What is a BIA?

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) is an association of business people within a specified district who join together, with official approval of the City, in a self-help program focused on stimulating local business.

About 150 years ago Danforth Village was a complete seclusion with barely a dirt road with just a few residents and even few shops. It has grown so much and so quickly. It retains its tight knit community with thriving independent stores, but has also flourished with a distinct adaption to the times becoming a cornerstone with large chain businesses. After the opening of the Prince Edward Viaduct in 1918 the Danforth was connected directly to Bloor Street, and access to the heart of downtown Toronto was gained after streetcar tracks were laid down in the early twentieth century, and a subway line thereafter. Danforth Village is booming with crowded sidewalks and busy street traffic with both local and visiting shoppers and diners. As an important business and cultural node the area attracts shoppers looking beyond downtown Toronto, and Danforth Village has a plethora of local customers looking to travel a short distance to find what they are looking for. Business opportunity abounds, and loyal customers living in the surrounding neighborhoods allow both independent stores and chain businesses to flourish. The recent addition of Target in Shopper’s World, an outdoor shopping plaza at the intersection of Danforth and Victoria Park Avenue which when opened in 1962 was one of the very first enclosed malls in Canada and the first in the east end of the city, stands as a testament to the demand for large businesses in the area. Further west than that, near Main Street, Canadian Tire occupies nearly an entire block. It is a vast area of investment opportunities and ventures unmatched elsewhere within the city! When locals walk along the Danforth and see the banners of familiar businesses arching over the street, whether they are universal names or lesser known, they feel fulfilled. The Danforth is a place where families go to walk, shop, and dine from a full palette of stores and restaurants. There is so much culture, history, and community feel to this spectacular area in our great city!