June 20th might be Take Your Dog to Work Day around the world, but at Freeman Real Estate pooches are as much a part of the workplace as the furniture.

The Freemans have a long and illustrious reputation as serious canine lovers beginning with their father, Barry Freeman who introduced his beloved pooch Olly to the Bathurst Street office in its early days back in the 1970s.
The tradition has continued with his sons, Elden and Daniel, who each enjoy walking to the office with their furry friends in tow. Elden is often seen accompanied by his three dogs, two Bichons Frise, Yappa and Dopey, and a mutt named Shuli, who hails from Israel. Daniel’s best friend is a hound dog named Babe.

The newest member of the Freeman Team, Babe.

Admin staff is also encouraged to bring in their pups, meaning the fur can fly with as many as seven dogs in the office. All of the dogs are naturally well behaved and socialized. The Freemans guarantee petiquiette of the highest standard, ensuring that vaccinations are up to date and that plenty of dog toys and treats are provided.

The Freemans truly believe a dog presence at work enhances productivity, improves the mood of staff and clients, and increases efficiency because everybody is happier. Animals in the workplace, they say, actually serve to keep stress levels down.

“If I’ve had a difficult meeting or phone conversation, I go see a couple of the dogs for a quick pet and it just takes all that stress away,” says Elden. “Having dogs here makes it comfortable. It’s like good therapy for people. They see we’re not stuffy and uptight. I think it shows that we’re more family oriented, laid back and flexible.”

The merits of having dogs in the workplace are a phenomenon that has been debated for years. Now researchers are studying its effects. A U.S. based study in 2012 found there to be less stress and more job satisfaction, organizational commitment and support in work environments in which dogs were present.

The Freemans have such ardent affection for friends of the four-legged kind that they’ve dedicated a special page on their website to pet-friendly Toronto condos for sale, a feature you won’t find on Realtor.ca. That way, Freeman clients never have to part with their beloved pets.

Visit our Pet Friendly Condo page http://www.freemanrealty.com/pet-friendly-toronto-condos. There you’ll see a variety of dwellings in different price ranges starting at $300,000. Be sure to check out the gallery of photos and accompanying bios of those furry friends who call the office home.

For some, it may be the most over-the-top thing you’ve ever done. But that’s according to your friends whose idea of overdoing it is using one per cent milk in their decaf.

Don’t listen to them. Listen to your heart. Because when all is said and done buying a house for your son or granddaughter this Christmas is one of the greatest tangible ways to show how much you love them.

Think of the looks on their faces when you tell them what Santa is bringing this year. Not only will you earn heaps of brownie points with the kids and grandkids, you’re sure to cement a stronger bond with them as well. If not stronger, than at least you’re opening the door to closer ties. Just be careful not to use and abuse the privilege as that only builds resentment and bitterness.

As for that sense of entitlement naysayers say you’ll foster in your kids, that’s all up to you. Ungrateful children who expect too much from their parents behave that way because parents have permitted the unbecoming behaviour.

Besides, there may also be somewhat of an ulterior motive involved in this special gift. Providing a roof for your children allows you, quite frankly, to rest easier knowing they are free from the financial constraints of rent or mortgage payments. Maybe now they can pursuit that MBA they’ve always dreamed of or travel to Africa to do mission work or become a master sommelier. The point is you’re buying them freedom and yourself peace of mind.

You won’t be alone. According to a 2011 national survey out of the U.S. more and more baby boomers are giving their kids or grandkids the gift of home ownership.

Commissioned by Better Homes and Garden Real Estate, the survey said that 20 per cent of baby boomers have already gifted, loaned, or co-signed a loan to support their children or grandchildren in purchasing a home. It also indicated that 70 per cent of baby boomers want to provide this financial support in the future.

The boomers in the survey said that love was the main reason they are willing to provide funding for a house and that they hoped their gift would allow their children and grandchildren to reach the American dream.

That sounds about right for Canadians as well. At Christmas, and any time really, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

The sad but inevitable news of Honest Ed’s pending sale and ultimate closure is a big example of how a neighborhood evolves over time.

The shiny, bright bargain emporium at Bathurst and Bloor, which is now on the market for $100 million, has been a bargain hunter’s retail paradise for 65 years.

Beginning in the days of the five and dime, Honest Ed Mirvish wanted to deliver discounts to customers. He trail blazed the way for in-store markdowns and a following of price-conscious shoppers, many of whom were newcomers to Canada.

