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Address: 189 Queen Street East, Unit 2
Neighbourhood: Moss Park
Agent: Erica Reddy, Royal LePage Signature Realty, Brokerage
Price: $849,000
The Place: A one-bedroom unit on two levels with original oak floors, brick walls and exposed wooden beams. It’s one of 11 condos in the Boiler Factory Lofts on Queen Street East.
Before Toronto became all about big-name luxury hotel chains, the The Drake and The Gladstone were emblems of the city’s love for almost painfully hip boutique lodgings. Now, a new 18-room hotel is set to open in the heart of the Queen West shopping strip, potentially signalling that boutique is back. The Beverley will occupy the narrow, Foot Locker-adjacent space at 335 Queen Street West and will include a restaurant helmed by chef Eric Wood (formerly of Hawthorne Food and Drink). Further details remain scarce, though a disapproving letter from councillor Adam Vaughan from September suggests the restaurant might have a lounge, a rooftop patio and room for 160 diners. The opening date is rumoured to be later this month.
After two years on Dundas near Dufferin, luxury vintage boutique Magwood relocated to Queen West over the weekend. The new store, right next to Trinity Bellwoods Park, will carry vintage bridalwear and children’s clothing in addition to the selection of vintage accessories, mid-century cocktail wear and designer goods expertly curated by owner Sarah Magwood. Tailoring by an in-house seamstress will also be available starting in May.
Magwood, 886 Queen St. W., 416-818-3975, magwood.ca
Gerhard Supply, a menswear shop in the Junction, was one of several stores to launch last month (Image: Erin Seaman)
(Image: Kayla Rocca)
Target
After two years and more than a little controversy, the trendy mass-market giant finally arrived in Canada. Now open: locations in East York Town Centre, Centrepoint Mall, Shoppers World Danforth, Cloverdale Mall and Square One Shopping Centre.
For store addresses and hours, see target.ca
(Image: Erin Seaman)
Tiger of Sweden
The popular European maker of slim-cut suits and minimalist separates opened a spacious flagship on Ossington Avenue catering to young professionals of both sexes. Learn more »
56 Ossington Ave., 416-588-4437, tigerofsweden.com
Used’s Queen Street space has been revamped into a Bang-On t-shirt store (Image: Facebook)
Used House of Vintage, the only Toronto location of a hip, Vancouver-based vintage retailer, has merged with Bang-On, a custom t-shirt store with the same owners. The lease on Bang-On’s Yonge Street store recently ran out and the owners were unable to find a suitable replacement space, so they opted to move the stock of tees and irreverent accessories into Used’s bright storefront on Queen, just west of Spadina. The resulting hybrid—a classic Bang-On shop with vintage pieces peppered throughout—opened today.
Bang-On, 489 Queen St. W., 416-596-8443, bang-on.com
Information keeps trickling out about Skin and Bones, a new restaurant and wine bar with Matthew Sullivan (Boxed, Maléna) behind the stoves. The most recent hint: this photo of a main course with the unlikely pairing of pork belly, bone marrow and octopus:
A little #Skin+Bones food shot to whet the appetite. Pork belly, octopus and bone marrow twitter.com/skinandbonesTO…
— Skin + Bones(@skinandbonesTO) October 7, 2012
Julia Sasso’s SLoE plays Harbourfront’s Enwave Theatre this weekend (Image: John Lauener)
1. SCOTIABANK NUIT BLANCHE (FREE!)
From dusk to dawn, the streets of Toronto will be packed with art and art lovers for the seventh iteration of Nuit Blanche. Over 150 contemporary projects will sprawl across three mostly downtown zones. Highly anticipated events include Reflexion, a 20-by-20-foot interactive “video crystal” at Yonge-Dundas Square, and Museum for the End of the World, a cluster of artworks in and around city hall (even inside council chambers). Check out our top 20 picks. September 29. Various venues. scotiabanknuitblanche.ca
2. CANADA’S BAKING AND SWEETS SHOW Read the rest of this entry »
Those looking for an excuse to take a “cheat” day from that diet can indulge themselves at Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show. Professional chefs and amateur bakers will sample and swap recipes, with tons of workshops, baking competitions and product demonstrations packed into the three-day convention. Headlining the show are Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes, Anna Olson and the cast of Sugar Stars. We’d advise multiple bags for all the goodies, and perhaps some carrot sticks to counteract the inevitable sugar rush. September 28–30. $14. The International Centre, 6900 Airport Rd., canadasbakingandsweetsshow.com
The mighty Fanfare Ciocărlia appears on Friday as part of the Small World Music Festival (Image: Arne Reinhardt)
1. JUST FOR LAUGHS 42
Because one week just wasn’t long enough, Just for Laughs spreads this year’s staggering 42 acts across eight days. In addition to the usual comics (like Patton Oswalt and current reigning comedy god Louis CK), there are also several unfunny yet still worthy performers (like David Suzuki, and Elizabeth May interviewed by Raine Maida). And the whole “interactive” thing isn’t just lip service: the venue allocations and even the number of shows are all determined by pass holders showing interest in each act via the festival’s iPhone app. Passes are divided into four- and eight-show bundles. September 21–28. $99–$149 for different pass packages. Various venues, 1-855-867-4242, jfl42.com
