"They're real and they're spectacular." - Seinfeld
YOU need a business card.
No matter what it is you do, if you want to generate serious interest in yourself and what you have to offer, then a proper business card is the MOST important tool in your promotional material. Think about it: it's portable, customizable and provides everything a potential client/employer needs to know about you, your service and how to reach you. It can be provided on the spot at a moment's notice without fussing with gadgets, buttons and websites, and it's reasonably cheap to print several hundred cards with an eye-catching colour picture and bold, memorable graphics. I got my first set recently for less than $130 (including $30 for a mock-up) and I've been distributing them to select recipients ever since. And here's another important point you need to remember: cards can be handed to people you feel will best be able to take advantage of your service with the bonus of wowing them face-to-face with your pitch. A website can't do that.
My card has the above picture with 'MISS FIT' in big, bold blue letters followed by my phone number. On the back are these bullet points:
>PRIVATE, AT HOME SESSIONS >LOW-IMPACT WORKOUTS >STRESS-FREE GUIDANCE >FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES >REASONABLE RATES >GREAT MUSIC >DOWNTOWN TORONTO
Do you get it? I'm a home fitness provider who - for a little extra - will kick in a relaxing post-workout massage. (I mention the massage part when I hand out the card.) Not bad, right? Response has been positive so far (guys LOVE looking at boobies - go figure) and hopefully this will be the start of a new direction for me.
If you're a struggling actor, put your best colour headshot on the front with your name, number and email, and on the back:
>TALENTED ACTOR >IMPROV SPECIALIST* >EXTENSIVE___** EXPERIENCE >FLEXIBLE SKILL SET >PERSONABLE AND A QUICK STUDY >FAVE MOVIE:___***
*You're an actor - improv is your bread-and-butter and you don't have to be Robin Williams to prove it. **Insert 'stage/ad/live/TV/film (even if you've only done extra work)' here. ***A surefire conversation continuer. "Oh, you liked ____? Didn't you find the ending a tad pretentious?" etc.
Be you a graphic artist, musician, novelist or furniture maker, put your mug/design on a card and go hang out where potential clients/employers eat, workout, attend concerts and party. Become skilled at choosing your 'mark' and devise a way to approach him/her without accosting them. If they're in your vicinity and you sense an opening, you might want to try a line like: "Hi, do you have the time?" (it's lame - I know - but sometimes highly effective), or "I love that ring - where'd you get it?". Hey, you never know who you'll meet the next time you sidle up to the bar in that hot spot hotel and order an overpriced drink that'll cost you a month's worth of laundry quarters. It just might be worth it when the guy whose ear you chewed off the night before wakes up from his bender with your card stuck to his clammy, bloated face.
My Internet and cable bill is due on Friday and I can't pay it.
Guess how much money I have right now?
$250.
Yup. The last of my escort earnings cause I haven't seen any clients in a month.
A month.
To say I'm at a crossroads in my life is an understatement. I've no clue what to do, what can be done, or where my next dollar is going to come from, but I do know that I don't want to spend anymore time with strange men.
It's just too much to bear.
As much as it kills me to say it, I've Mr. Kamikaze to thank for my change of heart. Don't get me wrong - I was never cut out for this line of work - but being with him reminded me what it's like to be with someone I can truly connect with on a deeper level. It made being with other men I wasn't interested in that much harder. I turned down more calls than usual and suffered financially as a result. It's too bad he turned out to be such a disappointment - but given his track record - I was better off without him.
I don't know how much longer I'm going to have internet service, so I figure now is as good a time as any to put the kibosh on my blogging. It's eaten into too much of my time, and I feel like I need to make a fresh start, anyway. The Internet has exposed me to a lot of interesting things over the past 2-and-a-half years, and I'm proud of what I've amassed. I think my blogs serve as a snapshot of contemporary culture, and hopefully people will use them as a resource and source of inspiration.
I can never truly quit the web, so I imagine I'll pop up somewhere at sometime under a different name and I'm sure my voice will be familiar to those who've been hanging around here long enough. I'll always have an opinion and an eagerness to explore other peoples' exciting endeavours, so it wouldn't surprise me one bit if I became involved in creating a new, legitimate website focusing on all aspects of 21st century living.
Until then, I'll just have to cool my heels and pray for change in the right direction.
Call me the VITAMINE WATER of the e$corting business A VOYEURS Dream Come True - HOT Couple and a Helping Hand 2 BUMS are BETTER then 1 ;-) Queen Of All Freaks CLICK ME, PICK ME! I Love To Be Used For Pleasure KISS ME, LICK ME, I AM YOUR TREAT. MAKE ME DO THINGS TO YOU The day is not complete until you've relaxed with me Wanna Pet My Kitten? :x) I Might Be W.e.t. So C.u.m Put Your Hands Here & Find Out Let Me UNZIP YOU And Put It In My Mouth...Service With a SMILE I am Your Therapists Michelle Especializing In EXTREME PLEASURE Bad Girl Needs More Then A Spanking *OnCe*U*POP*U*CaN'T*StOp* Im So H/O/R/N/Y I Must Get S/L/A/M/MED IM A Super S/L/U/T!!!!! Have You Had Your MILF Today?? NEED A GREAT RIDE WATCH THESE TRIPLE DS BOUNCE LIKE A pornstar come worship my gifts Do You Want A Real Woman Or A Little Girl If You Seek A Real Woman Hot and Sexy Too, Let's Talk!!! STRESS?? I CAN TAKE CARE OF THAT! _________________________________________________
As it turns out, Mr.Kamikaze is ok. He's been travelling around Africa and supposedly coming home today or tomorrow. Huh. Thing is, I completely forgot my place in this situation and didn't realise that when a client sends "I miss you" messages every other day, and then disappears for a week without contact, it doesn't actually mean anything. I'm not supposed to be concerned. Heaven forbid I actually have an emotion. No, no, no. That's not allowed. I'm hired to turn it on when he wants it, and turn it off when he doesn't. Never mind that I'm actually a human being first, and an escort second. Humans are messy; escorts are efficient. That's why they call us pros. My mistake, and believe me, it won't happen again.
Now you know why women in this business get jaded. I thought it couldn't happen to me, and yet here I am.
If anyone has any doubt about Twitter being the next powerhouse communication tool, consider this: Conan O'Brien posted a single, solitary tweet 5 hours ago and now he has 174,006 followers. Talk about an ego boost. How long, do you think, before he breaks a million? It's no secret we're all waiting for the next Conan project - be it on TV or the Internet - but in the meantime we've got his tweets to keep us going. I hope he keeps it up, cause you know he'll make even walking the dog sound funny. Yes, he's back! And I just want to say, Thank you, NBC, for firing Conan and saving comedy.
Ok, make that 180,567...
UPDATE 1 [02.25.10] Has my point about Twitter sunken in yet? No? Well then, look at it this way: If Conan had posted a message on his Facebook "wall", there's no fucking way it would've reached over a quarter of a million people in less than 24 hours. None. When it comes to outreach, Facebook's exclusivity bites it in the ass. It's great for organizing parties, but not for organizing events - especially major ones. Let's face it, on the Information Superhighway, Twitter's a bullet train to Facebook's rusty shopping cart with the squeaky wheel that's always veering left.
So, if Conan and his crew put out a casting call for their next project, which medium would get the word out faster and to more people? Facebook or Twitter? And if you - as a writer/comedian/agent - want to get the jumpstart over everyone else, then which medium are you going to monitor more closely? Facebook or Twitter? If you chose the former, then you just lost your place in line, and possibly your shot at the opportunity of a lifetime. These days, who can afford to wait?
Let's make that 340,394...
UPDATE 2 [02.26.10] Conan on Twitter: 377,647 followers and counting... (after 2 days and 2 tweets) Conan on Facebook: His largest fan group has 41,709 fans (search results)
From the numbers above, you can see that when it comes to crowdsourcing capabilities, Twitter blasts Facebook out of the water and into outer space. If Conan's smart (and we all know he is), he's working on a project right now with the intent of promoting it no later than the summer. By firing him, NBC gave him the best publicity money can't buy, and he'll want to capitalize on the momentum of public interest before it runs cold. After all, in the age of Twitter, popularity has a shelf life of days, if not hours. I'd say Conan's lucky the entertainment world - in particular comedy - is a stale environment right now. It takes Herculean efforts to launch something on TV and on the Internet there's what? Funny or Die videos? C'mon, he's in the perfect position to blow our minds, and if he's half the "genius" people say he is, he'll do just that (before fall 2010).
UPDATE 3 [03.02.10] Looks like Conan and his writers are getting ready to tickle our comedy tastebuds once again. From the comments: Are you really going to do a live show? When and where? Boston I hope!
UPDATE 4 [03.03.10] Conan's number of followers has surpassed the half million mark. He now has 503,497 followers after 7 days and 8 tweets. Jay Leno who?? __________________________________________________
WELCOME to Crain's Forty Under 40 class of 2009. Despite the tough economy, Crain's has once again identified a diverse group of New Yorkers who have excelled in their respective fields, from fashion to TV to the world of nonprofits.
Catherine Moellering, 37 Best & Co., President WHEN Catherine Moellering’s parents agreed to pay for her to attend Harvard University, they hoped she might become a doctor or lawyer, or at least an investment banker.
Looking back, Ms. Moellering says, her folks should have known she would end up in retail. As a child, while her siblings were building spaceships out of Legos, she was using the blocks to construct a credit card imprint machine so she could play Store.
After college, Ms. Moellering rose through the retail ranks swiftly. Her first post was in the Bloomingdales' management training program in New York City, working in the men’s neckwear department. After Bloomie’s, she moved to San Francisco to work for the Gap on a fledgling project called Old Navy, staying long enough to watch it go from about 15 locations to 585.
In 2001, she joined Liz Claiborne Inc. to hone her management skills. There, she helped oversee a handful of brands, including then-white-hot DKNY, and served under the tutelage of retail all-stars like Angela Ahrendts, now the chief of Burberry.
“She’s bright [and] intellectually curious,” says Paul Charron, former chief executive of Liz Claiborne. “I think she is going to be influential on the New York stage for a long time to come.”
In her latest role, Ms. Moellering became president of posh childrenswear maker Best & Co. last year, just in time for the collapse in retail spending. The luxury line, a 130-year-old company, had already been losing money for years $10 million in 2007 alone. To stanch the bleeding, she pared the company’s vendor list to 20 from 300 and launched a wholesale division to lure less-affluent customers to the brand.
“I just fell in love with it,” Ms. Moellering says. Though sales last year were just over $10 million, she predicts big things for the company. “I think this is a $100 million brand.”
Jonah Staw, 33 Miss Matched Inc., Chief executive WHEN Jonah Staw goes to work in the morning, he gets to sit at a desk made of a bunk bed and drink chocolate root beer from his office’s new soda fountain.
“I realized I’d be most successful if I tap-danced on the table instead of being a conservative businessman,” says the co-founder of the LittleMissMatched brand of socks and accessories.
He’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit. At age 8, Mr. Staw started his own postcard company, drawing birdlike images on special paper to sell at local bookstores in Berkeley, Calif.
“As an 8-year-old, you’re rolling in dough if you can buy an extra pack of Now and Later candy,” he says.
After an early career as an architect he designed and built his own dream house and a stint at design firm Frog, Mr. Staw launched Miss Matched in 2004.
The quirky sock company has since expanded to pajamas and bedroom furniture and has an upcoming apparel line for tweens. Last year, revenue jumped 28% from 2007, to $32 million, and Mr. Staw says e-commerce sales grew 80%. The brand is carried at Macy’s, FAO Schwarz, Bed Bath & Beyond and at 3,000 specialty shops.
But that’s not the endgame. Despite the recession’s chilling effect on retail, Mr. Staw plans to open a store in Grand Central Terminal this spring and is searching for another location. The expansion is part of a business plan underwritten by private equity firm Catterton Partners.
“People get a good idea but are afraid to go forward on it,” says Doreen Lorenzo, chief executive of Frog and a former colleague of Mr. Staw’s. “Jonah left Frog to start this business, and that takes a lot of guts.”
