Toronto City of Commerce 1800 – 1960

Toronto City of Commerce 1800-1960

A book cover consisting of three archival images. The one on the top left is of a record store. The one on the top right is a garment factory with workers. The bottom image is of a cityscape in Toronto with hundreds of people standing in the streets. The cover reads " Toronto City of Commerce 1800-1960, Stories of a cities factories, businesses and storefronts, Katherine Taylor".

Cover of “Toronto City of Commerce 1800-1960”, 2022 Heritage Toronto Book Nominee. Image courtesy of James Lorimer & Company Ltd.

Author: Katherine Taylor

Publisher: James Lorimer & Company Ltd.

In its early years, Toronto was a city of small businesses of astonishing variety. Unlike today, manufacturers held a prominent place in the city. Enterprising Torontonians ran and worked in factories making suits, carpets, home appliances, shoes and much more. The city also boasted lively retail and entertainment sectors. There were confectionaries, barbershops, burlesques, sports arenas — and many others.

Katherine Taylor’s Toronto City of Commerce describes the remnants of Toronto’s industrial landscape in a post-industrial world. Taylor recounts the stories of Toronto’s vanished businesses and their owners and workers. Each story is richly illustrated with a variety of archival images and occasionally contemporary photographs of lingering signs, buildings and storefronts.

About the Author:

Katherine Taylor is a banker by day and history buff by night. Her blog, One Gal’s Toronto, delves into the stories behind Toronto’s old buildings and businesses, bringing them to life with archival images and new photos. Katherine’s work has been featured in NOW Toronto. Katherine lives in Toronto.