Bloor Street West in Toronto is lined with retail businesses for much of its length. After living in the neighborhood of Bloor and Bathurst for ten years, I noticed that the composition of the stores on the street was changing. To document these changes, in 1995 I started conducting an annual survey, in late August or early September, of the stretch between Spadina Avenue and Christie Street. In 2023 I extended the survey west to the railroad line just beyond Lansdowne Avenue. On this site, you can explore the data I have collected. I am currently extending the data for the Spadina–Christie sector back from 1995 using Toronto City Directories.
Some changes in the Spadina–Christie sector from 1995 to 2024
Description of the data
Composition of businesses in latest survey
Show the composition for any year, or compare two years
Composition of businesses over time
Spadina–Christie sector
Christie–Lansdowne sector since 2023
Arrivals and departures
Here's a chart showing, for the Spadina–Christie sector, for each year, the number of businesses observed for the first time and the number observed for the last time. For example, the number of businesses observed for the last time in 1995 was 39, and the number observed for the first time in 1996 was 43.
Show the numbers of arrivals and departures for specific categories (broad) or types (narrow) of business
Display businesses observed for the first time in any given year
Display businesses observed for the last time in any given year
Changing numbers
How does the number of businesses selling a given type of goods vary over time? Here's a chart for businesses selling prepared food (e.g. cafés, restaurants, bars) in the Spadina–Christie sector, the number of which increased steadily from 1995 to 2019, and then dropped and has subsequently partially recovered.
Show the trends for other categories (broad) or types (narrow) of business
Survival
Of the businesses operating in 1995, how many survived to 1996? To later years? Of the new businesses in 1997, how many survived to 1998 or later years? Here's a chart for restaurants in the Spadina–Christie sector.
Chart the survival of other types of business
Estimated longevity
Of the businesses whose appearance on and disappearance from the strip occurred in the survey period, what is the distribution of longevities? How many survived 1 year, 2 years, ... ? This chart is for the Spadina–Christie sector.
Estimated longevity for all businesses: mode 1 year, median 3 years, mean 5.09 years.
Chart the estimated longevity of specific categories and types of business
Vacancies
What percentage of locations were unoccupied each year?
I started surveying the Christie-Lansdowne sector only in 2023.