When I first moved to Toronto 5 years ago, I felt like I had been sucked into an endless vortex. Compared to cozy Vancouver, Toronto is massive, and the sheer volume of shops, restaurants, bars and more was exhausting to me, so much in fact that for an entire year I never ventured west of Bathurst!
Luckily, time has made this city a lot smaller, and with that shift I’ve come to regard big old Toronto as a small community full of incredibly talented people. I love walking around on weekends visiting all my favourite shop owners, or taking a mid-day break from blogging to pop over to a local bakery and get something sweet. I guess you could say I have a lot of local love?
The other day Em and I ventured into the Eaton Center in search of these adorable lamb slippers. We didn’t have any luck finding the slippers, but we were pretty appalled at the sheer number of people with shopping bags in their hands from mainstream shops. We had no idea so many people still spent so much in malls at big box stores while so many local small business owners are struggling to stay afloat and/or closing down.
I think it’s so important to seek out and invest in local shops; it helps support real people in our community, and helps build and maintain the community itself. That’s why I’ve decided to start this new little “Local Love” blog series, so I can share my favourite Toronto spots with you fine folks, and hopefully you’ll pay them a visit. First up: Bunner’s Bake Shop!
As a sweets fan, I have quite a number of favourite bakeries all around the city, and Bunner’s is definitely high on my list. With tasty offerings like a french toast cake (it’s incredible), and tiny pies that fit in the palm of your hand, Bunner’s is a cute little spot full of cute little treats tucked away in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood. The best part? Everything at Bunner’s is gluten free and vegan! I highly recommend you hit it up if you have any food sensitivities, as it’s pretty much heaven for those with a restricted diet.
Oh and did I mention right now they have home-made “Pop-hearts”?
Photography by Brianne Burnell