The former modestly sized homes on the street have been converted to restaurants and small shops selling arts, crafts and curios.

The street was laid out and named after William Warren Baldwin, who owned much of the area, in the early nineteenth century.

As the Jewish community moved north from downtown, the area's proximity to Chinatown led it to be populated by Chinese-Canadians.

[1] Also close to the University of Toronto and surrounded by the area known as the "Student Ghetto" it also became a centre for the 1960s youth movements.

An effort to preserve the window was launched by the Ontario Jewish Archives after the establishment was sold in 2015 to new owners who intend to open a Taiwanese style tea shop.