Philip Sparks moved from his pop-up shop down the street to Ossington and Foxley, and I Miss You Vintage didn’t let that space go to waste!

You may have read, because it made a splash in the local press, Philip Sparks not so quietly opened at 162 Ossington Avenue, behind I Deal Coffee. We stopped in for a visit yesterday, and the space looks lovely, with hanging ranks of Sparks’ men’s and women’s wear and some unusual vintage decor throughout the store.

At 63 Ossington, Emporium by I Miss You expanded into the space vacated by Philip Sparks’ pop-up, with purses, luggage, belts and jewelry spread out in the updated room.  They still have all the beautiful vintage dresses and other clothing next door, but now there is more room for the remaining items.

With Trinity Bellwoods close by, there’s a great place for Unleashed to take the furry guest for company and exercise. Unleashed goes farther than that, taking their clients on longer hikes to farther reaches of the city, including the beaches, where they can make friends with other dogs and explore new territories.

You can follow them and their adventures in the business on facebook and twitter

More than Pasta opened it’s doors officially at 121 Ossington in March 2011, but we got an advance look at the delicious pastas, sauces and prepared foods they make in-house.

Fishbar opened in May, serving happy hour and dinner at 217 Ossington Ave, and since then they’ve added a lunch menu for all the fish lovers around. Also in May, the Lakeview Storehouse opened, selling produce and groceries, along with poutine, adjacent to the Lakeview Restaurant on Dundas.

Just in time for summer, Eagle’s Nest Espresso and Ice Cream opened at 1199 Dundas Street West.

November was a busy month for openings: we noted the return of Lennox Contemporary, now at 44 Ossington, and the opening of The Dog Bowl at 984 Dundas West. Also new is G Gallery in the back at 134 Ossington.

In December we welcomed two of the newest businesses on the street: Yours Truly is now open 6 nights a week (closed Tuesday) for dinner at 229 Ossington, and Don’t Tell Mama is a gallery and art space.

There are also a lot of places we’ve been talking about opening but are still waiting for - like Amaya, The Saint and Bellwoods Brewery. More to look forward to in the new year!

However we are also excited to see that a new Espresso and Ice Cream Bar called Eagles Nest will be moving in along Dundas in a space previously held by an import kitchen housewares shop right close to The Garrison. Our research suggests that it’s the same owner as the kitchen shop, but they have decided to go in a different direction.

We will keep an eye on both spaces and let you know how they evolve.

Other Rumours and Notes:

• There is discussion about a small brewery looking to locate in one of the local Ossington spaces. Nothing is set yet, as it’s early stages.
• Gallery 129 Ossington is closed for the summer for renovation. Looking to be open again in the fall.
• City Store Grocery on Dundas closed their doors and the space is now for lease.

The space, at 217 Ossington, (UPDATE: phone #?647-340-0227) ? just south of Salt and Pizza Libretto, has been vastly transformed, from it’s old 70s decor to a new, modern looking and clean space, ideal for munching on mollusks and preying on prawns.

In the next few days the menu will expand to include sushi dishes, ceviches, tartare and other grilled, poached and otherwise cooked swimmers.

If you want to keep up with them their website is here, but still under construction. But who needs a website when you can follow them on twitter at @_fishbar, and Facebook.

Head on down to check them out!

Some other shots of the room and the oysters below.

Joe is both celebrating and looking back on the year with a book of photos from the year as well as an event this Thursday and showcase at the studio over the next month showcasing 30 of the great artists from the past year.

The book is a great retrospective of the work in the neighbourhood, bringing back memories of nights on Ossington, the G20 conference in the city, Halloween portraits and many exhibits at the show, including one of my favourite exhibits, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell, a showcase of the work of Vince Carlucci with pictures of punk rockers from the 70s and 80s. There are only a limited amount of books that Joe has available, so head on over and grab one to pick up some Ossington history.

Joe also keeps a great Tumblr blog which has a great archive of last year’s pictures here.

The exhibition is running from the Thursday night opening until May 15th.

Below are a couple of the pictures from the blog that you can also find in the book, and maybe even for sale in the studio next month.

The happy hour menu has some nice bar snacks as well as some drinks that are priced very competitively. (I mean, $3 beers, who can beat that?!)

The dinner menu they’ve posted offers similar smaller-item fare as Salt Wine Bar, but also includes some larger non-fish items like a skirt steak as well as leitao – a portuguese version of suckling pig.

We are excited for the opening. What will you be trying when they open?

We posted recently about our visit during their open house, where we tried some linguini with pesto sauce. They have also received some other local press. Now, More Than Pasta is open for business. Stop by Tuesday-Sunday, between 11am-6pm, and on top of all the other products we’ve mentioned, you can try their weekly chef special, a pre-cooked meal like meat or veggie cannelloni.

So welcome Gabriella, the owner, and Rod, the chef, to Ossington.

This is the sign in the window of 214 Ossington: “Our House, opening soon.”  We know there has been a lot of construction going on inside the space, located right next door to our beloved dry cleaners. We had heard talk there was a lounge going in, and we did peek in last week and see a bar inside a long deep room.

The only reports we can find are from a September article in Compendium Daily speculating on another name for 214 Ossington.

That’s all we know, so please, anyone who knows more than us (you’re out there!), do tell! Will we have a new lounge, bar, or combo lounge-bar-restaurant to hang out in soon? We’ll let you know when we do!