As one of Toronto's most vibrant cultural hotspots, Kensington Market has been a catalyst of cultural growth for over 100 years. With its vibrant open-air market of one-of-a-kind shops, Kensington simply embodies the spirit of old Toronto — and has solidified itself as an essential place to visit for those passing through the busy downtown core.
Unofficially referred to as The Market, it has been the first home for numerous influxes of immigrant communities to Canada for over a century. First and most prominently, the Jewish communities that settled during the early 1900s provided the foundation of the market's existence. Since then, people from all over the world have come to start new lives, each bringing their respective cultures, food, and art to this mosaic-style community. Together they established one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Toronto — a fact recognized in 2006 when Kensington was deemed a national Canadian historic site for its role in shaping the city's growth.
A Hundred Years of Arrivals
As Rob and I parked the car after a typical grind down the Gardiner Expressway, I found myself quite excited at the nostalgic expedition that lay ahead. I began to remember my visits to the market as a teenager. Smells, sounds, and colours started to heighten the senses as we passed each unique shop and alley. Languages from all over the world could be heard as we roamed the maze of streets.
It's a place that has had a life of its own since I first visited as a kid.
Everywhere we looked, something interesting was going on.
Nassau Street
One of the first things that will happen on your visit to Kensington is that you will immediately get hungry. As Rob and I approached the main vein of Nassau Street, we were hit with aromas from every corner of the globe. With authentic food from every country you could think of, it will likely be a very difficult choice — and will make one wish they had an extra stomach for the occasion.
We settled on Placo's Tacos based on a local's recommendation and enjoyed a glorious meal of fresh ingredients, an abundance of sauces and sides, some of which I'd never encountered before. As we ate, we discussed what Kensington Market brought to the table of connoisseurship, and how it embodied what we are looking for at the Roadshow. It was plain to see the overwhelming number of threads that a traditional open market weaves into the fabric of its community.
Fresh food vendors, pawn shops, bakeries, cafés, bookstores, butcher shops, delis, antique stores, chocolatiers, thrift stores, comic shops, fromageries, and modestly priced bars and restaurants everywhere — Kensington provides the connoisseur with everything they might need to both create and enjoy the arts that enrich our world.
The Artisan's Sanctuary
Kensington is not only a place for those looking to start anew. It is a place to thrive as an artist and to express oneself fully. Here at the Roadshow, we are looking not just to celebrate aspects of connoisseurship reserved for the elite. We are most importantly looking to celebrate the variety of artisans who possess the passion and pride to create the unique, bespoke, and one-of-a-kind products that enrich our daily lives — and Kensington Market is full of those people.
As Rob and I wandered from store to store, absorbing the numerous expressions of artistic talent that surrounded us, it occurred to me how pivotal these neighbourhoods are to one of the core foundations of connoisseurship: inspiration. Whether one expresses themselves on a canvas, a plate, or anything in between, inspiration is vital to progressing as an artist.
From hand-made products to hand-grown food, to the art of murals, graffiti, chalk art and street performance — Kensington possesses its own individualistic style of charm.
With the sheer amount of creative expression surrounding you in Kensington, it is plain to see how much of a sanctuary it is to the imaginative mind.
The Roots of the Alternative
Kensington's roots in counterculture and the alternative lifestyle run deep. With its exceptionally diverse population, it naturally became a haven against discrimination. Those looking to flee often oppressive and dangerous situations desired to create a place of tolerance and respect toward other cultures — and therefore other ways of thinking. With affordable rent, a thoroughly rich and diverse population, and a typically forward-thinking attitude, it has attracted nonconformists of all kinds: artists, hippies, musicians, punks, psychonauts, and bohemians of every variety who embrace the alternative lifestyle.
The Hotbox Café
One of the main reasons I needed to revisit Kensington on this Roadshow is that The Market has vastly contributed to my passion as a connoisseur — in particular, it helped root my obsession with cannabis. And there was one place in particular that was pivotal.
Established in 2000 by Abi Roach, the Hotbox Café was the first of its kind: a cannabis consumption lounge located in the heart of Kensington. Much more than just a place to smoke cannabis indoors, the Hotbox was a place to commune, learn, and genuinely relax. Frequented by both cannabis enthusiasts and medical patients alike, it was a perfect place to deepen one's relationship with the plant — and it helped start my journey as a cannabis patient and enthusiast. Due to the changing legal landscape around cannabis, it was forced to shut its doors in 2022 and has been sorely missed.
As just one example of the entrepreneurial spirit that Kensington embodies, its story restates the significance of these communities to connoisseurship itself. The term means something different to everyone. Images of swirling glasses, condescending monologues and chin-scratching are often conjured — but here at the Roadshow, we are hoping to show you how it can be so much more.
Whether cooking, crafting, or creating, we are constantly refining the processes that have shaped our world. Through this publication, we are intent on illuminating the immense number of ways that the human spirit has refined its expression into something worth revering and admiring to an obsessive degree.
If you should find yourself in the downtown core of beautiful Toronto, we urge you to take a stroll through Kensington — to further or rediscover your passion, and find inspiration on your journey of connoisseurship.
Kensington Market kensingtonmarket.to · Map Nassau Street · Toronto, ON · National Historic Site of Canada
