SUPPORT LOCAL

COLBY KRIEGL

Owner T.J. O’Shea’s Irish Snug

Since the start of this pandemic, we’ve been committed to helping local businesses by highlighting them in the magazine and on our podcast show.

As the lockdowns drag on, some of favourite establishments need more help than ever. Case in point is T.J. O’Shea’s Irish Snug.

Owner, Colby Kriegl, is one of those ‘Salt of the Earth’ kinda guys. Every time a catch up with him, he’s facing a new challenge with a smile. He’s keeping his sense of humour, which I think is a vital survival tool these days for small business owners and anyone, really. During our most recent conversation, I was happy to hear that O’Shea’s is taking the fight to Covid with a few very creative ideas.

They’ve shifted their business to include catering options, which I think is an amazing strategy. Their social says it all. Check out their Instagram page (@irishsnug) for pics of their catering meals as well as other specials. I dare you not to salivate.

They’re also gearing up to bring back a favourite from last summer; the BBQ Box. That’s right, now all your outdoor cooking faves are just a phone call away.

“Any support from local would be greatly appreciated,” says Kriegl.

Keep on ordering take-out and supporting your local restaurants like T.J. O’Shea’s Irish Snug. They live here and, trust me, they’re supporting local as much as possible, too.

T.J. O’SHEA’S IRISH SNUG

www.osheairishsnug.com Instagram: @irishsnug (416) 253-5500

Twenty years ago, I worked in the hotel & hospitality industry, which was a lot of fun and such a great experience. Over the years, I noticed that the people checking in were constantly stressed from working, travelling, and from life in general. I didn’t foresee things getting less stressful in the future, so I thought, maybe it would be a good idea to open a massage studio & spa to help save the world, one person at a time!

At 24 years old, (still young and naïve), the idea had good intentions, but executing the plan would take a few years to implement. I enrolled at the top massage school in Toronto, called Kikkawa College, and graduated in 2001.

I started off working at different massage clinics to gain the experience and knowledge of the industry. By 2020, I noticed stress levels were at their peak for everyone and saw that many massage clinics were actually closing down, just when people needed them the most. So, I decided to take the leap and open my own clinic to help people manage their stress, pain & tension and haven’t looked back.

Our clinic, Muscle Wellness offers everything from RMT, Deep Tissue Massage Therapy, Prenatal Massage Therapy, Hot Stone Massage Therapy, and Electro-Acupuncture by RMT. We are open during lockdown, as per Public Health & Safety Regulations and are following a strict COVID-19 protocol. We also offer direct billing for our clients. Most people have extended health coverage with an insurance provider, so this is a contactless way to bill their insurance companies directly, instead of charging your credit card.

Muscle Wellness is also happy to offer a 10% discount off our services to anyone in the community. Just mention this promo at the time of booking and bring this article to your appointment to redeem your discount. This promotion expires May 31, 2021. Terms and conditions may apply. Please inquire for details.

For bookings & inquiries, please contact:

Terry Samai, Owner Muscle Wellness 152 Thirtieth Street, Suite 50, Etobicoke, On info@musclewellness.ca (647) 463-6665 www.musclewellness.ca

COMMUNITY THE 3 L’S OF LONG BRANCH

Hello, my name is Winslow Homer. Please step into my outdoor studio stretched out on the salty and brisk Atlantic seaside of Long Branch, NJ.

A few years have passed since the end of the American Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration (1865) and although my usual subject matter has been painting and engraving for Harpers magazine, the new leisure and recreational lifestyle of common folks to Presidents, that of the new “seaside resorts” today is quite different.

I am painting the curious but yet pondering viewpoint of a gentleman from Toronto; Thomas J Wilkie.

He tells me he is administrating the completion of the Young Men’s Club Association of Brooklyn New York and steamships from New York to Long Branch whenever he can. He asserts he absolutely loves hearing the laughter of the children on the carousel, the cacophony of eager resort seekers scurrying, and chatting along the wharf, only to be drowned out by the huge crashing of the ocean surf, the scents of baked lobster, cod, clam noted with salt spray, the site of luxurious hotels, palatial cottages, and the colourful parasols and swimming apparel that punctuate the sandy seascape.

He admires my realism paintings of Long Branch, too, and hopes that when he returns to Toronto, he can emulate this invigorating and pleasurable resort experience to share with his fellow Canadians.

Unfortunately, I never meet the gentlemen again but did hear from local New Jersey councillors that he was successful in establishing a Long Branch on the shores of what they call ‘Etobicoke’. They say Long Branch north is an idyllic resort and is even blessed with a rich arboreal and aromatic healthy forest of trees to breath in and explore!

During the Wilkie years at Long Branch, ON, a Canadian artist, photographer, musician, and composer; William Braybrooke Bayley was celebrating his love of Long Branch through photography and music. His most recognizable and published photos were taken in Long Branch including ‘Neath the Lordly Oak’ (National Archives Ottawa).

His joyful piano music (Toronto Reference Library) hints at romantic, playful, and fun times in our Victorian Village of Long Branch.

Today and in reading your many comments posted on social media, your love for Long Branch is definitively distilled into the three ‘Ls’: Location, Livability, and Love.