A community bar in Toronto has openly shared the financial challenges it’s currently facing, and given today’s tough economic climate, it’s a story that too many small businesses across the city can sadly relate to.
Swan Dive, located at 1631 Dundas St. W., is an unpretentious bar and bottle shop known for its cheap drinks, games, and free events. In a heartfelt video shared on social media, the bar’s owner, Abra Shiner, opened up about the business’ financial woes, along with her ongoing battle with metastatic breast cancer.
“There’s been a recession that’s been happening only to poor people. The middle class has just dissolved. We provide community for the bottom,” Shiner said in the emotional video. “I’m pretty dedicated to cheap drinks and cheap thrills and good times that people can afford.”
With Shiner battling cancer and unable to work for a significant period of time, her husband, Mike, stepped in to run the bar. Despite their efforts, the bar hasn’t been able to keep up with its mounting costs.
“Guys, we’re broke. We’re 10k in the hole. We’re putting our own savings in there for rent, and if anyone knows me, they know that I’m sick, and I haven’t really been able to work much for a long time,” Shiner said.
Mike, who also works a second job bartending, has been crucial in keeping the bar running.
“There was a big adjustment period before Mike came in and started running the bar. We lost a lot of momentum with getting things rolling again, because our focus was very much on my health and learning how to navigate this diagnosis,” Shiner told blogTO.
In the video, Shiner appealed directly to her patrons and acknowledged the grim situation the bar is in. “It’s bad, it’s dark times. This is an appeal to our community to show up for us, because if you don’t, I don’t know how much longer we’ll be here,” she said.
Since the video went live, there’s been an outpouring of support for the bar. In just one week, Shiner says they’ve managed to recoup roughly 25 per cent of their losses.
“It’s not just my bar anymore, and it’s important for us to keep it running — not just for Mike and for my family, but also for my border family and the whole community. There are a lot of people that love Swan Dive and call it home,” Shiner explained. “I think it’s really important that we don’t lose this space for everyone.”
Despite some momentum, there’s still a long way to go before the bar can say it’s officially back on stable ground. “We’re not out of the woods yet, and there’s still a long way to go, so we need people to keep showing up for us,” Shiner said.
“Money is still circulating in our economy, but it’s not trickling down anymore. There’s a lot that we need to change about our socioeconomic structure. What’s happening right now is we’re taxing the poor.”
For Shiner, Swan Dive is more than just a bar, and represents a critical piece of the local community. “If you’re afraid of losing your culture or losing your community, the worst thing you can do is help it by not being part of it,” she said, urging customers to keep supporting local spaces.
“We love our community, and we’re very grateful for the support we’ve seen so far, and we hope that they keep showing up because it’s hard to be a small business in Toronto. These are the things that make Toronto, Toronto. This is what gives us our personality. When everything is shut down and it’s just big box stores, we won’t have a personality left. We won’t be Toronto anymore.”
