Alan Cherry is indeed still very active and present in Yorkville. However, the corner of Avenue Road and Yorkville won’t be quite the same anymore. Until recently, retail legend Alan Cherry was the owner of one of the most famous fashion locations in the city. The establishment at 33 Avenue Rd boasted all of the top brands from Europe and the United States, and carried everything from fur coats and custom suits to dresses and bridalwear. Cherry has seen it all in his long and eccentric career, carrying on a long tradition of fashion retailing in the Cherry family history.
 Cherry’s grandparents first arrived in Toronto from Russia, and opened up a cleaners and tailoring shop in 1906. The store eventually expanded to carry ladies wear, a legacy that was carried on a generation later by Cherry’s mother when she opened the “Irene Shop” on Danforth Avenue. Cherry grew up living in the small apartment above his mother’s store with his two sisters, Linda and Joy, who would eventually inherit the ladies fashion retailer from their mother. “Our family are probably the oldest fashion retailers in Toronto,” Cherry says. “My mother, and my aunts, and my uncles; they were all in the business.”
Cherry split away from his mother’s business and opened one of his own on Yonge Street in the early 1960s. Although carrying on the family tradition, Cherry went his own way, expanding into menswear and various furs, and looking to Europe for imports. “I was the first one in Toronto to start bringing in merchandise from Europe,” he says. “I was the first one to bring in Hugo Boss, and Versace; all the designer names.” Cherry soon moved his business to Yorkville, where he became a staple in the community.
 Today he carries on from his office in the Yorkville area, finding time to work in the background of fashion retailing, manage his real estate holdings and play an hour of squash everyday. “I’m a real squash bum,” Cherry admits, adding that he has captured several victories in squash tournament in the U.S. and in Europe.
He doesn’t view see himself as being totally retired from the retail world and may resurface again “given the right opportunity”. “I’m too young to retire, I’m only 73,” he says with a laugh. “When I give up my squash, I’ll give up my retailing.”
 Perhaps one of the best ways to look at Alan Cherry is through the eyes of a customer. Here is an on-line comment that accurately sums up the Alan Cherry contribution to Yorkville and Toronto’s fashion scene: “Wonderful whimsical, chic and elegant clothing. Knowledgable fashion co-ordinators. Natalie always knows what suits, will fit and look just right. Never pushy, good taste. A great loss for Toronto. This store is closing because the owner is retiring. Thanks for all the wonderful years Alan Cherry. Wishing all of you the very best.” (From a post on the Toronto Fashion Monitor)
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