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plazaPOPS returned to the Wexford Heights BIA in 2024 with Wexford Blooms 2gether!

Wexford Blooms 2gether was installed between June 15 – September 15, 2024 with 3 sites along Lawrence Ave East.

Throughout the installation season, the Wexford Blooms sites became beloved gathering places – busy with people from morning to the late night! – where local residents and visitors met friends, ate take out from local restaurants, and watched the world go by.

Throughout the summer, Wexford Blooms 2gether also hosted several programmed events: see below for an archive of events!

Installation locations

Ghadir (1848 Lawrence Ave E)

The Wexford Residence (1860 Lawrence Ave E)

Colony Plaza (2020 Lawrence Ave E)

Wexford Blooms 2gether Hub Site
2020 Lawrence Ave E
Illustration: Craig Klomp
The “Wexford Blooms” Zig Zag sign and bench at our hub site seen from Lawrence Ave E
Taking up just 7 parking spaces in the Colony Plaza, our hub site is full of seating options
Wexford Blooms 2gether at Ghadir
1848 Lawrence Ave E
Illustration: Craig Klomp
Booths along the street provide comfortable places to sit, eat, and meet friends at this Scarborough institution
A natural gathering place at Ghadir!
Wexford Blooms 2gether at the Wexford Residence
1860 Lawrence Ave E
Illustration: Craig Klomp
A small seating area brings plazaPOPS to the doorstep of residents of the Wexford who cited mobility concerns when trying to access plazaPOPS last year – so we brought it to them!

Building on the success of 2019 and 2023

Wexford Blooms 2gether was built on the success of our relationship building in Wexford Heights since 2018, with WexPOPS in 2019 and Wexford Blooms in 2023, with new and expanded sites, and greater investment in programming.

Engagement process

As a community-lead project, plazaPOPS is grounded in deep relationships with the local community. For Wexford Blooms 2gether, we built on relationships in the neighbourhood developed since 2018, including our network of Working Group alumni – local residents, business owners, and community organizations – while engaging with new community members through inventive meetings meeting the community where they are, including a community Iftaar in March 2024.

We loved attending the plazaPOPS iftaar, it was a great way to meet our neighbours and share our vision!

-Iftaar attendee
and Wexford Resident

I want to see more places for seniors and children at this year’s plazaPOPS!

-Iftaar attendee
and Wexford Resident

plazaPOPS hosted a Community Iftar at Sahan Restaurant as part of its 2024 engagement process
Our Program Director, Naziha Nasrin, led Iftaar guests in a visioning of what they wanted to see for plazaPOPS 2024 in Wexford Heights
Some of the many ideas local residents shared out our Iftaar, including community bazaars, dance parties, and places for seniors!
Is there a better way to share visions for the community than over delicious food? Our Iftaar was hosted at Sahan restaurant, one of our 2024 site hosts.
plazaPOPS hosted an Open House at Precious Blood Church to meet with local residents of Wexford-Maryvale

Events at this POP
Wexford Dhaba 2.0

Sep 13, 6:00pm

We are SO excited to invite you to the next
｡･:˚:✧｡𝐖𝐄𝐗𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐃𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐀｡✧:˚:･｡
a FREE Desi-inspired night market and mela featuring local vendors, restaurants, and musicians!
Pickles and Peeps

Sep 14, 6:00pm

Get ready to join us for a pickle party Saturday September 14th from 6-7:30pm! Keep an eye out for more details and tickets 👀 Let’s relish this fun!
Walking Tour: OALA

Sep 12, 5:30pm

plazaPOPS is hosting a walking tour of our sites as part of a continuing education event hosted by the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, and anyone is welcome to join.
Scarborough Landmarks

Sep 6, 6:00pm

Scarborough Landmarks is an art workshop that invites you to reflect on your not-so-glamorous daily journeys and honour the mundane, everyday landmarks that make up the places we call home. Let’s gather and rethink how we decide what a landmark is – what heritage is.
Art Showcase and Market

Aug 30, 6:00pm

A FREE artistic exploration-focused night featuring local artists and vendors with great music and light refreshments!
Community Voices for Safer Streets

Aug 25, 1:00pm

The Green Line is partnering with plazaPOPS (for the third time!) and Temple University to host a community meal and Story Circle focused on pedestrian safety in Wexford/Maryvale!
Urban Sketching Workshop + Chill

Aug 24, 12:00pm

Discover the art of sketching en-plein-air! This workshop is FREE and open to artists of ALL skill levels (including absolute beginners)! 🎨 Basic art materials will be provided but if you have some, you are encouraged to bring your own supplies 😆✨
Introduction to Indian Classical Dance

Aug 16, 6:00pm

“SMRTI”: Lets dive into the ocean of Indian classical dance together. Your instructor, Raga Aadi, is looking forward to some fun discussions and lots of dancing 💃
Islamic Art and Gardens

