Parts and Labour: under construction (Image: Karon Liu)
First Cowbell, then Local Kitchen, and now this.
With the arrival of Parts and Labour, a hardware store transformed into a restaurant, the tail end of Queen West takes another step from weekend antiquing destination to social hub. Parkdale locals are excited about the new spot, and with good reason: it represents a new partnership between the owners of The Social, Castor Design and Oddfellows.
During a tour with Richard Lambert, one of the owners, we’re told that Parts and Labour is designed for “Social graduates who want to be more mature and don’t go out to clubs as much anymore.” He adds with a laugh, “We also have a no-electronic-music policy.”
Although the space is huge (6,000 square feet) and seats 120, Lambert insists that Parts and Labour is not a supper club catering to rich, condo-dwelling 30-somethings. “I hate the term ‘supper club,’” he says. “This is first and foremost a restaurant, but with a laid-back, rock ’n’ roll vibe to it.” And since the neighbourhood has many low-income housing complexes, Lambert says the goal is to make the place inviting to everyone—not just fans of Oddfellows and The Social. “You can have bolognese for $12 or a salad for $6. There are also entreés for $35. You can spend $10 or $100 here.”
The restaurant is still weeks away from opening, but elements of Oddfellows and Castor Design are already evident. Designers Brian Richer and Kei Ng are bringing in communal tables (eight in the main dining room), as well as their iconic cylindrical light fixtures made of fluorescent bulbs. The firm is also playing up its quirkiness with a wall made of car windshields at the entrance and bar stools that resemble huge springs.
Oddfellows’ chef, Matty Matheson, will be in charge of the menu and will be cooking here five nights a week (he will retain his post as executive chef at Oddfellows). The back of the restaurant will double as a venue for parties and art shows, and the basement, called The Shop, will act as a music venue.
“It’s definitely becoming a foodie destination,” says Lambert. “Cowbell is beside us, and Mitzi’s Sister is a few doors down. It’s the reason why we’re here. We’re not in a saturated neighbourhood, so we can be more flexible with what we do. I don’t think this would work if we opened on Richmond.”
Parts and Labour, 1566 Queen St. W. (at Sorauren Ave.), 416-588-7750, partsandlabour.ca.
Did you speak to Parkdale locals who expressed excitement over this as you stated in the article? Because I live just steps away from this new bar and my neighbours and I are definitely not excited about another night club opening up in the area. Just try to walk, bike or drive through the eastern edge of Parkdale on a Saturday night and you will see why.
March 9, 2010 at 7:39 pm | by monstereoI just don’t understand when people complain about their area in Toronto becoming too busy and like a night club area on a Saturday night…you live in Toronto!! There are certain areas in Toronto that you can live that are a bit quieter but complaining that an area on Queen, very close to downtown is getting busy should not surprise anyone! I don’t go out on a Saturday night in specific areas in Toronto, not expecting to see large crowds because that’s what you SHOULD expect in large cities! Thanks:)
March 11, 2010 at 2:32 am | by carlsI’m a bit nervous about the whole endeavour but as long as there is no electronic music, it could be ok. I’m gonna hold this to the owners….we also don’t want plastic young folk around talking their shite. Alas, I shall hold my tongue and my criticism until i experience the place. Don’t disappoint me please!…
March 21, 2010 at 2:48 pm | by cwReally Lambert? Everyone? How about the crack addicts and mentally ill who currently populate the neighbourhood? Will the place be inviting to them? It’s preposterous to me that Lambert, a BMW driving hipster who appropriates the misery of the poor as irony (‘The Social’ is another term for welfare) pretends to care about lower income residents.
March 24, 2010 at 12:26 am | by excitableparkdalianThe venue has seats for 120, but it’s licensed as a restaurant with 417 occupants. By law, seating must be provided for at least half of those 417. Sounds like they intend to run it as a night club, not a restaurant.
March 24, 2010 at 9:15 am | by deaI agree with monstereo. I’m not excited about Lambert setting up shop in the area, but the opinions of existing residents weren’t solicited because Lambert and crew craftily circumvented any of our qualms by applying for their license during the civic strike. Pretty shady. I know Gord Perks tried to put an end to the proposed rooftop terrace. Hopefully he was successful, because Parkdale is starting to resemble the Entertainment District.
