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Erin Salisbury stands behind the counter of the Swag Sisters Toy Store in Little India amidst an explosion of colour. The shelves are tightly stocked with every toy imaginable: children’s books, tiny stuffed animals, dolls, loot bags, balloons, mobiles and crafts.

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From the outside, the toy store is a bright sight amongst the dingy and dilapidated storefronts that dot the Gerrard Street East strip. But a closer look inside shows a near empty store. That’s not unusual. On Wednesday, she had only two customers all day. Things improve on weekends, but not as much as she would like.

“The problem is our customers are all local to this area. There are only so many birthdays and events in a year,” the toy store owner says. “It’s a huge struggle for anybody along here. You don’t get a lot of traffic and it’s not thought of as a destination place anymore.”

The Swag Sisters shop is among several non-South Asian businesses that are attempting to stage a transformation along the street. They are trying to revive its slow lull in sales by catering to the influx of young families in the area.

But, like their South Asian counterparts, some businesses are struggling to keep afloat within a neighbourhood that has become synonymous with rundown or empty shops and a dwindling group of customers.