too? 

Mildred’s Temple Kitchen – Feel like cooking? You cannot go wrong with a special weekend brunch from Mildred’s Temple Kitchen any day of the year, but, especially not on Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day! Mildred’s has a variety of brunch pantry staples, Love Boxes, and Boozy Woozy Love boxes. Cook together with your boo or let them take a bubble bath while you prepare a special brunch for them! Staying home – why not make it boozy! Also, on the menu – special Valentine’s Mimosa kits and take-home Love Potion No. 9. 

Liberty Commons – Liberty Village local, Liberty Commons is no stranger to putting together special menus for special occasions. Liberty Commons will be offering a special Valentine’s day takeout menu from February 12^th to February 14^th. Their special menu features crab cakes, cocao brisket & ribs, baked fondue & charcuterie, bourbon beer-amisu, and Big Rock Black Heart Stout – if we weren’t hungry before you might be now. Sounds like the perfect feast for a game night or cozy movie night-in. Pre-order your special meal before they’re all gone.  

Local – Local, Liberty Village does bar food and drinks well! Be the best bartender to your best friend with a Local “Bring Your Own Drink Kit” (BYODK). Local has a variety of options to choose from including kits that have everything you need to serve the perfect Caesar, Margarita, Sassy Sangria, Moscow Mule, and Aperol Spritz. No need to run around for all the ingredients, stop in at Local for everything you need to impress! 

Now, we have done the hard work for you – we’ve set you up with all the ideas you just have to make ’em happen. Imagine your best friend’s face when you drop off a with cake and cocktails on Galentine’s Day, or your special someone’s reaction when you show up with a bunch of balloons and a cupcake bouquet on Valentine’s Day. Or all the ways you could make yourself feel by making yourself a pitcher of Sassy Sangria’s paired with a bubble bath and a good book! The options are endless, local, and close by. Make Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day easy on yourself, and extra special this year! 

Happy Galentine’s Day Ladies! (Saturday, February 13th, 2021)

Happy Valentine’s Day Liberty Village! (Sunday, February 14th, 2021)

#LoveLibertyTO

Many of us in Liberty Village live in small cozy spaces, this paired with the lockdown can easily make keeping active and health seem almost impossible, but it’s not! We just need to be creative, intentional, and conscious.  

Move Your Body Everyday

Moving your body everyday does not mean you have to do an intense workout. A simple stretch, a few sit-ups and push-ups, dancing, running on the spot, all, or any of the above can help change your mood. Commit to moving your body every day either during your lunch break, after work before you transition into your evening or both! It will do wonders for both your mental and physical health. If you’re someone who is missing real-life fitness classes, Oxygen Yoga & Fitness is offering on demand classes, and F45 is offering classes live online.

Get Outside

It’s too easy to stay indoors for multiple days at a time. Make a conscious decision to get some fresh air daily, even if it’s cold or snowy, wrap up warm and just do it! Take a walk down to the lake, jog along the lakeshore, discover new routes, streets, and hidden treasures around the neighbourhood. Plan your walk into your daily routine – go for a walk before starting your workday to set the tone for the day ahead or go each day after dinner to help digest your food. Anytime of the day is a good time for a walk! 

Meditation 

It goes without saying that the pandemic can take a toll on our mental health. Meditation has both mental and physical benefits. Incorporating a meditation practice into your life can help you stay calm and centred in what can sometimes be an unpredictable world. Separating your mind and body from day-to-day stressors and concentrating on your breath for a few minutes a day can help reset your mind and mood. Allow your mind and your body to rest. 

Fuel Your Body

When working from home without your usual routine, mealtimes can also be easily affected – this could go one of two ways. You may forget to take lunch breaks because you’re home alone and not consciously taking coffee and meal breaks. Alternatively, working from can also result in excessive snacking since you are at home and always close to the fridge and snack cupboards. Consciously schedule your lunch and snack breaks into your daily schedule – you can do this many ways like setting an alarm on your phone, adding breaks to your work calendar, or writing a reminder on a sticky note on your desk. Be sure to fuel your body with healthy foods full of nutrients and vitamins to help keep your mind and body strong, Organic Garage offers a wide range of speciality and organic choices. 

Self-Care 

It may seem like there’s not much to get excited about these days but planning events just like you would when we weren’t in lockdown can help us break-up our usual daily routine. Plan an at home spa and self-care days, do a face mask, take a long hot bath, sip on tea while you get lost in a good book. Make virtual plans with friends and family, play virtual games, eat dinner together, or simply grab a glass of wine and catch-up over the phone. Plan special meals at home – may it be takeout to support a local restaurant or learning how to make a new recipe paired with a delicious cocktail – give yourself an excuse to get dressed up! Cocktail kits like the “Bring Your Own Drink Kit”, from Local make life easy for when you feel like learning to be your own bartender. Add these events to your schedule, plan ahead, and give yourself something to look forward to.