I have visions of the store as a child. It was a great space to run around and get lost in. Later, when I began my real estate career in the late ‘80s, I recall seeing long lines streaming around the block from those willing to wait in line to get the store’s special offering that day.

The lines of customers comprised mostly new immigrants and as the composition of the Annex changed over the years, the lines seemed to get shorter and shorter. The changing demographics of the area, and the evolution of the retail landscape with stores such as Walmart, Costco and even the dollar stores, created stiffer competition, eventually weakening the giant pull this discount retailer once had.

Like all good things that must end, I’m saddened by the imminent loss of Honest Ed’s. I still love wandering through the aisles of that great store. For me, many of my memories are marked by special holidays. At Passover time, you could be guaranteed a great assortment of affordable kosher food. I remember those great parties Ed would throw every July to celebrate his birthday and him handing out turkeys just before Christmas. With 160,000 square feet of retail space, it was easy to find neat things to buy and naturally you always came home with way more than you planned.

I remember one Saturday after synagogue driving the retail mogul home in my parent’s car. We all squished in and dropped Ed and his wife off at home. That’s when I learned he lived only a few blocks south of us on the same street.

New development on the site of Honest Ed’s will likely make the neighbourhood even more desirable. Already, we’ve noticed an increase in investor interest looking for deals to take advantage of the neighbourhood’s changing face.

The passage of time always brings with it change. Thanks for the memories, Honest Ed’s. It was good knowing you.

In a city that serves up some of the best food in the country why would it not also deliver when it comes to events that honour the diverse cultural mosaic we call Toronto? It could be argued that that the city’s top notch culinary scene would not be so fabulously flavourful without the ethnic groups that keep it going.

With that in mind, why not consider a visit to some of the finest outdoor celebrations that pay tribute to our diversity. September and October are prime festival-going months with neighbourhoods taking turns as they present a head-turning, sensory surplus of food, music, arts and culture.

Let’s begin our tour:

The Ukrainian Festival is a lot more than cabbage rolls and borsht.  Marking its 17^th year along Bloor Street West, the event plays host to top Ukrainian artists and performers in addition to Ukrainian dance companies, bands and visual arts. Attracting more than 500,000 visitors, the festival runs September 13 to 15.

Not be outdone,  the Roncesvalles Polish Festival stages its eighth annual event September 14 and 15 and features the ‘Dance Under the Stars’ polka party on Saturday. Kielbasa, anyone?

If South American and the Caribbean is more your thing, you won’t want to miss the Pan American Food Festival September 20 to 22. This free event takes place at Harbourfront Centre. Don’t miss culinary historian Maricel Presilla, one of the world’s leading authorities on the Latin American kitchen.

Industry awards as well as fare from about 50 food truck vendors will be on hand at the second annual Food Truck Festival on September 21. The nosh fest at Fort York runs from 2 to 8 p.m. at 100 Garrison Road.

What’s a Sweets and Treats Festival without a midway, a beer and wine garden and various buskers performing their melodies throughout the September 21 and 22 events? Starting each day at noon at Sugar Beach, this inaugural party invites you to indulge your sweet tooth in support of the SickKids Foundation.

Ever wondered why garlic is so good for you? Head down to the Toronto Garlic Festival on September 22 to find out why. Chefs, garlic experts, farmers will be on hand at the Evergreen Brick Works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Toronto Chocolate Festival rolls out its three-week long, city-wide event October 12 in which chocolatiers, pastry shops and restaurants gear up to please chocolate-loving palettes. The King Edward Hotel offers a high tea with chocolates and chocolate pastries during the festival. Its signature event is the 8^th annual Chocolate Ball on October 17 at the Eglinton Grand.

As an empty nester, new housing options open up to you like never before.

And while some will stay in the suburbs right into old age, many will abandon their mega houses, mega lawns and mega bills for smaller, lower-maintenance digs in hip and trendy city neighbourhoods.

That trend appears to be well on its way. According to census data from Statistics Canada, the country’s metropolitan areas grew by almost eight per cent since the previous census.

While you may need to forfeit certain features such as space and property to live in the city, the benefits you gain more than outweigh your losses. Besides, when you think about all the time you spend on the maintenance and care of your sprawling suburban house and property, don’t you find yourself thinking surely there’s more to life than this?

