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The media’s been buzzing about the revival of Toronto’s Ossington Avenue for some time but it wasn’t the funky new galleries and restos that inspired me to check out the ’hood, it was the promise of first rate “junk”. On my last couple of trips through the strip I noticed what looked like a couple of potentially great junktique emporiums and regular visitors to styleNorth know that I can’t resist a good roll-up-your-sleeves treasure hunt.

Turns out, there’s a lot more than junk on Ossington. The stretch between Dundas West and Queen Street sports the highest concentration of cool shops although the streetscape remains authentically gritty. Walking south from Dundas, my first stop was Cindiloowho (134 Ossington Ave., 416.538.7887), an antique and custom furniture shop that specializes in “rustic” vintage and reclaimed pieces, although they’re a little low on inventory right now.

The same owners run Jaidens Petals (130 Ossington Ave., 416.532.8040) where florist Dani Elwell (above centre) indulges her “old school” taste for pretty bouquets in mason jars and other makeshift vases. The shop has a vintage charm all its own. Elwell also retails decorative items like the 1940s ceramic peacock, above right ($40), which would have come home with me if I hadn’t had so much ground left to cover.

Sandwiched between Cindiloowho and Jaidens is the eponymous retail home of Virginia Johnson (132 Ossington Ave., 416.516.3366), a talented textile artist who spins her fanciful prints into cushions, scarves and the like. This season’s 20” x 20” pillows are $150 with a quality down/foam insert (buy just the cover and save 20 per cent); last season’s canvas and cotton offerings are marked down to $65 ($50 for the cover only). My favorite piece in the shop was the ginormos hand-printed, Merino wool shawl (above, 42” x 138” $195) featuring a sweet Daschund motif.

Next up is Ulterior Design Gallery (100 Ossington Ave., 416.731.8220), the highlight of my stroll thanks to shop owner, artist and world-class eccentric, Sheldon Wagner. This is the “junk shop” that lured me to the strip in the first place. Wagner’s window, which stretches across several storefronts, is a riot of absurdist vignettes pulled together with toys, gadgets and cast-off furnishings.

Ulterior has Toronto’s best selection of vintage globes, the trouble is you can’t buy just one of them: Wagner is selling the lot (above left) as an art installation dubbed Globe Village for $5,000; his Abandoned Barbie Project is the same story ($3,000). Fortunately, there is plenty of “junk” for sale. Wagner has loads of vintage glassware and one of the best collections of cake stands, obsolete electronics and decorative brass pieces, I’ve ever seen. This eye-popping gallery-cum-shop is only open Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, my next stop was Ministry of the Interior (80 Ossington Ave., 416.533.6684) a high end, high concept furnishings store featuring cutting-edge designs from Autoban, Established & Sons, Jens Fager, David Trubridge, and their contemporaries. Although not quite as pricey as neighboring OneTwenty Modern, Ministry of the Interior is definitely aimed at design snobs who can afford to indulge their taste for the fine and the fantastic.

My last stop was 44 Ossington, home of the wonderful, whimsical C1 Art Space (416.538.7999), which displays and sells fabulous decorative works by local artists at very reasonable prices. The gallery space also features workshop tables where amateur crafters unleash their creativity in a wide range of media.