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By Melinda M, March 10, 2010 8:55 am

For #5 in our series of business profiles, we visit 216 Ossington and Cantadora Naturopathic Healthcare Centre. We spoke to Erin of Cantadora and she answered our 8 questions, below.

What’s your business?

Cantadora Naturopathic Healthcare Centre

How is your business unique?

We are a community-based wellness centre with a collective of therapists offering services such as naturopathic medicine, registered massage, acupuncture, shiatsu, craniosacral therapy and osteopathy.  We have a small natural products shop, a book-lending library, and offer some educational
programs and cooking classes.

How long have you been in business here?

Since April 2008

What drew you to be here on Ossington?

I lived in the area for years – it’s where I walked everyday, got my coffee, pho, saw live music, and so on.  This area is a beautiful melting pot, with a variety of ethnicities; people of all income levels (all the way from absolutely nothing to too much); musicians, artists & creative people…all kinds of perspectives and states of mind converge here.  All are welcome.

What changes have you seen on Ossington since your business has been here?

There is a lot more foot traffic than there used to be, especially during the daytime, which is great.

How do you see your business and Ossington five years from now?

My hope is for it to be more like Kensington or Roncesvalles (or that it become it’s own special and unique community with a broad range of businesses and residents) and less like Yorkville or King West.

What is your favorite spot on Ossington, other than your own? and why?

Frantic City, formerly Babel Books, is great for unique and cheap finds in the books and music department.  I think Dakota Tavern is brilliant for live music and it’s family-style Bluegrass Brunch is a good time.  Yet I Deal Coffee takes the prize, because it’s delicious.

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By Melinda M, March 3, 2010 11:00 am

Lush and Lavish Salon Spa is the 4th business featured in our Ossington Business Profiles, so owners Linh and Trudy have answered our 8 questions.

If you don’t know already, Lush and Lavish is a full service salon located at 200 Ossington Avenue with plenty of great reviews.

With no further ado, let’s get to the 8 questions!

What’s your business?

Lush & Lavish Salon Spa

How is your business unique?

We’re a one-stop-shop for pampering with a full service hair salon, spa and laser clinic, we offer all beauty services from makeup lessons and airbrush tanning to laser hair removal.   All of our spa products are certified organic and our haircare line is chemical free.

How long have you been in business here?

Since October 2008

What drew you to be here on Ossington?

We’ve been watching the strip for a number of years and loved the changes that were happening and wanted to be a part of the community. We have two sister companies in the area, Huh Boutique at 847 Queen St W and Toi Bar on College St.  We also own residential apartments on the Ossington strip.

What changes have you seen on Ossington since your business has been here?

Ossington still has the same fun busy vibe as when we first arrived which is great, but sadly Mr Pantalone is doing his best to stem restaurant growth and the daytime cafes seem to be struggling a bit at the moment, what’s driving that is anyones guess.

How do you see your business and Ossington five years from now?

2010 is already shaping up to be a great year for us and we were recently voted as one of the best spas in Toronto on blogto.com. With all the residential development in the area the buzz on Ossington will continue to get louder and we’re looking forward to growing with it for many years.

What is your favorite spot on Ossington, other than your own? and why?

The House of Horvath fascinates me. It’s been in business on Ossington since 1932! Whenever I walk past it I think of the cigar factory tour I did in Havana, Cuba, I’d love to take a tour of the House of Horvath.

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By Melinda M, February 27, 2010 10:37 am

This is the third edition of our new series where we profile neighborhood businesses and ask them a set of 8 questions about running their business on Ossington.

Located at 15 Ossington, just north of Queen, Silver Falls Vintage is an upscale vintage shop with art gallery Hunter and Cook in the back.

We asked Lindsay from Silver Falls Vintage our 8 questions about her business and here are her answers:

What’s your business?

Silver Falls Vintage.

How is your business unique?