Tap into Your Passions

Do something new that you’ve always wanted to try, get creative, and have fun while you’re doing it. There are so many things we all want to try but just don’t ever end up doing it – painting, jewelry making, drawing, writing, learning a new language, or redecorating our homes. We have the time to do it, now we just need be conscious, put our phones down, stop the scroll and be a little more conscious about how we spend our time. Binge watching your favourite show or scrolling through funny TikTok videos will feel so much more rewarding after you’ve learnt how to say phrases in a new language, or you’ve created a plan for that business you’ve always wanted to get started. 

There are so many ways we can make this very different experience a positive one. Be intentional and get creative – move your body, calm your mind, and consciously make the most of your time. 

#LoveLibertyTO

This year more than ever it’s so important for us to show our local shops some real local love. This holiday season we encourage you to try to support smaller local businesses to help keep them in afloat during these unprecedented times so that we can enjoy them now and far into the future. 

To help you support local businesses we have created a roundup of gift ideas and places you can shop locally over the next few weeks as you prepare to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. Don’t have time to read through the whole post? Scroll to the bottom for our list and quick links to websites and Instagram accounts. 

#LoveLibertyTO

A Little Bit of Pampering

While we can’t go out to get our hair cut, coloured, and styled right now, one day we will be able to, and may need it more than ever. Give the gift of good hair this holiday season by purchasing a gift card to a local salon. Purchasing gift cards now helps support salons while they are mandated to stay closed and allows you to give a loved one some well needed pampering. You can purchase B.Suite Salon gift cards via email or DM! 

You can also contact Beauty Room to see if their At-Home-Beauty Kits are ready for sale!* This is great way to purchase your favourite beauty products for yourself or your loved ones while supporting a local business. *At the time this post was written they were getting ready to be released

Cures Beauté has an online portal for purchasing instant gift certificates. Input any amount and choose to either send your gift of pampering via email to the lucky recipient or print the gift certificate out to give to that special someone in person.

Want to give the gift of relaxation? Liberty Village locals, Demo Soap, is your one stop shop for bath bombs, soaps and more, they are open for curbside pickup and offer free delivery across the GTA! Want to send a gift right to a friend’s door? Demo Soap offers shipping across Canada.

Baby and Mom

Looking for gifts for the babies and mommies in your life? Love Me Do Baby & Maternity in Liberty Village is open and will remain open throughout the current lockdown. In an effort to keep everyone safe and healthy the team at Love Me Do are offering some pretty special services. They are now offering free same day delivery, free shipping, curbside pick-up, and the option to shop by appointment. 

Bespoke Sparkles 

Looking for something sparkly for someone special this holiday season? Planning something extra special in 2021? Carnabys offers custom jewellery design, resizing, maintenance and upcycling! Redesign a family heirloom or purchase something new to pass down to you future children or grandchildren. The Carnabys design team is ready to help you virtually with your jewellery design needs while their production is working hard behind the scenes. Orders are available for curbside pickup. 

For the Foodies

For your loved ones who are working from home or who just love a good cup of coffee, Balzac’s is offering same day delivery within the GTA. Choose your from their many blends and product offerings to have a caffeine filled treat, Balzac’s accessories and merchandise delivered right to you or a lucky someone!

Celebrations and special occasions may be going virtual, but they don’t need go on without custom cakes! Send a special sweet treat to a loved one this holiday season, nothing lifts spirits like customized cakes! Liberty Village’s For The Love Of Cake is taking online orders, and is open for curbside pickup and delivery. Get your creative juices flowing, send someone something funny, nostalgic or love filled in the form of cake this holiday season!  

Want to send the gift of gingerbread but don’t feel like? No worries Mad Batter Bakers will do the baking for you. With so many designs to choose from and the option to request custom orders there’s a cookie for everyone, every holiday, every celebration, and all the special (and just because!) occasions you can think of – say it on a cookie! 

Don’t forget to treat yourself this holiday season, indulge in great coffee, delicious food, and all things comforting while also supporting local restaurants and small businesses! Check out our full guide on how to support local restaurants along with our map of all the restaurants located right here in Liberty Village.  Planning a virtual dinner party? Send dinner and a cocktail kit to your “dinner guests” too! A little reminder, whenever possible please order directly from the restaurant, take a walk, get some fresh air and pick-up your orders. Doing this helps ensure 100% of the proceeds are placed right into the pockets of the restaurant owners. 