The benefits to city living are vast and varied. You’ll be able to give up that second car as you walk your neighbourhood or turn to the comprehensive transportation grid offered by streetcars, buses and subways. Are you into obscure post-modern art? You’ll find it in Toronto. Maybe theatre is your thing? Again, your options are greater in the city. Do you get your kicks from social activism or delving into community causes? There are plenty to choose from in the city. Heck, if quieter pastimes such as bird watching or yoga in the park appeal, there are plenty of spaces in which to indulge your Zen side. If gastronomy is more your thing, there are literally thousands of restaurants, snack bars and coffee shops in which to taste the latest culinary craze or ethnic food trend.

The opportunities to be a part of your surroundings are virtually limitless. And if you’re still working, as many Canadians are postponing retirement, you’re probably closer to the office than you were in the ‘burbs. You may also be physically closer to your grown children, many of whom have recently launched their own careers in the city.

Condo living may be the perfect antidote to decades of high-maintenance suburban living. In Toronto and Vancouver there are plenty to choose from. But if condos strike you as too restrictive, small or fee-laden, there are numerous options available. Smaller bungalows, semi-detached homes and townhouses are perfect for the empty nester who wants outdoor space but less of it.

Change rarely comes easily. And moving to the city may take some adjustment after decades in the relative peace and quiet of the suburbs. But I’m guessing the odds are you won’t look back.

It’s a tough call. You’ve never lived beyond the second floor of your bedroom so how are you supposed to know if you’ll like higher altitudes.

Perhaps you’re a single mother who’s married to a job that demands quick turnaround and flexibility. Or maybe you are a soon-to-retire social activist who enjoys the prospect of living downtown near the causes, projects and people you support. You might be a newly married couple, who is hoping to break into the housing market but wants to maintain digs downtown near your jobs and friends. Any which way, you’re all storybook condo dwellers.

Being close to restaurants, bars, museums, public transportation and your job are big pluses of condo living. So is their often affordable price point.

But if privacy and independence are big issues you might want to think long and hard about buying

a condo. Neighbours are close by and some have turned complaining about their neighbours’ itty-bitty infractions into a sport. There’s a level of small-mindedness among some condo residents that you either have to swallow or learn to tolerate.

Condo living can be difficult for people who don’t like rules and who are accustomed to doing what they want when they want to. Residents, for example, can’t simply park where they feel like parking or plant shrubs where they think they’ll look attractive. You need to have respect for your neighbours because you’re in closer proximity to them.

Be sure to check the condo’s financial situation. Pay attention to contingency funds for emergencies and make sure the complex or building is insured for replacement value. Talk to people who live in the condo and ask them probing questions about what it’s like to live there.

If you’re still not certain, consider this fun and, by no means official, condo quiz:

1. My privacy is:

___ Insignificant.
___ Somewhat important to me.
___ So critical I used to be a hermit.

2. Amenities such as swimming pools and tennis courts are:

___ What I dream about.
___ Not that important to me.
___ I’m no Michael Phelps or Martina Navratilova, that’s for sure.

3. How would you respond to the following statement, “I like mowing the lawn, landscaping, and gardening,”

___ Are you out of your mind?
___ It’s okay.
___ Make some iced tea. I’m digging a swimming pool today.

4. Living in an urban environment is:

___ What I thrive on.
___ Something I can take or leave.
___ Not my bag—I’ll take Green Acres any day.

Total all your points, giving yourself 1 point for each first answer, 2 points for each second answer, and 3 points for each third answer.

Evaluate your score as follows:

4 to 5 points: Future president of the condominium association

6 to 10 points: A good candidate for condo living

11 to 12 points:  Obviously, vertical living is not for you

Lennox Lewis                                                   Donovan Bailey 

 

At 77, Steve the Tailor has snipped miles of fabric and sewn millions of stitches to the sartorial delight of customers near and far. That he’s hanging up his hat after more than 40 years as a maker of men’s and women’s clothes is a sad day for those who relish quality craftsmanship.

Steve Papadimitriou opened his shop on Bathurst Street near Bloor in 1970 when there were still other Greek businesses in the neighbourhood. They’ve since moved on but Steve stayed thanks to a loyal base of customers who hailed mainly from the Caribbean and the West Indies.

