It's been many weeks (okay, a year) since I last posted a street sign. Has anyone noticed or cared? I didn't mean to take so long to continue the series, but once I'd gotten so far with the alphabetical order, I had to carry on thusly. The next letter was K and I had a street in mind, but not the picture of the sign. Every time I thought I'd get one, something got in the way. And time went on, and on... But the interruption has been hanging over my head for so long so I abandoned that street and finally chose another.
Kerr Street in Oakville has undergone a renaissance in the last few years. Unlike Bronte, Kerr was never a village. Named for a former postmaster and mayor of Oakville (in 1866) who was the son of one the town's founders, it used to be just another ordinary retail strip that was rather run down. Now, with an injection of government money over the last ten years or so it has become a 'destination' through an intense rejuvenation project. Situated just west of the downtown, this north-south street is now full of many new restaurants and cafes as well as some of the older establishments to meet the needs of the community.
It's not a particularly charming street, full of strip malls like this one
but it is an improvement from only a few years ago before the facelift of some of these businesses. The new banners are serious and sedate looking, a change from the previous ones which were a bit more fun, and quite frankly, I think gave a better indication of the village feel.
If you find yourself on Kerr Street, stay awhile and explore.
see more signs over at Lesley's signs,signs
and click on the street signs tag at the bottom of the post to see the first half of the alphabet!
Inviting!
ReplyDeleteyou are invited - and I'll treat you to lunch at Stoney's
DeleteThe alphabet by street signs is a great idea, especially when the streets have as much interest visually as this one does. We lived near a city
ReplyDeleteit sometimes takes a while to find an interesting street sign, name and street all in one combo!
DeleteWith east west streets called just letters of the alphabet A Street, B Street etc....these were the original streets, more had been added. And those streets were pretty much as boring as their names.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the split comment. IPad has a mind of its own.
no worries - my wireless mouse does that all the time (except it usually deletes the comment)
Deleteanyway, numbered and lettered street names show a distinct lack of character in a place, I think. which reminds me I forgot something - about who the street was named for. will now update.
I like the old banners better too!
ReplyDeletethe winter banners for Downtown Oakville weren't up yet, I hope they aren't as generic as these.
DeleteYou really need to be a bit more spontaneous, all this alphabetical order stuff was ok when you were in school. Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteI know. This determination to be orderly takes a toll on spontaneity!
DeleteI actually prefer a strip of shops these days to a shopping centre/mall.
ReplyDeleteas do I.
DeleteI like photographing street signs.
ReplyDeleteSIGNS
it's fun to see the differences, and sometimes, unusual names.
DeleteLooks like a street I'd like to explore...
ReplyDeletethere are also antique shops if you are into that :)
DeleteWhat a great idea -- doing street signs alphabetically. I just might copy you and do the same around my town. The strip mall on Kerr Street has quite a lot of charm, compared to most of the ones in California.
ReplyDeleteoh, I'd be pleased to be your inspiration. yes, the facelift has been a good thing - far better than demolition and rebuild (and cheaper).
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