If Social is any indication, noise will certainly be an issue, but I can’t help but feel that even worse than this, the shiny people will continue to use our community as their drunken playground and cause disruptions with the locals. Not long ago, I witnessed an SUV of laquered trogladytes and their giggling cohorts verbally assault a mentally ill panhandler, and my neighbour saw another group throw eggs at a prostitute. Do we need to suffer more of this in the name of ‘progress’?
March 24, 2010 at 5:58 pm | by DukeAs a practicing urban planner and Parkdale resident, take it from me that no neighbourhood is stable. They are all constantly evolving. Sure, some faster than others. If you expect your neighbourhood to remain stable, then don’t expect the city to continue spend any of their scarce budget there any longer. Take care of your own garbage. Get your own water. Fix your own roads. This venue represents a group of tax-aying business owners who have the right to generate much needed revenue for your service provision. Ever been to Detroit? No complaints about new businesses opening there. Also, real estate is very inexpensive. I’d encourage you to check it out and compare.
I grew up in Parkdale in the 80′s and live here now. I went to grade school at King and Jamieson. Parkdale has improved tenfold, and is only now beginning to bear any resemblance to it’s heyday prior to the 1950′s. I applaud PnL for bringing vibrancy to a well deserving place.
March 26, 2010 at 12:36 pm | by RJPI live right around the corner from where this is opening up. Very excited for a new restaurant and music venue. I love the food at Oddfellows, so I can’t wait to eat at Parts and Labour! A welcome addition to the neighbourhood – the west west end desperately needs a music venue!!!
March 29, 2010 at 10:34 pm | by ColinYes new business is welcome in Parkdale; venues like P & L may help my neighbourhood thrive. But I have to agree with the earlier post re: P&L’s seemingly crafty approach to a liquor licensing strategy, and the continuing rumours that they will seek a rooftop license in the wake of very real neighbourhood concerns. It may be Queen Street, but it’s a stone’s throw from where people live/sleep/seek to enjoy their own backyards. It’s not the entertainment district, and Parkdale residents deserve the same respect that Ossington & Annex residents get re: careful consideration of what venues best reflect the neighbourhood. Supper club? Fine. But live music venue with a capacity for hundreds of patrons? Hmmm.
May 4, 2010 at 11:25 am | by NeighboursReally looking forward to the opening June 4 :)
The food at Oddfellows is great, Chef Matty does a great job with the comfort food so I look forward to his new and expanded menu.
Yes this is first and foremost a restaurant :)
May 14, 2010 at 8:21 am | by SteveOThe reason they have a “no-electronic-music-policy” is that they can’t get the much coveted Entertainment License and therefore have to run it under a Restaurant License instead (DJ and dancefloor are criteria for requiring an Entertainment License). The Social also opened under a Restaurant License and when they were unable to get an Entertainment License they started working on this new club instead — hoping that Parkdale will be much slower than West Queen West to outlaw nightclubs.
May 20, 2010 at 2:44 am | by AnneToo bad, if Toronto wasn’t trying so hard to shut down all the nightclubs, they wouldn’t keep moving into new neighbourhoods like Parkdale.
This is good.
May 22, 2010 at 2:36 pm | by AmandaAdding vibrancy and economics to an area is usually a good thing. Embracing change is always a better attitude – this refined crowd that Parts and Labour are trying to entice should be more sympathetic to the neighbourhood than the ‘super clubs’ operating elsewhere.
Good Luck Parts and Labour!
The Social is a hotbed for scum!
June 1, 2010 at 7:07 pm | by LooseLipsThis new joint better not screw around, because there are many
more opinionated residents nearby that might decide to take the law into their own hands.
Ye be warned!
Waaaaaaahhhh I live downtown in a major North American city! Waaaaahhhhh I also live near Queen West where something new is coming. Waaaahhhh I have no understanding of what’s actually happening but want to complain about what it might end up being. Get bent people, exciting food and live music won’t hurt you. If you want to hear crickets all night go to the burbs, can’t have it both ways.
June 4, 2010 at 2:15 am | by CryingChildrenSocial is a great establishment that serves it’s patrons well. You are in one of the world’s largest global cities. Deal with it or get the f out. Parkdale residents get with it, this is a good thing for your bourough.
June 4, 2010 at 9:37 am | by B