Call it the little hamlet that could.
With some hot new restaurants and its close proximity to the University of Toronto, the Harbord Street business improvement area is flourishing in a city overshadowed by grim economic news.
Nestled along Harbord Street between Spadina Avenue and Borden Street, the small community is experiencing an upswing unlike other parts of the city: six new businesses have opened there in the last year.
A survey of 25 of the city's business improvement areas (BIAs) conducted by The Globe and Mail found pockets of success in Toronto - including Harbord Street and the Liberty Village business district - despite deepening concerns about spending, battered investments and rising levels of unemployment.
Whitney Brown, owner of Chabichou, a cheese and meat shop which opened two months ago despite the recession, is pleased with how the store has been received.
"So far we've done very well and people are very happy to have us in the neighbourhood," said Ms. Brown, who also owns Tati Bistro which opened on Harbord Street about a year ago.Neil Wright, chair of the Harbord Street Business Improvement Area, said the neighbourhood is "buffered" from the recession more than other parts of the city.
"A lot of that has to do with the University of Toronto," Mr. Wright said. "We gather and obtain a number [of students, faculty, and guest speakers]coming to our restaurants and our bookstores and the other shops on the street."
While Mr. Wright said there is a sense of cautiousness among area residents, their desire for a social life has kept them spending.
John Oakes, owner of Harbord House restaurant, which also opened a year ago, agrees.
"To be perfectly honest, our January and February, which are traditionally slow months in the restaurant business, were better than December, which is typically one of the busiest months," Mr. Oakes said.
Another business district doing well in bleak economic times is Liberty Village, near Dufferin Street and King Street West, home to an abundance of high-tech, arts and design businesses.
Lynn Clay, executive director of the Liberty Village BIA, said the area is faring well because it's not dependent on fickle retail sales.
"We don't have a retail strip like most BIAs do," Ms. Clay said.
"There has been some impact, but relatively little impact here."
But the survey also found some areas are struggling.
Parkdale, for instance, has seen five closings and just one opening since January.
Heather Douglas, co-ordinator for the Parkdale Village BIA, said that while the closings may not be a direct result of the recession, it has played a role.
"It's been slow," she said.
"That's generally the theme that folks have been sharing ... but everybody's doing their best to stay afloat."
Another area concerned with the downward trend of the last few months is the Junction.
Anna-Louise Richardson, executive director of the Junction BIA, described the situation there as "stable," but added that some businesses may soon disappear.
"We're concerned that we might lose them in the near future," Ms. Richardson said.
Enric Rose, owner of Rose Antiques, a business that has been in the Junction for close to 30 years, said people are no longer coming into his store.
"Things are really bad," Mr. Rose said. "The little guy ... may end up in the welfare line soon."
Still, others are optimistic the warm weather will thaw spending habits frozen by a long, hard winter.
Subba Chintaluri, manager of the Gerrard India Bazaar BIA, said "there is a glimmer of hope from March onward," explaining that warm weather brings tourists and locals to the strip between Greenwood and Coxwell Avenues.
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New in town
Six new businesses have opened in the Harbord Street area over the past year:
Chabichou
A cheese shop with gourmet food at 196 Borden St.
Tati Bistro
A restaurant that boasts a "tree-house patio" at 124 Harbord St.
Harbord House
A "gastro-bar" offering gourmet pub fare at 150 Harbord St.
Harbord Room
An upscale restaurant at 89 Harbord St.
Things Japanese
A gift shop with a flavour of the Far East at 128 Harbord St.
Tik Talk Café
A colourful snack bar near U of T at 96 Harbord St.
Shivan Micoo