Market without a heart

The stall at the heart of St. Lawrence Market has been empty for months and a second meat shop recently went bust. Some long-time vendors say the market's future is at risk and tourists are to blame 

- JAKE EDMISTON

Over the past two years, Toronto has been trying to modernize the St. Lawrence Market to attract more shoppers and tourists in an era of convenience.

Leila Batten left the St. Lawrence Market for good last summer. It took several drafts to get the sign right, to find the right words to announce she was closing her shop, Whitehouse Meats, after running it for 30 years.

"Store closing forever Sunday of Labour Day weekend," the sign read. "Leila is retiring."

The sign is still there, five months later, and her stall is still empty. The 1,000-square-foot space is prime real estate, a so-called anchor tenant in the centre of the main floor of the downtown Toronto market, right in the thick of it. A few dozen paces away, another former butcher shop - Sausage King-has been empty since October.

The two vacancies have started making people at the market nervous. For some, these dark stalls and their unplugged display cases are a symbol of sorts, a reminder that the market is a lot different than it used to be and that may not be good for everybody who runs a business here.

"Things have changed," Batten said. "Don't ask me whether it's better or worse."

Over the past two years, the city of Toronto has been trying to modernize the 221-year-old food market to attract more shoppers and tourists in an era of convenience.

In a bid to bring in more people, the city, which owns the building and acts as landlord to all the shops there, decided to extend operating hours in 2022, mandating that all businesses at the market be open on Sunday. And by some accounts, it's working. Revenues are up across the board, the city says, and shopkeepers report that tourists are flocking to the market by the busload.