“It makes me happy that people will remember what Chinatown was like and what it can become,” Pender Street gym owner Ryan Diaz told Global News Sunday.
Diaz made a heartbreaking plea to councillors before the Jan. 17 vote detailing how difficult it was to follow his dream through the pandemic.“It feels like you’ve forgotten about us.”During COVID-19, Diaz said his gym was closed while the bills were still coming in.“My mom put up her house for sale to help us keep going,” he said of the sacrifices his family made.
After the annual parade, Diaz said the teams of lion dancers perform outside local businesses to help bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year, and he feels lucky his gym was able to receive the traditional blessing in 2023.Ng meantime, who has operated New Town Bakery’s flagship location on Pender Street since 1980, said if the situation gets worse, she’ll have no choice but to leave.“My heart is in Chinatown for almost five decades.