Periwinkle is an awesome little jewellery shop that is located between High Park and Bloor West…read moreVillage. It features a wide selection of jewellery from local designers and a lot of different artwork. I love the Marilyn Monroe paintings that are by the front door, the navy blue and earth-toned floral pillows, and the photographs of Parisian scenes on wood. They also have a few different pieces of clothing and dresses, and a few items for kids.Most of the tables have the designers' business cards available, and most are willing to do custom work if you're inspired. It's definitely worth checking out if you're in the area or are looking to buy a creative gift. Also, since it's December, if you're going to a christmas party and want some festive earrings, they have a few different pairs of dangly earrings with christmas trees, silver bells and red and green balls. They also have some nice host gifts, like candles, candle holders, ornaments, and decorative kitchen items.

Disclaimer: I am very close friends with Cindy, the proprietor but I waiting until I actually…read moreVISITED the store before writing this review! Super cute store!! It's almost across the street from the Green Mango restaurant so it's on the East stretch of Bloor West. The store has a great selection of handmade goods from local artists! Everything from recycled shopping totes made from coffee bags, to handmade "dim sum" & "sushi" rings; to pretty gem and pearl necklaces. There is even a cute selection of clothes from local designers. Parking is relatively easy in front of the store. Definitely drop in to check out the stuff!

I really enjoy this place! Over the years, it's come in handy at many different times as a go-to…read moreSpadina home goods store. An important note: if you are looking for bamboo, you have come to the right place. I have always found the Plaiter Place to have lots of bamboo products and sticks of various sizes. I could see myself building an outdoor structure of some sort with these things. Other wood products such as storage items, like baskets and boxes, are in high supply. Bu then, I went in recently and came out with salad tongs and a cheese knives. You never know what you're going to get. I think it all came out to less than $15, so definitely great bang for your buck.

If you have ever been in any shop in Chinatown (even grocery stores), you'll always have a bit of…read morean "ick" feeling sometimes when you come across the dust, dirt and grime they seem to avoid cleaning. This shop, is the total opposite. Immaculate. There isn't even any dust on any of the products, AMAZING. Everything is organized, neat, labeled, it looks like someone's home with the cute little handwritten signs saying: Please don't open! Please don't touch! You break item, you buy item! Great place for bamboo and everything to do with bamboo. I also love the paper lanterns there, and if I had an apartment I'd totally decorate it with a bamboo or paper lantern umbrella.. it's just gorgeous. Love. LOVE. Love. Also, the prices are uber cheap. $0.89 for a little bamboo spoon! Most places like Williams Sonoma would charge you $3 because it's an "eco-friendly sexy product". Here, bamboo it is what it is -- a cheap, renewable, green resource. I also like that they're frugal and eco-friendly. They wrap whatever you buy in newspaper rather than give you a bag. Love.

A little piece of Chinatown in Bloor West, I L-O-V-E this store! It's filled with so many cute…read morethings; hand-woven shrimp made out of straw, cool little boxes for jewelery, silk kimonos, cotton shoes, and crazy detailed painted eggs (yes, painted eggs). I especially love the collection of Japanese mugs ($2-$3 each!) and teapots. It's just such a great store to go to browse around and maybe pick up a little birthday gift for someone. I also love it that the long-time owner and his daughter are always there and always ready to talk about....anything. Politics, the environment, the community, the weather, it doesn't matter. Every time I've visited I'm either engaged in or listening to a discussion of some manner. It's great!

what a great place and such a wonderful man that own's it!! went in to look at his selection of…read morekimono's and bought 4!!! will be going back forsure :-)

I was killing time in Parkdale (waiting for a table at Grand Electric, of course) when I spotted…read morethe pinball machine in a window across the street. Stepping in to Community 54 I found the makings of an old school arcade. There was Street Fighter pinball, Galaga, NBA Jam and others. Suddenly waiting for table didn't seem so bad. But this isn't really an arcade. It's a retail shop that houses a healthy mix of new and vintage clothing, hats and accessories. Everything here is reminiscent of that liminal space between the 80s and 90s. Neon, hiphop, record-scratchy. Actually it's more than a retail shop; it's a man cave. The fashions are casual and fun, and the guys working here are more than OK with it if you just chill out and pump quarters into Terminator 2. Dudesque touches about. A large Canadian flag hangs from the ceiling and unfurls into a makeshift changeroom. There is a boombox on the floor. Kewl place. Obligatory Title Pun: LIV it up at 54! Menu Readability: Their understated signage is more befitting a Detroit barbershop than a hipster curio emporium; I suppose that is the point. Need to mention: I think they throw events here from time to time. What this place teaches me about myself: "If you don't learn Roman numerals, you won't know the year certain motion pictures are copyrighted!"

