I first heard about Mjölk a few years ago. Located in the Junction, it’s a gorgeous gallery & store dedicated to Scandinavian and Japanese craftsmanship. It has everything from furniture to hand crafts. It’s well worth a visit if you’re into clean lines and the “pure aesthetic of the north.”
Started by a husband and wife duo, the couple also own the building and live above the store. They recently renovated their home and it was just awarded a 2013 Toronto Urban Design Award . You can see all the photos here . I particularly like the third floor inner courtyard:
If you’re curious as to what brought them to the Junction, check out this response from a Dwell interview dated 2011 :
“Downtown became so expensive, and that pushed people either east or west. In the past five years, this area has really become a destination. A lot of young, independent businesses have popped up, starting with reclamation stores Smash and Post and Beam. There’s also Crema Coffee Co., Pandemonium Books & Discs, Junction Fromagerie (a Quebecois cheese shop), and Bunner’s gluten-free vegan bakery, to name a few.”
I like to think of residential properties as a leading indicator for gentrification. Sometimes it’s easy to miss the change taking place behind closed doors though.