How did you get involved with the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival?

We got involved with the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival last year, we had done the Montreal Sketch Festival the year before as our first festival and wanted to do one in our home town, well where we live now. 

 Why should we come to see your show?

You should come see LadyStache because we appeal to all audiences, we perform silly, non gender specific comedy that ranges from crazy characters, to ridiculous puppet sketches to the two of slapping each other as hard as we possible can. Sounds violent but it is actually very humorous even while we are doing it. We never refer to what sex were playing, even if there is a moustache involved. We have so much fun on stage and are very loose, most of our sketches have never been done the exact same way twice. If you like a high energy and silly character based sketch comedy show you will really enjoy LadyStache.  

 Some of our favourite places to hang out on Ossington are the Dakota, Sweaty Bettys and Crooked Star, just to name a few. 

To prepare for next week’s show, check out some of Ladystache’s comedy right here:

As the Toronto Sketch Comedy Fest is coming to Ossington Nov 8-16, we’ll profile some of the troupes to display their variety and help you decide which shows to attend. As past attendees, we can attest that it’s a very good time. Megan, Marni, Carly and Emmy from She Said What agreed to answer our questions:

How did you get involved with the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival?

This will be our third year performing in the Toronto Sketch Fest. We got involved after being nominated for the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund and Cream of Comedy in the fall of 2009.

We’re really excited to support our fellow Toronto troupes, happy to see Picnicface is in town, one of our members is also in The Beautiful Losers, and we had a really fun show with Ninja Sex Party from New York last year, happy to see they’re coming back.

Because no matter who you are, we’ve got something for you, and it’s a tight set with pretty faces and quite good hair.

Sweaty Betty’s is a great little nook, there’s great vintage, art galleries, LVB and The Ossington, tequilla joint, pizza joint, everything! Also that flower-covered storage place looks interesting…

The sneak preview happened today at Reposado where they showcased some of the talent – from musicians to cigar rollers. They also allowed us to taste some authentic Cuban food and drink, including a new rum they are launching this year during the festival,  Havana Club Selección de Maestros.

Some of the highlights of this year’s event include a Rumba party at The Ossington on Friday August 19th with IYÁ IRÉ Dance Company, and the Latinada Band from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Also on Friday, local Latin artists Son Aché will be performing upbeat Latin dance music at Watusi.

On Saturday afternoon, you can take a master class in rum drinks and the origins of Cuban rum, the secrets of rum production and learn how to mix a few classic Cuban cocktails at a special Havana Club Master Class at LeVack Block from 2 to 3pm. Even the Lower Ossington Theatre is involved with some Cuban films including “Eso Que Anda” and “Lisanka”.

And once again the wall of Levack Block will be painted during the festival by local grafitti artist Angel Carrillo.

The festival is a great fit for Ossington, taking great advantage of the diversity of businesses and individuals in the neighbourhood. Keep an eye on our calendar for a full line-up of events as the date approaches.

One of the oldest back-patios on Ossington belongs to Sweaty Betty’s which recently upgraded their furniture and decor. Here there’s always a young and interesting crowd, and sometimes you might even run into a celebrity enjoying a pint. (or, if you’re lucky: owner, Pol, without his shirt). You won’t get table service at Sweaty Betty’s so pick up your drinks before you wind your way through the back room out to the oasis outside. The back patio can get crowded, but usually people will make room on the benches or move chairs around to accommodate you. It’s a friendly crowd.

Another spot which you might not notice from the street is Reposado’s back patio. Here you’ll find a nice retreat where you can imagine you’re tucked away in Mexico City while you drink a blood orange margarita or flight of nice quality tequilas. This patio has less seating, but the servers will come to you, so once you’ve finished your drink, you don’t have to get up to replace it.

There are even more hidden patios on Ossington. Keep your eyes on the blog for more of the street’s outdoor gems.

