Toronto's not lacking in options for places to trade-in old clothing that for one reason or another no longer belongs in one's wardrobe. Along with staples like Value Village and Goodwill, Leslieville's Common Sort acquires a chunk of its stock directly from customers. This newish store on Queen West offers a bit of both worlds by donating to charities and by stocking up on designer labels.

Read my profile of the Kind Exchange in the fashion stores section.

Located in the space that housed Negroni and Carpao, the folks behind this new venture on the eastern edge of Little Italy have put together a more pan-European menu than their predecessors, which looks fantastic on paper. How was it on the plate?

Find out in my review of BruDa in the restaurants section.

Toronto-based graphic artist Ken Homer never thought he would become a fitness instructor until some friends asked him to come up with a plan to help them lose weight. He drummed up a workout which combined Brazilian Capoeira with hip hop, reggae, and Latin dance. Today, Homer teaches this new discipline to over a thousand students across the GTA.

Check out my review of Ginga Fitness in the fitness clubs section.

Toronto has plenty of shops that mix books and vinyl, vinyl and coffee, and coffee and clothing — and now you can add clothing and vinyl to the list. This new hybrid shop occupies the former home of Marquee Video near Dufferin & College, offering a carefully selected yet eclectic mix of vinyl albums and vintage clothing.

Read my profile of Of A Kind in the fashion stores section.

After months of anticipation, the east end's favourite burger joint has opened its second location on Yonge Street north of Lawrence. Greeted almost immediately with line-ups out the door, I headed north to see if I could determine whether or not the new outpost satisfies the hype.

Find out in my review of The Burger's Priest (Yonge St.) in the restaurants section.

Despite the doom and gloom that often seems to surround the Toronto book market, once in a while there are some bright spots. Case in point: this recently opened used shop in Little Italy, which is the by-product of its owners' collection of 40,000 books. Want to get your hands on the first paperback edition of On the Road? They got you covered.

Read more in my profile of Sellers & Newel in the bookstores section.