Gabby's is opening its 15th location in the Junction.
"It's the area that attracted us," says Todd Sherman, managing partner for the
restaurant/pub company whose brands also include Hey Lucy and Hush. "We think the Junction is a very vibrant, up-and-coming area. We see a lot of change-of-use building going on in the area right now," he says, referring to renovations that transform a commercial space from, say, retail to hospitality, a classic indication of a neighbourhood in serious transition.
"There's a lot more younger families, and a lot of conversion in the area to take it from rough-and-ready to something more polished," says Sherman. "To be honest, I think it's like Yonge and Lawrence 15 years ago." Gabby's opened its first location in that area in 1989.
The renovation at 3026 Dundas West (formerly the Relax Shack furniture store) began last week, and will ultimately involve about 50 workers in what Sherman describes as a gut renovation of the 2,200-square-foot space.
Sherman expects work on what will be a 75-seat space will be completed by the end of June, though exactly when it opens will depend, he says, on the inspectors.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Todd Sherman
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