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The Sidekick

The Sidekick The Sidekick, located on Queen Street East, is a café and cafe that offers more than just food and drink. With events like "Slideshow Bob," a comedy show paired with powerpoint, and appearances from local indie comic artists like Josh of LEO fame, The Sidekick offers a unique and entertaining experience. They also offer $5 draught beer and free popcorn (plus sweets and coffee too). Join them for a night of laughter and good slides.

Recent social media posts

Hey Heroes.A FEW LAST THINGS: Final Sidekick flash sale is TOMORROW.Join us from 12-4pm at the usual spot for these last...
2024-08-27

Hey Heroes.

A FEW LAST THINGS: Final Sidekick flash sale is TOMORROW.

Join us from 12-4pm at the usual spot for these last chance items! $2 books, single issues for .25 cents, baking trays, cheese boards, shelving & more!
Chris will be on bar getting you those last coffees, and we’ll be playing the hits. Last chance for real this time! Limited seating as we are all set up Yard Sale style at the front, but don’t wait- we’re moved out by the end of the month.

See you one last time ♥️

Obviously we don’t need to reiterate how much the Sidekick means to your bookshop Dads, but just in case…We aren’t the o...
2024-08-22

Obviously we don’t need to reiterate how much the Sidekick means to your bookshop Dads, but just in case…

We aren’t the only couple who took wedding or engagement photos in the Sidekick. This place meant so much to so many, but it was indeed a special piece of Chris’ heart. Lovingly and carefully and meticulously stocked, decorated, minded, and supervised. So it was only natural to meet there, on the day of our wedding, to have our usual morning before heading to City Hall and doing the deed.

The Sidekick meant a lot to so many (as evidenced by yesterday, our last day, packed and surrounded by some much love) but most especially us. Truly and dearly and queerly us. It was the community and strength and acceptance and care that was fostered here that allowed Chris to come out as trans, to be seen as he is. To find people who would love him still and fiercely and impossibly while he figured it out and continues to.

Our small businesses, our cafes, our community spaces- they aren’t just places. They are people. They are reflections of our hearts, our wants and desires, our intentions. Thank you for seeing ours and supporting it. If we can take anything away from this, it is to put those changes and big dreams into the world because they give you back what you pour in and sometimes if you are lucky like we have been… they give you more than you ever could have asked for. And to look around your neighbourhoods, to see this, to foster and care for this. To cheer for this, to support the people who make beautiful things. And, even though this particular space isn’t here- keep the spirit, keep the friends you made here, the love that you felt here, the everything and more.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

🖤

LAST DAY LAST DAY LAST DAYOpen 8am - 5pmAuction starts at 5pm! Bid on a piece of your local neighbourhood comic book caf...
2024-08-21

LAST DAY LAST DAY LAST DAY

Open 8am - 5pm

Auction starts at 5pm! Bid on a piece of your local neighbourhood comic book cafe to take home before we close forever 🖤

We aren’t Sidekicks without all the Heroes who kept us going. You wanted coffees, book recommendations, drinks, activiti...
2024-08-20

We aren’t Sidekicks without all the Heroes who kept us going.

You wanted coffees, book recommendations, drinks, activities, space to be seen and heard and we happily ran around to make that happen. A team of smart, silly, talented, nerdy, gender diverse and amazing Sidekicks pulled together to make this space a comfortable place to land for so many.

Thank you Heroes, for keeping us busy and loved for so long! And Thank You to every Sidekick, past and present, long term or short, for lending your careful and capable hands to our operation. Every fingerprint, peal of laughter, fumble and catch, made us the space we are and will be remembered for. 💕

TOMORROW is the LAST DAY & The Silent Auction begins at 5pm! Don’t miss your LAST CHANCE to snag some art and collectibles, a little piece of your friendly neighbourhood Sidekick to take home. And SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK before you go! Let us know that you loved us (or just draw us some sweet graffiti).

Do you remember when we first opened?Slowly, slowly, the bookshop inventory was built. There were just two of us, Chris ...
2024-08-19

Do you remember when we first opened?

Slowly, slowly, the bookshop inventory was built. There were just two of us, Chris and his best pal Lauren. We did 7 days a week like that somehow. Making coffees, bagging and boarding comics, learning the neighbourhood and the business one interaction at a time. We were challenged, we were welcomed, we giggled a lot and met new friends. We cried, we got tired, we admitted we needed help if we ever wanted to sleep.

So much within these walls changed in the almost 10yrs we have been here! And so many Sidekicks served behind the wood. We hosted birthday parties, engagement shoots, open mic’s, craft nights, movies, comedy, book launches…

This space meant more to more people than the two of us ever dreamed possible. Thank you, Leslieville. We barely recognize these 23yr olds anymore, these bare walls. We painted the space and ourselves with all that love and support. You are truly heroes.

Join us for last coffees, last comic purchases. Open 8am-5pm Monday-Wednesday. The last day is Wednesday the 21st and we miss you already. 🖤

It is the LAST WEEKEND this weekend to enjoy hanging out at your friendly neighbourhood comic book shop x cafe! We are o...
2024-08-16

It is the LAST WEEKEND this weekend to enjoy hanging out at your friendly neighbourhood comic book shop x cafe! We are open 8am- 5pm and still have SO MANY BOOKS priced at 50% off, so don’t sleep on this great sale. We also still have board games and a great back patio, so bring the whole family and play a classic, grab some snacks, and enjoy the great vibes.

