On Supporting Canadian Talent

“Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it.”

George Foreman

I love to celebrate Canadian talent. Whether it be through hosting and promoting our exceptional Jazz musicians as we did during our first Kensington Market Jazz Festival, or cheering on young local athletes through charity boxing events like the recent Battle Of The Suits. Supporting our Canadian artists, entertainers and athletes will always be a top priority for me.

It’s a shame that so many talented Canadians feels they have to go abroad to reach the next level of success. As an immigrant, I’ll never forget how warm and welcoming this beautiful city of Toronto and Canada were to me and my family. I want to extend that spirit of generosity to our local talent as much as I can in any way that I can. Here are some of the events that the team at Tom’s Place have had the privilege of being a part of lately.

Tom With Molly Johnson at Jazz.FM91

Live-To-Air at Jazz.FM91

We had a lot of fun on October 27th hanging out with Molly Johnson, Mike Downes, Robi Botos, and Larnell Lewis at a live event to celebrate Jazz and The Arts at Jazz.FM91.

This Live-To-Air broadcast received a great turnout and Molly and her crew were on top of their game as always.

It is going to be re-broadcast soon, don’t miss some great renditions of classic jazz tunes.

: Tom pulls the next tune out of Ross Porter’s hat for the next song to be played! –
Photo taken by George Gardiner

: L-R Vickie Phillips, Paul Bourne, Anett Alves, Mike Downes, Mike Phillips, Molly Johnson,
Irene Mihalik, Tom Mihalik, May Choi, Robi Botos, Tom Mihalik Jr, Larnell Lewis Music

Battle Of The Suits

Tyler Quick (center) plays the ref as Spider Jones (left) and Tom duke it out at Tom’s Place

On November 5th, Tom’s Place was a proud partner to this exciting event where white collar and amateur fighters get in the ring for a good cause.

The event was held at the iconic Masonic Temple and was hosted by former three time Golden Glove Champion, and my good friend Chuck ‘Spider’ Jones. Spider is also the founder of the Believe to Achieve Organization (BTA), a registered non-profit that assists kids, ages 8-16, in after school personal development and mentorship programs.

Spider said it best when he said that “education equals liberation” and that we have to “get these kids oﬀ of mean street and onto Bay Street”.

Our good friend Tyler Quick also deserves a big shout out for promoting this event and training some of the “Master Novice” boxers who duked it out in the ring. He’s a fantastic athlete and has earned a great deal of respect both inside and outside of the ring.

Overall, it was a big success and we at Tom’s Place were honoured to be a part of it.

: Tom and Spider award the winning fighter @ The Battle Of The Suits

Philanthropy Is Part Of My Business Model

I believe that the more you give back to your community, the more it will give back to you. And It makes me very happy to give back to these Canadian organizations and institutions.

Like NYO Canada, an innovative educational institute that bridges the gap for young students of music to a professional career in music.

Every summer, the NYO (National Youth Orchestra) oﬀers a comprehensive training program, concert tour, and recording session to participants with no tuition

required. Each student chosen from auditions is supported by scholarship funding provided by NYO Canada’s generous donors.

For many years Tom’s Place has been clothing and supporting the Toronto Mayor’s Cricket team. Each summer they do an amazing job of representing Toronto on foreign tours. It is important to recognize how important this is, to show other countries around the world how diverse and exceptional our country is.

Check Out Our Upcoming Black Friday Sale At The JCC!

Since we began having warehouse sales at the Miles Nadal JCC facility in 1996, we have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to this organization to support their facility and programming.

Our next warehouse sale will take place from November 24th – 27th

Times:
Thursday November 24: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday November 25: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday November 26: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday November 27: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Please remember, at each sale a portion of all the sales is donated to the MNjcc. Tell me you are a JCC member and ask for further discounts. You will be amazed at how much you can save!

There is so much talent here in Canada, we need to get out there and support our aspiring musicians, athletes and disadvantaged youth. Make them realize that they don’t have to move away to achieve their goals and find success. Every advantage and opportunity is right here at home.

About Tom:

A leading retailer of designer men’s suits and accessories in Toronto’s Kensington Market since 1958. Tom’s Place offers brand name men’s wear and business apparel at below retail prices.

Tom’s Place is unique. You’ll get a friendly welcome from the owner, Tom Mihalik, and helpful service from his knowledgeable sales staff and tailors.

Tom’s Take… On Supporting Canadian Talent