Seeing DTK through the eyes of Luke and Alanah, 2 downtown locals and incredible artists, is such a treat. The two DTK locals shared how they spend a day in their neighbourhood. In their words…
We are two urban Indigenous artists trying to connect to community through our art. For us, belonging to community means creating meaningful relationships with people that live, work and visit downtown, including those that often go unseen. We love the diversity of people in Downtown Kitchener and recognize that many downtown regulars are not as fortunate as we are. We are very privileged that we have the opportunity to support the following businesses during our DTK Staycation.
Matter of Taste is where we go to start our days. We are always greeted with smiles from the lovely staff and we can't get enough of their rotating flavoured coffee. Our favourite flavour is chocolate butter crunch!
We walked over to the outdoor chess tables at Ontario and Duke - which can be an overlooked spot! We enjoyed our coffee and played a game of checkers (Luke won).
Lookin' For Heroes has always been our go-to for comics. The staff always has good recommendations if you are overwhelmed by their extensive selection. We picked out a couple graphic novels that stood out to us.
After exploring comic books, we went to Darlise Cafe for brunch. The owner and her staff are lovely, and always know our usual - two Rosie Scramblers with potato pancakes!
We walked our take-out breakfast to the newly closed pedestrian area of Gaukel Street! Colourful picnic tables and umbrellas make it a comfortable place to chill (also right beside our shared art studio at 44 Gaukel).
After we finished our meal, we headed to Worth a Second Look. It’s always a fun place to pop into and explore, and is full of hidden treasures. We found these beautiful mugs for our new studio!
We love to support our favourite small businesses, charities and non-profits working to make downtown Kitchener a special place for everyone.
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