The gift: The Fjallraven Kanken backpack, imported from Sweden. An old staple in Sweden, these are very popular amongst the staff at J&O, who love them for their durability and adaptability. Some even serve as laptop bags. And they come in a great colour assortment. (not all colours are pictured)

Where to get it: Jonathan & Olivia, 49 Ossington Ave.

Price range: starting at $65

Who would like it: City dwellers who transport their belongings around town. People with laptops who want a sporty and durable bag.

First, local news outlets have given attention to More Than Pasta, with stories on the spelt pasta on offer.

Another hot topic is the upcoming Motif Lofts and Townhomes development at Ossington and Rebecca.

This week The Bay announced they will be the first Canadian retailer to offer England’s TopShop brand, which was a surprise to those of us who have been to Jonathan & Olivia, which has been selling Topshop since spring 2010.

One of the shops that always have things you won’t find anywhere else is C1 Art Space. If you’re looking for some nice ornaments these little snowmen are made right in the store and go from between $18-$25.

C1 Art Space also had these little creatures from a little company called Damned Dollies. They also have little ones that make very unique tree ornaments also!

Johnathan + Olivia and the featured store inside Top Shop, have some great selection on clothes which make great gifts if chosen well. If you’re looking for gifts for your man, this collection called TopMan includes jackets and sweaters, as well as stylish hats and socks.

Jonathan and Olivia also have a line of children’s clothes. When you have kids in the Ossington neighbourhood, they need to fit in with the hipster crowd too. Jonathan + Olivia’s collection is just the style they need to be seen in the Oz scene.

Telegramme Prints also has a collection of prints to decorate the walls of you or your loved ones’ house. This print by Charlie Harper is in the Christmas spirit and goes for $225 framed.

One of the employees of Telegramme Prints also makes his own Christmas ornaments. Patrick Fisher is a local glass artist who sells these stylish ornaments which make for a nice gift for only $20.

Our favourite florist on the street, Dani, from Jaiden’s Petals has nice gifts for everyone, because who doesn’t love flowers over the holidays? When we stopped by she showed us this red amaryllis plant, which is something you can bring along to a Christmas party as a hostess gift, and they’ll remember you were there long after your hosts have drunk the wine the other guests brought along. It blossoms into a bright red Christmasy bouquet.

If you’ve found this blog, you’re probably a bit of a techie, and you probably think you’re stylish too. Virginia Johnson has just the gift for your work colleagues or loved ones to show them how much you love your technology. Cute, knit iPhone sleeves is needed to keep circuitry warm in the winter, so your friends can keep texting you, and you’ll make them look good while at it.

Last but not least, Delux Restaurant has been canning their own preserves, with pickled raisins, jalapenos, and even candied walnuts. With prices all under $10 for these little stocking stuffers who wouldn’t like a taste of what the Delux chefs put together in their spare time.

Let us know what other gifts you find along Ossington!

]]> http://ossingtonvillage.com/2010/12/the-ossington-last-minute-gift-guide-part-2/feed/ 3 http://ossingtonvillage.com/2010/12/2010-recap-ossington-openings/ http://ossingtonvillage.com/2010/12/2010-recap-ossington-openings/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:19:36 +0000 Melinda M http://ossingtonvillage.com/?p=1749 . . . → Read More: 2010 Recap: Ossington Openings]]> 2010 was a big year for Ossington Village, the blog and the neighborhood. As the year ends, we look back in a series of remembrances of the big events, openings and news draws of our little part of the world. Today we focus on the openings in 2010.

This year brought a lot of new businesses and faces to Ossington, all of which we welcomed, and many of which we covered. We look forward to frequenting many new shops, galleries, restaurants and more to the strip in the year ahead.

Let’s start with February 2010 – Angell Gallery moved from Queen Street West onto Dundas. Angell took over the space of Lennox Contemporary in February 2010, and has hosted a plethora of exhibits ever since.

There was a bustle of activity and then Bohmer launched in March 2010. The beautiful space and delicious food has led more people to Toronto’s new “Restaurant Row.”  March also saw the opening of “Oz Boutique,” an art and design hub which has housed Evan Biddell’s clothing line, but focuses on photographer Joe Fuda’s work and curated exhibits.

We started April with City Store Grocery opening on Dundas, and Crepes and More on Ossington. 8 months later, both are still open and catering to the daytime crowd in our area. That month’s other opening was the weekend-only bar, OurHouse.

May brought pop-ups to Ossington with the short-lived but fun launch of 1st Run Art Gallery, which featured the work of it’s creators. In June, LAB Consignment opened with a splash, sharing space with Silver Falls Vintage on Ossington near Queen. In other just as popular fashion news, TOPSHOP came to Toronto by way of London, and opened within Jonathan + Olivia’s space.

The lazy days of summer were anything but for entrepreneurs on Ossington when several businesses opened their doors, starting with Crafted by Te Aro, a coffee shop from Leslieville branching out. Another import from within Toronto was Goed Eten, which started serving coffee, waffles, poutine and more this July.

For a very short time this summer, Salt opened, then closed. Now it is finally open again for good, serving Portuguese wines and tapas.

This fall we supported the opening of Beau Lieu Bistro at 59 Ossington and also Telegramme Prints and Framing at 194 Ossington. O’born Contemporary is also a new gallery to the strip.

We don’t want to forget all the new openings on Dundas (part of that “Ossington triangle” mentioned earlier) that we covered a couple of months ago about Dundas’ evolution: Bunda Lounge, Churchill, Brockton General, Academy of Lions, Port, and Enoteca Sociale.

Finally, let’s look forward to the continuing growth with new places set to open soon: Pasta and More, Fish Bar, Lakeview Convenience and The Saint are the ones we know about, but we’re sure there’ll be more. Here’s to a happy and healthy Ossington Village in 2011.

In addition to the restaurant reviews, there’s coverage of new crossfit gym Academy of Lions and their program with homeless youths. The Globe and Mail must be sending all their reporters to our neighborhood, because they also have a write-up on Jonathan + Olivia‘s Top Shop.

Last but not least, the city of Toronto ranks neighborhoods by the number of trees living in them, and Dundas and Ossington’s Portugal Village ranked dead last. Better start planting!

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!

Topshop comes to Ossington from jolly old England, and this location is only the second in North America, after NYC, of course. Known for alarmingly good prices for current fashion, Topshop will fill a void for a lot of Torontonians.

Maybe we’ll see you there on Saturday, if we can stand the crowds!