Although Wagstaff Drive could easily be mistaken for an empty laneway at first glance, the hidden street has a rich history and is now home to some of Toronto's most unique and diverse businesses. 

Located off Greenwood Ave. between Danforth and Gerrard, Wagstaff is one of the city's best kept secrets. 

20 Wagstaff Drive, home to Avenue Road, Quince Flowers, and Soul Chocolate.

The street was named for the brick manufacturing family who built their empire here during the late 19th century, with the manufacturing buildings giving the current businesses an industrial warehouse feel.

When you first turn down Wagstaff, you're welcomed by Left Field Brewery and Pilot Coffee Roasters, who have anchored the street for the better part of a decade.

Recently, though, new businesses have joined the neighbourhood stalwarts, and together, they've made the street one of Toronto's most unique nooks. 

The entryway to Avenue Road furniture store.

Avenue Road was one of the first to join the community when it took up residence in a massive space in the middle of the street in the fall of 2022.

The upscale furniture store, managed by Toronto's Weishaupt Design Group, has locations throughout North America, but Weishaupt's managing director Michael Barr says the building was the perfect fit for the brand's newest location after it closed its store on Eastern Avenue.

"Buildings like this are difficult to find," he says. "Having some kind of unique characteristic to the building is important."

Some of Avenue Road's residential furniture displays.

The unique characteristics he's referring to are the exposed brick and bare-bones interior that Avenue Road pledged to keep untouched as an homage to the brick workers who once called the space home, and which subsequently lent the company's 'Brickyard' location its name.

Although Avenue Road does most of their business directly with architects and designers, Barr says that customers are more than welcome to walk in off the street and browse the merchandise. 

This massive structure in the middle of Avenue Road highlights some more display pieces.

The Brickyard location on Wagstaff primarily sells residential pieces, including upscale carpets from The Rug Company and unique stone furniture from Salvatori. 

Part of Soul Chocolate's sitting area.

If you go to the end of the street and curl around a short brick wall, you'll find a garage door, the opening to the new home of Soul Chocolate who are readying for their grand opening at the end of the month.

Soul Chocolate owner Kyle Wilson.

Owners Kyle and Katie Wilson ran Soul Chocolate out of a space near Gerrard and Broadview for five years before deciding that they needed more room to operate and signing a lease for a unit in 20 Wagstaff Dr. 

Soul Chocolate's sitting area and front counter, where customers can order and eat specialty chocolates.

They wanted a bigger space in order to increase their capacity for production and in-house dining — and they've got both in spades at the new location. 

Soul Chocolate's production space, where customers can see the process of chocolate-making.

Massive production machines fill the back of house, which is left transparent so customers can watch the roasting process while they shop or snack (or both).

The Wilsons also have grand plans for the sitting area to match their levelled-up production space that Kyle says will produce around a ton of chocolate per week once they're fully operational. 

He and Katie plan to curate a tasting menu in partnership with a new local coffee roaster every month to pair different chocolates with their coffees in a bid to create a new kind of sensory experience. 

Some of Soul Chocolate's specialty bars on display for purchase.

They'll also continue to sell bars ($4.87+), hot chocolate powder ($16), spreads ($15.50), and more cacao-based products of their own making. 

Raw cacao nibs prior to being pressed.

While Kyle acknowledges that his products cost more than the market average, he maintains that his and Katie's choice to prioritize the ethical bulk purchase of raw cacao over cheaper pricing is more important — and absolutely justifies a slightly higher cost. 

"There's a big grey area in terms of transparency of cacao [farming], especially in West Africa," he says. "We're fully transparent. Like, 'Here's where we're sourcing from, we're paying the brokers this much and the farmer's getting this price.'" 

Soul Chocolate bars made with cacao from Madagascar, Colombia, and Peru.

To honour that, they've made sure to include the names of the countries that the cacao is sourced from (primarily South American and East African nations) on the bars' packages. 

Quince Flowers' new space, where they customize and sell flower arrangements.

Directly above Soul Chocolate, you'll find Quince Flowers, who spent over two decades at various locations throughout Toronto and is gearing up to open its doors soon. 

A custom Quince Flowers arrangement.

Previously located near Queen and Broadview, the city favourite primarily sells custom hand-arranged bouquets in colour combinations of the customer's choice.

Quince Flowers roses before being arranged.

They also cater large-scale events and weddings and offer monthly delivery subscription services for both plants and flowers. 

The store's owner, Rosie Jeffares-Levitt, says she made the move from Queen and Broadview in part due to concerns about impending construction from the Ontario line subway. 

Quince Flowers owner Rosie Jeffares-Levitt (right).

She was the chair of the BIA in Quince Flowers' old neighbourhood, and although there's no such group for the establishments on Wagstaff, Jeffares-Levitt is determined to work closely in cooperation with her neighbours. 

"If you need a forklift, go to Left Field. If you need flowers, come to me," she laughed, referencing the custom bouquet she had gifted the Wilsons that hangs above the front counter at Soul Chocolate.

"I know how to run events," she added. "I know how to get people excited about coming in." 

Keep an eye on Wagstaff Drive as it continues to transition from a historic industrial yard to a small yet vibrant pocket of unique businesses.