In the years we’ve written this blog, one thing is constant: change. There were a lot of changes on the street this year, with plenty of new restaurants, retailers and services opening on Ossington and Dundas. With those new openings, there were also some closings, notably in the art gallery scene as they move further west. So let’s look back at 2015’s changes in our neighborhood.
After building up clientele from the back of Lost & Found, Town Barber opened it’s own spacious location on Dundas West just east of Ossington, serving men’s grooming needs from 1114 Dundas since January 2015.
Hanmoto also opened in late January, and the tiny Japanese snack food venue on Lakeview just north of Dundas has been filling seats and getting good reviews ever since.
February brought more restaurant openings, including Junked Food Co at Dundas and Dovercourt, and the long-awaited second site of La Cubana. Both seem to be keeping busy so let’s hope they keep serving us delicious snacks and more!
The closings began in March, with Philip Sparks moving his shop from Foxley Street into his studio in the west end, and long-standing salon Lush and Lavish closing for good.
La Saucisserie, which opened in May, brought sausage and beer to Ossington. Recently they changed their name to LAS.
In June, Indian Grill opened, bringing a small family run business to the space which used to hold Amaya Express.
July saw the opening of a local jewellery store: Anice Jewellery, expanding from Kensington Market, now offers Ossington crowds unique and custom jewellery and workshops.
Sustainable seafood restaurant Fishbar closed in July, and in September Return to Oss opened and then closed by mid November in the same location.
The Grow Op, a juicery and eatery, opened on Ossington in August, and Omaw, a southern food restaurant, soft opened at around the same time.
We saw some new openings in September: Bobbie Sue’s Mac and Cheese, which is serving the masses with creative takes on the comfort food dish.
Also in September, O’Born Contemporary, a top gallery focused on photography which had been open since 2010, closed it’s doors for the final time.
The last few months have been very busy, with businesses moving, closing and opening.
In November, Saucy Pierogi opened in the former Quinta and Essen space on Dundas West, Community 54 opened an outpost on Ossington selling sportswear and sneakers; Lola Salon revamped the Lush and Lavish space on Ossington, and Jimmy’s Coffee opened on the south end of the strip. Imperial Tattoo moved from Ossington to the corner of Dundas and Dovercourt.
Sam James and Stussy are being moved out of the Ossington and Queen corner at the end of the month to make way for an American retailer, and Pop Up 120 already moved out from corner of Argyle and Ossington.
Crooked Star closed last week and will hopefully open again soon after their renos.
Today, December 31st, is also the last day of vintage shop Vintage Mix One. So, once again we realize that the world of retail and restaurants is a fickle one and everything changes.
What was your favorite opening and/or least liked closing of the year? Let us know in the comments, and Happy New Year!
