Toronto: City of Commerce 1800-1960 by Katherine Taylor, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

The bustling businesses of early Toronto are mostly gone, yet throughout the city there are reminders of them on buildings which still stand and fading ads to be seen on the sides of old buildings. Toronto was a city of small commercial enterprises of astonishing variety. Unlike today, manufacturers held a prominent place in the city. Enterprising Torontonians established, ran and worked in factories making suits, carpets, home appliances, shoes and much more. There were confectionaries, butcher shops, barber shops, hat shops, clothing stores, hardware stores, groceries — and many others. Advertisements for these businesses were often painted on their buildings. Many of these ads have survived even though the businesses are long gone. Photographer and blogger Katherine Taylor started with these visual remnants of Toronto's commercial life, and in this book she recounts the stories of these old businesses, their owners and workers, accompanied with archival images and her photos of their still-visible fading ads. Familiar places in the city take on new meaning as she explores both famous and forgotten businesses from Toronto's past. This book offers a new take on Toronto's rich history. | Toronto: City of Commerce 1800-1960 by Katherine Taylor, Paperback | Indigo Chapters