An Afternoon in Leathertown.
It's always worth the drive.
The way I remember it, it was the second, maybe third day of class and everyone, about twenty of us, were going around the room, doing the “so where are you from?” thing.
As a group, we’d been shuttled from orientation to “welcome to campus” activities the past week and this, finally, was the first time we were able to make some actual introductions.
The vast majority were from Toronto proper, as expected but a few others were from communities nearby (Etobicoke, Streetsville) and a couple were international students, some, travelling halfway across the world to chase their dreams.
All of us, hopefully one day, journalists of the new age.
Then, it was my turn.
“Ryan, what about you?” I was asked.
Admittedly, I hesitated. Just for a second.
“Uh, I’m from Acton. It’s about an hour or so north of downtown. Well, northwest. Technically. Sorry. That doesn’t matter.”
I heard someone else snicker.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of Acton.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Still worth the drive?”
Then they all laughed, well, at least those who got the reference. What could I do?
“Sure is!” I said.
I could tell they didn’t believe me.
Have you ever actually watched one of those infamous Acton Hide House commercials?
They’re really not that bad.
Sure, they’re a little tacky and low-budget but I mean, c’mon, it was the eighties. They have this guerrilla, almost homemade quality to them, as customers make their way through the store, chatting it up and trying on various jackets.
It was the tagline that got people, though: “The Olde Hide House! It’s worth the drive to Acton!”
The campaign was the brainchild of adman Steve Dawkins, who, I suspect, just wanted to drum up some local business.
Instead, he created something that was not just incredibly enduring but ultimately, it seems, veered into punchline material. I mean, when people think of Acton, these goofy, fifty-cent, low-res ads are all they think of.
It’s a shame. And it drives me nuts.
The first tanneries in Acton started appearing in the early 1840s, industrial types, eager, clearly, to capitalize on an area that just north of a major commercial sector in Toronto, was ripe with possibility.
And possibility there was - the surrounding area (the still-existing Ontario Greenbelt that is currently masked under a cloud of uncertainty) was rich in eastern hemlock trees, which proved key in developing strong leather hides. But there was still something missing or rather, someone.
(Wanna guess who?)
In 1865, businessman George Beardmore purchased large swabs of land in Acton, including the tannery, bringing a true sense of stability to the area for the first time.
(Yeah, you have no idea who that is, do you? I’m sorry. I set you up to fail)
Anyway, Beardmore invested heavily in the community at large, from revitalizing the tanning equipment itself, to helping a establish a co-op for the local families, employee housing and even a boathouse (which, presumably, was on Fairy Lake which the town now refuses to dredge - apparently it’s classified as a wetland. Lord only knows what they’re hiding there. Shudders).
At their peak, Beardmore’s tanneries employed nearly twenty-percent of the local population, his tannery, the largest in the country and the British Empire at large, with a name known throughout the Commonwealth: Leathertown.
It wouldn’t last, though. Nothing ever does. And that’s to be expected, especially over 140-plus years. Beardmore’s tannery closed in 1986 and although you can still see some lasting impact from the town’s tanning heyday (especially in a few local businesses) when you mention Acton to most from the GTA, you’ll get one of two responses:
From those commercials, right?
Or:
You’re a town of less than ten-thousand people - why do the pizza shops outnumber you 5-1?
It’s a fair question.
But I guess my point is, Acton is just Acton, sure but it is also the place I consider my hometown. A place who’s unique manufacturing history is a point of pride, despite what the low-hanging punchlines might suggest. The annual Leathertown Festival speaks to this, too.
There isn’t much leather here anymore but when the whole town comes out, either in mid-August or for the Fall Fair in early-September, there is always a chance you’ll run into someone you know, someone who cares, someone who is probably just a little too interested in your personal business.
It a place that continues to grow, to develop, to be more than just somewhere for people from Georgetown to look down on, as we sheepishly drive the twenty minutes down the highway to loiter in their Booster Juice.
I didn’t always feel this way, of course. Going into high school, I bought into the stereotypes, the negativity, the complaints of those who would rather be anywhere else. But I’ve come to realize: there is nowhere else like it.
I mean, c’mon! It’s Acton!
It’s always worth the drive.
this was awesome buddy!