Spearheaded by the very fun people at Silly Goose Kids….
Danforth Gem – Bomb Wellness
The newest Danforth East fitness studio – Bomb Wellness – was recently featured in the Toronto Star. Here’s DECA’s very own Sarah Kiriliuk’s take on the newest business on the strip.
Running, spinning, weights….tired of the same old, same old workout? Get ready to breath some life into your fitness routine. Bomb Wellness, at 1338 Danforth, is the new girl in town when it comes to getting healthy and she is no one-trick-pony. On my first visit to the space, I was giggling with delight at all the new calorie-burnin’ opportunities that owners Kevin and Victoria have on the schedule.
At first glance, visitors will notice a strange contraption with ropes and pulleys in the middle of the studio. Although it looks a bit intimidating if you’re not an olympian, don’t be afraid. It’s called the TRX system and it’s a revolutionary way to get that lean and lovely A-lister look by using a system of ropes and webbing to work against your own body weight.
At the back of the studio, what looks like stationary bikes from a distance are actually machines called Striders – a low impact workout similar to elliptical machines, but way cooler. Owner Victoria will take you through your paces during the three-to-four weekly classes and she means business! Your legs will feel like jelly afterwards.
The workout floor space provides enough room for the high-energy Zumba classes, or another innovation called the Slosh Pipe which is exactly as it sounds: a pipe filled with water that sloshes around and helps you with balance and stabilization. With a background in mixed martial arts, co-owner Kevin also offers classes called Fighting Fit, as well as some standard yoga and Pilates classes.
The best part about this studio is that it’s not a mega-corporation that is not invested in your personal fitness. The studio has a neighbourhood feel to it, and the owners care about each of their customers (such as shushing a fussy babe while one new mother rocks the Zumba beat).
We talk a lot about shopping local – but if you want to work off that cookie from the bakery, this is the local place to invest in your own personal wellness.
Danforth Gems – Silly Goose Kids
With the abundance of children in Danforth East, it’s a wonder it took until this fall for the strip’s first toy store to open. It’s been a similarly long journey for Silly Goose Kids’ owners — Tracey Jacobs and Shamie Ramgoolam have several decades of experience between them in the Toronto toy world. Opening their own outfit is the culmination of several years of dreaming and and one big reno of a store that had sat empty for several years.
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The two know their target market — the space is wide and stroller-friendly and a back-of-store play area aims to be a gathering place for parents and kids, complete with change table and chairs for storytelling. “Everyone who walks in a gets a big smile on their face,” says Shamie. “They’re excited to have a store like this in the ‘hood.”
First-time parents bracing themselves for the plastic-clogged, primary-coloured stores of their youth will be pleasantly surprised — Silly Goose has an eye for quality and design, with an emphasis on classic, non-battery-powered toys. “We believe in toys and gear that are well made — toys of integrity,” Shamie says.
Stock is a mix of the well-known and the locally-made — “we run from zero to 10-years-old safely,” says Shamie, “and can find things for older kids, plus games for families” — and ranges from shelves filled with books at the back to baby gear, clothing, toys from Playmobil, Plan Toys and enough birthday-party-ready gifts (including science sets) to satisfy even parents with the most hectic, kid-fuelled social calendar. (A loyalty program offers discounts for frequent shoppers.)
After discovering a pocket of French speakers in the neighbourhood, Tracey and Shamie started stocking books and games en Français; a trove of phthalate- and- BPA-free sippy cups and lunch gear that will fuel inter-generational brown-bagging.
For first-time parents, there’s organic cotton onesies that read “I [trike] the Danforth,” $27.99 and locally-made sleep sacks ($49.99) from Wee Urban; for parents of toddlers and beyond, a selection of mouse-eared and felt-adorned caps from Toronto’s Patouche ($36.99) and sturdy shoes from Tom’s; a company that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair sold.
Coming up to the year’s busiest shopping time, Shamie predicts Fastrack ($24.99) — an addictive blend of Pong and air hockey that’s ideal for holiday family tournaments — will be a best-seller.
And Silly Goose is making it easier to make the annual gift-buying frenzy philanthropic — the store is is participating in a toy drive in support of the Woodgreen community centre; taking donations, keeping a registry of toys and games for the centre’s kids and offering up gift-wrapping at $1 in support of making family’s holiday a little brighter.
2054 Danforth Ave.
647-341-4400
647-341-4400
Danforth Gem – D-One
Thanks to Lorraine Godwin for this Danforth Gem… My family and I had lunch at the D-One/Diwane Moroccan restaurant at 1328 Danforth Avenue this afternoon. The owner Najat treated us like royalty! The food was amazing – we tried the zaalook (grilled/mashed eggplant) and harira soup for appetizers, the chicken tajine as our entree with homebaked bread, and topped it off with fresh Moroccan mint tea. We sampled a plate of homemade Moroccan cookies and pastries at the end of the meal. Everything we ate was freshly cooked/baked by Najat and tasted delicious!
Najat also showed us their party room in the basement which can be booked for private parties and dinners. My daughters want to have their next birthday parties in the party room! Truly a fabulous experience and we will be back many times in the future to try the other dishes (we hear the chicken and seafood pastilla dishes are amazing). |
Danforth Gems – Summer Sugar
News on the street to brighten your Monday. If you’re at work this week instead of being on holiday, then you deserve some lovin’…be it a fantastic outdoor massage or a yummy bakery treat. And if you’re having a staycation like me, then these things are an absolute must.
Above is a picture of Sugar Moon’s new outdoor massage table. Enjoy a massage with Michelle inside or out!
And speaking of a wonderful way to treat yourself, the new Patisserie la Cigogne at Monarch Park and Danforth is delightful (photo below right) and a great addition to that stretch of the Danforth along with Three’s Company Two! Further east, there is Cake Town, Celena’s, True Brew and Cozy Cafe and Bakery. (P.S. The sisters at Cozy Cafe are switching their menu up a bit, after closing for a few days, they will re-open in mid-August with more lunch type foods including sandwiches, crepes etc. The ingredients will be almost all organic including a lot of gluten-free options. The flour is local and organic as well.)
And then, of course, there are the ice cream options. From Carter’s (She’s now making lovely ice cream cakes, photo left – and selling hot dogs too) to Seb’s and Quattro, there are a lot of good places to stroll to for a cool bit of scream.
Finally – pssssssssst….Where else do you get the scoop before anybody else so you can totally sound like you are in the know about what’s happening in your ‘hood? Right here, my friend, right here.
Watch 2054 Danforth (beside DeSerres at Woodbine and Danforth) for Silly Goose Kids – a baby, toys and kids store. The new owners have a combined 30 years experience in the toy business. We look forward to welcoming those silly gooses with open arms and open wallets.
Pilates In The Park
Pilates Mat Class In East Lynn Park
Every Wednesday night 7-8 p.m. (First class July 6)
Pilates mat instructor, Leanne Dixon, is teaching a beginner/intermediate pilates mat class in East Lynn Park every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. all summer long! Come on out to strengthen your core and tone your muscles with these amazingly effective exercises. Participants must sign up in advance on a per class basis. Please email leanne_dixon(at)rogers.com to sign up and/or get more information. Cost is $10 per class. Maximum 20 participants so sign up early to reserve your spot. Visit the website to learn more at www.leannedixon.ca