The Dale does Pottery

Something I love about Parkdale is that it sometimes feels like a small town. When you’re new to the neighbourhood, it doesn’t take long to learn the names of long-time residents, local business owners, baristas, health care workers, etc.

I can’t believe I’ve been at The Dale for almost 4 whole years now! I’m grateful for how much I have learned about life in Parkdale; learning the names of so many people, and meeting all the unique and loved small businesses that have fought to keep their space through the pandemic.

Long before my time here, there has been an on-going partnership and friendship with a coffee shop called Capital Espresso. When I first came to a Monday lunch (pre-pandemic), I noticed there were always really delicious muffins by the coffee station. I quickly learned those came from Capital Espresso and were donated every week. Since the beginning of our to-go meals, thankfully we are still enjoying these homemade muffins, but instead have been packaging them each week for our Thursday breakfast.

Over time we have got to know the very friendly staff that work there! One of the baristas, named Shakeel, is also an amazing pottery artist. He makes beautiful pieces by hand and sells them at the coffee shop.

This past week we had the opportunity to run a Pottery Workshop at The Dale, taught by Shakeel! It was a lot of fun to get creative with our community and see each person make a piece with their own unique style. Shakeel was such a great teacher, one friend who came kept expressing how kind he was as he went around the room checking in with everyone.

We had twelve spots and twelve people rolled up, which worked out perfectly! Shakeel passed around a generous amount of clay for each person to make big art pieces. Some chose to make bowls, mugs, and some one-of-a-kind dishes to suit their style. It was a lot of fun trying something new as a community, and to have the opportunity to hang out with Shakeel outside the coffee shop and witness him in his element.