Some of the businesses on Ossington are well connected to social media including our Dani Elwell of Jaiden’s Petals, who blogs from her site and is very active on Twitter. Opera Bobs keeps people up to date on Facebook. And don’t forget to be tempted by the tweets from Pizzaria Libretto, Union Restaurant and Bohmer who let everyone know their specials in the twitter stream. Want Tattoo advice? There’s even Imperial Tattoo on Twitter. There’s lots more examples on our street and you can check out our Ossington Places twitter stream here. But there are places on Ossington that don’t even have a website including the Crooked Stars and Sweaty Bettys. Are they losing out?

Luckily, without leaving our home of Ossington we can find out, or at least have a good discussion about, the efficacy of the medium. HomeStars (disclosure – my employer – and no, it wasn’t by coincidence it is hosted here – Thanks Shaun!), a social media site designed for contractors and homeowners looking for those contractors, is hosting an event for Social Media Week called Is Social Media Your Prize Winning Pig – Think Again where we’ll debate the effectiveness of social media. It should be entertaining, and could even get hostile.   The event will be tomorrow, Tuesday, night from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Garrison, on Dundas just west of Ossington. If there are tickets still available you can register on the Social Media Week site here. Or you can just come by and see whether you can slip in and get on a side of this debate. Because the week may be full of people who are ‘social media strategists’ it’ll be good to have some social media cynics. Are you one? Want to share your opinion? Come out and have some fun, get in on the debate, and join in this global conference on the future of social media.

Take a look through the entire schedule of Social Media Week and try and check out some of the other events. The week will end at a great event close by at the Gladstone Hotel where there will be an evening of Powerpoint Karaoke, which if you’ve never seen, definitely has to be experienced.

What we found fascinating about the experience is that the marketing of Motif is all about the Ossington experience. There was a wall with a map and pictures of all the great places we talk about in the neighbourhood. Pictures of Bohmer, YogaSpace, the Crooked Star and Sweaty Betty’s are what sells this new condo development.

And that caché of living in our little neighbourhood comes with a price. The loft suites start around $350k or so, for about 650 sq/ft and go up to $725k for the ones with decks and are as big as 1400 sq/ft. The townhouses go between $800k and $1.2M. As a comparison to local houses, ZooCasa shows houses close with by 3 bedrooms for in the $450 range, including driveways. According to their website, it looks like half of the units have already been taken, and almost all the one bedroom lofts, so clearly this is a place people want to be, and are willing to pay for it.

According to their architectural drawing it looks like there will be some retail space below. We asked about whether there were any retail tenants who had signed on to take the space and were told that there was nothing yet, but that they are picturing a clothing retailer. Now that the moratorium is over, will a chef come and look at the space? or will the Starbucks scouts be looking for the next location? or will it be another great retail spot like Jonathan + Olivia?

I’ll bet our local merchants are happy their spots are being used to sell these upscale condos. This will certainly change the neighbourhood again, and we’re looking forward to what’s next. It’s hard to imagine 3 years ago being able to sell something like this on Ossington at all, let alone for premium prices.

What’s your business?

Imperial Tattoo

How is your business unique?

I guess the nature of tattooing as a business is founded on the idea that people want to make themselves more unique. We’re the only tattoo shop in a sea of bars, galleries, and restaurants.

How long have you been in business here?

We opened in January of 2008, so we’re two years deep now.

What drew you to be here on Ossington?

A bit of luck and intention. We knew that Ossington was an ‘up and coming’ neighbourhood and it just happened that we were looking at just the right time. Rent was affordable, and we found a great space for a great price that we couldn’t overlook. I have lived in and around the neighbourhood for the past 15 years, it felt like home.

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

Lots of upperscale restaurants and bars have popped up. The night life dynamic here has become somewhat surreal. The CAMH building has been demolished, and so has the Generator Club that stood empty for years. We anticipate many more changes over the next few years. I’d like to see some more variety to develop day traffic and community, however.

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

Honestly, I can’t and won’t make a prediction. The amount of changes we’ve seen in the two years make 5 years seem like a decade. I can only hope for good things.

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

Sweaty Bettys. We’re right next door and we’ve become somewhat symbiotic.

If there’s anything else you want to add, feel free. We’ll add it.

Please stop with all the condos already…

Not surprisingly, the Ossington Village nabe scores best in the dining and drinking categories, despite our council’s efforts!

