The Toast Collective is closing its doors at 648 Kingsway after more than a decade

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      The Grim Reaper—in the form of Vancouver's booming real-estate industry—has taken away another arts venue.

      The Toast Collective recently announced on its Facebook page that it will vacate its long-term home at 648 Kingsway on January 1.

      "The rent is going up, the building is for sale and we are keen to find a place where we can program loud events that won’t impact our lovely neighbours any more, who have supported us all along the way," it states.

      It hasn't been programming many events during the pandemic.

      "We have registered ourselves as a not for profit organization, been the recipient of several grants for arts spaces and we are excited to find a new home where we can continue doing what we do, but only better."

      Last January, the Toast Collective generated $4,465 toward a $5,000 goal in a GoFundMe campaign to save the venue.

      "Our rent has been raised to $1500/month as of this year, and this is absolutely too expensive for the way we've been operating," the GoFundMe page states. "We don't charge much to host an event at the Toast, so that we can keep our rates accessible for artists who can't pay out of pocket and who might not have a very large audience."

      The Toast Collective isn't the only nonprofit arts group losing its space at the end of the year. The Little Mountain Gallery, which is an artist-run comedy centre, has received an eviction notice and must be out by January 1.

      The reason? It's being redeveloped into a four-storey apartment block at the corner of Main Street and East 26th Avenue.

       

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