Health, Wellness, and Stocking Stuffers

While gyms and studios may not be open currently be open, you can still give the gift of health and wellness to those near and dear to you. Why not buy the yogi in your life 10 yoga classes, and help get them ready to return to their mats in the new year? On the Pure Yoga Liberty Village website you can purchase 5 and 10 class packs to use anytime, not only are you supporting a local small business, but you are stuffing a stocking with a unique thoughtful gift too. 

Luxe Tanning can’t offer the gift of in-person tanning at the moment, but they are offering curbside pick-up and porch drop-offs across the GTA! Send them a DM on Instagram to find out more about their gift ideas including active wear from brands like Spiritual Gangster, swimwear, luxury soy candles, essential oils and more from brands like Happy Spritz and Lees and Alex! 

Do you know someone who loves to rock climb or who has always wanted to try? Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing offers digital gift cards so you can share the gift of climbing! Gift cards can be used towards day passes, lessons, memberships, apparel, and they never expire. Once lockdown is over you and a bestie will be ready to get climbing!

For the fitness fanatics in your bubble, give the gift of F45 and then some… purchase class passes, protein powders, and F45 apparel all online! Keep your buddies fit in style, online, offline, and be ready for when in-person classes are back in session! 

Matching Styles for You, your Pups, and the Kids

If you’re looking for ways to make the holidays special for your fur babies (and real babies), Liberty Pooch has an online store “Liberty Boutique” where you can find bandanas (pets & kids), bow ties (pets & kids), headbands (all size humans), birthday hats (pets), and reusable fabric face masks (kids & adults).  Your orders are all custom made so you can match you and your kid’s headbands and face masks with your puppy’s and bandanas and bow ties! 

Buy your holiday gifts local at these small businesses:

Balzac’s

Beauty Room

B.Suite Salon

Carnabys

Cures Beauté

Demo Soap

F45

For The Love Of Cake

Joe Rockhead’s Indoor Rock Climbing

Liberty Boutique

Support Liberty Village Restaurants
Love Me Do Baby & Maternity

Luxe Tanning

Mad Batter Bakers

Pure Yoga Liberty Village

It goes without saying that the local restaurants in Liberty Village add so much to our neighborhood, they are the place where we celebrate milestones and special occasions, they are where meet-up with friends and colleagues or go on first dates, they are the place we go to enjoy summertime cocktails, or pick-up a warm meal when we just don’t feel like cooking, and they are the places we go to when we need comfort food at the end of a long day. 

Now more than ever we as a community need to give back by providing some comfort to our local business owners and consciously help support local restaurants as much as we can.

To help you help our local restaurants here are some ideas on how you can #supportlocal during these unprecedented times. 

1. Purchase gift cards to a local restaurant for yourself, family, and friends.

2. Consciously choose to order takeout from local restaurants and when possible choose to order pick-up or use a local delivery service to help ensure a higher percentage of the profits go directly to the restaurant.

3. Share some virtual love by engaging with local restaurants on social media to help amplify their marketing efforts and “word-of-mouth” marketing by going the extra mile by writing a positive Yelp or Google review.

4. When dining in is not an option (and when it is) please leave a tip.

5. Make a conscious effort to see what else local restaurants are offering – opt to order from their bottle shop rather than lining up at the LCBO. Is your favourite restaurant offering meal kits, have they setup a mini grocery store or are they offering online cooking lessons? Shop with them, participate, show your support.

6. Get creative! Do you have a skill or service you can offer to your local restaurants to help relieve some of some of the extra burden they may be feeling during these times? Offer your photography services, social media marketing, free delivery services for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. We all have something to offer, we just need to get creative and decide to lend a helping hand.

To help you help support our local restaurants, over the past few weeks we have been working on developing an updated map of Liberty Village with all the restaurants and cafés in our neighborhood. We hope this resource makes supporting local restaurants easier for you and helps our restaurants. Remember to tag @libertyvillagebia in your social media posts and us the hashtag #LoveLibertyTO so we can help amplify and send the love you show online even further.

We’ll get through this together. 

#LOVELIBERTYTO

Within our vast business community here in Liberty Village we have several non-profits working hard to improve our lives and make the world a better place. We’re using our platform to highlight these organizations for all the good they do and thank them for all their hard work.