Pizzeria Libretto was voted the #1 pizza in Toronto, and the runner-up for specialty pizza, and restaurant for a date. We know the lines are long, but can only recommend going for lunch, or arriving early for dinner, giving them your phone number, and hitting one of the many nearby bars for a pre-dinner drink. That’s what we do.

Naturally, Ossington also topped the list for best bar, and runner-up for best bar or pub. Take that, city council! The best bar as voted by Now’s readers is The Dakota Tavern, and the runner-up is Sweaty Betty’s, both sort of bookending the Ossington strip, and each by now a local institution. Plus, in the category of best bartender, Michael Louis Johnson of Communist’s Daughter was runner-up. We don’t know what the other guy does that’s so special, but Michael serves food and drinks at the same time that he plays with a jazz group. Check it out for yourself!

One of our two pho joints was featured as the runner-up for Best Vietnamese - Rua Vang Golden Turtle on 125 Ossington. Not surprising, considering how popular (and cheap!) it is. The Lakeview won as best diner/greasy spoon. Gotta appreciate that it’s open 24 hours, and has nightly drink specials that really are special.

We think all the spots on Ossington are worth visiting, but it is nice when great establishments and people that we love get recognized. Post your faves that deserve recognition in the comments.

The festival was founded and is sponsored by Havana Club Rum, and it celebrates Cuban culture in all it’s forms, and each venue on Ossington will highlight something different about that culture.

Delux, a well known home for Cuban food, is featuring a special Cuban lunch each day of the festival. On opening night, Reposado hosts a unique cigar lounge in the backyard patio, with a rolling demonstration, and free samples for guests.

On Friday, August 20, Levack Block focuses on the art of Cuba, with a gallery set up in the second floor (who knew they had a second floor?) and graffiti created live and displayed on the wall outside. The Ossington is hosting a rumba party on the same night.

So, along with music, dancing, Cuban food and art, Levack Block, Reposado, Julie’s Cuban on Dovercourt, and Camera Bar on Queen West are all turning Cuban.

Live music performances at The Painted Lady with the Elmer Ferrer Band, Watusi has the Orlando Cardozo Latin Jazz Trio, and The Ossington features The Kevin Barretto Jazz Trio.

After all the partying and dancing, wind it down on Sunday with some Cuban brunch at Delux or a BBQ at Sweaty Betty’s. Full schedule (and it is quite full) is on the website.

What’s your business?

Christian McLeod’s arts studio.

How is your business unique?

My situation is unique in that there is no seperation of gallerist and or gallery presentation of works from the viewer, the visitors and collectors see finished works and works in progress,  this is a unique experience as the viewer rarely get a chance to walk into an artists work space.
I have lived off and on all over this area going back to High school and Art School, when The Toronto School of Art was at Queen and Dovercourt back in the early 1990′s.
The gallery scene on Ossington gives way to bars, gives way to fancy restaurants with fancy cars in them. That’s how it goes.
Luft becomes Sweaty Beaty’s, and on up the money chain.

How long have you been in business here?

I have lived and worked on this street for 5 years now. My location is a live/work storefront arts studio. I moved here from the Dundas st. and Ritchie st. building, yet another building that turfed out the artists to make way for Authentic Loft Dwellers.

What drew you to be here on Ossington?

I was drawn to Ossington by a cheap studio for rent on Craig’s list. The studio buildings where for the most part all converted so i jumped at the chance. Frankly  after having moved further and further west as the buildings where converted, it was funny to me that i got to move back down here, felt like the Jefferson’s.

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

During the day and early evening the changes on Ossington are, for the most part good changes, its harder to find a spot to get the oil changed in the car and parking is scarce now that 905 is here to play.
But later in the evening that drunk fools who think the parking lots and fences are their washrooms is disgusting.
The Galleries that have moved onto the street are a great addition, they are serious professional galleries who have years of experience and are very serious about their work.
Two of the best restaurants in the city are on this street, so how can i complain about that, except when i don’t have the coin to enjoy them.
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How do you see your business and Ossington five years from now?

Converted into condo’s.

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

Fav Spot is Foxley, its all about the staff.. oh ya and the food that will leave your mouth begging for more. And their list is good too.