Ed Rosenfeld, 33 Steve Madden Ltd., Chairman and chief executive MICHIGAN native Ed Rosenfeld has been immersed in retail his whole life. Dinner table conversation while he was growing up revolved around the family business, specialty department store Jacobson’s, where he worked cleaning the bathrooms and operating the cash register. Just after graduating from Amherst College, he moved to New York and worked as a retail investment banker for Peter J. Solomon Co.
When he wanted a change, he didn’t stray from his roots. Last year, he took the helm of footwear and accessories giant Steven Madden Ltd.
“I got tired of advising clients. I wanted to make decisions and actually live with them,” he says.
Heading a $457 million retailer during one of the worst periods in shopping history has certainly given Mr. Rosenfeld reason to make decisions.
The firm is distributing new bargain labels at J.C. Penney and Walmart to appeal to strapped consumers and has teamed with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on a high-end shoe line that will hit shelves of retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue next month.
Though Mr. Rosenfeld could have used an easier first year, he has helped Madden weather the current economic storm better than most fashion firms. Same-store sales dipped only 0.5% for the fourth quarter, even as many other retailers have seen double-digit declines. In 2008, revenue grew 6%, though earnings dropped 21%.
Steve Madden, who founded the company nearly 20 years ago, says he relies on Mr. Rosenfeld’s steadiness.
“When things are unbelievable, he doesn’t jump up and down, and when things are bad, he does not panic,” says the footwear designer, comparing Mr. Rosenfeld’s calm to a “warm bath.” __________________________________________________
BOOK A MERGER has taken place between Peter Novobatzky and Ammon Shea's books Depraved English and Insulting English. The result? Depraved and Insulting English. "Some of the entries are lascivious," the authors say, "some revolting, and others derogatory. A few are all of these things." This book will provide blissful browsing for anyone who ever got a fourth-grade thrill from looking up naughty words in the dictionary or, later, felt a frisson of pleasure from using obscure but racy words that few others understood. Many of the terms here--such as coprolagnia, cypripareunia, hybristophiliac, peotillomian, and sacofricosis--sound downright illicit. More intriguing are the words that sound perfectly acceptable, like blissom, feist, and plooky. But watch out for the plooky fellow who lets out a feist when he blissoms; he's actually a pimply guy who farts silently while copulating with ewes. Eeew. -Amazon.com __________________________________________________
NEW POST Sylvie Guillem __________________________________________________
THE FLORIAN 100 Davenport Rd. @ Bay St.__Yorkville 50% sold out[TheFlorian.com]
THESE equisite condominiums priced from $700,000 to over $3 million, will offer buyers another option in the Yorkville luxury condo market. This latest Diamante Development Corporation building features just 95 residences, all with unparalled convenience and amenities.
Located at the intersections of Bay St, Davenport Rd, and McAlpine St, The Florian will be easily accessible by car. While it is still a short walk to the action, hustle, and bustle of the shops and restaurants of the Bloor-Yorkville core, this superb condo building will also offer residents a quieter and more serene alternative to the other luxury residences of Yorkville. The building will also have more unobstructed views with many units overlooking the large green spaces surrounding the neighbourhood. [LuxuryTorontoCondominiums.com]
COMMENTS [UrbanToronto.ca__2007-2009] With that tower it looks like they went with the slab apartment look. Except instead of generic brick and cream coloured metals, they simply used glass.
Rendering's not exactly exciting, but let's keep in mind this is a Hariri project, and one selling at very high prices. It will no doubt be well-executed, with good materials, and a huge improvement at that corner.
The architect for The Florian is Toronto-based Hariri Pontarini Architects, with Young + Wright Architects Inc. The same team designed Diamante's One City Hall condominium at 111 Elizabeth St. and co-operated on other projects, including York University's Schulich School of Business (pic).
This location is a weird part of town--a no man's land where the rich move by in their Porsches, BMW's etc or get their hair cut, but for some reason doesn't "feel" like Toronto.
Site was once the location of an Infiniti car dealership__2007
I agree, this stretch of Davenport/Bay is really odd. There seems to be a varied and ample selection of retailers, some galleries, a school, Bay and Bloor just a few blocks south...yet it doesn't feel like a vibrant community.
Aug. 2009
It's the shabby-chic neighbourhood.
Why pay 1000/sq ft here when you can pay a little more and be in the Four seasons, or dare I say it the Regency?
There was an ad for this thing in last night's opera programme. Presentation centre launches Spring 2007. Prices range from $700,000 to over $3 million.
I think the overall design isn't too impressive, but I have to say the colours and materials they have chosen are beautiful. The purple brick is really nice and almost has a two tone colour to it. And the windows appear like they'll be tinted quite dark, and the combination with the purple brick looks really attractive. I'll reserve all judgments until it's built but I think this could be the sleeper building of the area. Now they just need to work on their pricing.
The Florian is targeted mainly at empty-nesters. This model suite is by Gluckstein Design.
DESIGN WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH [National Post - Sep.19/08] WHAT difference can a brick make?
A lot if you're Bud Purves, and you're in the market for a condominium.
Mr. Purves and his wife, Janet Palmer, were resigned to buying a cookie-cutter unit from a large, "big box" builder until friends recommended Diamante Development's Upper Yorkville project, The Florian.
The luxury condominium, with a construction start this fall, features spacious light-filled suites from 1,500 to over 5,000 square feet in an 83-unit building that curves with the flow of Davenport Rd. where it meets Bay St.
The first thing to catch Mr. Purves's eye when he visited the presentation gallery at 100 Davenport Rd. was the richly coloured brick installed to demonstrate The Florian's exterior finishes and building systems.
"I was quite involved with the building committee of the new Four Seasons Centre in Toronto, and the brick appeared to be the same specification," says Mr. Purves, who heads the development corporation for a large university.
The brick, some three times more expensive than what is customarily used for residential projects, is usually reserved for high-profile commercial and institutional buildings such as Toronto's new ballet and opera house.
Intrigued by this demonstration of quality, Mr. Purves and Ms. Palmer, a business consultant, soon discovered other aspects of The Florian met their requirements. The couple, who own a cottage, downsized two years ago, selling their house and renting while they searched for a centrally located condo or townhouse.
