Photo: Dean Seguin — **Photo:** Dean Seguin

Gerrard Street staple Grinder Coffee sadly closed its doors Oct. 27, citing (not surprisingly) rising commercial lease costs, in a Twitter post saying:

“No amount of press or success makes us immune from the perils of small business ownership including a lease renewal.”

A pioneer of the now flourishing Gerrard strip, Grinder had made a name for itself across the city for its highly popular — and ingenious — marketing campaigns of attracting popular celebrities to its location during the Toronto International Film festival.

In the campaign’s first run in 2017, Grinder tried but failed to attract Idris Elba. Since then, the cafe had been successful in convincing Ryan Gosling (in 2018) and Tom Hanks (in 2019) to stop by for a coffee.

The recent closure of this and many notable small shops in the area has led counselor Paula Fletcher to talk up support for rent controls for commercial tenants, amongst other measures. Whether or not this will lead to a workable solution, remains to be seen.

Needless to say, this is one spot that will definitely sting for the neighbourhood.