Bloor West Village

Bloor West Village is a shopping district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Bloor Street, it encompasses all businesses along Bloor Street between Jane Street and Ellis Park Road, consisting of more than 400 shops, restaurants and services. The businesses are all members of the local Business Improvement Association, which was founded in 1970 and is considered the world's first business improvement area.

Character

The BIA has promoted a healthy shopping district on Bloor Street. One will find retailers such as Trixie's, Max's Market, Signature Shoes and New Balance, as well as world-class restaurants such as Villa, Bloom and Yumi Sushi. Additionally, the area is known for its coffee shops, as it is home to two Starbucks, two Timothy's, a Second Cup and a local coffee enterprise called the Coffee Tree.

North of Bloor are two residential neighbourhoods: High Park North and Runnymede-Bloor West Village. To the south is the former village of Swansea. To the east is the large park of High Park. The area is served by Toronto's Bloor-Danforth subway line, with stops at Runnymede and Jane, which runs underneath Bloor Street.

Bloor West Village Business Improvement Association (BIA) is the world's first business improvement area (BIA), established in 1970. The organization promotes business activity in the area by holding several annual events and festivals. It also puts efforts into the beautification of the area. The Bloor West Village BIA used to host a Ukrainian Festival, but in 2007 it moved to downtown Toronto's Harbourfront Centre.

Notable Inhabitants

Alexis Bosse moved to Bloor September, 2008.

References

Toronto Neighbourhood Geography
North = Runnymede-Bloor West Village, High Park North
East = High Park North
South = Swansea
West = Lambton Baby Point
Center = Bloor West Village