The Florian's site proved ideal, close to shops and restaurants and a short walk from the Rosedale and Bay St. subway stations. At the same time, it allows quick access to the Don Valley Parkway, and the area retains a residential flavour.
Says Mr. Purves: "I am a runner and Janet is a walker, and the access to green parks and running routes is very good, as is the access to a surrounding human-scale neighbourhood where people and families are living."
Mr. Purves and Ms. Palmer were also delighted that they could have their future suite adjusted to suit their needs and preferences.
"Despite the fact that we are buying a smaller, less inexpensive unit, we feel that we are getting all the design help that even the most expensive buyers receive," says Mr. Purves, who likens the personal treatment at Diamante to buying from your local green grocer as opposed to a Wal-Mart.
Diamante co-president Paolo Palamara, trained as an architect, reworked the plans for the 1,700-square-foot two-bedroom residence to meet their needs.
He rejigged the kitchen freeing up space, extended walls and relocated the gas fireplace. More recently, Mr. Palamara was coaxing an extra few inches out of the laundry room for storage of brooms, mops and other cleaning implements.
Mr. Purves and Ms. Palmer couldn't be happier. "We found other units and townhouses we looked at were narrow and deep, and there was a problem with light penetration. With this unit, we get an enormous amount of light, and a huge patio."
They also appreciate the overall plans for the environmentally-friendly building with its high-quality exterior and interior finishes.
"The design is sensitive and of a scale that we were interested in," says Mr. Purves, who soon discovered his development industry contacts knew the project and Diamante's work well. "Many places we saw, they talk about design as a commodity, but here we were looking at design as an art, as the building blocks for a project."
The Building: 83 suites in a 21-storey luxury condominium set in a 4-storey podium.
The Amenities: 24-hour concierge and valet service, rooftop garden, fitness centre and indoor pool, party room with catering kitchen, wine cellar, landscaped grounds. Unobstructed views over Yorkville and Rosedale.
The Designers: Architects Hariri Pontarini, Gluckstein Design Planning, Architects Young + Wright.
The Developer: Diamante Development Corp., an award-winning developer and builder. Projects include One Balmoral, Domus, Phoebe on Queen, 2 Roxborough, One City Hall.
Suites: From 1,500 square feet to 5,000 square feet, now starting at $1 million. (Custom designs still possible for a short time.)
Presentation Gallery: 100 Davenport Rd. Includes a 2,700-square-foot model suite. Contact: (416) 599-7667 or theflorian.com
Construction start: Fall 2008
FOUR SEASONS PRIVATE RESIDENCES Tower A: 1263 Bay St. @ Yorkville Ave. & Tower B: 55 Scollard St. @ Bay St. FOUR SEASONS Hotel Toronto has been the icon of life en vogue in the city for more than 25 years. Now, along with the development of a new luxury hotel in the Yorkville neighbourhood, the internationally renowned collection of Four Seasons Private Residences is being introduced to Toronto. These exquisitely designed condominiums will range in size to over 5,000 sq. ft. and will be accessed from a private courtyard to an opulent lobby with 24 hour Concierge service and private elevator access. Of course, residents will also enjoy Four Seasons services and amenities including sumptuous restaurants and bars, valet parking, in-room dining and access to housekeeping service as well as an extraordinary Spa and Fitness Centre on the seventh floor. This is the Four Seasons lifestyle. This much anticipated development is a mixed-use development consisting of two buildings, a 205 metre (55-storey) hotel-residential tower at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue and a 125 metre (30-storey) residential tower on the south side of Scollard Street east of Bay Street. [SothebysRealty.ca] FOUR SEASONS Hotel & Residences Toronto, located in the exclusive Yorkville District, will become the flagship property of the world's largest luxury hotel chain, Four Seasons Hotels Inc.
Two slender glass towers mark the southwest and northeast corners of the site, housing 253 hotel rooms and 202 Four Seasons-branded residential units. The penthouse unit will be the city's most expensive -- a $16 million unit.
The base of the southwest tower includes a restaurant and bar, with hotel rooms and residential suites above. An eight-storey extension at the north end of the building houses ballroom and conference facilities, a spa, health club and pool. The northeast tower is exclusively residential, with a restaurant at grade that faces onto a new 1,250 m2 landscaped public park.
TOWER A (Hotel + Residences) Location: 1263 Bay Street, Toronto Developer: Four Seasons Hotels Inc. Architect: architectsAlliance Designation: Condominium, Hotel Status: Approved Expected Occupancy: 2011 Height: 195m (640 ft) roof – 209m to spire (689 ft) Floors: 55 above ground
TOWER B (Residences) Location: 55 Scollard Street, Toronto Developer: Four Seasons Hotels Inc. & Menkes Developments Inc. Architect: architectsAlliance Designation: Condominium Status: Approved Expected Occupancy: 2011 Height: 89m (293 ft) Floors: 25 above ground
Cost: $500 Million [Via: Forum.SkyscraperPage.com - May 2008]
WEST RESIDENCE Offering 55 storeys of landmark luxury, the West Residence building will feature Private Residences set atop the new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. This distinctive tower, designed by internationally acclaimed architectsAlliance, will feature a glass curtain wall accented by sculptured perpendicular fins that create strong vertical lines and suggest the glamour cradled within.
Residents will enjoy a pampered lifestyle, with all the luxurious amenities of the Hotel at their doorstep, including 24-hour concierge, doorman and valet parking. In the common areas, renowned design house Yabu Pushelberg has created brilliant spaces, starting with the Grand Hotel Lobby, which will extend the full width of the building from a formal hotel entrance on Bay Street, to a second entrance off the central courtyard that features a porte cochère for both hotel guests and residents.
Yabu Pushelberg has also designed the other hotel amenity areas, including the chic bar on the main level along Bay Street, the second floor restaurant, the banquet and ballroom facilities and the Four Seasons spa. The spectacular 28,000 square foot spa features a skylit indoor lap pool, whirlpools, an outdoor summer terrace, private treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art fitness club.
