WELCOME TO OUR HOME
A Little Pop-Up Social Club Inside The Gables
We’re just two creative people living in a beautiful old home that seems to inspire a lot of curiosity in the community. People stop to look at it, ask questions about it, and sometimes simply slow down as they pass by.
The Gables, located at the corner of Wilson Street and McGoey Drive, is one of Tottenham’s most distinctive historic homes. Construction began around 1880 as a single-room dwelling and gradually expanded over time into the four-storey, seventeen-room home that stands today.
Only a few years ago, the house was lovingly restored to its original splendour and grace by Stewart Starbuck, whose careful attention ensured that the home’s beauty and character would endure. Thanks to his restoration, The Gables stands proudly in its original spirit, and feels like a place meant to be shared.
So, lately we’ve been toying with the idea of opening the house as a small pop-up social club. A little experiment to see if we can spark community, lively conversation, shared ideas, and a few laughs with some new friends.
Within the home we cultivate medicinal mushrooms as a hobby, brew coffee on a vintage Gaggia espresso machine, ferment kombucha, bake sourdough cookies, and maintain a rotating collection of vintage books. We envision new friends, “members” gathering here to enjoy coffee, connect with other interesting people, and participate in occasional talks, workshops, and creative exchanges.
We have hybrid jobs, so the house has naturally become a place where ideas, projects, and conversations come together throughout the week. In that sense, it functions a bit like a small creative think tank, a place where friendships and ideas can grow.
The spirit of The Gables has always been one of gathering and connection, and this small social club simply continues that tradition in a modern way.
Membership is limited and gatherings remain intentionally small.
Look what you discovered!
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Look what you discovered! 〰️
The Creative Gathering Space
Our current idea is to create a pop-up space where ideas, creativity, and community can collide in interesting ways. The Gables Social Club is not so much a finished concept as it is a bit of a social experiment. It is temporary, evolving, and very much a work in progress. Not a business, not a formal venue, just an old house opening its doors to see what kinds of curious and creative things might happen when people gather inside.
Bake sourdough? Bring a loaf and sell it. Make bead jewellery? Set up a little display and see who admires it. Offer workshops? Try a small one here and see who wanders in.
Got a book to launch? Why not do it here. Gather a few people, read a passage, and sign a few copies.
Are you a poet? Please stand on the staircase balcony and read us something dramatic. We’ve always suspected that spot was meant for poetry.
Love Shakespeare? Recite a scene in our café corner. Got a set of pipes? Step onto our very unofficial pop-up karaoke stage and belt out a song.
Or maybe nothing quite so theatrical happens. Maybe two friends simply sink into the couch and talk the afternoon away. Someone might claim the bistro table by the window and finally give their long-neglected project the breathing room it needs. A few curious minds might gather around the table to wrestle with a new idea.
There is even an upstairs room that seems quietly convinced it was meant for yoga, meditation, or something equally restorative.
Honestly, we are not entirely sure how all of this will play out. That is part of the fun. This little pop-up club is an invitation to experiment, to gather, to share ideas, and to see what kind of community might grow when a house full of rooms meets a group of curious people.
Can you imagine it?
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Can you imagine it? 〰️
Our Little Fungi Project
Like many people during the pandemic, Tracy watched Fantastic Fungi and promptly fell down the mushroom rabbit hole. At the time she was in Argentina surviving what became the longest lockdown in the world. In a small two-bedroom apartment she began learning how to cultivate mushrooms, starting with colonized grain grown in humble Tupperware containers and tubs before moving on to jars and experimenting, with many mistakes and plenty of contamination, with liquid culture.
After returning home to Toronto nearly two and a half years later, the cultivation practice came with her. What had started as pandemic curiosity had grown into an ongoing study of medicinal mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Cordyceps, with a growing appreciation for how they grow, how they heal, and how to steward their cultivation carefully.
Soon after, a Chinese doctor friend asked Tracy to help establish a small mushroom production project in the hills behind Ojochal, Costa Rica. Cultures, inoculated grain, and agar plates travelled through planes, buses, and jungle jeeps nearly nine hours from the San José airport. The entire three-week project was a challenging undertaking, but she learned a great deal through the process.
These days The Gables maintains a modest little cultivation space where Tracy continues exploring the craft while slowly teaching Chris the process. Mushrooms, when happy, tend to fruit enthusiastically, so members may occasionally find fresh mushrooms available to take home. We’re also experimenting with a few gourmet varieties like king oyster, pink oyster, and pioppino, while medicinal mushrooms are often available dried or prepared as simple extracts for morning coffee.
This isn’t a commercial mushroom operation. It’s simply a small act of curiosity and care that we’re happy to share with others who are intrigued by the strange and wonderful world of fungi.
Let's Start Our Own Culture ;)
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Let's Start Our Own Culture ;) 〰️
Supporting Men
Chris’ coaching practice is something new growing, like many other projects in the fertile grounds of The Gables.
For many years Chris has run a wonderfully successful landscaping company, drawing inspiration from Japanese gardens and Scandinavian landscapes. But more recently he began to notice that the work he felt most called toward was not just shaping landscapes, but walking alongside men as they navigate the terrain of their lives.
This might be partly because the world men grew up expecting is shifting quickly. Old ideas about masculinity are being questioned, the cultural ground is moving, and many men feel like they arrived late to a party where all the rules have already changed. The transition is important and necessary, but it can also leave men quietly wondering where they fit.
Like much of what happens at The Gables, this practice is still evolving. Chris is developing his coaching work while offering men’s groups and one-on-one conversations for those who are looking for a place to talk honestly about identity, relationships, purpose, and the pressures of modern life.
The idea is simple. A room, a few chairs, real conversation, and the possibility that something meaningful might grow from it.
With a Little Help From My Friends
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With a Little Help From My Friends 〰️
Building Community
We’re relatively new to the area and, like most people landing somewhere unfamiliar, we started wondering how one actually meets interesting humans these days. The Pop-Up Gables Social Club is our slightly unconventional answer.
Instead of joining something, we decided to try something.
By opening our home as a small pop-up social club, we’re creating a place where conversations can wander, ideas can bounce around, and new friendships can quietly form. At the moment, the community mostly consists of us, a few friends, and these two incredibly adorable cats. But, we’re optimistic.
It’s an open invitation for curious, creative, like-minded people to gather, share a few thoughts, maybe a few laughs, and see what kind of community might grow from it.
Good Company
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Good Company 〰️
Conversations with Jill
As part of our commitment to fostering thoughtful dialogue and meaningful connection, we occasionally invite guest facilitators into our space to lead small-group conversations around topics that shape our everyday lives.
Jill joins us as one of those guests. A compelling speaker and facilitator, she is known for her ability to illuminate the subtle patterns that influence how we communicate, lead, and relate to others. With warmth, insight, and practical wisdom, she helps people explore how domination-based models of power and communication often create tension and disconnection—and how alternative approaches grounded in empathy, shared understanding, and mutual respect can transform the way we interact.
Rather than formal workshops, these gatherings are designed as relaxed evening discussions. Over coffee, participants are invited to listen, reflect, ask questions, and engage in conversation about the dynamics that shape our relationships at home, at work, and in community.
We are honoured to welcome Jill as a guest in our space and look forward to the thoughtful dialogue her presence inspires.
Express Yourself
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Express Yourself 〰️
Every club has testimonials. Ours just come from the future ;)