Shop Talk is written by OM senior editor Dayanti Karunaratne and Sarah Fischer, OM account executive and fashion maven.

We were all pretty bummed when we heard that two long-standing ByWard Market shops — Bang-On and Allegro — had experienced a costly fire. Not only would they miss out on all that summer pedestrian traffic, but we had nowhere to get “I’m with Stupid —>” t-shirts!

Allegro has long been a favourite. In fact, earlier this year, we stopped by to borrow a couple fabulous items (a Mac & Jac grey jacket and a red bag by Espe, to be specific) for an editorial feature in this year’s Ottawa Magazine Shopping Guide. Owner Anne-Marie Bergeron was so generous, and her passion for fashion was contagious.

Luckily, Anne-Marie opened a second location on Wellington West earlier this year. We stopped in last week and were met with dangerously discounted prices. (Dangerous because we’re a sucker for a sale!) With summer turning the heat on in a serious way (37 degrees on Thursday), it’s a fine time to shop for slinky dresses — something Allegro does in a funky, fashionable, and affordable way (some styles are over 50% off right now).

Staff say the William Street location will open this fall, and Bang-On will live on.

Allegro. 1243 Wellington St. W. See Facebook page for sale details.