Wednesday, November 19, 2014

street signs - Kerr St

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!

18 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. you are invited - and I'll treat you to lunch at Stoney's

      Delete
  2. The 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it sometimes takes a while to find an interesting street sign, name and street all in one combo!

      Delete
  3. With 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.

    Sorry for the split comment. IPad has a mind of its own.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. no worries - my wireless mouse does that all the time (except it usually deletes the comment)

      anyway, 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.

      Delete
  4. I like the old banners better too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the winter banners for Downtown Oakville weren't up yet, I hope they aren't as generic as these.

      Delete
  5. You really need to be a bit more spontaneous, all this alphabetical order stuff was ok when you were in school. Tom The Backroads Traveller

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. This determination to be orderly takes a toll on spontaneity!

      Delete
  6. I actually prefer a strip of shops these days to a shopping centre/mall.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. it's fun to see the differences, and sometimes, unusual names.

      Delete
  8. Looks like a street I'd like to explore...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. there are also antique shops if you are into that :)

      Delete
  9. What 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh, I'd be pleased to be your inspiration. yes, the facelift has been a good thing - far better than demolition and rebuild (and cheaper).

      Delete

Glad you stopped by. For anyone who stumbled here, don't be shy to say 'hi' and let me know you've visited!