Is it me you’re looking for?

Posted on April 19, 2011

Hello?

Hello

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

the god of thunder, rain and farming brings us an espresso boost

Posted on January 12, 2011

thor
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.

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Darkhorse ventures into “chain” territory by adding queen west shop

Posted on January 05, 2011

darkhorse-queenw
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.

Did you smell those muffins with bergamot?

Posted on November 23, 2010

capital-espresso

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.

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delightful shop and artist collective

Posted on September 02, 2010

freedom

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.

indoor/outdoor cafe space: canteen

Posted on August 24, 2010

canteen
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.

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tealish has a new space on queen

Posted on August 11, 2010

tealish

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.

do you need help? oh.

Posted on August 03, 2010

sculpture
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.

more delightful coffee in the juction

Posted on May 17, 2010

goodn

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.

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periwinkle in bloor west village

Posted on May 10, 2010

periwinkle
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.