The faces and voices of 'SoJo, Oshawa' - The Wool Queen: photos by Mikki
“I am The Wool Queen. . . lol. My name is Jann, a proud mother and grandmother, and a happy wife to a pretty cool guy. I've been knitting and crocheting since I was eight, a tradition passed on by the very talented women in my family
The Wool Queen opened its doors in downtown Oshawa in 1964, and in speaking with the Queens who came before me, it has always been driven by our love of yarn, and the passion that we feel about creating. . . the ability to make beautiful things from sticks and string.
In-store, I offer an insanely wide variety of yarn, catering to all budgets and fibre requirements. Literally as I write this, the store is stuffed to the ceiling for the fall/winter season. I am a self proclaimed needle snob and have happily turned many others to my way of thinking. The store is a great place to talk with others who have this same crazy hobby and learn from each other. We learn from each other constantly.”
- Jann, The Wool Queen, 182 Simcoe St. South
The faces and voices of 'SoJo, Oshawa' is a photo essay focusing on the people who are investing in the area known as ‘SoJo’, a strip of businesses located south of John, along Simcoe Street South.
For more information about ‘SoJo’ read this article published on the Downtowns of Durham blog, supported by Invest Durham and Region of Durham's Economic Development and Tourism Department.
Photo by Mikki
The faces and voices of 'SoJo, Oshawa' - Lisa’s Upscale Garage Sale Store: photos by Mikki
By Will McGuirk
“We are a family owned antique and newer styled business run by Lisa and Jamie
As a mother and daughter team, we seek out new pieces of charming furniture and extraordinary treasures everyday!
We carry a wide variety of antique and vintage furniture, really cool home décor, lamps and artwork pieces, as well as budget friendly pieces for those who are looking for something more practical.
We try to offer something for everyone and we always hope that a visit to our store is a fun and enchanting experience for everyone who come by.
We have been operating in Oshawa for about 9 years and we love the City and all the fabulous residents and other business owners that we have met so far, Oshawa is full of great people and great business’s !”
- Lisa, Jamie, Lisa’s Upscale Garage Sale Store, 211 Simcoe Street South, 905 409 0871
The faces and voices of 'SoJo, Oshawa' is a photo essay focusing on the people who are investing in the area known as ‘SoJo’, a strip of businesses located south of John, along Simcoe Street South.
For more information about ‘SoJo’ read this article published on the Downtowns of Durham blog, supported by Invest Durham and Region.
Mountain Head, coneBuster, Myke + James at the Biltmore Sep 24 2021: Photos by Mikki
The faces and voices of 'SoJo, Oshawa' - Cannabuzz Inc.: photos by Mikki
“I am just a local guy from Oshawa, with my fiancé Megan.
Canna Buzz Inc is a locally owned and operated Mom n Pop Cannabis shop in downtown Oshawa. Megan and myself decided to take a chance and open up a business during one of the most difficult times to do so.. we applied for our AGCO Cannabis licensing in the month of March on my Birthday March 30th. It's definitely been a long road to opening. The pandemic didn't help any of course, and we had extra expenses, licensing, background checks, and funding to worry about! We decided to go for the lowest rent possible after checking the market for quite a while we leased 142 Simcoe St South and got to work. It took us about a year to get everything finished, our final license needed to open was obtained in June 2021. Our shop was 100% designed by my Fiance Megan, and all the renovations were done by myself and very helpful family members & friends. In October 2020 Megan found out she was expecting baby Maddox our son who was born May 25th 2021. We opened June 15th 2021 & We absolutely love our shop, it's a funky little store that has that old school head-shop vibe from our products to our design & decorations. We aim to keep our prices fair, our staff knowledgeable, & super friendly. We're a safe space and invite anybody from any walk of life in without judgement, all you need is a valid government issued photo ID and be 19+ as per the law. We carry a large range of Cannabis products from the OCS and a wide variety of accessories from as many Canadian companies as possible. We really try to support local and national companies, especially after the years we've all had to endure.”
- Sean, CannaBuzz, 142 Simcoe St. S.