I sell vintage clothing and my boyfriend Jay runs an art gallery in the back called Hunter and Cook.

How long have you been in business here?

Just over a year.

What drew you to be here on Ossington?

The action!  I couldn’t think of another spot to be really.  We got in at the right time before the rents started going crazy.

What changes have you seen on Ossington since your business has been here?

The weekends in the summer are nuts on this strip!  I used to live on Argyle Street 15 years ago and the neighbourhood was super sketchy. I would run home from the bus stop.  Now the only thing you have to be afraid of are drunken, suburbanite douchebags.

How do you see your business and Ossington five years from now?

We are closing the gallery in the spring and will be converting the space into an antique shop.
I hope Ossington gets a few more cheap, daytime food places.  More daytime business in general.

What is your favorite spot on Ossington, other than your own? and why?

I love the Vietnamese restaurant Pho Tien Thanh. I probably eat there too much……
And TAN coffee! My pal Marilyn is the owner- I probably drink too much coffee as well.

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By Melinda M, February 23, 2010 11:02 am

This is the second edition of our new series where we profile neighborhood businesses and ask them a set of 8 questions about running their business on Ossington.

Our profile today is of art gallery MKG127. Located on the east side of Ossington at Argyle Street, MKG127 is a contemporary art gallery which showcases artists from Canada and around the world.

And now, 8 questions with Michael Klein of MKG127.

What’s your business?

art gallery

How is your business unique?

I’ve had people come in and ask “what is this place ?”
I often show work that challenges people’s idea about what “art” should look like.

How long have you been in business here?

Opened June 2007

What drew you to be here on Ossington?

I thought the strip between Queen & Dundas felt like a unique, self contained little village. There were a few galleries that had located there too.

What changes have you seen on Ossington since your business has been here?

Many more places to eat & drink.

How do you see your business and Ossington five years from now?

Probably the opposite of what I would predict.

What is your favorite spot on Ossington, other than your own? and why?

I have a lot of favourites but here’s a couple I’ve been frequenting recently.
Superior Dry Cleaners, they do a great job , quick and  very reasonable, recently even did a little repair job for me for free. I had the same hair stylist for about 20 years and when he retired last year I didn’t have to look very far for his
replacement, I tried Viva Hair, got a great cut, nice price & incredibly convenient.

MKG127 is located at 127 Ossington Street.

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By Brians, February 1, 2010 4:30 am

We’re adding a new series here on the Ossington Blog – Ossington Business Profiles. They are a short set of questions we are asking the business owners on the street about running their business on the Ossington strip.

Appropriately, our first profile is on Sweaty Bettys, one of the first hip places to be on the strip. Sweaty Bettys has been around since before Ossington was known by the rest of the city, and was an out-of-the-way place often frequented by celebrities who wanted to find a more secluded place to go. It’s still small and quaint, but busier with a broader audience. It’s still one of my favourite patios in the city.

So here it is: 8 questions with Pol Cristo-Williams, from Sweaty Bettys:

What’s your business?

Sweaty Betty’s

How is your business unique?

We tell people to piss off and they still keep coming back. Totally unique.

How long have you been in business here on Ossington?

5 years for Sweaty Betty’s, and my wife had an art gallery at the same location for two years before that. And we had The Sparrow Restaurant for a couple of years before it became Delux.

What drew you to be in the neighbourhood?

My wife. She’s cool. (see above)

What changes have you seen since your business has been here?

People shoot each other way less.

How do you see your business and Ossington five years from now?

Probably knocked down and turned into a Starbucks. That, or it’ll be full of aging hipsters who don’t really like Betty’s, but agree to still go there because the beer is cheap and it’s walking distance from home.

What is your favorite spot on Ossington (other than your own, of course)?

Downtown Lumber. They sell everything. And Jaiden’s Petals. Flowers are nice.

Any other thoughts on the neighbourhood you’d like to add?

Um, if Pantelone leaves, do we get our street back?