i live in an area of town that some people shy away from. i get side eyed a lot when i mention my area, and people are hesitant to come visit. i live just north of parkdale... which some people call 'brockton'. it's filled with a weird and wonderful mix of people - little portugal comprises a large portion of the residents, so my street is filled with hipster parents, single renters, and old portuguese grandmothers - including one who recently helped me get my car out of the snow with her bag of salt, and broken english.
it's one of my favourite places in the world. there's a mix of lovely little shops and restaurants - and close enough to ossington that i get all the benefits of the bars and restaurants that i could ever dream of - and yet, far enough away that i get a little neighbourhood, and all the perfect things that come from tree lined streets, and friendly old portuguese men.
and yet, there is still some hesitance from people. the bars aren't polished. the restaurants hang vintage curtains, and despite how lovely and smiley its inhabitants are, people often only see the broken down convenience stores and old flashing neon lights of the chinese/canadian food store on the corner. so no matter how hard i tried, i could never convince people of its charm. people who could never ever get past the dirt around the edges.
christian mackie has pulled together a wonderful collection of photographs that display brockton in it's finest hour. gritty, not always warm, and yet still home. he portrays the spaces that could be seemingly heartless and off-putting and pulls out what all of us who live here, love about it. the wonderful architecture that one only gets from living in an old house; the wonderful juxtaposition of old and new; discarded items that decorate the streets. all the things that give this space it's character. all the things i love about brockton.
check out his brockton set here. and, all of his other photos here. great website. you can also find christian on instagram.
it's one of my favourite places in the world. there's a mix of lovely little shops and restaurants - and close enough to ossington that i get all the benefits of the bars and restaurants that i could ever dream of - and yet, far enough away that i get a little neighbourhood, and all the perfect things that come from tree lined streets, and friendly old portuguese men.
and yet, there is still some hesitance from people. the bars aren't polished. the restaurants hang vintage curtains, and despite how lovely and smiley its inhabitants are, people often only see the broken down convenience stores and old flashing neon lights of the chinese/canadian food store on the corner. so no matter how hard i tried, i could never convince people of its charm. people who could never ever get past the dirt around the edges.
christian mackie has pulled together a wonderful collection of photographs that display brockton in it's finest hour. gritty, not always warm, and yet still home. he portrays the spaces that could be seemingly heartless and off-putting and pulls out what all of us who live here, love about it. the wonderful architecture that one only gets from living in an old house; the wonderful juxtaposition of old and new; discarded items that decorate the streets. all the things that give this space it's character. all the things i love about brockton.