Haute Par Periwinkle has something for everyone. “It’s a mini-market for people,” says Cindy Yong, of her new Eglinton Way location that showcases work by local artisans. Yong said she was inspired by the cubbyhole trend in Asia where a series of locked windows display different items from different designers (382 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-551-2553).
Flowers can be fashionable, too. After all, Marilyn Lill traded in her career as a fashion buyer at New York’s Bergdorf Goodman to join her mother, Phyllis, a blossom expert, in opening new flower shop Lilium. “It’s been an amazing experience working with Mom, working with the flowers,” says Lill, of the sweet-smelling shop (41 Hazelton Ave., 416-482-5380).
Ice cream is not just a passion for Theo Aben, but the secret ingredient behind his marriage. Aben has been the co-owner of Dutch Dreams since it opened 25 years ago and says he first met his wife when she entered the ice cream shop as a customer. “She ordered a waffle cone with cookies and cream ice cream,” says Aben (78 Vaughan Rd., 416-656-6959).
For Manuel Rozakis, finding a good plain burger joint in Toronto today is difficult. So he decided to open his own place, Retro Burger, a throwback to the fast-food joints of the 1970s. “Everybody’s getting too fancy,” says Rozakis. The menu offers several types of burgers, as well as poutine and Philly cheese-steaks (1450 Yonge St., 416-640-0309).
The new location was just too hot to give up, even for an ice cream shop. “We had to get it,” says Hansol Im, the owner of Forest Hill ice cream shop Village Chill. The latest location, at the corner of Yonge and Manor, opened at the end of August (3 Manor Rd. E., 647-352-5566).