Aug 11, 4:00pm

Muslims in Public Space is hosting a sidewalk chalk activation on site. Join our workshop on Islamic geometric shapes and learn about Islamic gardens and the plants within them by Global Sustainable Foods.
Wexford Dhaba

Jul 27, 6:30pm

We are so excited to invite you to our first
｡･:*˚:✧｡𝐖𝐄𝐗𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐃𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐀｡✧:˚*:･｡
a FREE Desi-inspired night market and mela featuring local vendors, restaurants, and musicians!
Slow Roll: Food Edition

Jul 13, 4:30pm

Join us for a 12 km ride to visit some of Scarborough’s tastiest takeout spots in Wexford Heights! Grab some takeout, have a seat, and enjoy “Wexford Blooms 2gether’, this year’s plazaPOPS installation!
Arabic Calligraphy Workshop

Jul 9, 4:30pm

We are excited to announce a special Arabic Calligraphy Workshop hosted by LunaLight Creations in collaboration with plazaPOPS! Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience, this workshop is perfect for anyone looking to explore the beautiful art of Arabic calligraphy.
Seed Planting Workshop

Jun 22, 2:00pm

On June 22nd join Plaza Pops x GSF for a planting workshop for the beginning of summer!
jaana

Jun 22, 1:00pm

Scarborough has a special spot in our hearts and minds.

We’ve been planning a print and digital series focused on cartography and wayfinding. This is us mapping it out, together.

Presented with planner/professor/local-homie ajeev bhatia.

Focusing on the south west, we will end sharing a meal together.

ps. Jaana (jaa-na) means going.
Wexford Blooms 2gether Opening Party and Community Planting Day!

Jun 15, 12:00pm

Join us for an opening day celebratory party at our hub site (2020 Lawrence Ave E) where we’ll be launching our 2024 season with a community planting day – many hands make light work and we need YOUR help greening the parking lots with native plants from Native Plants in Claremont!
plazaPOPS 2024 Open House

Apr 18, 5:00pm

💡Have ideas on how we can make this year’s Lawrence Avenue East plazaPOPS the best ever? 🙌 Join us at our drop-in OPEN HOUSE, Thursday April 18th, 5:00 pm -8:30 pm, at Precious Blood Church (1737 Lawrence Ave E)!
plazaPOPS community Iftaar

Mar 28, 7:00pm

We hosted a Community Iftaar at Sahan Restaurant in Wexford Heights to break bread together, commemorate the month of Ramadan, and honour our community members, neighbours and community organizations.

The Wexford Dhabas!

Our landmark events in 2024 were a series of Dhabas hosted at our Colony Plaza hub site on July 27 and September 13.

Dhabas are roadside eateries found throughout South Asia are are hubs for community gathering.

Responding to the local communities vision for bazaars and programming reflecting local culture, the Wexford Dhabas were Desi-inspired melas featuring local vendors, restaurants, and musicians!

The Wexford Dhabas were funded by the City of Toronto’s CafeTO Dining District grant

The first Wexford Dhaba was on July 27
Photo: Kat Rizza
Charpais offered comfy places for people to hang throughout the evening, inspired by iconic dhabas in South Asia
Photo: Kat Rizza
Local vendors offered delicious food and handmade goods, including Cafe de Paan, one of the restaurants in the Colony Plaza!
Photo: Kat Rizza
The Virasat collective provided delightful rhythms, the perfect soundtrack to a summer Dhaba in Scarborough!
Photo: Kat Rizza
Our hub site was expanded, and almost half the parking lot of the Colony Plaza was transformed into a vibrant community hub!
Photo: Kat Rizza
Decorative flourishes like this scooter transformed a Scarborough parking lot into a place that distinctly reminded visitors of “back home”
Photo: Kat Rizza
Under the gentle glow of string lights, attendees ate, caught up with friends old and new, and danced!
Photo: Kat Rizza
The success of the first Dhaba – and our sites business late into the evening – is a reminder that the night is an important time to consider for Scarborough’s community economic development
Photo: Kat Rizza
After the success of the first, our second Dhaba expanded!
Photo: Tupac Espinoza
The dhabas made use of our hub site’s comfortable furniture
Photo: Kat Rizza
Local vendors sold their handmade goods, fulfilling the community desire for a bazaar!
Photo: Kat Rizza
Photo: Kat Rizza
Photo: Kat Rizza
The electric ambience of our Dhaba night market
Photo: Kat Rizza
Photo: Kat Rizza
Virasat returned to regale attendees at our second Dhaba
Photo: Kat Rizza
The Carrom board was a hit, bringing that dhaba vibe to a
Scarborough parking lot
Photo: Kat Rizza

Site & neighbourhood context

The Wexford Heights BIA, known for its creativity and its annual ‘Taste of Lawrence’ street festival, is home to over 60 diverse restaurants within its two-kilometer jurisdiction.

