Lee Valley Tools is closing its downtown Toronto location after 15 years

Gardening in a city like Toronto is already hard enough, but it's about to get even more difficult for those living downtown.

After 15 years at their King Street location, Lee Valley is closing their doors for good. As a go-to spot for everyone interested in gardening, birding, and just about anything there is to do with the outdoors, it will be sorely missed.

"We have witnessed several changes to the neighborhood's unique makeup, making it highly desirable for restaurant and office space, and driving costs up to unsustainable levels. At the same time, we have watched several retailers move on," Jason Tasse, President and COO of Lee Valley told blogTO.

"The decision not to renew our lease on King Street has been difficult, a store closure has a tremendous impact on our people and customers. We have and will continue to evaluate alternative locations in Toronto and across Canada."

For those wanting to keep the Lee Valley experience alive, nearby stores in Scarborough, Burlington and Vaughan will remain open.

The fight for Toronto to hang onto what little green space it has left has seemed like a losing battle in recent years, meaning specialty outdoor stores have lost plenty of business. With the past year in lockdown, Lee Valley is just the latest of many businesses to shut down operations.

The closure seemed to also be inevitable due to a proposed development deal that would see connected six-storey and twelve-story buildings constructed in the area.

These proposed mixed use buildings of retail and office space would take up the area of Portland Street between King and Adelaide stretching out to 590 King Street West where Lee Valley is currently located.

Losing a beloved gardening store for office space is sure to sting extra hard for lovers of the outdoors, but with summer approaching hopefully a season of wonderful gardening and time in the sunlight is only a few weeks away.