This week, I take you to a block in Old East Village that’s become its own cultural district. A single stroll this Saturday on Elias St., will lead you to handmade zines, a craft brewery celebrating its 10th anniversary, beautifully curated books, vinyl records at Odyssey Records, vintage treasures at Back to the Fuschia and The Sentimentalist, and some of the friendliest people you'll meet in the city.
It's one of my favourite corners of London, and if you haven't explored it yet, this weekend is the perfect time to do it. Now let’s get into it!
The Loon Recommends for August 6-9, 2026
Forest City Print & Zine Fair at the Forest City Gallery
Anderson Ales’ 10th Anniversary Party
Spotlight on Brown & Dickson bookstore
Meet the People Behind the Events - An Interview with Jason Dickson
Forest City Print & Zine Fair
Saturday, August 8 | Forest City Gallery | 1015 Elias St. | 12 - 5 PM | FREE
The Forest City Print & Zine Fair is a celebration of local and regional artists working in print and zine making, and takes place this Saturday at the Forest City Gallery.
More than 30 local and regional artists, illustrators, printmakers and independent publishers will fill the gallery with handmade books, comics, prints and zines. This will be a great place to find things you’ve never seen before, and buy right from the artist.
What is a “zine” you may ask? Short for magazine, a zine (pronounced “zeen”) is a small, self-published, often beautifully hand-crafted booklets or printed matter, typically made by one person or group.
Zines have long been homes for independent voices, personal storytelling and creative experimentation.
Whether you’re a longtime collector or have never picked up a zine before, it’s a chance to discover work you simply won’t find in a bookstore, meet the people who made it, and support London’s thriving independent arts community. And best of all, admission is FREE.
Here are a few of my picks of what to seek out at the show:
Embassy Culture House - Arts & Culture Publications
For more than 40 years, Embassy Cultural House (ECH) has been one of London’s most important independent cultural voices. Founded in 1983 by artists Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner, and reimagined in 2020 as a virtual artist-run space, ECH continues to champion art, activism, local history and community through exhibitions, conversations and public programs that connect London to national and international cultural dialogues.
And what a lot of people don’t know is that ECH has stepped into the independent publishing space and have put out a number of printed publications that will all be available at the show.
Editors’s note - I am proud to be a member and contributor of the Embassy Cultural House collective and I’ll be at the table selling my comics!
Emily Kings - Ceramics and prints
Western University Visual Arts and Beal Art alum. Her work looks fantastic! I remember seeing it at the end of the year Beal Art show, and being impressed.
Gabriella Solti - Prints, Drawings, Artist Books
Hungarian/Canadian artist Gabriella Solti is based out of London, and creates beautifully crafted works that blur the boundaries between art, books, printmaking and community participation. I’ve been a fan of her work for sometime, and I’m looking forward to checking out her award-winning artist books.
Raise a Glass to 10 Years of Anderson Craft Ales
Saturday, August 8 | Anderson Ales | 1030 Elias St. | 2 - 10 PM | $15 admission
It’s hard to believe, but one of London’s craft beer pioneers is celebrating a decade of brewing. On Saturday, Anderson Craft Ales is throwing an all-day 10 Years of Beer anniversary party, featuring more than 20 taps - pouring everything from brewery favourites to one-off anniversary brews.
Plus there will be live music and local food vendors (Vietnam Kitchen, Pierogi Queens, Posh Cheeseboard Co & Jorges #1 Tacos).
Whether you’re a longtime fan of Anderson’s Cream Ale or simply looking for an excuse to spend an afternoon on one of London’s friendliest patios, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate a brewery that has become a cornerstone of Old East Village, and an important part of London’s thriving craft beer scene. Cheers to ten years!
A ticket is $15, and you can buy it here
Note that a ticket includes 3 drink tokens and a commemorative anniversary glass.
Sponsor Highlight: Downtown London
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Explore patios across our downtown with a free digital passport. Each check-in earns you points toward Downtown Dollar Gift Cards, exclusive discounts, and other prizes. With over 30 participating businesses, there’s lots of spots to discover and enjoy.
Forest City Arts & Culture Round-Up is sponsored by Downtown London
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Supporting independent local journalism in our community
Brown & Dickson - Building Community, One Book at a Time
If you’re like me, and your idea of a perfect afternoon involves wandering the shelves of an independent bookstore, Brown & Dickson should be at the top of your list of places to visit in London. I’ve been a fan of this bookstore since its iteration in the old Novacks building and the wonderful Kangaroo Variety evenings, then followed them to Richmond Row, and now their spot on Elias St.