Our LAST DAY is Wednesday Aug. 21st! Get a coffee with Chris one last time and wave at her, the amazing space that we have enjoyed in the neighbourhood for almost 10yrs. Then at 5pm we have the silent auction ! Bid with your neighbours on some of the nostalgic decor from the Sidekick and take a piece of your local gem home with you. 💕

Chris will be roasting triple time all weekend, so if you’re out of beans DON’T PANIC. He’s on it this week! Hang tight, okay?

Thanks, heroes! 🖤📚☕️

There are still SO MANY GREAT COMICS on the shelves, going fast at our 50% off sale! Don’t miss these Marvel and DC clas...
2024-08-12

There are still SO MANY GREAT COMICS on the shelves, going fast at our 50% off sale!

Don’t miss these Marvel and DC classics, indie comics, autobiographical graphic novels, small press darlings, and more! Grab a coffee and browse the stacks.

Now until -Aug. 21st, so you have NINE DAYS, Heroes! Let’s get these books to good homes! 🖤📚

Ever wanted a burlap sack of your very own? Well now's your chance!Sidekick is now giving out FREE burlap bags to any ta...
2024-08-10

Ever wanted a burlap sack of your very own? Well now's your chance!

Sidekick is now giving out FREE burlap bags to any takers! These highly functional and desirable bags come with a wide array of coffee-related decals and in a variety of colours (of beige). Some even come with old, unroasted coffee beans!

Some things you can use them for:
- Gardening
- Sack races
- Wiping up tears after your favourite cafe/comic book store closes
- Costumes (you're beans)
- Bank robbing
- Making yourself itchy

The possibilities are endless! Stop by soon and pick out an appealing bag today, available while supplies last!

A reminder that our closing sale continues! All books and all merch are 50% off until the doors close on August 21st. St...
2024-08-10

A reminder that our closing sale continues! All books and all merch are 50% off until the doors close on August 21st. Stop by and grab something to remember one of Toronto's most unique community hubs!

YOU!Don’t miss the 50% off ALL BOOKS sale going on… RIGHT NOW! Grab a coffee and browse the stacks, and get some great r...
2024-08-09

YOU!

Don’t miss the 50% off ALL BOOKS sale going on… RIGHT NOW! Grab a coffee and browse the stacks, and get some great reads for a steal.

When they’re gone, they’re gone! Don’t sleep on this 🖤📚☕️

THE SIDEKICK SILENT AUCTION:Hey pals. As we slowly close up, some of our local Heroes have asked.. what happens to this ...
2024-08-08

THE SIDEKICK SILENT AUCTION:

Hey pals. As we slowly close up, some of our local Heroes have asked.. what happens to this or that piece of art, specific memorabilia, nostalgic item?

These things are impossible for me to price, and even harder to say one person can take it over the other. So we are not making me (Chris) choose! Come by at 5pm on AUGUST 21st for a silent auction of some of the precious things we have decorated your friendly neighbourhood cafe x comic shop with. Maybe it will be a steal, and you’ll snag something special for very little. Or maybe you are having a bidding war with your neighbours, breaking the silence with silly giggles about how much you are about to pay for a well worn Godzilla figure.

I can tell you that they’ll be some collectibles, some original art, posters, and the favourite superhero mugs that everyone is so attached to- so you won’t want to miss out! Take a piece of Sidekick home. This will be a semi-private event, so we’ll close the door around 5:30. Don’t be late!

The 50% off sale on all books CONTINUES until the 21st and titles are FLYING, so come by soon to grab comics before they are all gone. 🖤📚

Honestly I can’t believe it has been almost 10yrs.Being here has been such a gift, a treat, a journey, a struggle, a Tim...
2024-08-07

Honestly I can’t believe it has been almost 10yrs.

Being here has been such a gift, a treat, a journey, a struggle, a Timelapse through growing up and learning to love and meet people and cherish moments and neighbourhoods and experiences.

Sidekick wasn’t (isn’t??) a business. It was a dream and a promise. A place. People. A prayer that I would make it, that I would build a life for myself that I could grow in. Something real and imagined. Made real by the people who saw her, saw me. We grew up here, loved, built community, found each other, grew up and… moved on. Now it’s time. For me, too.

To everyone who loved her and loves her still: thank you. We have two more weeks to hold her, have last coffees. See each other in this house that I built when I was 23 and knew nothing, but somehow knew exactly what I needed. I got it all, here, with you. I will hold it right forever in my heart, and you’re all heroes for making it happen.

🖤
- Chris

Address

1374 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
M4L1C9

The café is located on Queen Street East in Toronto. If you are traveling by public transport, you can take the 501 streetcar and get off at Queen St East/Leslie St stop. From there, it is a short walk towards the east to reach the café.

If travelling by car, you can take Lake Shore Boulevard East and turn onto Woodbine Avenue. Then, turn left onto Queen Street East and look for parking options in the surrounding streets or parking lots nearby.

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 5pm
Tuesday 7am - 5pm
Wednesday 7am - 5pm
Thursday 7am - 5pm
Friday 7am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14165461301

Website

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What people say

The Sidekick on Queen Street East is not just your average café, it's a hub for entertainment and community. The recent "Slideshow Bob" comedy show was a unique experience that left the audience in stitches. The nostalgia-inducing animation and clock wipe transitions added to the hilarity of the comedians' stories and passions. And let's not forget about the $5 draught beer and free popcorn (plus sweets and coffee too) that made for a perfect night out.

But The Sidekick isn't just about comedy shows, they also support local indie talent like Josh from who recently launched his first comic book LEO. This all-ages sci-fi action romp is a must-read for any comic book fan. And if you're lucky, you might even get to meet the lovely human behind .

Overall, The Sidekick is a gem in Toronto's entertainment scene. With its cozy atmosphere and diverse events, it's no wonder why it has become a go-to spot for locals looking for a good time.

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