Toronto Fruit & Flower Shops

There is something special about the abundance of Fruit & Flower Shops in Toronto. They are a blend of a local corner store and a small supermarket. They display their produce along the sidewalk,  shaded by awnings & umbrellas, allowing passersby to see what’s fresh. They are found along commercial streets in neighbourhoods across the city. Some are strictly fruit and veg, some focus on flowers and plants, and others display both. 

The amount of life that one of these stores brings to a street is palpable. The flower displays bring more greenery onto the street level. The umbrellas offer pedestrians a respite from the sun on a hot day. The fruit and veg add colour and intrigue to a sidewalk. The shopkeepers are constantly adjusting displays, watering, or helping customers. In any given minute, dozens of people will pass by, some of them slowing and others stopping to browse or pickup something quickly. Even the handwritten price signs can offer a visual break from the bold and glossy advertisements that plague city streets. 

Toronto Fruit & Flower shops are special places that should be preserved in neighbourhoods. It is one of the goals of this project to document as many classic Fruit & Flower shops in Toronto.