1. It’s not about making places better.
It’s about making places matter!
Gerrard India Bazaar
DNA PlacePrint
A Creative and Actionable Prescription for Breathing
Life Back into the “Little India” of Toronto
May 2011
1

2. A reputation
cannot be invented.
It can only be
earned!
2

3. Contents
Why PlacePrint? 4
Objective 5
Current Story that Dominates about Gerrard India Bazaar 6
Downward Economic Trend 7
Great Example to Follow (Koreatown) 8
Reasons for Depletion 9
Unifying DNA of Little India 10
BECK Framework and Symbolic Actions 11
Brand Identity 12
Experience Economy 14
Customer Service 22
Know Where It Is 24
Final Words 28
Project Description 29
Appendices 30
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4. Why PlacePrint?
Standing out from the crowd, and standing for opportunities to prosper culturally and
something, has never been more important for economically and overall be the best and
places. Places big or small are all fiercely highest they can be.
competing for attention, business, visitors,
Your PlacePrint book is a meaningful and
shoppers, talent, resources and the like.
purposeful interpretation of your community,
Places need to answer these fundamental captured in a narrative platform. The story of a
questions for the world: Who are we? Why place can be different things to different
us? And why do we matter? Those places people. But the important aspect is that these
which clearly answer these questions and interpretations are derived from the same
meaningfully differentiate themselves in the platform. The proposed ‘on brand’ symbolic
crowded marketplace (Toronto, the city of actions breathe life into the story and make it
neighborhoods) will have much greater stronger, truer and easier to spread.
‘A place should reveal its personality, emphasize its 4
sense of purpose and play to its strengths.’- JT Singh

5. Objective
To align the identity of the place
with its experience that is
perceptibly authentic. And to
replace current unhelpful
perceptions with more
compelling ones and to create
certain fresh perceptions where
there were none before.
5

6. Current Story that Dominates about Gerrard India Bazaar
If you ask a South Asian (Bengali, Sri Lankan, Asians and ‘Back home feeling and shopping’
Indian, or a Pakistani) where is Gerrard India amongst South Asians.
Bazaar and how to get there? Chances are
Overall, the most relevant insights we
they will know-especially if the person’s age is
extracted from speaking to people were that:
30+. But if you ask a non-South Asian, chances
are they probably have never heard of 1. Gerrard India Bazaar is an odd name;
‘Gerrard India Bazaar’ and neither do they they all preferred “Little India”. (The
know how to get there. They all say “If I knew word ‘bazaar’ confused them)
about it and how to get there, I would 2. Most didn’t know Gerrard India Bazaar
definitely go there!” So clearly there is an exists or where it is or how to get there.
awareness problem. 3. Many who have been there expressed
how the market experience could be a
It was more helpful to use the term “Little
lot more ‘Indianish’ and authentic.
India” because it was more familiar and easier
4. Many South Asians expressed how
to understand for people than “Gerrard India
Gerrard India Bazaar was inconvenient,
Bazaar” When asked, what are the first images
a hassle to go to and has less than good
that come to mind when you hear “Little
customer service. They also expressed
India”? The dominant answers were: ‘bright
that GIB doesn’t have that “home away
colors and Indian food’ amongst non-South
from home” feeling anymore.
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7. Gerrard India Bazaar has been struggling and losing its appeal to visitors. Ask any business
owner and they will tell you that business has been going downhill more-less starting from the
year 2000 till today. Most business owners we spoke to are pessimistic about the future of
Gerrard India Bazaar. This negative trend is bound continue if no creative actions are taken to
counter it.
Year 2000
Year 2011
Year 2000 Ongoing negative trend
Potential
It is possible to stop this downward
Future
trend and bring back economic Year 2011 7
prosperity.