Beyond the stunning interiors, Four Seasons Private Residences Toronto will feature exceptional outdoor spaces as well. The centerpiece of the project is a lush central courtyard park designed by award-winning landscape architect Claude Cormier. Fronting onto Yorkville Avenue and accessible from Scollard Street, the park showcases an imaginative landscape plan that embraces Yorkville’s Victorian heritage while complementing the modern architecture of recent new development in the community.[Penthouses.com]
Yorkville Ave. & Bay St.__May 2008
AT 7 a. m. today, an armada of trucks carrying concrete will descend from three directions on Yorkville to begin the Big Pour: the continous filling-in of a deep hole at the corner of Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue, in one of the most ambitious single-day construction projects in Toronto.
After two months of planning, 120 trucks and 180 workers will lay the 10,000-tonne foundation of the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences in Yorkville over 12 hours. The 4,100-cubic-metre area will be filled at a rate of 500 cubic metres per hour.
The finished building will be a 55-storey, 356-suite skyscraper housing condominiums and a hotel.[National Post - 11/29/08]
Nov. 2008
"Freaky Flickr" shot__April 2009
The site's neighbour: Yorkville Fire Hall__Aug. 2009
Sep. 2009
Nov. 2009
WEST PENTHOUSE THE West Penthouse plan has been created by Gluckstein Design Planning, Canada’s pre-eminent residential interior design firm. This extraordinary full floor residence encompasses over 9,000 square feet, with direct elevator access, 12’ ceilings, and four private terraces. The focal point of the plan is a stunning floor-to-ceiling glass Galleria. Entry into the Penthouse opens directly onto the expansive Galleria, offering a breathtaking south view of downtown Toronto and Lake Ontario, which is further highlighted by two large south-facing terraces. This spectacular penthouse design includes a Living Room, Library, Her Study, a Master Suite, two Guest Bedrooms, a Kitchen / Family Room, a formal Dining Room complete with Servery, a Theater, and a Wine Cellar. The opulent Master Suite features a large Bedroom complete with its own Sitting Room and fireplace, a private terrace, two Walk-in Closets and an Ensuite Bath. A study in luxury, the sumptuous Ensuite Bath features His and Her vanities, showers and water closet enclosures centred on a freestanding tub, opposite an impressive stone fireplace.[Penthouses.com]
Toronto's Most Expensive Condo A planned condominium building in Yorkville will feature the city's most expensive penthouse --a $16-million unit [EXCERPT] The hotel-condo combination is not new, but the eye-popping asking price signals a change in the appetites of Toronto buyers.
"Before, [Torontonians with money] did not value communal living," Mr. Gluckstein said. "Now people with affluence want this type of lifestyle."
The lifestyle of which he speaks will allow residents to travel freely without worrying about property maintenance; to cater dinner parties from the condo's adjoining restaurant; or to go down a hallway to receive a manicure, pedicure or massage at the 28,000-square-foot spa.
"It's a level of service few people in houses can afford," he said.
The penthouse will provide room enough for large family dinners, storage of designer clothes, a live-in housekeeper or nurse and a grand piano, Mr. Gluckstein suggested. Such trappings have traditionally kept the wealthy in their homes, he said.
Stone floors and counters, nickel plumbing fixtures, natural wood and state of the art mechanical systems will be available in each suite, he said, adding that purchasers are free to hire interior designers of their choosing. [...]
Architect Peter Clewes (photo), who designed the recently constructed 18 Yorkville, the condo towers directly east of the new building, said the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences will illuminate the block with an exterior that "celebrates glass."
The deliberately transparent building will have a taut and slick glass "skin," held together by a cladding that cannot easily be seen, he said.
Mr. Clewes, the Montreal-native, who has also been commissioned to overhaul the Bloor Street shopping district, believes those buying into the Toronto real estate market are ready for unapologetic opulence. [...]
Penthouse Offers 'Wow!' for $30M To a potential buyer, the penthouse at Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences -- touted as "Canada's most expensive penthouse" -- looks quite promising. However, one should never drop $30-million without first researching the property. Melissa Leong asked developer Alan Menkes, president of Menkes Development, and designer Brian Gluckstein about the yet-to-be built Yorkville suite that goes on sale today: [EXCERPT] Q. I'm looking to upgrade from my 700-square-foot apartment to your 9,000- square-foot mansion-in-the-sky. Will there be enough space for my collection of sneakers and old newspapers? Q. Where do I put my housekeeper? Q. I need a place that will make my freeloading entourage cry, "Sweet merciful God!" as they walk in.
Q. The financial markets are in turmoil. Is this a good time to spend my hard earned millions? Menkes: In our market here in Toronto, we really haven't experienced the same calamity that has taken place in the U. S. Here we've had more stable and consistent growth over the last five to seven years. We also didn't have the sub-prime mortgage meltdown. Over the last six weeks, we had quite a flurry of activity here. It appears that the super luxury buyer may be more insulated than the rest of the market.
Q. Everything is a competition. If I buy the "West Penthouse," I'd be beating that Hong Kong business man who bought at Yonge and Bloor for $25-million. How do I know someone won't one-up me? Menkes: There is no other 9,000 square-foot penthouse on the 55th floor and there will never be another Four Seasons hotel in Toronto. It really is an iconic residence.
Q The suite has a wine cellar, a theatre and televisions behind the bathroom mirrors (finally, we don't have to miss The View while brushing our teeth!). Also, the homeowner will enjoy all of the amenities provided by the hotel: room service, valet parking, access to the 28,000 square-foot spa. But I'm hard to please. Is there anything that might be missing? Gluckstein: Unless someone wants a helipad ? I think this is more than what anyone could ever imagine.
Q. Great. Lastly, I'm a sucker for sales. Are you offering any deals or scratch-and-save coupons for the penthouse? Menkes: Thirty million is a lot of money to anyone but compared to international markets, Toronto's playing catch up to some extent? This unit would be double the price in other parts of the world.
Q. Fifty per cent off ? Sold! END
Toronto Penthouse Going for $16 Million COMMENTS Does anyone wonder where all of this is going? Soon it will be $32 million condos. If being a millionaire isn't good enough anymore...how soon before being a billionaire won't be? Of course, it's not something we'll need to worry about, until of course, we're all pushed out and homeless staring at these monstrosities. In a perfect world, they shouldn't be able to build these because of the money they would need to spend on security to keep the people from tearing them down and demanding affordable, sensible and dare I say, responsible living space. Sorry Sunshine, no one needs a f**kin' $16 million condo.
