Down The Laneway
I had heard there was a Cuban Cigar factory hidden away down a laneway off King St W, so Monday being a holiday here I went on a search and found Frank Correnti Cigars at the end of this lane. Apparently they are Canada's only manufacturer of Cuban cigars, bringing in the tobacco leaves from Cuba and hand-rolling them in this small building. And the "Buca" round sign toward the right of the pic marks the entrance in an old factory to a very cool looking Italian restaurant which unfortunately wasn't open but certainly looks deserving of another visit. This area is crawling in restaurants and new condos and it makes you wonder how long the cigar factory will stay in this location. A successful exploration!
Taking part in Signs, Signs. Click here for more signs.
An up and coming neighbourhood! I hope the heritage buildings survive.
ReplyDeleteVery successful Pat. Maybe one day the cigar factory will end up as condos also, would be fab to have so many good restaurants within strolling distance. You'll have to give us a review of Buca when you get there!
ReplyDeleteI bet the inside of the factory is permeated with the scent of tobacco leaves. Cigars smell so much better before they are smoked.
ReplyDeleteFantastic find! A real building of character!
ReplyDeletehow interesting!
ReplyDeleteI'm always surprised when I learn about manufacturing plants still in the downtown core of Toronto.
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
ReplyDeleteCould you smell the tobacco leaves from outside? Great old sign on the resturant.
ReplyDeletegreat discovery
ReplyDeleteI had no idea. But then I also know know no-one who smokes cigars!
ReplyDeletei get the feeling this picture is not in north america.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photo. I once happened upon a cigar shop that was hand rolling cigars in San Francisco in the 1970's. It is long gone, definitely a victim of our high rents. Did you get into watch them? That is half the fun!
ReplyDeleteLike the traditional sign and business, but I'm no fan of tobacco in any form. Cigars are great unless they are smoked.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. This looks like it might have been a bit hard to find. And after all that, it's a pretty small sign.
ReplyDeleteCool find. I've walked around there before too. I think there was a nice mural on the side of the building as well. :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks very tucked away!
ReplyDeleteAha! I wish I'd known about this place back when I smoked an occasional cigar! Can't buy 'em in the US of A.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to Shutters and Boards. The guy with the mike is co-author Scotty Turner.
Cripes, I forgot the link again!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEt52m_dOMk
Nice shot. Are all the gas lines in the city yellow or are those something else?
ReplyDeleteThat was a fun find! You're the best at urban exploration,!! We saw quite a few cigar factories in Tampa FL...but not so odd there, it's closer to Cuba by a few miles!
ReplyDeleteI'm no lover of cigars either and can jmagine you ought to smell them for miles (you could from the cigarette factory here) but I like the sign from 1906.
ReplyDeleteCuban cigars made in Canada seems so strange! Amazing that there would be a market to sustain this! Love the black drama of the walls round the old sign!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be a great place to be explored. Many surprises, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know we had a company here that rolled Cuban cigars. I just learned something!
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