At her store on Eglinton Street West, Monica Lewis sold beauty products, her husband sold records and ran a record label, and together they created a social and cultural hub for members of the West Indian diaspora
Monica Lewis, an admired merchant and pillar of her Toronto community who came to Canada from Jamaica via England, died in her sleep on May 20 at her home in Woodbridge, Ont.
She was 85. Starting in the 1970s, she and her husband, George Lewis, owned a business in Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood that sold beauty products and reggae records, but offered much more. It was a social and cultural hub, with a welcoming Ms. Lewis seemingly behind the counter 24 hours per day, eight days a week. Monica’s Cosmetic Supplies Ltd., with its front window stuffed with haircare specialties specific to the Black community, was her world.
Her husband, under the banner “George the Record Man,” sold electronics in addition to vinyl. It is but a slight exaggeration to say that only because of the store’s evolving inventory did the woman known as Miss Monica realize that televisions had progressed from bulky black-and-white models to flat screens.
“I would tell her she didn’t know what was happening in the world because she was stuck in the shop,” said her son, Junior Lewis. “She’d say it didn’t matter, and that people would come into the store and talk to her. ‘I’m good,’ she’d say. ”In truth, the store was closed on Sundays.
Ms. Lewis was driven but also a God-fearing woman who attended Revivaltime Tabernacle. Early on, the busiest days were Fridays and Saturdays, when the new vinyl from Jamaica came in. The latest in Caribbean sounds were rare in Toronto.
“It was a fabulous place with a ton of records that I never would have seen elsewhere,” said Rob Bowman, a professor of ethnomusicology at York University. “When I first went in I felt like I had hit a goldmine. ” Some went to buy and browse, but others sought kinship. The West Indian diaspora had a home at the store on Eglinton Ave.
W. . New immigrants drawn to the shop on the bustling strip of other businesses would be reacquainted with people they hadn’t seen in years.
“It was about connecting,” said Jay Douglas, a prominent Jamaican-Canadian musician. “A lot happened under Monica’s roof. ” Indeed, music history happened in the building’s basement, where Mr. Lewis sold records and based his record label, Monica’s Production. The funky 1979 rapby Mr. Q was released on the label. It is considered by many to be the first Canadian hip hop single. In 2002, the storefront made a cameo in a music video forAs time went on, the cosmetics business took precedence over the record shop. In recent years, gentrification, the COVID-19 pandemic and the prolonged construction of the city’s Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line affected the street’s vibrant atmosphere.
At Monica’s Cosmetic Supplies Ltd., sales of shampoo, wigs and the rest plunged dramatically.
“We’re not making any business at all,” Ms. Lewis told the Toronto Star in 2018. “We just come out here and sit. I haven’t sold one dollar. ” Caring for her husband, who had a stroke, took Ms. Lewis’s attention away from the business.
Though the store is now closed, the building is still owned by the family.
“She stood up for and served the neighbourhood,” Mr. Douglas said. “Little Jamaica without Monica is like not having enough sunshine on a given day. ” She was born in Browns Hall, Jamaica, on Nov. 1, 1940. Her parents were Nathaniel Harvey, a farmer, and Alice Harvey , a housekeeper.
She left Jamaica to attend nursing school in England. According to the family, she and her husband arrived in Toronto in 1971. As one of the only beauty supply destinations of its kind in the city, Ms. Lewis’s store and salon attracted customers outside Little Jamaica.
“Growing up as a teenager in Toronto, we had very few stores that catered to our community, much less ones that were actually owned by black businessmen and businesswomen,” rapper and producer Kardinal Offishall said. “Monica’s has been a staple in the Eglinton West community and was definitely considered somewhat of a rite of passage.
It was the place to be and a beautiful reminder to all of us riding our bikes up and down the street, passing by on the bus, driving or walking by, that Black ownership was very possible. Building a store in the community for the community and standing the test of time was more than a dream from a Maya Angelou quote.
” Even when business dropped off, Ms. Lewis still showed up at the store routinely, according to her son.
“She would tell me she wanted to be there in case somebody needed something or just wanted to stick their head in the door and say hello. ” Ms. Lewis leaves her husband, George Lewis; son, Junior Lewis; and siblings, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by son Derrick Lewis.
Please follow us on Google to support us Canada News Breaking News Video Canadian Breaking News Breaking News Globe And Mail Breaking News Globe And Mail Canada News Photos World News Local News National News Us News Foreign News Sports News Arts News Life News Lifestyle Canada Traffic Canada Weather Trudeau Government Federal Government Canada Sports Canada Sports News Politics Politics News Political News Political Opinion Environment Economy Technology Education Travel Canada Alberta Bc British Columbia Manitoba Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia Pei New Brunswick Newfoundland And Labrador Nunavut Northwest Territories Yukon Globe And Mail
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Amnesty Accuses Israel of 'Ethnic Cleansing' Campaign in West BankAmnesty International says Israel's accelerating annexation measures in the West Bank constitute a state-led campaign of ethnic cleansing aimed at removing Palestinians. The report cites settler violence, home demolitions, and settlement expansion as central tactics, aligning with UN warnings and prompting coordinated sanctions from Western nations.
Read more »
‘All these little things add up’: Windsor businesses, parks dealing with costly vandalismA Windsor business owner says repeated vandalism is taking a toll on small businesses already dealing with tight margins.
Read more »
Five ways to move Tax Freedom Day a little earlier this yearTips for different tax strategies, including those that maximize deductions and credits, can help reduce taxable income. Stay informed on tax changes to avoid an audit and get a bigger return
Read more »
‘I’m a little surprised’: How investing pros are reacting to SpaceX’s first day surgeElon Musk’s company now valued at more than US$2-trillion
Read more »