About six months ago, Toronto was a great place to amble, window-shop and revel in the buzzing plethora of boutiques, restaurants, and bars. But, of late, things have changed. The recession has resulted in shuttered windows, blacked-out interiors, and out of business signs everywhere. A stroll through the city no longer summons images of happy owners, retreating to their homes after a day of good work to count their wads of cash. Rather, today as I watch owners sweep their sidewalks, emptily hoping to draw customers by their pristine curb appeal, all I can think of is the Dirty 30’s, the hazy period of the bereft, theDust Bowl, the Great Depression. But depression is, what depression does (thank-you Forrest); and thankfully,Teatro Verde, the new, more couture, incarnation of the Hazelton Lanes home, garden and lifestyle shop, does not do depression.

For at least 30 years, Yorkville regulars have been forced to look at an abandoned tawny, brick Georgian mansion, which at one time was a hospital and later became a flop house and then became, well, nothing but an eyesore to the rich. But to CTV’s on air design consultant, Shawn Gibson, who is also the co-founder and creative director of Teatro Verde, the space was not a vestige of the past but a marking of the future. Gibson knew the building would one day house Teatro Verde and when the mansion came up for bids three years ago he jumped on it.

What was only a construction site in February is now a veritable oasis in the middle of Yorkville. The 9000 square foot, 2-floor retail shop is teeming with an eclectic mix of treasures that Gibson along with co-owner and phenom-florist, Michael Pellegrino, plucked from the 27 countries they travelled in the last year. The new flagship Yorkville store, as Gibson told me, is not the same store as it was in the former location; “like the Bayview Village store, it still has the essence of Theatro Verde but is an evolution in design and represents how our tastes have adapted and grown through the years.”

Speaking of growth, when I walked in the store I felt like my eyes could never grow large enough to soak in what lay so perfectly before me. The main floor, filled with massive buddhas, exotic plants, detailed antique pieces, plush furniture, and skin products galore, to name only a few, was like walking into a refreshing, unexplored world. As Gibson says, “the store is meant to disarm you, to decompress you from your real life.” And though I was walking around with a camera and notebook, I forgot my real life as much as I could in the lush space.

I didn’t know what more the store could offer on the second floor, but it turns out there is a whole lot up there. Picture old-Hollywood, oversized lamps, opulent banquettes and palatial furniture in one corner, a dog boutique in another, a handpicked Assouline photo book library in another area, and a kitchen department in another; this is only the second half of a store that will finally pummel Pottery Barn.

Teatro Verde is so Edenic in design it will not only perfect patrons’ interiors but will be the backdrop to many Toronto events, including the headquarters for CTV at this years TIFF. If you can’t afford to shop right now, ne pas de problem, the spot has more to see than a museum and the entry is free. – E.H

Teatro Verde
100 Yorkville Ave., Toronto, ON
416-733-4447