8. Koreatown Koreatown in Toronto was ranked first place as the
greatest little neighborhood in the world by Lonely
(Great example to follow) Planet this year. This is huge recognition since Lonely
Planet is the world’s most respected travel information
company. Koreatown without a doubt deserves this
since it truly provides an authentic and stimulating
experience for all visitors.
If Koreatown right here in Toronto can achieve this, we
believe “Little India” on Gerrard St can also achieve this
kind of global recognition.
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9. Multitude of Reasons for GIB’s Depleting Economy
• Tougher border crossing from the USA • Perceived as an inconvenient place to
after 9/11 and also there are now go shopping
many Indian markets in US cities. • GIB is not situated as close to the
• The rise of online shopping downtown core as the other popular
• South Asians only account for 10 ethnic districts (Little Italy, Chinatown,
percent of the residential population. Little Portugal and etc) As a result less
As a result the market is heavily people know about it and how to get
dependent on visitors. there.
• Many South Asians now live in the • Weak brand identity (many people
suburbs and numerous ethnic markets don’t understand what “Gerrard India
are also situated there to conveniently bazaar” is perhaps because bazaar is
cater to them. more of a cultural word.)
• The state of the economy. • Lacks a stimulating atmosphere and
• Parking issues aesthetic appeal.
• Less than good customer service
experience
9

10. Unifying DNA of Little India
The reason people come to Little India on Aimed at
Gerrard st is to experience the cultural diversity South Asians
of India. There is a mishmash of Indian, Sri
Lankan, Pakistani and Bengali shops. All these
countries are part of the Indian sub-continent
Aimed at non
and from a cultural standpoint, they all share
South Asians
similar cultural values and traditions. The
and younger
culture of the surrounding countries of India
generation
also exists within India, for example Sri Lankan
Aimed at all South Asians
culture is prevalent in Southern India, Pakistani
culture in North West India, and Bengali culture
in East India. Shared culture is what brought all
these diverse businesses together and it is also
what makes Little India on Gerrard st so unique.
The three key messages are different interpretations of Little India’s DNA because a place can mean different
things to different people. “Home away from Home” appeals to South Asian immigrants because they always
yearn to feel the ‘back home’ nostalgic feelings. “Local Cultural Vacation” appeals to Non South Asians and
younger generation South Asians who are not so familiar with India and want to experience a foreign county right
here in Toronto. And “Spice up your day/life” appeals to everyone. We all want to add more color and flavour to
our life-otherwise life would be boring and bland.
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The DNA and the key messages are not slogans or taglines. The unifying DNA is a narrative which conveys why
people should choose Little India on Gerrard st and why Little India matters!

11. Gerrard India Bazaar has enormous potential to reinvigorate itself and bring back a successful
economy. Since the bazaar heavily relies on visitors who are already spoiled with other options,
GIB has to meaningfully differentiate itself from the crowd and earn a reputation that is
inherently so authentic, irresistible and unforgettable that it is simply self propelling. The
following framework ‘BECK’ addresses four keys issues along with proposed actions that have the
power to step up GIB’s game and give it ‘remarkability’, which simply means that it will be
worthy to be remarked upon, which fuels word of mouth and free publicity.
B Brand Identity The following proposed symbolic actions are meant
to make the story of Little India stronger, truer, more
E Experience Economy easier to spread and more ‘Indianish’. The portfolio
of ideas that follow doesn’t exactly constitute a
grand strategy but rather it is an attempt to spark the
C Customer Service
imagination and experimentation with multiple
creative approaches that can be rapidly prototyped,
tested, and communicated as part of a more
definitive strategy. Your PlacePrint is meant to be a
K Know ‘Where’ It Is working document where new ideas can be
continually added through co-authorship.
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12. Brand Identity
The official name of the market is “Gerrard India Bazaar” but it is most commonly referred to as
“Little India”. We also heard the name “Little South Asia”. Almost everybody we spoke to simply
preferred “Little India” opposed to Gerrard India Bazaar.
From a branding standpoint, the multiple names are consequently weakening the brand of the
market. A brand identity should be simple, memorable and positive. Many non-South Asians looked
confused when we used the word ‘bazaar’. Bazaar is a cultural word which everyone is not familiar
with and as a result it weakens the image of the BIA. Moreover, when we used the term “South
Asia” many people imagined countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and so forth. But not India!
So, we strongly suggest that “Little India” should be the only name! It has always been Little India
and it should only be Little India, similarly to how it’s only Little Italy. “Gerrard India Bazaar” should
be completely wiped out in order to stop weakening the brand of the BIA. However the festivals
may continue to be called “Festival of South Asia” since it’s only a short event and is not bigger
brand than the market itself.
For the remainder of this report we will not use the term “Gerrard India Bazaar” anymore, but
rather “Little India”
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13. Now let’s look at visual bright colors, vibrant culture
identity. This project isn’t and decorativeness come to
about logos and taglines by mind. But the current logo
far; however, the visual looks like something that
identity of Little India is so would be used for
hurting, that we felt Governmental trade mission
compelled to address it. On talks between India and and authentically experience
the right is the current logo Canada. In the matter of fact, the Indian sub continent.
and needless to mention, it’s the India-Canada Chamber of
Logo design doesn’t have to
dull, uncreative and Commerce had a very similar
be an expensive exercise.
meaningless. It completely logo in the past until recently
You can capitalize on the
fails to convey a vibrant changing it.
abundant student talent in
market that Little India could
The new visual identity Toronto. These students are
and should be. When people
should have a plethora of dying to expand their
think of India:
vibrant colors and convey the portfolio and are more than
message “to spice up you life” willing to design the logo at a
considerable discount.
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14. Experience Economy. ( This is the most important aspect of BECK.)
The experience economy refers to the notion that people are seeking a different kind of value
return from their disposable income, which is increasingly taking the form of an experience, rather
than a physical product. It is becoming increasingly important for destinations to convey the
emotional benefits they can offer visitors in terms of feelings and experiences, rather than just
present them with a list of things to do (eat, shop, etc). This means telling a story about the
destination, which strikes an emotional chord with potential visitors and stays with them.
It’s all about the streetscape!
“People are drawn to (or repelled by) places according to their physical, aesthetic, and emotional
experience of the street. The street is how we process place, and it provides the image we carry with
us. If we think of ourselves in Rome, we see ourselves in the Via Condotti — we don’t envision the
abstract entity of “Rome.” If we think of ourselves in Sydney, we remember the view of the Opera
House as we walked along George Street, the central artery that winds through the Rocks. The
street provides the central building block of our place memory, reconciling a larger entity with the
scale of human perception.”-Charles Landry, Author of “The Creative City”
14

