With construction on Roncy finally over, there’s been a flurry of new specialty shops opening up. One of them is Green Light District Design, a purveyor of furniture, home décor and accessories. Originally located in Ottawa’s former red light district (Dalhousie and Rideau streets, for anyone familiar with the area), the shop’s name was coined by owners David and Deborah Peets to reflect the changes in that area over the past decade.

With the economic downturn in recent years, the Ottawa market seemed to have no room for Green Light District. So the couple decided to relocate to Toronto (it had been over twenty years since the couple last lived here). Maintaining the name was a simple decision, they say, due the online presence of the company.

The Peets lived just down the street from their Ottawa location, which was situated in the heart of the Byward Market. They wanted to recreate that atmosphere for themselves here in Toronto, which led to their decision to settle down and open up shop in Roncy.

“It just felt good. It’s a really intimate setting,” says Deborah.

Intimacy is what sets Green Light District Design apart from other specialty furniture shops. Using their travels — to such locales as Argentina, Spain and South Africa — to source many of the products they carry, David and Deborah are well-versed in forming long-lasting relationships with global designers.

The two of them thrive on the thrill of the find. Pointing to a beautiful, handcrafted, solid wood dining room set on display, the couple explains the tale of its discovery: on a trip to South Africa, flipping through a restaurant guide, Deborah had come across a photograph of a table in new restaurant in Capetown. Immediately, they thought: “we’ve got to find this!”

Sure enough, after 10 days of searching, they were able to locate the suppliers of the table.

Because many of the products they carry are produced in limited quantities, you would be hard-pressed to find anything similar elsewhere (which is why they tend to be protective of their sources).

Continuing with more tales of their travels, Deborah points to a cozy, aqua blue lounge chair ($1,895) displayed at the front of the shop.

“Have a seat,” she says. “You feel as though you’re sitting on a cloud!”

While, we have no doubt she’s right, we politely decline. It would have been too hard to stand back up.

Green Light District Design, 365 Roncesvalles, 416-272-5005