Little India: Of Commerce and Comminty

Justin Sharp

Take a one-hour journey through the decades and explore the evolution of one of the city's most vibrant neighborhoods. This tour takes you through Little India’s transformation—from its origins as a brickyard on the outskirts of town to a bustling cultural hub shaped by food, fashion, and film, and into its current period of change.

We’ll start by experiencing the neighborhood as it is today, then rewind to a time when a single Bollywood theater helped anchor a growing South Asian community, sparking the rise of restaurants, fashion boutiques, and grocery stores. We’ll end at the industrial roots that laid the foundation for it all.

Along the way, we’ll explore how commerce—whether through cinemas, street vendors, or local businesses—has shaped the neighborhood’s identity, influenced migration patterns, and fostered cultural exchange. This tour is as much about community as it is about commerce, and how these forces continue to evolve together.

Walk Start:

242 Coxwell Ave (Coxwell and Gerrard)

Greenwood and Gerrard

Walk End: