Scary Business at Myers on Main!

KEEP MOM AND POP MAIN ST ALIVE

Did you know that during the war Myers on Main in Newmarket was the only place for miles to get new candies and such and people working at the Tannery would line up down the block to pay them back on payday? During the war, candies were a treasure and later when the town's only grocery store burnt down they began to offer milk and such and it wasn't uncommon for the Myers' to get a call at one o'clock in the morning for baby's milk or something, and they'd come open the door for the person. This must be how the term "Convenience Store" came about!

Small businesses can't afford temporary set-up stores competing

When candies died out as a reliable single market item and convenience store chains emerged later on, Myers adjusted and began selling costumes and such.

Halloween is usually the next "look forward to" affair in many peoples minds after Thanks-Giving, and to that end Myers on  Main, Newmarkets longest running family owned business, has been taking care of the communities needs for...ever!

It's amazing that some people have seen  Myers for years yet never knew they sold costumes, make-up etc. In recent years they've been plagued by fly-by-night costume houses that open for Halloween after which close up shop and take their money back to the U.S.A. Meantime Myers pays employees year round.

Winning wall design rejected by town Bylaw Officer

It's bad enough Mom & Pop Main St have to compete with the Wallmarts and Targets which threaten the very existence of Main St.'s but to have to deal with businesses allowed to open up during busy season  and then close up while Myers is a town taxpayer year round is outrageous! What other industry allows this? How would the Mayor feel if a Toronto charity came to town to scoop all the donations for it's hospital once a year during the height of our hospital's fundraising season and took it back to Toronto? Oh that's right they are already doing this for a "charity" ice-hockey enterprise.

Toronto business wall

To make matters worse, the struggling Myers Costumes On Main keeps getting graffitied and ordered to pay for removal by an overzealous by-law officer who seems to have a lot of power.
See video!


To try and get around the repeated graffiti tagging & removal at expense to the elderly owner Jenny, Myers' manager Casandrah held a wall mural contest. The town had been enthusiastic about the idea, with Councilor Joe Sponga coming out and assisting the process, but the problems with the  same by-law officer continued dubbbing the winning mural a "sign" and can't be used? Huh? Who is this guy? We are allowing our by-law officers decide what is art and what is appropriate for one's own business?

Yet Graffiti-like sign allowed at town's Youth Centre - What gives?

If town council wants to slough this off on the town's longest running family business go ahead but don't expect Myers Costumes to fold up their tent and leave town like the fly-by-nighters this town allows in. She's survived worse than an egotistical by-law officer and I'm sure will endure much more . In fact they even opened a new, albeit temporary location, in Downtown Bradford for the Months of October / November since that town doesn't have a costume house and no fly-by-nighters as yet, although Walmart is  and they too bulk up on costume stock.

Myers Costumes has all kinds of selections

Who knows? If it does well maybe she'll just leave town and take up shop there. What's one more long time business gone from Main St. Right?

"Buy local" should mean beyond produce and such. As a longtime resident I urge you to support your local Main St...before they all go! 

Tom Pearson

Making An Elvis - A Reality Blog on the road to Collingwood

Tom in 2010 in Collingwood

  It Occurred to me that if I didn't do the Elvis Festival in Collingwood soon as a performer, I may run out of time to be able to pull him off effectively. I've always been able to do his voice pretty well, I thought, and have been told there is some resemblance, so with this in mind I simply mentioned the fact that I was thinking about it to a die hard fan and regular festival goer and then got her best impression of a take-away close (sales term) on me by "assuming the deal" by asking certain assumptive "closing" questions such as,

" So what songs are you going to do?"

  
"Hold on! I never said I was going to yet" I'd replied.

  "Well what songs do you think you're going to do then?" she responded. Ha.

  At any rate, after some thought, I decided to go for it and approach the task like I would as if preparing for an acting role. I started seeking out photos and footage and asked my new " Elvis Adviser" Linda which songs she liked and which performers stood out to her at the festival and why. After all if I'm going to do this thing I want to try and do it right. Linda has always enjoyed when I've done Elvis over the past several years, always at me to perform more often and even closed the deal one year by having me croon to her mom for her birthday! When I first raised the possibility with friend Linda she wasted no time in checking into it and found out I needed to register within 2 days or it was over before even starting... Talk about a pressure sale! Ha!

2009 in Collingwood, TP's Elvis Adviser Linda dresses up in 50's wear!

   Upon listening to the what she and some others had to say regarding song and era choice I decided that although I have the 70's Elvis suit and it fits well, that I'm just too skinny so with this as part of the reasoning, I decided to do earlier Elvis, and will scout out another outfit for this. After much consideration I decided that for the first time out I'd pick songs I know quite well - ones that I can really feel when I sing them and that I feel I most resemble Elvis singing - after all the contest wants to see as close a rendition to the real deal as possible and so with that in mind I chose I Can't Help Falling In Love, Don't Be Cruel and Blue Suede Shoes. I went back and forth a lot and considered a GI Elvis song as well as doing Jailhouse Rock but in the end decided on a first go round with familiarity.

  Of course I've been to the Collingwood affair before and it is a good time especially if you're dressed as Elvis. I decided to wear my Elvis suit the 1st year I attended and everyone wanted my autograph as I walked around..it was hilarious...One time another Elvis comes running up to me and says

"Hey, how you doing, have you seen Subway Elvis?"

  "No", I replied after a slight hesitation as if I knew him, and he went off in search after thanking me.

  Subway Elvis, was of course, renowned at the time because he played in the subways of Toronto getting known after some media coverage. I felt slightly guilty by taking all the glorious accolades that went with being "an Elvis" but not performing. Of course I have performed to Elvis many a time including even Elvis-ograms at one time. Hey, I'm a single dad, we'll do almost anything that pays!Ha!

  Another year at Collingwood I had a group of no less than 100 Japanese tourists who wanted a group shot with me, and then afterwards whenever I tried to leave another would want an individual pic with me! Ha!! My only regret was not getting a copy! It was a challenge to stay in character at all times however, as if you look the part people expect the goods...so "thank-you very much's" became part of my routine as I ventured through the festival. You buy a coffee, thank-you thank-you very much.. a soda..thank-you thank-you very much...you get the drift - people in line behind you and everyone you run into expect Elvis! Ha! At least if you're performing you can hide backstage. I guess the only time I won't be in character come to think of it is amongst my fellow Elvises! Elvii? Whatever.

  Of course I grew up too young for Elvis' peak however I did watch and love his movies as a kid and later on came to appreciate him more - especially as an actor where I feel he could have done more given a chance at serious roles. Elvis also grew up dirt poor and had a heart for others and I saw some parallels to my life in his which has helped inspire me to really try to "become Elvis" for this event, including surrounding myself with Elvis stuff.

  Upon registering for the 2012 Collingwood Elvis Festival I was informed they needed a professional headshot in Elvis garb, and with little time to lose, I went to work by first calling a friend who is schooled in professional make-up who told me what to buy after which I had to apply myself with a little coaching from my giggling daughter who managed,

" This is the most macho thing I've ever seen you do", between breathes, as I struggled to put on eyeliner.

 

    I somehow wangled to get everything in on time with a little help from my daughter Brittany, Linda, as well as makeup aficionado and DJ extraordinaire Hungarian Pepper, although I actually had until June 1st for some info but it's all in now! The last item I needed to decide was a  stage name and went with "Best Of Elvis" as I'd been the Elvis on City TV's long running Speaker's Corner and its 10th anniversary "best of" show, so I figured why not? It's either that or Skinny Elvis and I don't know how they'd take that one! To top it off somehow I was able to snag a small cottage for the duration of my Elvisarama in nearby Wasaga Beach after a brother taking over for another who just died and new to the biz had not yet booked everything during the usually sold out time! It was fate and I look forward to tackling this 'role" with vigour with the expectation of presenting a viable Elvis product in the end.

  I will videoblog the "Making Of An Elvis" right up to and including the Elvis festival in Collingwood July 26-29 so stay tuned and...watch some exciting stuff like me dying my hair and applying mascara for the first time...Thank-you...thank-you very much! very much!

My final head shots..The cool yet semi concerned look. Above the serious look.

Live Acts, Singles Dances, DJ Services Ideas for New Year

 For TP Entertainment or any live acts, this time of year can be good or bad for those in the entertainment industry. On one hand the hospitality industry typically does well through New Years thus they can afford performers when they may not normally whether that be a DJ or band or even a comedy or dinner show, but if you didn't get lucky yet and are not working New Years Eve many of you could be S.O.L. for a spell as January-March are the slowest times in their yearly calendar statistically.

Don Cherry is a popular spoof character great for B-days.. have him bring hubby a case of Canadian and rant!

  What I've done over the years is to try and find niches to supplement my income. My first paid job as a performer I was actually hired by my mom who was Promotions Coordinator for the Aurora Shopping Centre at the time who hired me as Santa Claus only to fire me the next day! Apparently the owner of the Metropolitan department store didn't think I was hohohoing enough. Ha. At any rate, a friend of mine who had actually hit puberty by then did the job instead. Recently, in the past several years, I've been putting myself out (tramp!) as the Grinch! Which is way cooler than Santa any day! Ha! And allows for  more diversity of choices for marketing - as even an adult party wanting to stand out can use a Grinch - who has a change of heart of course and dishes out good cheer and presents if available! Bring along a partner/dog Max too, and act / sing the book out for full effect (and an excuse to have someone helping)! Play to the audience and pick out a "Cindy Loo Who" to pat on the head. Of course, get too big and Dr Seuss may want a cut..but so long as you are not charging a cover for such events or showing the movie for a charge there should be little worries of that.

TP Entertainment & Productions is no Grinch to local industry suppliers

Myers Costumes On Main St Newmarket has all the fixings for Celeb Makeovers like the Don Cherry apparel above!

  Once I created an interactive show called "Wackyoke" which incorporated humour into karaoke basically by introducing props, impersonating singers, acting wacky, some stand-up, and allowed people to come up and sing their choice of karoke song. Should they be bad singers was my thinking, I'd ham it up a bit and do background vocals, air guitar, whatever it took to get a laugh. Hey it worked pretty well except one time way up north in Ontario, near Orillia, where they take their Elvis seriously. Serious Elvii fans don't take too much to mocking him, but luckily I can croon Elvis passably so they let me live. Ha.

  The idea for Wackyoke actually came to me from having seen a group of 2 guys called Krazy Karaoke several years prior at a Fox and Fiddle in Mississauga and later in Richmond Hill, which I'd thought was brilliantly innovative at the time, and the fact that the local Karaoke guy was like a bump on a log as a host. I figured anyone putting any effort at all could compete with that and I was right. I got quite a few compliments and laughs with that show and actually started a promotion for Easter Seals called 'Sing a Tune for a Twoney" wherein by paying a twoney every time you got up to sing you'd be judged and get a chance to make the finals whilst raising funds for the cause. I incorporated several bars into the mix and tied it in with the Great York Region Restaurant Race (raised $100,000) at the time. TP Entertainment had prizes like cash, recording time, and a Flare Modelling School scholarship.This was in 1994. I wide-eyed envisioned it working Canada-wide, but at that time didn't have the wear-with-all. Some Years later Canadian Idol came out....Just saying! Also a guy that rents karaoke and games for stags etc in Toronto whom I gave the Sing-a-tune- for- a- twoney idea to while attending a friends Jack & Jill, still uses it in his rental package today as a way to raise funds for the groom etc at stag and J&J parties..Thank-you!! Thank-you very much!

TP Entertainment handled Good Times Grand Opening having packed the place, provided the 1st band(s) and was 1st to bring karaoke , Elvis, and live entertainment nights. Live nights and karaoke remain their bread and butter in 2012.We also advised them to drop the donuts...they did. Thank -you, Thank-you very much

  Elvis- o- grams or fave performer-a-grams can work too...I once did a job where i went in and sang two Elvis songs to a lady at a table - all getupped up of course - and walked out with $300. Took all of 15 minutes.Thank-you..Thank-you Vera much!

 The idea came to me when I got bored after being single a number of years. Who'd want me?!Ha.. and noticing the limited options for entertainment or nightclubs for patrons over 30 in the York Region area let alone singles, except the local Aurora's Greystones has anything close to catering to an older crowd in the area, but they are only open Saturday nights, usually for dancing only, and after awhile it becomes a little like the movie, "Groundhog Day' - although I must admit some pretty nice ladies can be found there on occasion dancing up a storm and there is/was a particular bartender I'm sweet on.

D.J. Hungarian Pepper sets up before bringing the house down with her latest dance mixes!

  But to me, I like a little more variety..for entertainment that is! Get your mind out of the gutter! Perhaps a step back into memory lane via old TV show intros etc on the screens instead of always sports and with a table of munchies as well like wings and finger foods with some 60's,70's, 80's tunes going at a level you can talk...then have it morph into a 45 minute set of live entertainment (duo / trio musical / standup / dinner theatre) which all spans 7-9 PM and finally a DJ/dance at 9:30 with the latest and some classic rock and pop tunes mixed in to try to appease the masses..Well that's exactly what I did, and it was fun for a time as I put them on once a month for a year with a regular group of about 120 people attending. The biggest problem was location / dates followed by it was hard to make any money - which in all fairness I never expected to get rich - but I did come close to losing a few nights in the beginning and you always feel like you need to add prizes and such. I actually had a live The Dating Game show complete with theme music and chose 3 bachelors and a lucky bachelorette to play and I'd do my worst Gary Newbanks impersonation!! Prizes like 2 steaks, salad fixin's, and a bottle of wine or dinners out for two etc were given out and people loved it, but was always a slight gamble and a lot of work for little return and you still had the whiners to deal with. However I did get to have some awesome entertainment and really made it an atmosphere I liked and enjoyed - and hoped the majority would too. Which they did.

  I stopped doing them after some owners left a sour taste in my mouth such as ironically a Fox location who's upstairs hall room we rented who tried to continue the event like it was theirs when I packed it up and took it to another location, when he began to get too greedy, to the Upstairs at the White Rabbit on Main St. where another guy promised me the upstairs to do with whatever I wished only to renege and try to also continue it without me essentially.He still owes me $800. Both places are closed down in 2011. That's what happens when you fuck people my friends..eventually you pay the price and fucking over a guy like me (and others I'm sure) who can bring you lots of business, isn't wise. Ha! That was the sound of someone getting the last laugh.

People start arriving and enjoying refreshments, music, and nostalgic videos onscreen at a TPE 30Plus singles night

  Anyhow, I raise this last point because recently someone who I gave their start into paid DJ gighood, a lady DJ called Hungarian Pepper, who doubles as a special effects make-up artist, and knows all the latest dance tunes but is old enough to know the classics too, has been asking me if I'd thought about doing parties again..And then I remembered my buddy Johnny Cutrone at Deli House Catering in Newmarket, for whom I've done many a "gig" going back some years now, has a new banquet hall facility in a location which years ago was the local nightclub called Club Spotlight was - and before that even used to house live bands in then 50's and 60's - so it has some cool history and is the perfect size and set up for one of TP events - with one side great for entertainment and a 3/4 wall separating another area with smaller tables good to talk in or eat at away from the action. Next I met another buddy of a mutual acquaintance, Gary Cocking, who has played the El Mocambo recently in Toronto and is an awesome guitar player, lives locally, and might be available to be our house musician for in between times, so, hey! Maybe I'll get one going again! I am getting bored after all and 30PLUS Night aged patrons will go out in these cold months if we give them a reason too! Hell, couples would too if its done well enough! And besides...Johnny likes the idea! He also likes the idea of an party for single parents / kids next year xmas eve..a Sunday..and throw in the place to help out! What a guy!

  Until Next Time!


  Happy New Year from TP!

  Tom Pearson
  President, TPE & Productions
  www.tpeproductions.com