Liberty Village is one of Toronto’s neighbourhoods that plays part in a growing Toronto trend – urban grocery stores in smaller spaces. Liberty Village’s newest grocer, Organic Garage is a perfect example of this.
When walking into Organic Garage, you may notice that it isn’t your conventional corporate grocery store. The newly opened grocery store makes use of 13,000 sq. ft. and is located deep in the basement of a Liberty Village century-old brick-and-mortar building.
Instead of aisle after aisle of manufactured foods, Organic Garage is an example of a curated Toronto grocery store experience.
A part of what attracted Organic Garage to Liberty Village was its residents’ association – which is the single largest in North America with more than 11,000 members. Organic Garage’s success is, in large part, a testament to the growing trend towards healthy, environmentally sustainable and organic eating.
Everything from the interior design to the shorter, 8-20 feet long aisles communicates a level of intimacy unseen at any of the bigger grocery stores. That’s not to say big grocers aren’t able to continue to exist in competition with these more urban, independent stores. Loblaws at Queen & Portland is a great example of adaptation to the urban scene here in Toronto. In Liberty Village, there’s a Metro which continues to see success serving the neighbourhood. Also, within a short vicinity, there’s a small collection of large-scale corporate grocery stores to enjoy.
Needless to say, the demand for small, population-focused grocery stores has grown across Toronto as the population has gotten smarter, younger, and more demanding. Liberty Village has been able to sustain Organic Garage as its population suits the mold. Everyone wants a grocer that appeals to their sense of self – they don’t necessarily want to shop at big box stores, anymore.
As the urban grocery store trend continues to grow, it will be interesting to see what happens to Organic Garage as they continue to accumulate a lot of positive attention.
Shop Organic Garage at 42 Hanna Avenue in Liberty Village 7 days a week.