2. GALLERY HOP (FREE!)
A more sophisticated take on a bar crawl (no booze, more culture), Gallery Hop 2012 Toronto provides tours through 42 Toronto art galleries. No ROM or AGO collections here—instead, artists and art lovers can chat and mingle in smaller venues and at scheduled talks staggered throughout the day. There are eight different areas, so hitting them all might require the creative use of a Metropass, a bike or a professional getaway driver (some trail mix couldn’t hurt either). One of the featured exhibitions: Christian Marclay’s absolute must-see The Clock at the Power Plant. September 22. Various galleries and venues, 416-368-8854 x101, galleryhop2012.canadianart.ca
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
Serbian-Canadian Dušan Varga’s Rakia Bar cannot be easily pigeonholed as an ethnic bar. Sure, you may hear Goran Bregović playing in the background, but then again, you may also hear Ella Fitzgerald or even a little CanCon. “We’re not looking to be defined as Serbian,” says Varga, who explains the concept behind the semi-subterranean retreat as “Balkan tradition packed in a contemporary urban space.” Varga’s concept of tradition is fairly loose: it revolves around artisanal fruit brandies (rakias), good food and taking one’s time, which means proper pacing. “I want people to sit back and sip the rakias, to really enjoy them and take their time,” says Varga—which is why he opted to set up his bar on the more laid-back Queen East strip rather than on fast-paced Queen West.
(Image: Toronto Port Authority)
1. CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION
The Ex kicks off Friday without long-time partner Ontario Place (it was shuttered back in February), but with the slew of attractions at this year’s CNE, you might not even notice its absence. Thrill seekers can check out the new Midway coaster Nitro, as well as Sky Ride, a new permanent elevated ride through the fair grounds reminiscent of the Ex’s classic Alpine Way. There’s also a dog show, a pizza making workshop, daily “Mardi Gras” parades and plenty of performances (Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys fame will serenade crowds Sunday evening). Of course, there will also be the usual assortment of food both delicious and disgusting (think: deep-fried bacon–covered hot dogs). Aug. 17 to Sept. 3. $16. Exhibition Place, 100 Princes’ Blvd., theex.com.
2. SAIL-IN CINEMA (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
Catch an appropriately aquatic-themed flick at Sugar Beach this weekend (The Poseidon Adventure will show on Thursday, Creature from the Black Lagoon on Friday, Hook on Saturday). A double-sided screen will be posted on a barge in the harbor, meaning you can watch from either land or sea. While we’re sure the view from the beach will be just fine, the main draw here is the in-boat movie experience. So those sad souls without their own vessel should start calling in favours about now. Aug. 16 to 18. Admission is free, but land viewers must reserve a ticket online in advance. Sugar Beach, 25 Dockside Drive, sailincinema.com.
Obviously traffic’s going to be screwed. It’s a huge intersection.
—a Toronto Police Traffic Services spokesperson, on how closing the intersection of Spadina and Queen will make for an “awful” July. As of this morning, the busy crossroads was shut down for transit maintenance and will stay that way until July 23. For the next two weeks, vehicles, including streetcars, will be diverted to Dundas, Richmond, King and Adelaide, most of which are already backed up because of other construction projects. The intersection has only been shut down for a few hours, but the situation’s already being labelled “Carmageddon TO” in anticipation of a slow-moving, gridlocked mess. Happy summer! [Globe and Mail]
Farmer’s market season has arrived (Image: Kevin Ho)
Monday, July 2
The Bay announced today that it will be opening up two new Topshop and Topman locations in Vancouver and Toronto in October—Vancouver’s shops are going to occupy a staggering 33,000 square feet of the Granville Street location, while Toronto’s new shop-in-shops will be hosted at the Bay on Queen, filling a much humbler 19,000 square feet of space. We spoke to a Topshop rep who says given the typical Queen West shopper, there’s a good likelihood that The Bay on Queen will be stocking some of Topshop’s edgier pieces. Perhaps that means Toronto will face a push for sequined Aztec leggings and, um, whatever this is.
ADDRESS: 43 Britain Street, Unit 200
NEIGHBOURHOOD: Moss Park
AGENT: Carl Langschmidt, Royal LePage
PRICE: $3,200,000
THE PLACE: The massive two-story penthouse in the Stonecutters Lofts, a century-old warehouse whose conversion into five luxury living spaces netted the Ontario Association of Architects design award in 2011.
Read the rest of this entry »
Moses McIntee, left, mixing a cocktail with liquid nitrogen (Image: Meaghan Binstock)
Sure, it might seem a tad inauspicious being the following act to the absurdly short-lived Bohemiam Gastropub and its similarly ill-fated predecessor Oh Boy Burger. But managing partner and mixologist Moses McIntee has high hopes for Lucid Cocktail and Kitchen, the latest business to grace 571 Queen Street West. The liquid nitrogen–loving bartender has served his elaborate concoctions all over the city, most notably at Paese, Ame and Toca, but this is his first stab at having full creative control. Lucid’s financial backers remain the same as those of Bohemian (and Böhmer, for that matter), but McIntee has handpicked a new front-of-house team that had better not be afraid to perform a few science experiments for their guests—because that’s exactly what his drinks require.
Read the rest of this entry »
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