By Melinda M, on July 24th, 2010%
Ossington has been mentioned in several news articles of late, so it’s time for our semi-regular press round-up.
The mentions are coming as far off as Ireland, where an article in the Irish Times cites our neighborhood as the “rising area” thanks to our bars and restaurants.
Another recent mention that garnered attention is from the Huffington Post, which calls Toronto “the capital of cool” and mentions Ossington as one of the “once dodgy, but now trendy…neighborhoods” for it’s galleries, shops and restaurants.
This sort of news must come in threes, because Daily Candy, a popular U.S. fashion and lifestyle blog, also visits Toronto and recommends Ossington for its restaurants and shops. Notably highlighted by Daily Candy are Jonathan + Olivia, Delux, Pizzeria Libretto and Camp 4.
So maybe we can expect to hear more Irish and American accents when we shop and eat on Ossington.
Finally, closer to home, new coffee shop Crafted by Te Aro is receiving positive press. We can attest to the quality of their coffees (both hot and cold) and the professionalism and dedication of their staff. If you follow them on Twitter, you would have read about their very high rating from The Coffee Review. Kudos and welcome to the neighborhood!
By Brians, on May 29th, 2010%
 We’re excited to announce that we’re one year old today!
It was one year ago that Joe Pantalone, our current mayoral candidate, annoyed me so much by blocking new restaurant openings on Ossington without consultation from the neighbours that I went home and started writing.
90 Posts later we are still going – and an example of Hyper-local blogging.
A lot has happened this year on Ossington.
We launched our Twitter account only 2 months ago and are keeping the neighbourhood up to date with our shorter updates. Follow us on Twitter here.
We thought we’d celebrate with a new look! The fantastic graphic design of Ananuku Kolar and Better Art Design & Direction put together our first logo, and I spent a beautiful May afternoon in the backyard putting together a new format for the blog. It will continue to evolve and grow as will the neighbourhood.
We’ve had a great time getting to know all our neighbours in Ossington Village and hearing from you our readers. We appreciate everyone who commented and sent us feedback – even if we disagreed.
We love the way this neighbourhood keeps changing and love documenting the evolution of Ossington Village. Keep commenting, sending us feedback, story ideas, and other happenings in the area.
By Brians, on May 26th, 2010%
 This blog is a bit of a labour of love. Going into it’s second year in only a few days (yes, we’ll post when it happens) it’s been a fun project documenting the change in this great city street.
Robert Washburn, a journalism professor, asked me to write a piece about what we are doing here, which is, essentially, hyper-local blogging. We’re writing about a small piece of the city – of the world – and giving our perspective on the area.
Today that was published in J-Source, and online Journal of Journalism. (doesn’t that sound cool?)
Check it out here.
(read the whole thing- it’s how we got here)
By Melinda M, on May 20th, 2010%
Reviews, reviews and more reviews, that’s what’s keeping Ossington in the news lately.
First up, Our House has generated some positive press for it’s feel-good vibe, laid back staff, and fun menu. It may be the press, but the place does seem to be drawing some healthy crowds on the weekends.
Bohmer, which opened a few months ago, is ready for it’s reviews! Everybody loves the space and some like the food too.
So maybe Pizza Libretto started a trend! Another restaurant has opened for lunch on Ossington, and Delux gets a thumbs up!
Finally, blog.to has it’s patio guide of just our hood (and a little bit further east) including the newly-opened patio behind Foxley!
By Melinda M, on April 20th, 2010%
A recent article points out Ossington’s connection to an important part of North American 20th century history, and you can own the location! Apparently, 102 Ossington Ave, between Lower Ossington Theatre and Badlands Vintage, once housed Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin, James Earl Ray, while he was on the lam. Now this building is for sale, and because of Ossington’s recently improved status, the asking price is quite high, $1.2 million. You’ve come a long way, Ossington! It’s interesting to learn some of the hidden history of our fine strip.
By Melinda M, on March 26th, 2010%
Here’s a round-up of some recent articles featuring Ossington people and places.
The latest edition of Postcity profiles CTV Morning show host Seamus O’Regan as he wanders his neighborhood, Ossington Village. Considering he wakes up at 4am, I guess we keep different hours, so that explains why we haven’t seen him around.
New restaurants in the neighborhood have been getting write-ups. Paramour is one of Toronto Life’s Top 10 new restaurants, but there’s no link online. To read the article, they want you to buy the magazine. Reviews of Paramour are mostly positive, especially for the service.
Just opened, and already getting a review is Bohmer. We are sure more will come after it has time to settle in a bit.
By Brians, on March 15th, 2010%
This weekend two articles appeared in our local media highlighting the changes in Ossington since the restrictions were put into place on restaurant growth on Ossington. Sarah Barmak has a well researched and well presented article published in the Toronto Star on the growth of the galleries due to the restrictions placed on new restaurants. Another article in Toronto Life, based on the Toronto Star article, points out the new art spaces that have opened or are set to open in the next few months including Angell Gallery, Artscape, and in the old Rolly’s space, Meta Gallery.
A couple of comments made in the Toronto Star article caught my eye:
Jody Polishchuk, owner of Meta Gallery, says he’s happy Ossington didn’t become a club district. “People were worried it was going to turn into a kind of Richmond Street,” he says. “It’s such a gem and it would be a shame for it to go that way.”
People forget that the Richmond club district did not just organically arise from any lack of regulation. It was intentionally put into place by Jack Layton, who was the city councilor for the area at the time, who actively encouraged clubs and bars in to an area that was filled with empty warehouses and sweatshop design/clothing houses. There was, and still is, no way that Ossington could have, or would have, become that way organically. There are too many current bar and restaurants restrictions already in place – outside of the ones put into place by Mr. Pantalone.
Another quote:
Two daytime restaurants and a bakery have closed since Pantalone’s moratorium was put in place – businesses that haven’t been replaced. The councillor says eateries and bars are welcome if they comply with the new rules; what’s wanted, is variety, not just a bar strip.
Mr Pantalone’s comments here demonstrate he obviously hasn’t lived in the neighbourhood or understand how business works. The rules he’s put in place, while somewhat restrictive, offer a chilling effect to restaurants. It’s not that he’s put in the rules, but the point, which Mr Pantalone misses, is that he did it without any warning or notice to the local businesses. And, if you’re a local entrepreneur thinking about starting a business, why go to a place where rules can be changed at a whim of a dim-witted councilor? It’s reason enough to stay away.
We are, however, excited to have the new art galleries in the neighbourhood! I’m looking forward to the new Rolly’s spot, and having those late-night markets going again. Hopefully this summer!
By Brians, on November 11th, 2009%
The Globe and Mail covered the council meeting yesterday with this article. Feel free to add to the discussion on the Globe site.
Xtra also covered the story here.
And Blog TO is headlining this morning with an article about Rolly’s Garage. Don’t forget to vote and help them get support from Aviva Community Fund!
UPDATE: Chris, a reader, has also pointed out a MartiniBoys article about the meeting also here.
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