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Locally made and Toronto based Bergström Originals has been in the Riverside community for almost 10 years. Colours and prints are spread out throughout the store, combined with retro-modern design and quality tailoring.

Bergström Originals has established a loyal clientèle who keeps coming back for trendy, wearable clothes with affordable price that is also produced in Toronto. This successful retail venture, in the heart of Riverside Neighbourhood of Toronto, has been growing over the years. Packed with inspiration from the 50’s-60’s, but with Scandinavian and Contemporary Nordic flair, Bergström clientèle mostly consists of professional women who are looking to add Bergstrom’s signature bold and colourful pieces to their wardrobes.

Owner Christina Bergström has always been very passionate about fashion. Born in Sweden and raised in Canada, she put her childhood dreams of fashion design aside when she chose to study civil engineering at Queen’s University. Upon her graduation Christina decided to pursue formal fashion design training at a tailoring school in Copenhagen Denmark, followed by a couture apprenticeship for one of Denmark’s top designers. In 2003, after 5 years of custom dress designing for events and weddings, Christina decided to set her creativity free by designing and retailing a fun and colourful collection of women’s wear called, Bergström Originals.

Each year Bergström Originals, produces five Collections. The normal Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collections followed by the smaller Resort, Holiday and Summer Collections. Aside from in-store experience, Bergström is also available online and includes accessories and shoes from Spain and Portugal.

Christina has her workroom in the back of the store. It is here that fabrics imported from Montreal, and the mills from Sweden decorated Bergström’s workroom, waiting to be turned into fabulous apparel pieces that focuses on the quality rather than quantity.

With Christina’s Scandinavian roots, an area already famous for its architecture and furniture design, it’s fashion’s turn to take center stage. Scandinavian fashion is all the rage right now, and it’s about time. It is clear that the Northern European region is one of the latest style capital and you can get that bold contemporary look here in Toronto at Bergström’s.

For more info visit their website at: http://www.bergstromoriginals.com/

Black and white with a touch of pink, which are Petite & Sweets stapled colours rich in style and warmth with an eye for ultimate decadence.

Petite & Sweet is the ultimate destination to dash in pampers your senses. Started in the beautiful, historic community of Rosedale, Petite & Sweet is Toronto’s first Event and Lifestyle Boutique. Their Riverside boutique focuses mainly on their baked goods from cupcakes and macaroons to specialty coffees and age-defying teas, to give people a chance to taste and sample what they offer in their service with the concept of creating themed and coordinated arrangements of sweets.

Owner Elle Daftarian and Caspar Haydar combined their unique talents and established a new standard of excellence in the Event Planning and Lifestyle arena, advancing on Toronto’s lifestyle and corporate luxury management industry. Exposed to multicultural environments, their unique and meticulous eye inspired their ability to intertwine fashion, play and lifestyle, and it’s this very philosophy so effortlessly applied to their business that has attributed so much of their success to-date. Elle and Caspar also have a real-life sitcom show on Food Network called Sugar Stars, partner up with Yolanda Gampp and Antonella Grillone to create over-the-top ‘sweet tables’ decked out with their show-stopping cakes and delectable goodies for some of the biggest events in town!

Sweets created by Le Cordon Bleu graduate Pastry Chef Hardi Sugiarto at Petit & Sweet Riverside Kitchen mostly French inspired or adapted from a typical French desserts. Combining classic sweets served with ingredients imported from Paris, France to create unique flavours. And to make things more interesting some flavours change every seasons, such as more fruity and flowery flavours for the spring and summer or spice infused for the fall and winter to give more earthy flavours that will keep us warm in the cold.

For this month, try their Spicy Cocoa with bittersweet chocolate ganache infused with cayenne chili, cinnamon and nutmeg or their Strawberry Coquelicot (poppy flower) with strawberry and coquelicot buttercream.

Check out their website at: http://www.petiteandsweet.ca/

Take your bike and cycle away in Riverside and check out the new SWITCHBACK Cyclery Bike Shop!

On June 2013, SWITCHBACK Cyclery a bike shop located at 651 Queen Street East in Toronto’s Riverside Neighbourhood has opened with a wide selection of bikes and accessories for sale in a warm and welcoming service environment. No more going far out of your way just to visit a bike shop that can help you fix a few things.

With a concept of a pit stop, Switchback Cyclery aim to help ‘bike to work’ bikers by offering quick and fast services and repairs during rush hour. Other than providing fast services to those on their way to work and need a quick fix for their bike to avoid making them coming late to work, they also do custom built bikes. You can choose every single detail that you want on your bike and Switchback Cyclery will deliver.

Under the umbrella of Sanctuary Ministries, Switchback Cyclery offers not only great bikes and services but also an opportunity for members of the Sanctuary community to work together in this exciting enterprise and access employment opportunities. It took more than a year of planning and hard work to apply for a grant with an awarded funding that takes them to where they are now.

Sanctuary is a Christian charitable Organization that seeks to establish and develop holistic, inclusive and healthy community. They welcome people who have, for the most part, known only rejection and abuse. Reaching out to a downtown neighborhood plagued with homelessness, drugs, prostitution, unemployment and AIDS and offer dignity, support and direction to people who want to reclaim healthy, meaningful lives.

With the need for this type of organization continually on the rise, they are looking forward to pursue further developments and expand their services to the community by facilitating an outlet such as Switchback to channel their member’s skills and expertise.

Currently, Switchback’s Soft Opening hours are Monday – Friday from 9am-6pm and Saturday from 10am-6pm. But don’t miss out on their Grand opening in August 11^th, 2013 and they are officially open they will be open from 7.30am-7pm. Furthermore, there will be classes in the future for people who would like to know more about taking care of their bikes.

Check out their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com.SwitchbackCyclery

Or their website at: www.switchbackcyclery.ca

On July 11^th, 2013 – Starting at 6PM, our neighbourhood Herbalist and City Farmer, Danette Steele, will teach us about the ultimate in accessible, local and sustainable food and medicine. Participants will learn about the local wild plants and how to use them safely as we gather up the weeds around our local Riverside Good Food Market!

This workshop starts at the corner of Queen Street East and Saulter Street – close by the Riverside Good Food Market. It will be an amazing opportunity to learn that many of the weeds that we pull out of our vegetable and flower gardens, that we walk by in our local parks and along our sidewalks are actually good for us!  About 5-10 wild plants will be identified,  harvested and explained (Plantain, Dandelion, Burdock, Yellow dock, Motherwort – among others ….) as you learn different ways to heal all sorts of health problems, and helps your community at the same time!

Danette teaches us about edible weeds at Ben Nobleman Park

Danette Steele, M.A., RH (OHA), has more than 25 years of experience as a community and clinical herbal practitioner. With a busy private herbal practice in both Toronto and Halifax, Danette consults and teaches widely on self-sufficiency and sustainable practices for health and wellness using medicinal plants. Danette loves to share healing plant wisdom. She creates a participant-focused approach in her teaching spaces and is committed to a joyous and rigorous herbal learning experience – through workshops, consultations, weed walks, herbal intensives, plant meditations and herbal courses.

 Interested?

Wild herbal teas will be available for tasting – so please bring your travel mug and wear your comfy clothes if you plan to help with the clean-up!

 Don’t Forget to Check it Out!

Want to know more?

Please Contact the Riverside BIA at office@riverside-to.com, (416) 466-8167