I would consider myself a raging capitalist so normally I would say, $16 million condo... bring it on! But honestly, I can't imagine anyone that would be in the market for such a place in Toronto when for the same price (well much less, but for arguments sake let's say) you could buy a huge-ass house with a huge-ass backyard. I think that's something Canadians tend to prefer to live in and I can't really imagine any foreigners that would want to live in Toronto THAT badly that they would want to spend so much on a condo... but what do I know? I know at least if I had that kind of cash I would rather buy a house... and just take my helicopter downtown.
People often get fired up about prices for properties in this city, but keep in mind, nothing has been sold yet. The developer sets the asking price, but the market dictates the selling price. There is no such thing as a $16M condo until it sells for $16M. And, according to my sources, no condo in the area has ever sold for anything even close to 8 figures...
Let's see, 5% of $16 mil, is $800K...if I cancel cable and brown-bag it for a while...I think I can make the down-payment by fall of 2512.
I think the demand is there and I think this offers something different than home living. In the past condos at this price were a hard sell but I've heard some stories lately of people/couples buying up all the condos on a penthouse floor (like The Spire) so that they can create one massive space like the one offered here.
Awesome!! Finally Toronto is starting to act like a real world class city with world class offerings and world class prices. And it will attract world class investors looking for a safe country to invest in. This will make Toronto a hell of a more interesting place!!
I must be from another planet...I think a $16 mil condo is just a ridiculously overblown, pompous display of wealth at a time when people are working 2 or 3 jobs just to live, and that's IF they can find a job. And yet, people don't seem to mind that they are ultimately going to be pushed out of their own neighborhoods. Interesting.
The true test will be the one of time. What will it be worth in 20 years is what I wonder.
Big deal. Toronto has its first $16 million condo. New York and London have hundreds of condos in this price range. Finally this city has one. At least we're making some progress, slow as it is.
Downtown Toronto is going to have to become a lot more interesting and aesthetically pleasing than it currently is for people to want to spend $16 million on condos. I mean, Yorkville is nice and has a few streets of cool shopping, but a few streets of shopping is not really enough to warrant spending this kind of cash to live in a neighbourhood. Plus you have hideously ugly streets, like Yonge south of Bloor, just a few blocks away. I wouldn't want to spend $16 million on a condo and walk a few streets over and see streets littered with discount stores, porn shops and cheap fast food restaurants!!!
I went into the One St. Thomas sales office yesterday just to see what the prices are like and was told by the sales lady that the penthouse suite at One St. Thomas just sold for $16 million.
A little birdie has told Miss Delite that the West Penthouse has been SOLD. For how much, she doesn't know. Apparently, the new owner has something to do with Rona. Looks like someone's profited from the DIY trend BIG TIME.
UPDATE: The West Penthouse was sold for $18 mil.
FESTIVAL TOWER + BELL LIGHTBOX KING ST. W @ JOHN ST. ON THE outside, the building soars from its limestone-clad base into a tower sheathed in clear and sandblasted glass - a symphony of the transparent and the translucent - and crowned by an illuminated glass top that will serve as a welcoming beacon to Festival Tower residents and visitors alike. But it is inside Festival Tower where its "luxurious livability" becomes apparent. [LuxuryTorontoCondominiums.com]
Dinner and a Movie A suite in the Festival Tower will leave owners star-struck – and living in the lap of celebrity
But if you bought a condo at Festival Tower at John and King Sts. – a dramatic 42-storey condominium residence atop the Bell Lightbox, the new permanent home of the Toronto International Film Festival Group – you could be living in the lap of celebrity every day. [...]
Think location, location, location: It's in the heart of the entertainment and eatery district at John and King Sts., near the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales and Royal Alex theatres and right in restaurant row, featuring everything from submarine sandwiches to Susur Lee's latest and the hot new Spice Route upscale Chinese resto.
Accessible from the two-storey lobby is a restaurant presided over by Oliver & Bonacini, partners in six restos including Jump, Canoe and Auberge du Pommier.
It sounds like Pusateri's is moving downtown. "On the second floor, there is another restaurant, an artisanal resto with 130 seats that is chef-centric and will feature local, organic, homegrown produce from a small grower," he continues. "On the first floor, you'll be able to go and get a terrific burger with a delicious sauvignon blanc or a braised lamb shank with a cabernet. It will be popular with theatre-goers and people who live in the 'hood. It is casual, informal dining; the finer dining is on the second floor. It is more upscale – not as upscale as Canoe but just above Jump."
They will also provide food service to the condos.
"If you want to have a dinner party or Sunday brunch, you could have the osso bucco delivered to your suite. It's almost like living in a five-star hotel."
They plan to have all this in place by April 2010, he says. Condo occupancy is fall 2010.
The FT has other five-star amenities as well, such as a private 24-hour-a-day concierge. A second lobby on the 10th floor is home to the Resident Services director, who provides services such as dog walking or dry cleaning. The Tower Club on the 10th and 11th floors has a pool centre, library, spa, sports lounge and fitness centre. The condo also has a fully equipped Tower Cinema, with seating for up to 55 people, which is so state-of-the-art the TIFFG will use it for screenings.
"There is a super deluxe screening room for residents and guests for DVD to film reel," says Simona Annibale, director of marketing for Daniels.
Annibale says that although 80 per cent of the units are sold, a select few have been withheld until Sept. 13. There are still two or three of the dozen penthouses left.
"The release is a two-punch thing," Annibale explains. "They are at the base of the building and close to the action."
Response has been great, she says, and reflects "a real mix of people."
"Young professionals; first-time buyers; move-up and move-down buyers – it's a more sophisticated building."
And some have even bought without parking. They may be planning to avail themselves of the tower's auto-share option. [...]
