The Globe and Mail
July 24th, 2004
Talk of the Town
By Tralee Pearce
ELLA CENTRE FOR PREGNANCY AND PARENTING
105 Vanderhoof Ave., Suite 2, 416-425-6500, http://www.ellacentre.com
Don't let the generic industrial building fool you. The inside of Leaside's new Ella Centre is a sunny multiroom oasis catering to soon-to-be and recent parents. Instead of schlepping around town for classes and courses, moms and dads can find it all under one roof. A huge draw will no doubt be the dreamy in-house daycare. Founder Amy Halpenny sees it as her mission to provide "360-degrees" of parenting services, everything from the fun to the serious: prenatal classes, counselling for postpartum depression, decadent mommy massage and yoga classes.
There's a well-curated baby boutique that carries cultish Petunia Picklebottom diaper bags and Canadian baby clothing label Twiglet. Good thing the lounge area is filled with couches and floor cushions -- this is a hard place to leave. Visit their open house, the Ultimate Baby Shower, Aug. 17, 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.