Telling Tales: April
Dispatches from the urban jungle
Neighbourhood watch:
Burlesque comes to Ossington
Image credit: Burlesque from
iStockPhoto; t-shirt by Jessica Darmanin
Strip Tease
The evolution of Ossington from grit strip to hip strip to dip strip has long been the subject of eye rolling and fist pounding among the area’s pioneering arts crowd, but few implants have rallied the anti-gentrification brigade as much as a new burlesque bar called Jezebel, located atop a gastro-pub called The Saint. The reason for the ruckus: both new venues come courtesy of Toronto’s resident Steve Rubel figure, Michael King (the man behind King West hot spots Atelier and the Brant House), who may as well be the Antichrist as far as the boho and bearded are concerned. Last fall, King joined forces with unnamed investors to take over the lease of the legendary strip joint Baby Dolls, with a plan to bring a new kind of naughty to the neighbourhood (more Dita Von Teese, less Dita Von Sleaze). Jezebel will feature nightly live entertainment acts, as well as upmarket booze and bottle service, all of which are about as welcome on mainstream-allergic Ossington as an ’N Sync reunion. In the weeks leading up to the opening, other bars and stores along the strip, including Ministry of the Interior, Reposado and the Burger Shoppe, will be hawking limited-edition “Save Ossington” T‑shirts, which, while not aimed directly at the X‑rated new arrival, are all about protesting the club-ification of the ’hood. “Right now it’s such a great community,” says Sweaty Betty’s owner Pol Cristo-Williams. “We’re all on the same team.” Ministry of the Interior’s Jason MacIsaac fears the worst—“I’m pretty convinced that this is going to be the new clubland within the year”—pointing out that there are a handful of larger spaces for lease on the strip that would require “some pretty deep pockets” to renovate. As for King: who needs the locals when you’ve got one hand in Hollywood? Rumour has it that American acts-du-jour Katy “Kissed a Girl” Perry and Lady Gaga may stop by Jezebel for some pole pawing in early spring.
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