Bell Lightbox DESIGNED by the world-renowned architectural firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox is located at newly renamed Reitman Square at the corner of King and John Streets in the heart of the Entertainment District. This unique facility will serve as the home for all of our existing programmes, new initiatives, as well as community and industry events. Structured around the experience and history of cinema, the dominant medium of the twentieth century, Bell Lightbox will provide an essential meeting place and transformative experiences for film professionals, educators and film lovers from around the globe. [...]
YOUR BELL LIGHTBOX CONNECTION Living atop Bell Lightbox, with its accompanying membership perks and privileges, is something special. [FestivalTower.com]
PERK 1 Automatic three-year membership to Bell Lightbox; early access and preferred pricing to more than 100 Bell Lightbox events each year, before tickets go on sale to the general public...
PERK 2 There will be a whirlwind of fabulous parties and events...with VIPs of the film world in attendance...you will naturally be on this exclusive guest list.
PERK 3 You will be offered a pre-packaged selection of three Festival films, in three convenient versions to best match your lifestyle...Residents will have the opportunity to purchase the "Festival Experience Pass" Director's Edition, which is not available to the general public.
PERK 4 The Toronto International Film Festival Group will organize and host two exclusive screenings for Festival Tower residents each year, with special guests from the world of film in attendance...
PERK 6 Bell Lightbox will host numerous media events over the course of each calendar year for various programmes, exhibits, visiting directors, actors and critics. TIFFG will provide 10 passes to two major media events annually, which will be made available to residents. The recipients will be treated to an authentic insider's experience: the opportunity to rub elbows with the movers and shakers of the film world.
PERK 7 Festival Tower and Bell Lightbox will be intimately connected by means of closed-circuit television. Each suite will include a dedicated television channel that will carry programming feeds from Bell Lightbox events and press conferences.
Festival Tower Redux! ONE of the first blog posts I ever wrote back in the spring of 2007 was a sarcastic look at the movie-star names for each unit at Festival Tower.
A little over two years later, I’m astonished to see how much prices have risen for the Nicholson unit!
Don’t worry - my sarcasm hasn’t fleeted in the past two years! I still have some cynical observations to make about the marketing used for this project, but I’d also like to analyze the on-paper return on investment for the last 25 months… [...]
If you ask me, “Do you think this is worth $471,900,” I would say NO.
But if you asked me if I wish I had bought the Nicholson unit in June of 2007 for $326,900, I would say, “Does the Pope wear a funny hat?”
As for the project itself, I think my sarcastic look at their marketing brochure from yesterday sums up how I really feel.
But that’s just me, and not everybody out there thinks the same way I do.
The reality is, there are tens of thousands of people in the city of Toronto who aspire to that lifestyle.
The 30ish investment banker who orders breakfast up to his room, calls the concierge to have his car pulled up in front of the building, and asks if his pinstripe-suit is ready; there are tons of these people who NEED this lifestyle.
The snobby bitch who would rather go shopping for new sunglasses than walk her own dog; there are hoards of people in this city who have enough money that they don’t need to work, and thus they want to live in a $900 per square foot condo where servants wait on you hand and foot.
And what’s better than being affiliated with the Toronto International Film Festival - Toronto’s new, premiere, snobberie?
Okay, I think my bias is starting to shine through again…
But there ARE people who aspire to this lifestyle, and thus I deem it to be an excellent project. This goes beyond the Yorkville lifestyle, which is really just living in the most over-priced area in the city simply to say you do…
Festival Tower offers more services and amenities than many of the current Yorkville condos. And it’s the only condo in the downtown core where you can call down to the kitchen and ask them to bring up “two grains of salt” for the eggs benedict that they just brought up, undoubtedly served in a top-hat…
Simply put: Festival Tower is truly a one-of-a-kind condominium as far as the downtown core is concerned. However, with Shangri-La and Trump Tower on the way, it won’t be for long. [...]
RELATED What That Square Footage Will Set You Back The fixtures are the finest on the market, the view the envy of the block. Now, it's time to seal the deal. Before you do, consult this chart so you know what the going rate is for that new luxury home you're eyeing-- and what your friends paid for theirs up the road. [...]
Brad J. Lamb Realty Inc. Brad J. Lamb is recognized as one of this country's most influential real estate professionals.
Out Like a Lamb IN THE past decade, cities like Toronto and Vancouver have seen a record number of condos erected. With the market softer than scrambled eggs, super-salesman Brad Lamb needs to convince customers they'd be crazy not to buy now. [...]
To sell apartments from floor plans, you have to offer ridiculous incentives.
Wow - another G & M article allowing BJL to air his bias opinions (would he really say that you should wait 6-24 months for a great deal?)
Point 1 - The UK is also experiencing extremely low interest rates, with many great deals available for existing mortgagees with plenty of equity. What's fueling the decay of the housing market over there is the fact that as international lines of credit back away from the market and domestic banks have their own fires to fight, new buyers with less than 20% equity simply cannot raise debt. Although it may not happen to the same degree over here, interest rates aren't the economic resuscitator that many would puport it to be.
Point 2 - Because Toronto condo prices only went down 10% against North American stocks drops of 30%, this doesn't mean it's a good thing. Equities are far more liquid than real estate, so have a tendency to bottom out earlier. Also, If you just lost 30% of your savings, would you really be in house / condo upgrade mode? As a side note - a quick look on realtor.ca shows only 56 available properties between Bathurst, Jarvis, Queens Quay and College, priced between $200,000 and $250,000 - G&M, poor example.
Point 3 - Bid-Rent Theory - look it up, it's a cornerstone of urban land economics. It's tough to compare $1,500 at Bay and Yorkville versus $500 at King and Strachan.
Point 4 - Buy pre-construction? They may say that discounts could be up to 20%, but that's usually on select, undesirable suites. Unless you have a track record of buying 10-20 at a time I wouldn't expect any favours. Also, in light of potential turbulence ahead, would you really want to fix in prices for the next 18-24 months at the top of the market?
Point 5 - Being an apprentice of the guy who wants to build Canada's tallest building (to be pyramid shaped) in Hamilton isn't anything to brag about. G&M - When will you stop being free PR and start to write challenging real estate articles?
