Goodbye to a key business of the old Kensington Market
European Quality Meats and Sausages, a five-decades-old fixture of Kensington Market, is set to close in April.
European Quality Meats sits at the intersection of Baldwin St. and Kensington Ave. in Kensington Market (Google Maps image)
In Kensington, European invoked a neighbour-
hood long dead, lost to suburban migration and gentrification. A thriving Jewish marketplace throughout the early 20th century, Kensington eventually became a cauldron for Caribbean and Asian immigrants after World War II.
Through it all, the store cut veal and pork and turkey, cased sausages and sliced salami. The smell of blood and beef, wieners, wurst and kolbasa filled the 823-square-metre space as customers grabbed a ticket before placing an order at the counter.
But Larry Leider (son of founder Morris Leider, a Polish Holocaust survivor) said rising downtown property values and the market’s shifting demographic — drawn to locavore stores and chi-chi restaurants — compelled the company to sell. European’s departure, he said, will “take its toll on the Market.”
“(European) was the cornerstone of the market,” said Peter Sanagan, owner of nearby Sanagan’s Meat Locker. “It’s bitter to see them leave.”
It will be sad to see European go. But as property values rise, businesses age and customer demographics change, the economic logic becomes extremely compelling.
When you think about it, there are still a handful of East European delis on Roncesvalles and a smattering on Bloor St. W. between Runnymede Rd. and Jane St. But those are old businesses. New businesses on Roncy aren’t geared towards the East European market.
Karl’s deli on Roncy closed in 2007, while Warmia’s on Roncy closed the next year.
My impression is the density of such delis picks up markedly if you go out on the Queensway, down into Mimico or out into Mississauga. European will be keeping its outlets in Etobicoke and Brampton open.
Even then, Czehoski’s on the Queensway in Etobicoke closed five years ago.
A little part of my childhood and heritage dies with each deli closing, but Toronto is in constant flux. That’s what makes it exciting. That’s what makes it occasionally painful.
I just hope the new Kensington market will retain some of the old Kensington’s soul.