This is an interesting little shop with a cool concept. Community 54 is hoping to showcase local…read moredesigners and artists giving them a place to sell their wares. They have a handful of partnerships going with companies from New York where Community 54 started. This Toronto location is part of their expansion plan to move into new markets. I'm hoping that they will be able to keep each store unique to the community it's located in rather than try and sell the same things everywhere and further homogenize consumer culture. Perhaps I'm starting to get a little deep for a review but things like this excite and scare me at the same time. If we're all wearing the same things and shopping in the same places then does it really matter where we go or what we do since it's literally the exact same experience everywhere? Wow, totally went off topic there. What else is there to say about this place? Everything is for sale. Everything. The benches, the little things that look like knick knacks, the video games at the front door, everything. Most of the clothing on display is for men so far but they have plans to bring in more stuff as they can. They have the tiniest kids section I've ever seen and I'm pretty sure that won't be an ongoing thing but it was funny to see these tiny little sweaters next to men's over sized jackets. The feel of this place is somewhere between nostalgic 90s hip hop (as seen in the black Bart Simpson dunking a basketball tee shirt) and 70s work wear (think blue collar not disco) with lots of retro sports jackets, tee shirts and baseball caps from Good Wood. I wish I could remember the other brands they were carrying but you'll just have to take a look for yourself. I was told that they will have denim eventually and they want to start selling shoes as well. The rest of the store is dedicated to classic arcade game cabinets. The front of the store houses a Galaga and Terminator 2 among other things. You can play them in the store if you like but they are also for sale. I didn't ask what they were selling for because I don't have space for a cabinet but I'm sure they aren't cheap. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Community 54 because I like what I've seen so far.

4.5 rounded up to 5…read more I actually wrote a review for this establishment as the storefront depicts, MORA SPAIN ... and it was lost in the shuffle as it appears the real company in charge isn't the MORA SPAIN advertised (which is a real company selling household textiles, which were also in the store.) Oh well ... so going back to last July 2021 when I was actually here -- there are many unique and pretty clothing items as well as the household textiles. I ended up selecting a gift for my sister here. The staff were fairly helpful. They answered many of my questions about the clothing items I inspected. They didn't have wrapping available for my gift item which is a bit disappointing given the price range on the merchandise (although these are mostly imported items, made from good quality materials.) I suppose at Christmas it's less of an issue with mall wrapping service but this is the kind of place you would definitely check out for beautiful and unique gifts, hence the "4.5 rounded up to 5" rating. There are change rooms and the interior of the store is roomy, which make it a very pleasant shopping experience. Despite how long I spent admiring and inspecting all the items I was considering for a gift, I was never rushed or aggressively approached. I wish I could say I'd come back frequently! If I invested in this type of clothing more often, I would.

They are very good but they have changed there name to roots of Kashmir and are located in Erin…read moreMills Town Center, Mississauga. They have beautiful cashmere shawls with Sozni embroidery,Aari Embroidery,Kaantha Embroidery,Tilla Embroidery,Paper mache Kalamkari Embroidery , cashmere shawls are available in digital print and they do share best online website to buy Kashmir shawl in Canada.

This is a large (spanning 2 blocks!) open air shopping mall. There are many restaurants.The biggest…read moreretail stores are Freshco grocery store and a Shoppers Drug Mart. However, for a Sat evening, it was rather dead, except for Sugar Maison and A Chinese Cuisine (there was a lineup outside the restaurant!). There was plenty of free parking, with some sections very empty. Review 2026-132

Came across this vintage store as part of the recent "Queen of Hearts" (WQW BIA) event. It's easy…read moreto miss, as it's upstairs. It's just across from CAMH and west of MOCCA. The sign says "hand-picked vintage" and it's a good description. The space is quite small (looks like a converted apartment, with 2 small rooms and a hallway) and the selection is not as vast as some of the bigger vintage shops. However, each piece is carefully chosen (hence the name). The owner is really friendly and as my shopping partner and I perused the racks, she gave us back-stories for many of the pieces that caught our eyes. She also has altered some of the items to make them more wearable circa now. Compared to other vintage stores, there were some really kooky/costumey pieces here, include a gold lamé jumpsuit ("I had to take that one... it has stirrups!!") and a gothic, Addams-Family-esque black velvet dress with white lace detailing. This would be a fantastic place to find the perfect Halloween costume. It's also a great place to re-live the 90's. As I was browsing, I found myself repeatedly saying to my friend - "omg, remember these?!?" Like those cutout shoulder dresses. Other finds include leopard printed faux-fur coats and beat-up vintage leather jackets for men. There's a sale rack (currently 50% off some winter merchandise) and a $10 accessories section at the back. Definitely worth a look!

