It's no secret that Ossington Avenue - or at least the stretch of it which runs from Queen Street to somewhere just north of Dundas - looks a lot different than it did a couple of years ago.

A quick jaunt along the strip on a weekend eve reveals lineups at a proliferation of bars extremely recent in its emergence, a list of spots grown from a handful (Sweaty Betty's, The Sparrow, etc.) into more than a dozen.

In general business appears to be booming, but the sight of bars every three or four storefronts raises an interesting question about the issue of saturation, one proprietors of the newest kid on the block, Watusi, appear undaunted by.

Opening in late March and hosting its grand unveiling on Apr. 2, the 60s-themed cocktail lounge is the brainchild of Jill Dickson and Darryl Fine (Shanghai Cowgirl, Bovine Sex Club) and Alan Thomson (Sotto Voce).

A sort of retro-décor (leather booths, spangle-dressed bartenders, racy book covers) suggests the target audience is a slightly older, wider-panted crowd than the hipster-chic throng that's come to prowl the stretch of late.

But Thomson - a longtime barman at legendary spots like Still Life who concocted the specialty cocktail menu himself - says the survival of his venture is assured by its slightly more upscale approach.

"Ultimately we're going to let the people tell us what they want," he says, drawing on 30 years in the business to help discern valuable feedback from common gripes.

"We want to be inclusive, but we expect to draw some of the people that might not necessarily feel comfortable at some of the other spots."

Comfort is a funny thing.

At first glance the bar is unassuming enough but cocktail culture - even in its most retro form - is never known for being inexpensive and therefore inclusiveness may ultimately be a hard sell.

Still, Dickson says walking the fine line between restaurant and lounge (a sort of fancy pub/tapas menu is good until 11pm) with a mix of fun and formality will be what propels Watusi forward and helps separate it from the pack.

That the owners purchased the building and hope to eventually rezone the top two floors to feature a potential satellite bar and rooftop patio could also set it apart from the legion of karaoke bars turned trendy watering holes.

"We just want to keep it fun," she says, hinting at a lack of pretense and sort of quality-over-quantity approach.

When asked about the name, Thomson and Dickson smile at the thought of the iconic sixties shake, one many young patrons at surrounding bars have probably never heard of.

But it speaks to the colour of the culture, suggesting the establishment's initial vibe will be more Mad Men then Swingers .

And Dickson says as far as learning the right moves goes, well there's plenty of time for that too.

"Don't worry," she says with a laugh. "We're going to have nightly demonstrations."

Watusi is located at 110 Ossington Ave.

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aaron.miller@citytv.com