At Brown & Dickson every corner of the shop feels thoughtfully curated, filled with unexpected finds, rare out of print editions and the kind of books you didn’t know you were looking for until they were in your hands (which has happened to me several times). But what keeps me coming back isn’t just the books.
Brown & Dickson is one of those places where you’re just as likely to bump into a friend or strike up a conversation about art, literature or life in London with owners Jason Dickson and Vanessa Brown, as you are to leave with your next great book.
That sense of community is no accident. Jason and Vanessa (both award-winning authors themselves), have created a warm, welcoming space and genuinely take the time to get to know their customers. More than once I've received an email from them asking, "Hey Diana, do you have this book?”, and it’s something that either I would like, and I have them put it aside for me, or its something I own already.
Importantly, Brown & Dickson is about much more than books. The shop regularly hosts book launches, author readings, concerts and fundraisers for local non-profits that have helped make it a cornerstone of London's literary and arts community.
It’s this community spirit that has helped make the shop such an important part of Elias Street’s growing cultural scene. Whether you’re a lifelong bibliophile or simply curious to explore one of the city’s most interesting neighbourhoods, Brown & Dickson is the kind of place you’ll want to return to again and again.
Check out the Brown and Dickson website here.
One last recommendation: Sign-up to Brown & Dickson’s newsletter. It's hands down my favourite email in my inbox. Along with recent arrivals, Jason shares funny, thoughtful observations about life as a bookseller in London. It's charming, witty and very London.
For people who haven’t discovered Brown & Dickson yet, how would you describe it?
A small but fierce used bookshop.
Your shelves don’t look like a typical used bookstore. They feel curated and are filled with surprises. It’s one of the reasons why I love to go to the shop because I never know what I might stumble across. What makes a book “Brown & Dickson” worthy and what types of books are favourites amongst your clientele?
Beautiful books for smart people. Smart books for beautiful people. :)Brown & Dickson has become much more than a bookstore—it’s a place
for book launches, readings, concerts, fundraisers and conversations. Was
creating that kind of community always part of the vision, and why is it so important to you and Vanessa?
Yes. Our experiences in London, Ont. always highlighted how places like the one you describe are important. Bookshops like ours are and have always been a critical part of our cultural lives.
There are a number of ways to be successful as a bookseller. Ours is to be useful not just as book dealers but also as neighbours and colleagues.
If we are just selling books, then we are bored and figure our customers will be bored too.
Over the past few years, Elias Street has quietly become one of London’s
most interesting cultural pockets. You’ve got Forest City Gallery, Odyssey Records, Back to the Fuchsia, Anderson Craft Ales and of course Brown & Dickson all within a a few feet of each other.
What do you think makes this little corner of the city so special, and why do you think it has become such a magnet for creative people?
London has a way of tinkering with things that are successful. What we’venoticed is that it is best to not draw attention to ourselves. Be a secret spot that folks discover and visit. Most of the businesses on our little strip have come to Elias to do what they do without too much headache.
We think that these little out of the way places foster creative freedom. You have a bunch of businesses and communities all gathering in one place, overlapping and informing one another, just doing their things and thriving.
It won’t last forever, likely, as someone will point their powerful finger and start tinkering again. But for now it’s just a bunch of cool people doing cool stuff and that’s awesome.
What’s the strangest, rarest or most unexpected book that’s ever come through your doors?
Jason’s high school yearbook offered up as an “antique”.
The Loon (London Ontario Online News) lineup
New content every day!
We’ve teamed up to send you a new feature every weekday:
Monday - Buckle Up - podcast with Matt Brown - SPONSORED BY HAMILTON ROAD BIA
Tuesday - Ward Tours with Cedric Richards - SPONSORED BY LONDON BICYCLE CAFÉ
Wednesday - City Hall Notes by Mike Donachie - SPONSORED BY SPERO LAW
Thursday - the Forest City Arts and Culture Roundup by Diana Tamblyn - SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN LONDON
Friday - Reflecting, with Steve Cordes - SPONSORED BY OLD EAST VILLAGE BIA
And free on Fridays: the ROUNDUP, briefing you on the stories you need to know, gathered in one place. Regular analysis of the issues affecting London and the region.
I recently discovered Elias Street, and more particularly discovered that it was the new location of Brown & Dickson. A lot of shops of its kind claim to be curated, but B&D really, truly is. I bought a book that day, and hope to buy many more. Best, David.
*such* a great spotlight!