11/08/2016
What an amazing ride!
As many of you know, we started as a tent at street festivals around Toronto way back in 2010, then we purchased a food truck and were part of the vibrant truck scene for two years, followed by a pop-up restaurant on King Street for seven months in 2014, and now here at 460 Spadina Ave (finally... a bar!) for two years.
This has been our passion project, one that we've fought hard for. But the time has come to say goodbye to our little gem.
We've spent a lot of time building this business while still working full time, and Simon has literally built or fixed every bar top, table, floor, wall, shelf, equipment, fixture, sink and washroom in the place – an unbelievable amount of work for one person to handle. We have stories for days of us fighting with the city over our patio, of cleaning out the mess from the old 460, of regulars who we love, of cool shows we've seen in the space, and so much more. There's never been a dull moment at LBF.
When we took on this location, we hauled out 12 tons of garbage (!) and we had to fix a lot of structural issues. Back in 2014, several of our friends and family members stepped in to help us recoup some of those costs through a Kickstarter campaign. The funds we were able to secure through that campaign helped us finish our renovations and open up shop. To this day, some of your names are still on our restaurant's wall. We still thank you for the significant impact you made.
We knew from the beginning where we wanted to take this business, and we felt proud that we got it to where we wanted it as a concept. We hope we have delivered delicious comfort food to you, and provided you with a space that felt like your best friend's house. A place to chill, listen to music, dance, and enjoy good company.
Our staff... words cannot express how much you all mean to us. In a service world where turnover is impossible to control, staff stuck with us: Andre (3 years), Todd (2 years), Matt (2 years), Anthony, Mel, Demyar, Chris, Kat. Meg, we love you, too. You've all been phenomenal. It’s a family we’ve created and one that we will cherish forever.
The music scene in Canada, especially Ontario: don't let anyone ever doubt how amazing you are. Ever. Although we have Heavy Hearts with this message, DeerGod we do, we want to make sure you don't PINE for our absence or have a Heart Attack Kids. We're Missfats and The Budds forever, and we'll never forget your energy, talent and Wild Love.
DJ ËLLE (our very last show!), Alex McCalla (DJ AXMC), KOOPA, The Second Wife, Blind Cats, Rotary Dial, Mip, Sweater Pants, Sista Fista Army, QUARTER TANK, Terrible And The Horribles, Keelie, Hiroshima Hearts, Bad Words, The World Famous Tallboys, Basketball Knees, Roost Radio crew, Litewrks, Heroes For Hire, Beyond The Wall, Revive the Rose, Artificial Dissemination, Lust, Emily Nieves (DJ Kitty), Chronicles Dub Trio, The Cosmotones. And who can forget the Spellcaster pop-ups were always on point. We wish all of you success and keep grinding - you gals & guys are extremely talented. To everyone else: get out and see these folks!!!
Thank you to Dine Alone Foods for being so great to work with, and to New Damage Records for using the space for some shows. Nashville Hot Chicken forever!
Maybe you were a regular or moseyed in on our karaoke, Swing Easy, or jazz nights. Steve-O Karaoke, Sean Done-Cermeño, and Russell Matthews are to thank for keeping those going. We were honoured to host you. Jazz musicians, all of you who came out and shared your talent with us week over week from UofT, Ryerson, OCAD, Humber and all over... thank you, you’re incredible. The way you could transform our space was spectacular. Ska night was always a treat and we'll miss your bright smiling faces and dancing alongside you. And Hump Bump, too, was new on Wednesday nights but they were getting a solid following.
Something special happened in our little venue. We felt it, we hope you did too. That's why this goodbye is hard to do.
Thank you to every single customer, follower, fan, friend, family member and stranger who engaged with us and took a minute to read this. Keep supporting local businesses and talent.
This ride has been, let's be frank, fantastic.
With love,
Simon, Christa and Julie