15. Currently the streetscape of Little
India is significantly lacking the
‘sense of place’ and authenticity
that it could and should have.
Besides the window displays, the
names of the stores, and very little
public art that symbolizes the Indian
sub continent, the BIA pretty much
looks like any other ordinary street.
magnetic ideas that seize the imagination and
are compelling by their very nature.
Breathing life into the streetscape
For example, the pike place fish market in
doesn’t have to cost an arm and a
Seattle, which was just a fish market for about
leg! a hundred years until one fishmonger decided
There are places that gain mature pulling to get his shop assistants to juggle with their
power without huge investments in fish: it’s now the city’s main attraction and
infrastructure or marketing: they are simply draws tourists (and customer) from all over
the USA.
15

16. Here are some aesthetic displays currently in the BIA. These are
amazing, but there needs to be much more of these throughout the
streetscape!
16

17. Painting Little India Project!
Isla Mujeres, a small island off the coast of This is because colors are
Mexico which was close to destitution until traditionally celebrated in
they decided to paint every building on the South Asia, especially
island using a palette of authentic Mexican bright colors. Bright colors
colors. The “painting the island” project gained are used everywhere from
an enormous amount of free global publicity: house decorating, fashion,
American cruise ships now regularly stop at food and so forth.
the island, and the
The problem with Little
place has an
India on Gerrard St. is that
economy!
you hardly notice any
Many people that bright colors! The Chandan Fashion building
we spoke to (bottom left picture) is the most iconic building
mentioned that in whole of Little India and it’s all because of
the first image that the bright coloured paint job! We highly
comes to mind recommend that Little India collectively gets a
when they hear paint job using a palette of bright colors only!
“Little India” is To paint the exterior of a building is relatively
“bright colors”. inexpensive and can be done very quickly.
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18. Here are some of many buildings that can use a brighter paint job. If these
buildings and many others take part in the “Paint Little India project”, it will
certainly have a great impact on the atmosphere and charm of the market. It
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should be done immediately!

19. Here are the same buildings from the previous page painted in brighter
colors using Photoshop. In reality the newly painted buildings will look
even brighter and better than these modified photos. 19

20. There are also many spaces in Little India that can use Indian themed public art. For example there are many planters on
the street and if every single one can be painted with an Indian theme, it would look amazing! Moreover, there many
other blank walls that could use a beautiful Indian themed mural and also this is a great way to get rid of some of the ugly
graffiti and prevent further graffiti since graffitists usually target blank walls only.
It doesn’t have to be expensive public art. A great way to get public art is by hiring art students perhaps from OCAD
20
(Ontario College of Arts and Design). These students are dying to get projects and in many cases are more talented than
other professional artists who charge much higher fees than students ever would.

