From starlets to rock gods, the Danforth has been host to the rich and famous, but has it benefited from their presence?
Some readers may be surprised to learn that the Danforth has been host to its fair share of celebrities. Perhaps this is because it is usually other areas of Toronto (namely Yorkville) that monopolize the public conception of “celebrity hotspot.” Many tourists visit these parts of the city for the sole purpose of eating in a restaurant that Brad Pitt frequented, or walking the streets that Nicole Kidman’s stilettos once touched. Business owners greatly benefit from the public knowledge of star presence in their place of business, so why hasn’t the Danforth community boasted about its celebrity appeal?
Danforth Ave.
The Danforth stretch is a unique community filled with trendy boutiques and quality restaurants—a combination one would think would be attractive to celebs with pocket change to spare. After a little bit of digging and quite a lot of gossiping, I was able to discover several businesses that have been host to the rich and famous. However, few of these businesses actually advertise this celeb connection, and if they do mention it they are very discreet, and do not mention names. This is interesting since most businesses flaunt celebrity association because they know that it will boost sales.
A busy Danforth Ave. during the annual Taste of the Danforth festival
Follow the Crowd
Celebrity association definitely leads to sales, take for instance the craze over Sarah Palin’s designer glasses. According to a report by the New York Daily News, sales for the glasses quadrupled after the Republican National Convention. The designer, Kazuo Kawasaki, could hardly keep up with the incoming orders. And Stores along Queen St. W and King St. W. shamelessly promote their stores via celebrity shoppers. GotStyle, a designer store for men (on King St. W.), posts images of celebrity shoppers in their press kit, and testimonials from Canadian celebs like Ben Mulroney, who have become repeat customers, can also be found on their website.
Lolita’s Lust, a fine dining restaurant on the Danforth, mentions their celebrity guests briefly on their website, “visiting celebrities have been known to enjoy a quiet evening of dining here.” No names are given but after contacting the owner, Sam Scanga, he was able to reveal who these celebrities are. I gawked at the list he presented to me that included Samuel L, Jackson, Nicholas Cage, Francis Ford Copola, Sophia Copola, Iggy Pop, Jennifer Connolly, Mark Wahlberg, Danny Devito, Jeff Goldblaum, Sum 41, Mark Cuban, and Carlos Delgado to name a few. Although discreet on the business website, Sam does not underestimate the value celebs can bring to a business:
“The stars have been great for added media exposure to Lolita’s Lust and the Danforth as a whole…Canadian artists, like Jim Buddy have (in interviews) identified Lolita’s as one of his favorites and this type of media gets noticed. The presence of stars and the potential to have more stars frequent your restaurant keeps your staff energized and on-point, ultimately increasing the overall dining experience for all your diners.”
Who else?
When researching the web for media attention about celebrities on the Danforth, there was a pitiful amount of coverage. The majority of information on celebrity presence had to be gathered from third person recounts by people who live in the area:
• Canadian celebrities who live in the Danforth area include Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies lead singer), Rick Mercer and Gord Downie.
• Meg Ryan was spotted buying crystals at Gifts from the Earth.
• The Degrassi television show was filmed at the high school just north of the Danforth (now Centennial College).
• The film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, was filmed on location on the Danforth.
• Songs have been written about the area (Barenaked Ladies, The Old Apartment; Rush, Pape and Danforth).
• Seamus O Regan, co-host of CTV’s Canada AM has been known to celebrate a birthday or two at the authentic Irish pub, Dora Keogh.
• Allen’s pub has had quite a few celebrities in for a drink including Keifer Sutherland, Sean Connery, Bette Midler, Eugene Levy, Keanu Reeves, The Kids in the Hall, Catherine O’Hara and Michael Ondaatje. Also, scenes from the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days were shot here in 2002.
• The Detroit Eatery has been host to Kris Draper, a Detroit Red Wings forward, and his picture is plastered all over the walls.
• The Music Hall has featured famous musicians including The Police, James Brown, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Harry Connick Jr, Sam Roberts Band and Jully Black. Furthermore the Music Hall has been the set for several films such as Chicago, 54 and Bullet Proof Monk.
Sam Roberts Band in concert at the Music Hall
So the Danforth has been host to celebrity guests, but they seem to be more one-time visitors then repeat-enthusiasts. Danforth businesses are decidedly too tight-lipped about who wanders into their premises and therefore are not benefiting economically from their presence (although it may keep wait staff on their toes). One thing is for sure, there will be no paparazzi flashes or star crazed fans lurking around the Danforth waiting for a glimpse of a star. Reason enough perhaps for attention-seeking celebs to stay downtown?
What do you think? Should Danforth businesses start spreading the word about celebrity sightings? Have you encountered any celebrities on the Danforth?
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