Hello?

I saw this on a telephone pole the other day… <giggle…giggle>

Thor provides a nice dose of design inspiration paired with a lovely latte from their impressive “Slayer” espresso machine (using a custom blend of Social beans). It’s a small space with clean Scandinavian design influences. My kind of place. It’s located on Bathurst south of King.

Technorati Tags: Cafe

Comfortable furnishings, cozy wooden surfaces and exposed brick walls characterize the new Darkhorse Espresso Bar in Queen West.

The coffee is as consistently good as at the other locations. They still have their signature huge communal table geared toward picking-up while reading. Same delicious baked goods that you can get all over the city. No grilled sandwiches yet – but I bet they’re coming.

Although three shops puts Dark Horse firmly in the category of ‘chain’ the spaces still feel delightfully individual and satisfy the need for some nice neighbourhood hangouts to indulge in.

A great new hangout has opened it’s doors in Parkdale. Capital Espresso offers a beautiful sunlit space to muffin eaters, coffee and tea drinkers alike. The corner space has high ceilings, a chunky wood bar, wood tables and exposed brick. The music that wafts through the air is current and delightful. They offer free wifi but few places to charge your laptop. Makes for a lovely morning. They are open from 7 to 7 on weekdays and 8 to 7 on weekends.

Technorati Tags: Cafe, coffee, delicious, espresso, homemade, Parkdale, Toronto

Freedom is a wonderful shop and artist collective. Self-described as “a non-profit volunteer-run cooperative committed to supporting local and eco-friendly artists and designers,” Freedom is full of unique art by emerging local artist, designers, and artisans. They sell everything from elegant and fun clothing, to jewelry, paintings, kids stuff and furniture.

I found the pieces to be inspiring and very reasonably priced. I bought myself a great blouse for a steal and got numerous compliments on it. My girlfriend bought a skirt and also got a lot of positive feedback. Shopping there makes you feel good about supporting local emerging artists, and you are also keeping the carbon footprint of your purchase small.

Check it out: Freedom Clothing Collective, located in Toronto’s Bloorcourt neighbourhood.

The O&B Canteen on the ground floor of the TIFF Lightbox is a beautiful airy space. It has high ceilings and glass walls that slide open to bring the fresh air in. Natural wood chairs, wine and comfort foods make the site warm. Check out this find at the corner of King and John before the film festival turns it into a madhouse.

Technorati Tags: bar, cozy, Design

All the fabulous teas we know, now in a fancy new location.
The space is clean and airy, with bit of seating for a longer visit. They are now on Queen St. West a few blocks east of Trinity Bellwoods Park.

I quite enjoyed this sculpture after my 18 month old friend pointed it out to me. I was just like every other Louis Vuitton shopper hustling by and failing to notice some poor sap whose barrel had crashed into this high end shopping district (on Bloor east of University Ave.).

This fun sculpture is called Horror at Horseshoe Falls by Evin Crawford Collis.
Thank you to Evin and the Collonade for lightening up such a ’serious’ shopping district.

The Good Neighbour Espresso Bar opened recently to welcome Junction folks into its divine space. The previous incarnation of this corner of Annette Street and Quebec was a local grocery store with a centre entrance and windows on either side. The Good Neighbour has been well designed to take advantage of all possible natural light and to have a nice open space with high ceilings. They use reclaimed materials and integrate them perfectly into a crisp and elegant design. Tasty espresso drinks and pastries from Jules Patisserie are on offer daily. Additionally they have free wifi and a few places to plug in.

Hurray for another place to hang out and brainstorm creative ideas.

Technorati Tags: Cafe, coffee, cozy, croissant, pastries, junction, Toronto

I stumbled across Periwinkle near High Park the other day. It is a super cute boutique with jewelry, clothing and art at reasonable prices.
The shop has an interesting approach in that it rents space to local artists rather than marking up each item by a set percentage. If you need a gift it’s worth a pop-in.