With the collective support of the entire community behind him, a Toronto man is working to turn his dream of opening a new music venue into reality.
Driven by a deep love for his community and a passion for music, 29-year-old Kinkade Davis is transforming the space at 1035 Gerrard St. E. into Mercy on Gerrard — a venue that will serve as a creative hub for emerging artists and a gathering place for music fans across the city.
After self-funding the project with savings from years of tree planting, Davis turned to the community for donations and help with sourcing supplies needed for the venue. Since launching a GoFundMe page in January, Davis has raised over $8,300 out of his $31,035 goal, which will go towards completing remaining renovations, building a new sign, as well as setting up a sound system and lighting.
As part of the campaign, anyone who donates $200 or more will have their name honoured on a plaque by the venue’s entrance to pay tribute to those who helped make the space possible.
Although his passion for music has always existed, Davis says his dreams of opening up his own music venue didn’t come up until recently. Still, he says that the venue has “always been in the background,” and many locals wondered when someone would bring it back to life. The space previously served as the home to The Grand Gerrard, an independent theatre space.
One day, Davis says he was walking down the street with his mother and her dog when they noticed a for rent sign posted at the venue. The sign sparked up conservation between the two about Davis being a venue owner, and Davis asked one of his friends who works in sound to check out the space, who gave a thumbs up from an audio standpoint.
Davis boasts experience as a stagehand and has worked in all kinds of music venues across the city, including Danforth Music Hall, Budweiser Stage, and the Velvet Underground. After deciding to pursue the venue’s ownership seriously, Davis says he thought it would be the perfect way to commemorate his late aunt, Mercy.
“She was just my best friend. She was somebody who, no matter what the scenario was, I could always count on. She really supported me as an artist,” Davis told blogTO.
“When she passed away, I was really upset and tried to make music to honour her, and nothing ever sat well with me. Finally, when the venue came up, it was a genuine decision to name it after her. Then it set in, of how impactful and how important this is, not just for me, but for my family,” he added.
“Her name will forever be remembered like this. My love for her is one thing, but now, other people will get to love her through this space. Similar to what she did for me, she’ll be able to support these young and growing artists to become whatever they want to be.”
Davis is currently working on getting the 400-capacity venue up to code, with visits from building and fire inspectors to make sure that the space is safe for all patrons once it’s up and running.
It’s clear that the community also wants to see the venue brought back to life — locals have been supplying many of the elements needed for the space, including a soundboard, microphones, cabling, and paint. Davis’ own friends from school even jumped in to help him build a new bar.
“I can’t even explain how surreal it feels. Taking on this project, I didn’t understand the extent of it. To call upon a bunch of people that I don’t know, and to have this response back is just unbelievable,” he said.
“I’m just a kid in the neighbourhood who decided to try to open a new venue in the city, which during these times is wild, but I think the community also wants to keep some type of art in this neighbourhood alive, and hopefully it continues to grow for generations.”
Once open, Mercy on Gerrard won’t be limited in the types of events it hosts. As Davis says, “Diversity is the name of the game,” and he hopes to showcase talent across the board, from acapella groups to fashion show drag nights.
“I don’t want to confine myself. Music has such a large reach that the space can be used for much more than one specific genre,” he explained. “There are so many kids in the neighbourhood that want a space that they can go perform at and go to shows and express themselves freely.”
While the venue is proceeding as if they are going to open this spring, Davis acknowledges that certain components within the timeline are out of their control. Although a lot of work remains ahead, he is confident that the venue will have an enduring legacy not just in the community but also in Toronto’s music scene.
“Mercy won’t be a top-of-the-line venue where you have to look a certain way or do certain things to be involved,” he said. “I just want to create a space that people can come in and create their own history.”
