TRNTO

A well-known jewelry brand hailing from the west coast of Canada has chosen Toronto to open their first experience-centred boutique. Melanie Auld Jewelry is opening at 54 Ossington Ave. on Dec. 4, and the boutique will be offering on-the-spot piercing, permanent bracelet welding and engraving along with a wide selection from their jewelry collections. Melanie Auld Jewelry was founded in 2013 as a one woman show in Vancouver, B.C., inspired by travels across Canada and around the globe.

The three-storey Victorian at 88 Shaftesbury Ave. is classic on the outside and effortlessly modern on the inside. This home, which was designed by architect Trevor Wallace, was originally listed for $2.495 million. It ended up being purchased for $529,000 over the asking price for a cool $3.024 million. This property is located just down the street from Yonge in the coveted Rosedale neighbourhood. Inside, you’ll find four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

There’s a new bakery in town, and they have one mission: Dear Grain wants consumers to love gluten again. “Bread has built a bit of a bad rap in modern times – it has been seen as empty calories, lacking in nutrition, or simply a vehicle for other foods,” says Nicole Park, Dear Grain’s brand manager. “If you think about it, people have been coming together to break bread for centuries. And it once held a place at the centre of the table.

Maybe four years is too long a term for city councillors. They seem a tired bunch, but maybe some of us city residents are more exhausted than they are. One thing that caught my tired eye was the city manager’s report that said he had a backlog of some 393 requests for reports on various issues from the city council and its committees. That’s a vast number of items requiring a vast amount of time.

Recently, Toronto band the Weather Station, led by Tamara Lindeman, began a tour following the release of the brilliant new album Ignorance, which is steeped in concern over the climate crisis. Ironically, the tour ended up leaving Vancouver hours before the “atmospheric river” would wreak havoc on the province. “If we had left a couple of hours later, we wouldn’t have made it out of Vancouver at all,” Lindeman says. “Watching it all unfold, it’s really frightening.

In March, Chrysoula’s joy of having a second child turned to worry, as she felt sharp pangs in her stomach in her 30th week of pregnancy. She was rushed to North York General Hospital (NYGH) where it was confirmed that she was in pre-term labour. She was terrified, wondering if her baby was going to be safe arriving so early. But her worries were reassured by the doctors and nurses at NYGH who stood by her side to provide urgent care. After a few harrowing hours and a C-section, Apollo was born.

After a hiatus, it looks like the holidays will be back in full swing this year, with Ontarians starting to plan small and safe gatherings with their family, friends and loved ones. And given the year we’ve just had, it’s about time! But now more than ever, shopping for gifts this season can feel like a daunting task. There’s one gift, however, that’s guaranteed to feel extra special: time together.

When you think of the fashion of the future, a lot of metallic hues and structured shapes might come to mind. But clothing brand U3’s new shop on Ossington suggests that the future of fashion is genderless, sustainable, diverse and collaborative. Those might all sound like buzzwords, but U3 has made it clear they’re doing more than just talking the talk. The brand started out as a consignment shop on Queen, but the shift to the Ossington area was a deliberate one.

One of Canada’s most trusted authorities on style and fashion, Jeanne Beker has covered the industry for more than 30 years. Now watch her in her current style editor role on TSC’s Style Matters with Jeanne Beker or tune into her new podcast Beyond Style Matters, available wherever you get your podcasts. Jeanne Beker’s guide to the cosiest cashmere in town, dedicated to making you feel like you’re wrapped up in a blanket, all day long. These sweaters are softer than a warm hug on a cold winter day.

The city could be home to a new entertainment and hotel complex at the Exhibition that includes a venue with up to 7,000 seats if a plan is approved by the city. The proposal, from the Princes Gate Hotel Limited Partnership team behind the current Hotel X at the Exhibition, would see an additional tower and venue built beside the current property.