21. Sidewalk Floor Art
Another space that can be used to give the BIA a
charming Indian touch is the sidewalks. In India
it’s called “rangoli” which is a traditional
decorative folk art. They are decorative designs on
floors of living rooms and courtyards during Hindu
festivals and are meant as sacred welcoming areas.
The purpose of rangoli is decoration and it is also
thought to bring good luck. Usually colourful
chalks are used to create rangoli; however, we suggest that a few beautiful designs
should be painted permanently along the sidewalks of the market. It would give an
authentic touch to
the place and will
be appreciated by
all visitors.
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22. The possibilities are endless if you are imaginative!
So here’s the thing, the streetscape of little India should be authentically decorated to the
maximum effect! India is a very cultured and decorative part of the world and Little India on
Gerrard st should exemplify that. There are numerous creative ways to authenticate the
streetscape and there is no reason why it can’t be done! This should be the BIA’s primary focus
because aesthetic appeal is what will meaningfully differentiate the market from the rest.
Why not have Indian style bowls on the sidewalks…
Why not have small Indian style bells hanging on the trees…
Why not have Indian style benches on the sidewalks which can be taken back inside at night…
The possibilities are endless…
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23. Customer Service
Based on our impressions and also what we were hearing from many shoppers is that customer
service in many of the businesses has much room for improvement. Customer service is a big deal
in India, and it’s strange to experience not the greatest customer service in Little India here in
Toronto.
There’s a great quote by Mahatma Ghandi.
A customer is the most important visitor on our premises; he is
not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an
interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an
outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a
favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an
opportunity to do so.-Mahatma Gandhi
This quote should be pasted on every BIA newsletter, email and all of the circulations. This quote
should also be given to every business owner along with the following acronym “DESI”.
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24. Be DESI
This behaviour guiding acronym for customer service in Little India is memorable and
practical. The word “desi” refers to the people, cultures, and products of the whole
Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their
Diaspora.
D-Dazzle: It should be the ultimate goal of every business in Little India to astonish every
customer with delight. This should be done through store ambiance and through dealing with
customers in the most courteous way possible.
E-Educate: Many visitors don’t know anything about South Asian cultures, so it’s important
that employees act as enthusiastic educators on South Asian cultures and products.
S-Smile: (smile with your mouth and eyes) We were surprised to observe how grumpy some of
the business employees were and many of them didn’t even say “hi” or smile at customers.
I-Inspire: All businesses should act as ambassadors of the Indian sub-continent. The aim is to
inspire customers about Indian culture and way of life to the point that they want to immediately
book a vacation to visit the real India.
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25. Know where it is
Our research reveals that most people who are non-South Asians have no clue where “Gerrard
India Bazaar” or “Little India” is located and how to get there. On the other hand, many people
knew where Little Italy, Greektown, or Chinatown was…but not Little India. This is a major problem
that needs to be addressed! The symbolic actions proposed in regards to the experience economy
are strong enough to generate awareness and grab attention of people and spread word of mouth.
However below are some specific creative ways to make it easier for people to know “where” Little
India is located?
Firstly, we recommend trying to always use the phrase “Little India on Gerrard St”. It is smart to
associate the street with the brand name of the market. The nearest subway station should also be
associated with Little India more often. We found that other successful BIA’s had close links with
their brand name and the street or subway they were located on in the minds of people. For
example Little Italy was closely associated with College St or Koreatown with Christie station or
Chinatown with Spadina St and so forth.
“If I knew where Little India was, I would definitely go there!”
25

26. Coxwell station and Greenwood station
Coxwell and Greenwood station are the nearest subways to Little India. It is only about a five
minute bus ride from these stations to get to the destination. Most people we spoke to prefer this
route. Tourists who usually come from the downtown core find the subway route especially
convenient. It would be smart to put up posters at these stations to help guide people and increase
associations with Little India and these subways.
Here is the spot where people wait for the 22
Here is an example of some space where a poster
bus which takes you to Little India. A poster on
of Little India can be posted at Coxwell station.
the brick wall would be beneficial.
26