An odd pairing that might be – Greek and Caribbean, but the community’s black population adored Steve’s handiwork, while he, naturally, appreciated their patronage. The mutual admiration would continue to grow with customers from Jamaica and the States calling Steve to see if he could measure them for another suit or perhaps a whole wardrobe full.

The city’s black celebrities would eventually wind their way to his shop. Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey would send plenty of customers Steve’s way. Fashioning a suit for world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis in his early career, the boxer’s coach told Steve that Lewis would one day be big. Reggae musician Leroy Sibbles, hurdler Mark McKoy and CBC TV journalist Dwight Drummond, among others, all had clothes fitted and stitched there.

His work was adored thanks to its quality. Steve hand-stitched his clothes and never used patterns. At one point, he was one of the busiest tailors in Toronto hiring a staff of five sewers and making 100 to 150 pairs of pants a week.

When the other Greek businesses still operated in the area, some owners asked Steve how with his much accented English, he could understand his black customers, many of whom spoke with heavy Jamaican accents. Somehow, that was never a problem. The black folks liked his work and he liked them. Besides, he loved his location on Bathurst because it was very safe and very clean. Even after his Greek compatriots moved to the Danforth, Steve believed his shop, above which he and his wife raised three kids, was the best place. “I don’t change with no one,” says Steve.

That decision worked out well for his family. Son Jimmy works as a sales rep at Freeman Real Estate which is just a block away. Jimmy has carried on his father’s eye for design and fashion as he and his brother own three clothing stores throughout the city.

In retirement, Steve will continue visiting his village of Periklea which is in the mountains near the northern border in Greece. He’ll head there for a few months a year to visit his older sister, tinker around in the house he owns and hang out with the villagers. Family and friends will come to stay here and there. Jimmy is visiting for a month. A daughter-in-law plans to pop in as well.

But the burning question on everyone’s mind is will he ever make a suit again?

“You never know,” Steve says. “I prefer not to but maybe.”

As a real estate sales rep for Freeman Real Estate for eight years, it took Janelle a few circuitous years to find her true calling. Right out of university she worked as a flight attendant and then as a customer service rep for a government agency. Working with people is the common factor in all her careers.

But it wasn’t until she sold her own home through an outside realtor that Janelle realized that selling and buying homes might be for her. Janelle’s realtor suggested she give it a try so she did and she hasn’t looked back.

“When you’re in sales you really need to believe in what you’re selling to be successful at it,” says Janelle. “I come to appreciate every property to the point where I can sell it because I actually believe in it as a product and I believe there is a buyer for everything. You have to find the right fit.”

While Janelle truly loved her work with Canada 3000 airlines, getting to travel the world and stay in nice hotels, it was a career well suited for her previous life as a carefree single woman. Today, as the married mom of two young kids, real estate offers the 40-year-old financial stability, a chance to build her career and the flexibility to shop for groceries on a Tuesday afternoon while the children are at day care.

Each day brings a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for Janelle because she truly enjoys her work, which differs all the time. “Because of my experience working in the airline industry I was accustomed to working odd hours. I enjoy that.”

Janelle specializes in residential real estate in downtown Toronto, Etobicoke and Mississauga. She hooked up with the Freeman team after presenting the winning offer on a Freeman listing. “My buyers got the property and within a day or two Nancy Freeman called and said you need to come work here.”

She loves the not-too-big, not-too-small size of Freeman’s Bathurst Street headquarters which has a “lovely office environment” and a staff that makes her feel like she’s part of a team effort.

Janelle knows her former careers each contributed to the realtor she is today. In fact, life and work experience are necessary requirements for someone thinking about a career in real estate because, she emphasizes, the work is a whole lot more than simply sales. “You need life and street experience,” she says. “You need a thick skin to withstand the rejection and you need to know how to handle the many different types of personalities you encounter.”

Janelles Website: http://www.janelleweiss.com/ 

Some say working with the public can be a thankless job, while others derive a sense of pride in it.

The latter is definitely the case for Helen and Steve Moon who’ve owned and operated Steven’s Groceries at the corner of Bathurst and Follis since 2007.

The convenience store, which is open from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, offers customers a soup-to-nuts range of products from Christmas trees in December to cut flowers and plants in summer to sewing needles, laundry soap and even obscure little finds that you won’t find in other stores.