Wexford Heights Plaza in Scarborough in 1977 (Toronto Star)
Tony Kirakou and his family ran the Wexford Restaurant for 63 years, and now own several plazas in the neighbourhood
In the early 1960s, Wexford transitioned from rural to suburban land uses
Today, Wexford-Maryvale is a typical Toronto suburb with residential enclaves line by strip mall main streets
Pharmacy and Lawrence Aves looking southest, 1973
Murals throughout the neighbourhood commissioned by the Kiriakou’s tell immigration stories that all end in Wexford
54 East magazine proposed a “Souk Shade” shelter in the early 2000s as part of new ways of thinking about strip malls’ role in urban vitality
Wexford Heights hosts the annual Taste of Lawrence festival, closing all 7 lanes of Lawrence Ave E and transforming a strip mall main street that usually prioritizes cars into a haven for pedestrians
During the Taste of Lawrence, the huge parking lots become stages for vibrant urbanity: here, the iconic Wexford Plaza transforms into a huge patio, complete with liquor license!
Despite a growing number of pedestrians, cyclist, and transit users, Lawrence Ave E remains a risky spot to cross the street
Strategies for safety: without any infrastructure supporting cyclists, riders have taken visibility into their own hands!

Host land owners & collaborators

Ghadir Meats and Restaurant

1848 Lawrence Ave E

Thanks to Ali Dbouk and Vincent Law


Colony Plaza
202 Lawrence Ave E

Thanks to Steve Michalopolous and his team, Mahmoud Jirdeh (owner of Sahan Restaurant), and the Cafe de Paan team

The Wexford Residence
1860 Lawrence Ave E

Thanks to Bijaya Singh and Wayne Connoly


Project team & collaborators

It takes a village to pop a plaza!

None of this would be possible without our vast network of collaborators

Michael Belley
Building Up

Brennan Luchsinger
Building Up

Marc Soberano
Building Up

Fiona Persaud
Wexford Heights BIA

Michael Phan
Wexford Heights BIA
Scarboro Mazda

Edgar Tam
Wexford Heights BIA
Scarboro Mazda

Bryan Peart
Working Women Community Centre

Noor Khan
plazaPOPS Curator

Mahima Patel
Community-based researcher and Lassi maker

Sandi Bolous
Researcher and volunteer

Mehedi Khan
Muslims in Public Space

Igor Samardzic
Muslims in Public Space

Echo Railton
Lead Garden Steward

Echo Railton
Lead Garden Steward

Hatim Shah
Youth Site Steward

Mohammed Abdu
Youth Site Steward

Abbas Awan
Youth Site Steward

Amit Raihan
Site Steward, volunteer

Minaz Asani
good futures collective

Anjum Chagpar
good futures collective

Quentin de Becker
Scarborough Zero Waste

Carolyn Heath
Scarborough Zero Waste and Community-based researcher



Wasifa Noshin + family
Local guardians, event leads, and volunteers

Amira Babeiti + Global Sustainable Futures crew
Collaborator and event lead

Liam Vu
Event coordinator, researcher, and volunteer

Asad Chisti + Ajeev Bhatia
Event coordinators

Marvin Macairag
Scarborough Cycles, event lead

Raga Aadi
Event lead

Aamina Farook
The Floral Confectionary, baker of delicious cupcakes!

Anita Li
The Green Line

Ahmad El Sarraff
A77, event lead

Faizaan Khan
Event lead

Mahmoud Jirdeh + team
Owner of Sahan Restaurant, project

Steve Michalopolous
Owner of the Colony Plaza, project host

Ali Dbouk + team
Owner of Ghadir, project host

Vincent Law
M&M Investments, project host

Bijaya Singh + Wayne Connolly
Wexford Residence

Cafe de Paan team
Project hosts

Parents Against Driving High
Event lead

Rui Felix
ERA Architects

Tupac Espinoza
ERA Architects

Jennifer Wan
ERA Architects

The Wexford Community!
Volunteers, visitors, supporters extraordinaire!

Funders

Wexford Blooms 2024 was made possible by our funders

City of Toronto

Funders

Wexford Blooms 2gether was funded by the City of Toronto’s Main Street Recovery and Rebuild Initiative and Main Street Innovation Fund, as part of Government of Canada support through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

The project was also funded by the City of Toronto’s Planning Division, and Economic Development and Culture’s Dining District TO grant.

Federal Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Funders

Wexford Blooms 2gether was funded by the City of Toronto’s Main Street Recovery and Rebuild Initiative, as part of Government of Canada support through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Funders

The University of Guelph-led plazaPOPS research initiative is funded by SSHRC’s “Partnership Development” Grant.

Wexford Blooms 2gether media coverage

Read all about it!

Wexford Blooms 2gether made the news for its innovative transformation of parking spaces into a vibrant community hub along this stretch of Lawrence Ave E.

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PlazaPOPS is funded by the City of Toronto’s Main Street Recovery and Rebuild Initiative, as part of Government of Canada support through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

Research for plazaPOPS is funded through a SSHRC Partnership Development grant, in partnership with the City of Toronto and the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) in the Ontario Agricultural College.