The vibe: Tucked away on a second floor on Queen Street, being inside Chosen feels like being…read moreinside a fortune teller's shop where you can see your future in all of the clothing. Even the change room curtain looks like outer space. It's a small and cozy shop that's never too busy. I almost didn't want to write this review because it's one of the city's best kept vintage secrets. The clothes: Whereas a lot of vintage shops in the city have a huge variety of clothing from all kinds of different eras, Chosen features a well-curated selection of clothes that appeal to anyone with a lust for the 90s (ie. me) and girls who want to be a bit more badass and a bit less girly. But this doesn't mean they don't have girly t't to Chosen and you can find sexy little lace slips, James Dean-esque leather jackets, and combat boots for dancing all night. The staff: No complaints here. The owner and the one other girl I've met are both super friendly, helpful and full of interesting tidbits about the pieces. Best finds: I bought the most comfortable/warm/amazing winter boots here that I will keep forever and always.

WOW!!..I am rarely surprised by people but this takes the cake! I orginally posted a glowing review…read moreon social media but decided to totally take out all the positive stuff out about this seemingly cute little spot. ...WHY? Because, after meeting on August 15, 2018, to discuss collaborations, I was politely told by the owner, Margo, that Women would not appreciate coming to her location to try on clothes, have an ice cream, drink a coffee or sample skin care products if they thought Men would be there "congregating" or "Meeting for Coffee". I was in disbelief that she was being serious. In the past I would have walked away from being negative or let things go like this. I was under the impression that whatever issue I have, will open up bigger problems if I pursue them. Yep, I sure have let go of a lot, but NOT THIS ONE FOLKS... Am I proving myself to be the very Man that is "creating issues" which would warrant warning bells? I GUESS I AM AND I ACCEPT WHAT COMES! I WILL NOT LIVE IN A CITY WHERE WOMEN COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LACK OF CONSCIOUS MEN, YET ARE HYPOCRITES ENOUGH TO RELEGATE MEN TO THEIR CORNER. I guess we're good enough to bring our spouses or girlfriends shopping but not good enough to sit with another Man and have a coffee. Maybe that can work in a Gym so Women can feel safe working out in peace but a fashion store with a cafe atmosphere? Screw you lady, I guess I proved you right. AND, if doing Men's outreach is going to bring this on, then I will proudly stand my ground. Possible repurcussions from this are as follows; 1. Women who live in Fear should go to ANY DIRECT FLIGHT to go shopping. It's a perfect place to feel like you're in a protected World. REMINDER: You're not. Be at Peace with yourself and you'll attract more safety. 2. If you're a GOOD, & STRONG WOMAN WHO LIKES BEING AROUND GOOD STRONG MEN, then by all means, head on down to Any Direct Flight, buy an outfit from this "cute" little shop, have a coffee or an ice cream and upon paying, let them know what you think. Since she has drawn a line in the sand, public opinions are now welcome. You are allowed to have your say, especially since this Margo lady has such an obvious idea around what community is all about. 3. Absolutely nothing and I have yet another reason to despise ignorant people, especially the ones in this city who breed idiots. I guess you can dress up a "Little Shop of Horrors" with pretty antiques and beautiful scones on bone china and prepare yourself for your ultimate karma. I'm prepared for whatever I get from this one... I apologize for anyone reading this posting and I wish all my material was rainbows and kittens but alas, it is not the case. I wear my Anger proudly and if you step into the ring with me, you better realize I never back down... #ThisIsLamont #AnyDirectFlight #MenNotAllowed #OnlyWomen Lamont Daigle PS: My mother and I owned an antique shop in NB where we had quite a varied clientele. Locals and Tourists. I completely understood where Any Direct Flight (Margo) was going with wanting to "protect her clientele" from "creepy" Men...There are some out there, I admit, however, this altercation was more than just about Fear. After 20 years of being in the Toronto Community, there are way more Women in my corner than Men, because these Women are Mothers who see the need for Love instead of Hate. The Women & Men in my organization are always disappointed when community "Leaders" and business owner's decisions are based in "Grandeur" and "Exclusion" instead of "Inclusion" and heart based Economics. Especially in our neighborhood, where I have to remind my daughter that bigotry comes in all packages...

Returning to old stomping grounds in the up and coming Leslieville in the East end, I was on the…read moresearch for an indie coffee shop to plug in and get inspired to write, get some work done, enjoy a good cup of brew and hopefully support a small local business in the process. I rode by Any DIrect Flight, with a lovely vintage-y looking dress in the window and a cafe table for 2. I go in and realize its a boutique + cafe. The girl working tells me that the front of the store was turned into a cafe (5 tables including 1 large square communal table) in March 2012. Its super bright and sunny, right on Queen E so watching the street car and people walk by is lovely. Free Wi-Fi, decent coffee and espresso drinks, and outlets for your laptop: freelancers out there, this is a great spot! Could also see it being the jam if they get some tables out front too.