Classical music and kind words of welcome greet customers who enter the store. The space is surprisingly clean and tidy given its abundant stock. Helen and Steve enjoy marking many holidays and celebrations such as Canada Day and St. Patrick’s Day by decorating their shop with appropriate flags, balloons and banners. It’s easy to see why the Toronto Star voted the store as one of the best in the city.

But Helen, a native of Seoul, Korea, credits her success back to her customers.

“Our relationship with the customers is important,” says Helen, 55, who was a professor of art education in Korea. “Every customer is my friend. We give them poinsettias every Christmas and they give me Christmas cards, and they give me pictures of their families and their pets and we put them up in the store.”

Because of the store’s location in Seaton Village, not far from the University of Toronto’s stomping grounds, many of its customers are students, professors, doctors and lawyers – all very nice people, says Helen, and the reason why “we are a good match.”

Helen and Steve and their two grown children moved to Canada 13 years ago. Finding this corner store with the name Steven already on the sign was a happy coincidence for the Moons, who had been looking to purchase a convenience store for some time.

The store, which is adjacent to Freeman Real Estate Ltd., was the brainchild of my grandparents Max and Sarah Hartstone, who decided to open a dry goods store there in 1959. Named after their first grandson, the store – known then as Steven’s Milk – served the needs of the neighbourhood’s largely working-class immigrants. As its customers changed and evolved so, too, did the store moving its merchandise into organics and specialty foods.

Sarah, Max and their son Marvin worked longs hours at the store, which was open till midnight seven days a week. Max died at 75 in 1982, while my grandmother lived to the ripe old age of 98. Marvin decided to close down the store in the mid nineties after suffering a serious heart attack. His retirement and his crusty but kind manner were celebrated in a Toronto Star column.

Steven’s Milk provided many young men in the neighbourhood with their first jobs as Max and Sarah liked to hire customers, even those who had shoplifted in the store, to help with the endless chores associated with running a corner store.

Because my grandfather virtually lived in the store, it was there that he forged relationships, ate meals and performed odd jobs that most people performed at home. A tight relationship with Sealtest Milk executives led to daily milk-less lunches in the back of the store. On the menu? What else but pastrami, herring and good old wholesome scotch.

As a realtor, we wear hats of many different sizes and styles.

One day, our hat might be that of an investor or accountant, the next it might be confidante and counsellor. During a particularly nasty transaction, you might don the hat of or divorce attorney. You just never know.

Geoff Mundell, a residential real estate sales rep here at Freeman Realty for the past six years, is used to the drill thanks to an eclectic career that has seen this renaissance man dig for gold in a northern Ontario gold mine, mix drinks for affluent personalities at the A.C.C. and deliver parcels for UPS.

The Platinum Club, where Geoff still works part time during the hockey season, is a great spot to market his real estate services. Staff and clientele are quick to accept his business card. Next to having a trade that lets him sell his practice, Geoff loves the fast pace of working at a bar.

“I like the action,” says the 57-year-old Toronto native who loves to cook in addition to mixing drinks. “It’s nine to 10 hours of complete mayhem and it’s nonstop. A day disappears so fast and 10 hours blows by before you know it.”

He’s served cocktails to a who’s who list of celebrities, from Michael Douglas and J. Lo to Jon Bon Jovi and each venture capitalist on the Dragon’s Den.

His bartending skills, which involve a level of sales proficiency, tie in with his career as a realtor. Much of his real estate work is repeat business. Since about 50 per cent of his practice focuses on first-time home buyers, many are now looking to upgrade to a bigger and better home to accommodate their growing families.

Geoff, who’s married to a chiropractor, enjoys showing young couples potential digs. As someone who specializes in the first-time home buyer market, he knows his condos and is not shy about steering clients to well-built, quality buildings versus poor lay-outs and badly built lesser models.

“It’s an education,” he says simply. “Some are terrible and some are fantastic. I take them to what I consider a good product and they usually end up in a place I think they should be.”

Over the years, Geoff’s encountered some weird and humourous situations as a realtor. Like the hand-wringing first-time sale to a young couple that was bankrolled by two rich aunties. One lived in Toronto and the other was in England, which made consulting each other on the merits of each potential possibility somewhat labourious. Fifty properties and six months later, the couple finally got a great condo. Frustrating, admits Geoff, but worth it in the end.

Or the countless times he’s found the vendor of a listing in bed or in the shower after being told that no one would be home.

That’ll redden your cheeks.