Autism Ontario (formerly Autism Society Ontario), originally founded in 1973, is a charitable organization that represents the thousands of people across Ontario on the spectrum and their families.

THE VISION…

BEST LIFE, BETTER WORLD,

MAKING AUTISM MATTER!

The organization speaks to key issues impacting those with autism and their families, and is comprised of knowledgeable parents, professionals, and autistic self-advocates. Autism Ontario is one of the largest collective voices representing the autism community.

Through their work Autism Ontario aims to support and advocate for autistic individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, invoice, religion, or gender identity. Beyond their advocacy, the organization also provides information, supports research, and provides programs and services all with the collective goal of creating a supportive and inclusive Ontario for autism.

There are many ways to get involved with Autism Ontario, one of those is by participating in events. This October you can get involved by supporting Autism Ontario’s involvement in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Virtual Race.

They currently have over 60 people registered to run for Autism Ontario as part of the Scotia Charity Challenge. Support Autism Ontario by sponsoring one of the teams or create a team of your own and start raising money while also getting active! Get all the details on the Autism Ontario page on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon website.

Did you know that Autism Ontario has 25 Chapters across Ontario? Within those chapters you can find local support and opportunities to volunteer.

Connect with Autism Ontario online to stay up to date with their accomplishments, help build awareness and support their mission!

• Location: 1179 King St. West, Suite 004

• Website: https://www.autismontario.com/

• Follow on Instagram @autismontario and Facebook at Autism Ontario

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CARP, which stands for Canadian Association for Retired Persons, is Canada’s largest advocacy association for older Canadians.

CARP members gain access to a variety of benefits, the fees paid by members help fund the non-profit organization allow them to advocate and push changes on behalf of retired persons across Canada.

THE MISSION…

TO ADVOCATE FOR BETTER HEALTHCARE,

FINANCIAL SECURITY, AND FREEDOM FROM AGEISM.

Over the years, through their advocacy, CARP has increased the Canada’s Pension Plan (CPP) from 25 % to 33 % of earnings. Increased eligible pension earnings from $54,000 to $82,700 annually. Restored Old Age Security (OAS) Eligibility to 65 down from 67, secured $3 Billion in Homecare Funding, and has reduced Senior’s Drug Co-pays in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

CARP is currently CARP is urging the federal government to address the financial concerns of seniors as a result of COVID-19 which has hit Canada’s seniors with a number of out-of-pocket expenses.

• Location: 70 Jefferson Avenue

• Website: https://www.carp.ca/

• Follow on Facebook at CARP

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What does IAMAT stand for and what do they do? IAMAT stands for “International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers”. The non-profit organization keeps travellers healthy by helping them plan a healthy trip and award travel medicine scholarships to help improve healthcare in the places we all travel to.

The non-profit organization was established by an Italian doctor, Dr. Marcolongo, who at one point interned in Montreal. He was inspired to create IAMAT when treating a Canadian woman who was travelling Italy studying music.

The Canadian woman did not react well to the treatment, but since Dr. Marcolongo was trained in Montreal, he was able to conclude that a medicine that was harmless to people of Italian descent but was harmful to people of Anglo-Saxon descent and through this realization was able to save a life.

It was then that IAMAT was established with the mission of keeping traveller’s health by facilitating the collaboration between medical practitioners around the world to help travellers.

THE VISION…

TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE TRAVELLERS HAVE ACCESS TO QUALITY MEDICAL CARE

NO MATTER WHO OR WHERE THEY ARE.

Today IMAT provides up-to-date health information for all countries and awards scholarships to doctors and nurses in countries where travel medicine is an emerging specialty.

IAMAT can do what they do to make the world a healthier place to travel through donations from travellers.

Follow IAMAT on Instagram to stay informed with their wealth of shared information helping us and the world health.

• Location: 67 Mowat Avenue, Suite 036

• Website: https://www.iamat.org/

• Follow on Instagram: @iamat_travel and Facebook at IMAT

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You may already be aware that Jazz.FM91 calls Liberty Village home, but did you know that Jazz.FM91 is non-profit organization on a mission?

Jazz.FM91 is Canada’s only broadcaster and registered non-profit charitable organization dedicated to enriching the cultural, educational and community experience of their audience. The radio station (originally launched as CJRT-FM) originated over 70 years ago at Ryerson University with the purpose of training radio and television broadcast students.

Since then the radio station has gone through its fair share of trials and tribulations. In the 1970s the radio station’s ownership was transferred from Ryerson University to a non-profit corporation (CJRT-FM. Inc.) due to financial constraints. During this time the radio station was supported by the provincial government and donations. 1996 the radio station was forced to become a self-sustaining broadcaster as a result of their government funding was revoked.

