City Junketeer
City Junketeer is a travelogue series highlighting independent record shops and eateries.
toronto.
It takes a hardy soul to visit Toronto during the winter months. Glacial gusts whip violently from lake Ontario, funnelling between the downtown skyscrapers like eddy currents in a frigid glacial river. Even the most hardy city dwellers, to keep warm, are forced into the extensive subterranean tunnels worming their way under downtown. It seems a mammoth task just to leave the hotel room and explore, but Toronto is a city that deserves your attention.
The beauty of this city, regardless of the weather, lies in the eclectic neighbourhoods and diverse populations that ameliorate the cultural landscape. With only 48 hours in the city, and keen to stay warm, I concentrated my efforts north of the CBD. After a tip off from a barista at Fahrenheit Coffee (whom also moonlights as a hip-hop DJ) I followed Spadina Avenue out of downtown from the water’s edge. This large arterial road, bisecting the north of the city, flows like a meltwater channel from a glacier, depositing you like flotsam towards China town and the Kensington market borough.
Here are my top picks:
Sonic Boom.
215 Spadina Ave.,Toronto, ON M5T 2C7
Website
Something of an institution in Toronto. Located close to Kensington market, this huge cavernous store holds an incredible selection of new and used vinyl. For the heads, check the uber rare selections near the stage. For the more affordable selections and more in keeping with rare grooves and soul section, head to the far walls where you’ll find a wide selection of rare and used 45’s.
Record Finds
Invisible City Record Shop.
222 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5T 3B3
Website
A bricks and mortar establishment from the excellent Invisible City Editions crew. Smaller and more personal than Sonic Boom, this is the place to go for your disco and house needs. A focused selection of records where you’ll find rarer and a more diverse range of records.
