A store in Toronto that’s been described by members of the community as being like a real-life version of “Kim’s Convenience” — aside from the actual Kim’s Convenience, of course — is shutting down for good, allegedly due to the high rent prices in the area.
For years, Oakwood Village gem Yip’s Fruit Market has stood proud at the corner of Oakwood and Holland Park Avenue, offering the community everything from flowers and plants to fresh produce, bread and other grocery items with an unwavering smile.
The friendly, family-driven shop has been a go-to spot to stock up on fresh and affordable produce for neighbourhood residents, as well as a frequent haunt for students of the nearby Rawlinson Community School stopping by for a sweet treat after class.
A community staple famed in equal measures for its affordable prices and wide selection of goods and its kind and friendly staff, Yip’s is the epitome of a neighbourhood fixture — but its tenure will soon be coming to an end.
According to a post in an Oakwood Village community Facebook page, the store is due to close for good at the end of November, so, basically, now-ish.
A post made in a neighbourhood Facebook group announces the closure.
“The owners cite very high rents in the area as the reason for leaving,” the original poster writes, adding that the shop was a “great go-t0 for fresh produce” that “will be missed.”
The owners of Yip’s Fruit Market declined to provide any further details surrounding the closure to blogTO, but the members of the community Facebook group were quick to flood the comment section of the post with their own bits and pieces of information, broken up by an outpouring of love and support for the store and its employees.
Comments on the post voice sadness and support.
“I never thought I’d get so attached to a convenience store, but they always seemed to have what I needed,” one community member writes.
“[As] close as they come to a ‘Kim’s Convenience’ of our neighbourhood,” the original poster replies.
Other commenters bemoan the potential of the prime piece of corner real estate formerly occupied by Yip’s Fruit Market becoming an overpriced restaurant, a cannabis dispensary or — perhaps worst of all — another Tim Horton’s location.
If the loss of Yip’s Fruit Market has you scrambling to find a new go-to for fresh and affordable produce, not to fear — the city still has no shortage of great fruit and vegetable markets to explore if you know where to look.
Yip’s Fruit Market was formerly located at 340 Holland Park Avenue.
