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Goldy's Dairy & Appetizer
- Accession Number
- 2021-11-1
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2021-11-1
- Material Format
- graphic material
- Physical Description
- 7 photographs : b&w ; 8 x 12 cm or smaller
- 1 photograph : col. slide
- 1 photograph : b&w (jpg)
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1945-1972
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of photographs of the 604A College Street and 938 Eglinton Avenue West locations of Goldy's Dairy & Appetizer.
- Photo captions
- 001: Goldie Goldberg (standing left) with two customers in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer decorated in celebration of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), May 1945.
- 002: Store clerk working behind the counter, Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1950s.
- 003: Exterior view of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), ca. 1960. Also visible in photo Wembley Custom Cleaners and [Giblons] Kosher Meats & Poultry.
- 004; Employee working behind Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer prepared food counter, serving items such as Shopsy’s potato salad, olives, cream cheese, gefilte fish and more, Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1960s.
- 005: Marvin Goldberg (left) and his older brother Sidney Goldberg (right), standing in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer decorated in celebration of V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day), 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), 8 May 1945.
- 006: Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer Passover window display, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1970s.
- 007: Marvin Goldberg pictured in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), ca. 1947.
- 008: Sidney Goldberg (standing right) with friend in front of Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), ca. 1947.
- 009: Magazine clipping promoting Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer, 938 Eglinton Avenue West, (Toronto, ON), 1970s. Identified (L to R): Sharon Shaindy Dubinsky (m. Nathanson), Betty Dubinsky (m. London), Lyn Dubinsky (m. Lubelski)
- 010: Dave Goldberg (left), receiving bread delivery at Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer 604A College Street, (Toronto, ON), May 1945.
- Administrative History
- Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer was founded by Dave and Goldie Goldberg at 604A College Street, Toronto, in 1944. Dave Goldberg was born in Tarnopol, Russia in 1908; Goldie Goldberg (née Heiber) was born in Galicia, Poland in the same year. Goldie immigrated to Canada in 1911, and Dave came to the United States in the early 1920s, where he was employed as a shoe salesman in Detroit and Chicago until he moved to Toronto in the early 1930s. Dave and Goldie were married in June 1932. In February 1942, Dave was involved in a deadly motor vehicle accident on an icy road near Hamilton Ontario, in which two of the other passengers died. He was fortunate to survive, but the accident brought out a latent asthmatic condition, which prevented him from continuing his job as manager of Arliss Shoes on Yonge Street in Toronto. After unsuccessful efforts as an insurance salesman, and with some financial assistance from the Grand Order of Israel, a benevolent society of which he was a member, Dave, who often said he would “put his wife’s name up in lights,” opened Goldy’s Dairy & Appetizer with Goldie as his partner.
- The store was located just west of Clinton Street on the same block that housed the Pylon Theatre, Pylon Drugs, the Health Bread, and Home Bread Bakeries, as well as Shapiro’s Delicatessen. Goldy’s specialized in fresh creamery and delicatessen products, smoked fish, and assorted dry groceries. Many of the “take-out specialties,” such as potato salad, egg salad, and chopped herring were personally prepared by Goldie Goldberg. In 1947, observing the migration of the Jewish population to the north Bathurst Street corridor, Dave and Goldie opened a second location at 938 Eglinton Avenue West (near Bathurst), which was eventually taken over and operated by Goldie’s sister, Sylvia (Chippy), better known as “Mrs. Goldy,” and her husband, Danny Dubinsky. Both locations were very successful with the owners offering tasty delicacies along with friendly personalized service to their clientele. Customers also enjoyed getting the latest news and gossip relating to their neighbourhood as well as the wider Jewish Community.
- The College Street location was sold in 1953, while the Eglinton Avenue store was a fixture of the Forest Hill Jewish scene until the mid-1970s when it too was sold. Likely, many Jewish Torontonians have fond memories of shopping at Goldy’s and receiving the best of food served in a meticulously clean environment and a haimishe atmosphere.
- Use Conditions
- Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.
- Source
- Archival Accessions