2009 Real Estate Roundtable: Where's Housing Headed? WHAT A DIFFERENCE a year makes. Last year’s roundtable came at the height of the real estate boom, and our panelists were accordingly optimistic about the health of housing. Today, the market has plummeted, leaving sellers devastated and buyers with something they haven’t had in a long time: leverage. We locked the top names in real estate in a room and demanded to know: Is it time to sell, buy — or just cry? [...]
BLAND EQUITYby Bert Archer [TorontoLife.com - Jul.09] What sells when no one’s buying? Designing condos for the post-crash market
DURING the boom, the condo market embodied everything that was exciting about being rich and urban. Design was king, LEED was its consort, and investors were eager.
The most successful developers during these dark times have been the big ones, with low-priced product ($380 per square foot) and utterly standard offerings: Tridel and Concord Adex can order everything from kitchens to concrete in bulk, and they stick to their tried-and-true formulas. Their trademark buildings—Hullmark and CityPlace — are glassy versions of the reliable slab towers that went up in the ’60s and ’70s.
“CityPlace is the Walmart of condos,” says Brad Lamb, Toronto’s resident condo guru. “But that’s not a bad thing. The price is good.” At the other end of the spectrum, such developers as Freed, Minto and TAS DesignBuild conceived of condos (Fashion House, Minto King West, Giraffe) that were all about architecture and statement. Their timing, with launches through the summer and fall of 2008, couldn’t have been worse, and without reaching that crucial 70 per cent sold mark, they all stalled, in part or in whole, before breaking ground. Few people were signing up to buy something they couldn’t see.
“You can’t make a living selling new condos anymore,” confirms Lamb, reporting that his recent development projects have been delayed by six months to a year. “Any builder would be lying not to tell you the same thing right now.”
The mindset of a post-bubble buyer vexed the sales team at Empire Communities, a relative newcomer to the high-rise market. They launched Fly at 352 Front Street West last October—days before the Dow’s worst week ever—and when only 25 per cent of the units sold, it was time to reassess. The architects, Graziani and Corazza, made some modifications: the jagged balconies, which looked like shards of glass, were toned down, and suites were divided into smaller and cheaper units. The revamped marketing material looked like a Leon’s clearance flyer, with block type shouting a greatly reduced base price of $159,900. The relaunch, six months later, was packed with eager buyers. Sales reps with clipboards worked until 3 a.m., calling out suite numbers and collecting signatures, and 72 per cent of units sold.
One young first-time buyer about to seal the deal on his 10th-floor corner suite was resolute. “I heard this was a really safe builder,” he said. Architecture? Not a priority; the building looked nice enough to him. The predictable finishes on offer? “They’re fine,” he shrugged. Price per square foot (about $465), location and resale potential—these were top of mind, proving that when cheque books come out during a downturn, pragmatism trumps aesthetics. END
Curtain Rising on Glass Walls For residential projects where money is not a significant concern, floor-to-ceiling suite windows appear ready to make concrete outer walls obsolete. [...]
[Dormez Vous__Alexander Moyle]
Home is Where the Art is [EXCERPT] MUCH like interesting architecture or interior design, original art such as Fantasm can distinguish a condominium, and even increase the value of a purchaser's investment.
It's something commercial real estate developers have long realized. Now, residential developers are catching on, often spurred by their interest in creating a signature feature in their buildings.
For those residential developers, art is more than an afterthought. It's substantially linked to the project as a whole. As artist and author Douglas Coupland puts it: "It gives it a soul." [...]
The Percent for Public Art plan requires developers to spend 1 per cent of the gross cost of any project (residential and commercial) greater than 10,000 square metres on public art. [...]
77 Charles West (model suite)__Yorkville
Doing the Ground Work: Luxury Condo Buyers Play Their Cards Right [EXCERPT] THE trade-off, of course, is that buyers who purchase once a site is under construction will likely pay more than the early-birds did, and they don't have the same choice of suites. But that doesn't mean there's no choice at all... In the end, it's that "seeing is believing" attitude that gives buyers confidence. Not only do they know financing has gone through, they have a visual reminder that a project is a go. [...]
Element lobby__20 Blue Jays Way
Tridel's Element Condominium THE 24-storey Element condominium building is Tridel's first completed green condo. [...]
Maple Leaf Square is a two-tower condominium, hotel, office and retail complex currently under construction to the west of the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto.
Toronto Construction Rundown (2006) Here is a list of Proposed/Under Construction/Recently Built projects including some renderings and photos of the major projects.
Fashion Faux Pas? [EXCERPT] ON Wednesday night, I received an email from the good folks at Freed Developments concerning their latest endeavour - The Fashion House.
For those of you who don’t know, Freed Developments has been slowly taking over the King West area for the past half-decade, and have driven the prices to insane levels.
Don’t get me wrong - I love a nice $14 rye & ginger as much as the next person, but I don’t really see the purpose of living on King Street in between Spadina and Bathurst. The nightlife is snobby, pretentious, and expensive for no reason.
Why has the area become this way? That’s a question without a simple answer. People go there because other people go there, and before you know it, everybody goes there.
And five years ago, everybody started to live there!
Freed bought up all the land in the area years ago, and continues to do so. They purchased the old Travel Lodge Motel a few months back, and that will be yet another new condominium project down the road.
Prices for condominiums in the area have gone through the roof, and it all started with 66 Portland Street. [...]
IF prices at 66 Portland Street are approaching $650 per square foot, then I could definitely see people paying $700 at Fashion House. This project is going to be luxury personified, if you are a snobby 29-year-old who wants to sunbathe on the rooftop deck in between shopping at Diesel and Prada, and before going out to dinner at Conviction, followed by drinks at Blowfish.
The people at Freed Developments have planned this area out to a “T” and they are single-handidly transforming the face of King West.
And I commend them for their efforts.
They’re genius - pure genius!
They took this wasteland and transformed it into yuppie-central in what could only be described as “genius combined with a stroke of luck.”
What came first - the chicken or the egg? The expensive condos or the yuppie restaurants and bars?
The new Bier Market came along about a year ago, but the clientele was already there. Now there are even more people who want to live in the area, and soon the average cost of a meal will go from $150 to $200 as restaurants and bars see the aggressive demand.
So what do we make of the prices at Fashion House? [...]
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