It was as a result of these ups and downs that JAZZ.FM91 made it their mission to execute a wide range of initiatives to enrich the cultural, educational and community experience of its listening audience. They did this by creating a 24-hour all-jazz format with programs that were targeted to support emerging artists, education and music therapy.

THE VISION…

ENTERTAIN bring the world of jazz to our listeners and deliver a top-quality listener experience

EDUCATE enrich the cultural, educational and community experience of our listeners

INSPIRE foster new generations of jazz musicians and listener appreciation

How does JAZZ.FM91 execute on their vision and mission? They do this through giving opportunities for thousands of promising young students and emerging artists to gain experience in music and broadcasting through workshops, internships, scholarships, and jazz-related content and programs.

AZZ.FM91 relies heavily on its team of volunteers as well as it partnerships with educational intuitions. Want to give back to the jazz community? Simply listen into JAZZ.FM91, donate or join their team of 90 volunteers!

• Location: 4 Pardee Avenue, Unit 100

• Website: https://jazz.fm/

• Follow on Instagram @jazzfm91 and Facebook at Jazz.FM91

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Redemption Paws is on mission to help dogs impacted by natural disaster and climate change. The Canadian based non-profit organization is with the dogs every step of the way they personally transport the dogs the make sure the dogs’ trips are as calm and pleasant as possible.

How does the process work? Redemption paws is a foster-based, shelter free rescue, where the dogs are cared for temporarily by highly skilled veterinarians until the dogs are matched with a caring appropriate home.

So before you buy a new puppy consider applying to adopt from Redemption Paws, they are currently looking for home in Toronto and the GTA, this ranges as far north as Barrie, as far south as Hamilton, as far east as Bowmanville (plus Prince Edward County), and as far west as Guelph/Kitchener/Waterloo.

Since being established in 2017 Redemption Paws has rescued and found homes for over 1,300 dogs!

• Location: 60 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 200

• Website: https://redemptionpaws.org/
• Follow on Instagram @redemptionpaws and Facebook at Redemption Paws

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The Word On The Street champions reading and writing in Canada. Formally name Promotions Committee of the Book and Periodically Council, is on a mission to better promote Canadian authors, books, magazines, and literacy. The non-profit organization primarily does this through a large-scale annual street festival held right here in Toronto. 

THE MISSION…

THE WORD ON THE STREET CHAMPIONS 

READING AND WRITING IN CANADA 

PRIMARILY THROUGH A FREE CELEBRATION 

OF STORYTELLING, IDEAS, AND IMAGINATION.

The Word On The Street festival is held each September, where they host hundreds of author readings for people of all ages, as well as a vibrant marketplace featuring the best selection of books and magazine. 

As a result of the current climate The Word On The Street just wrapped up hosting their very first virtual event this past weekend. The event featured live stream readings and discussions for people of all ages with a range of interests.  

If you missed their live event on the weekend, there’s still time to participate, in addition to the live streams the organization also took their vibrant marketplace online as well where you can shop a large range of Canadian literature. Enjoy! 

• Location: 67 Mowat Avenue, Suite 242
• Website: https://thewordonthestreet.ca/
• Follow on Instagram @torontowots and Facebook at The Word on the Street Toronto

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War Child Canada, founded in 1999, gives children in war-affected communities the chance to reclaim their childhood! Through their initiatives, War Child helps children in these countries the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and violence. 

War Child Canada was founded Samantha Nutt, a doctor who worked with children facing the violence and despair of war. After witnessing how long it took communities to recover from conflict, she created a non-profit organization advocating for children and families in war-torn areas around the world. 

Since the first program 20 years ago, the War Child has reaches over 600,000 people annually worldwide. With each of their initiatives rooted in local, community-driven programs. The organization has also grown with the support from celebrity changemakers including Alicia Keys, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sarah McLachlan and many others. 

War Child Canada is currently accepting donations to support vulnerable children, women and families who are already recovering from the shock of war and conflict also recover from effects of COVID-19. 

• Location: 248-67 Mowat Avenue

• Website: https://www.warchild.ca/

• Follow on Instagram at @warchildcan and Facebook at War Child Canada

We thank you Liberty Village for all you do in supporting causes close to your heart. We encourage you to continue to get involved with organizations that help support causes close to you. We also encourage you to share this causes with us on social… we want to hear all about your efforts and help you share the word! #LoveLiberty @LibertyVillageBIA 

A huge thank you to all the non-profit organizations doing good in our world.