27. Bollywood Themed Streetcar
Sandeep Agrawal (faculty member of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson
University) and his student’s created a report about “Culturally responsive urban design”. There is
one creative recommendation in the report
which can help boost the awareness of
“where” Little India is located and should
seriously be considered by the BIA.
“We suggested using Toronto Transit
Commission streetcars to promote the
Bazaar. Streetcar route 506 crosses the
Bazaar and extends to the far end of the city
where it meets with busy subway stations,
the city's downtown core, and the University
of Toronto campus. The TTC sells advertising
that nearly covers the entire car. Our
suggestion was to sponsor a streetcar and cover it to appear like an Indian-style cycle rickshaw. This
streetcar advertising would promote the Bazaar throughout the city and, at the same time, deliver
visitors to the Bazaar.”
27

28. Entrance
When you get on the 22 bus at Coxwell
station and then five minutes later get off
at the corner of Gerrard and Coxwell, you
have no idea where Little India is if it’s
your first time arriving there.
As you can see in the upper right picture,
it’s a dull welcome to Little India. Unlike
the Chinatowns of the world, you instantly
notice you are passing by or arriving at
Chinatown because of the beautiful
gateways and other authentic community
markers.
In the lower right, we show a picture of
the Little India in Singapore. They have
these artistic banners which really liven up
the streets. It would be amazing if Little
India on Gerrard could do something
similar. The great part of this idea is that
it’s not an actual gateway which would be
rather expensive and difficult to build.
Instead it is something like a banner which
isn’t as expensive and can easily be 28
assembled.

29. Final Words…
The value that visitors logically expect
from Little India on Gerrard St. is to
experience the authentic cultures of the
Indian sub-continent. “Value” is “the
promise and delivery of an experience.”
And if your brand promises an experience,
your destination better deliver!
29

30. Project Description
A great deal of inquiry, considerations, and Jane Jacobs way which is to walk, walk and
thought went into formulating this report. The walk. I am rather militant about the
first step consisted of research from publications, importance—the necessities—of exploring
like this. Until I learn a place with my feet, I
white papers, newspapers, books, and statistical
never really feel like I know it. I went
sources. While this provided a “black and white” everywhere in Gerrard India Bazaar and
picture, the “color” was filled with insights took a tonne photos, notes and
derived from an outside perspective: meaningfully mingled with the locals along
the way to get a real sense of the place.
• Less formal interviews with ‘man-on-the-
street’ and also in-depth interviews with
local opinion leaders (politicians, business Once it was creatively determined on what could
leaders, BIA members, civic organizations, and should be the story, then practical symbolic
and etc.) actions were devised that can make the story
• Street surveys with locals young and old, stronger, truer and easier to spread.
visitors and people living outside the
neighborhood
• Deep tissue exploratory research mostly on
foot and public transit and sometimes the
car. To truly experience a place, I do it the
30

31. Appendices
Resources and bibliography: People and paper
People Bauder, Harold. Toronto’s Little India:. Rep. Ryerson, 2010.
Many people shared their insights and perspectives
with us. We spoke to businessmen, employees, BIA Web. 2 Apr. 2011.
members, residents, professors, and man-on-the- <http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/cgi/viewcontent.
street with in the BIA area and beyond. Many thanks cgi?article=1002&context=immigration>.
to all!
Paper (online and print) Agrawal, Sandeep. OPPI | Ontario Professional
Planners Institute. Rep. Web. 09 May 2011.
Gerrard India Bazaar. Web. 09 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.gerrardindiabazaar.com/>.
Vukets, Cynthia. "Diverse Businesses Could Breathe
"Gerrard Street (Toronto)." Wikipedia, the Free Life into Struggling Little India." Toronto Star. 21 Feb.
Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Apr. 2011. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrard_Street_(Toron
to)>. Anholt, Simon. Places. London: Palgrave Macmillan,
2010.
Brouse, Cynthia. "Indian Summer." Toronto Life. Sept.
Hildereth, Jeremy. "Place Branding at Arms Length."
2005. Web. 10 Apr. 2011
Palgrave, 2010.
<http://www.cynthiabrouse.com/writing/indian_sum
mer.pdf>.
31

32. JT Singh is a think and do
tank providing innovative
and actionable insights.
We help places evade
sameness by enabling
them to become relevant,
unique and productively
creative.
1(416) 893-2170
jtsingh@inbox.com
WWW.JTSINGH.COM
This project was commissioned by TABIA 32