Absolutely love this art store ! The employees are super…read morenice and always welcoming. This place has everything you need as a beginner or advanced artist :]] Once you come here you'll always want to come again and again !

This is the mega Omer, the mother Omer, the Berri Omer located on the same corner where the…read moreoriginal Omer Deserres existed in 1908 back when it was a hardware store. Dedicated to supplying artists, advertising agencies, local art schools and DIY crafters since 1950 and with branches across Canada you can find fairly much everything you might need to get creative in this creativity complex. In my experience, it's great to chat with the staff here about what you're working on or looking for. The organization is a bit complex because they have so much stuff, so it's helpful to have one of the wise young art students leading you around, plus: adorable. The vibe in here is clean, bright and modern, not at all the inspiring sense of dripping with history and the labours of love as you find in true old school places like Pearl Paint in NYC, but it gets the job done in style. Some items suffer from the usual Montreal markup, but they make up for it by having in-house brands for things like sketchbooks that are really cheap.

I myself have never been to Montreal, let alone Canada until now and I happened upon this store…read moreclose to my hotel. The staff here are extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the stationery and writing utensils they sell. The selection of items like notebooks, pencils, pens, ink, binders - and at a reasonable price. They'll likely have whatever you're looking for. The store is a little small, but everything feels naturally laid out and not crammed by any means. If you are in Montreal and happen to be an artist or writer - this is a must stop shop for any supplies you have on your mental wishlist.

A very nice stationary shop with a good selection of pens & paper goods. The staff seemed a bit…read moreover their heads but eventually were able to help me try to find what I was looking for. They didn't have it but they helped me out. It's more a quality shop than a value one, but if you have strong feelings on nibs & bind weight you'll dig it.

Zone Orange is a charming art gallery (galerie d'art) and cafe on a side street off of Old…read moreMontreal. It isn't terribly large, but it's clean, colorful, with a ton of random art on display and for sale. I had a conversation with friendly Dominic Morin, the manager/owner (he's listed as "le directeur" on his business card - I'm unsure how that directly translates). I told him I was sad there wasn't any food[1] for purchase, only coffee, and he noted my complaint (now they actually have SORBET in addition to their espresso). He also pointed out a few pieces to me, and mentioned his sister was an artist here; I also checked out these animal plushies (amusing cat and octopus ones) sitting on a huge IKEA shelf. Much of the random art there was graspable stuff - tres cool. Zone Orange is worth a visit.

Cute boutique with very expensive items. This is just off the beaten path so you will have to look…read moredown the side street to find it. Worth a stop if your in Old Montreal according to Frommers, to us it was overpriced crap.

Very disappointing experience at Deserres Montréal - Ville-Marie…read more I bought a toy on discount and returned to the store the same day, less than 3 hours later, hoping to exchange it for another toy of exactly the same value, simply because my child preferred a different one. The exchange was refused, even though the item was unused and the request was reasonable. What was most upsetting was the rude and dismissive attitude of the staff when I calmly explained the situation. I understand store policies, but customer service should also include courtesy and basic understanding. Given the circumstances, I believe some form of compensation (such as a store credit or exception exchange) would be appropriate to acknowledge the poor customer experience.

This is a small arts and crafts store inside a mall. Inventory isn't as expansive as Michaels but…read moreeverything is neat and easy to find. They also don't have coupons. Staff leaves you alone while you shop which is a good thing!

I've been getting my school supplies at Zoubris ever since I was in high school. I remember they…read morewere the only place who still had that plastic wrap to cover your books after the back to school sales were over. They even sponsored my yearbook when I was a senior. They have my favourite notebook brand (clairefontaine) and I can always count on them to have fair prices. Every time I need whiteout, pencils, erasers, etc... during my exam season, I go here and pick them up. It's convenient and well stocked. Dollarama school supplies are too cheaply made and Jean coutu sells almost the same product but at unreasonable prices. Bureau en gros only has sales in September for back to school, otherwise everything is full price and not worth it since you can get it here for less. If you can, try to stop here for your school supplies :) Well worth the money.

The neighborhood would not be complete without Zoubris. Prices are good, the staff is friendly and…read morevery helpful.

What started out as a sweet potter's co-op and boutique to showcase all of the handmade pottery,…read morehas now transformed into a beautiful café in the heart of Le Petit Laurier. It's still a co-op of about 10-15 different local potters, and the boutique still features a wide selection of absolutely gorgeous one-of-a-kind pottery, but you can now linger a little longer, nestled in a vintage chair or relaxing at the chunky central wooden table, sipping your espresso and taking your time to decide on which piece of handcrafted clay you need to take home with you that day. I've been here a number of times, typically to pick up affordable and unique wedding gifts for friends, or when I want to treat myself to a new piece for my own eclectic pottery collection (I pride myself on my collection). I am never disappointed. I come from a craft background and have a number of family members and friends who are established potters, so I know quality craftsmanship when I see it. I've always been *extremely* impressed by the pots, platters, mugs, teapots, plates and bowls that this collective kicks out. I often stop in my tracks on the sidewalk to stare at the ever-changing window displays, making a mental note to come back and get one of what I've just seen. There are a wide variety of styles: classic porcelain ware, arty stoneware with funky glazes, cutesy earthenware, hip decal work, high end vases and basins, some larger sculptural pieces, one-off wall tiles, and all extremely affordable and reasonably priced for what they are. Some of the glazes are to die for. They have a very large studio in the back, with an number of electric potter's wheels (not sure if they have kick wheels or not), and offer pottery classes to those who want to learn how to make muck into useful housewares themselves. Super down to earth bunch. Yep... I really DID just make that obvious pun...

A very interesting collection, the owner is super flexible and friendly. Also, customer service is…read morevery prompt and responsive (emails, phones). When the delivery knew the delayed shipment is a birthday gift. He offered to meet and give me another copy so I can give it to my friend on time and return the delayed order whenever it arrives.

We walked past this store several times at night and admired eveyrthing sparkling in the windows…read more Finally we couldn't resist the temptation to go in. We are visiting Montreal from Chicago with not much extra room in our suitcases, so we had to hold ourselves back from buying many wonderful things. The scarves, the cushions, the glassware, the leathergoods--all beautiful, and well-priced. The owner was so kind, letting us look to our hearts' content, and when we decided to buy a small glass lamp he was helpful with suggestions. The experience added to the fun and pleasure of our vacation. We look forward to seeing our little lamp sparkling in our living room at home.

I never write reviews. If I could give this store a zero rating for their customer service, I…read morewould. I must say, this is one of the worst experiences I remember having in a boutique store. I have been shopping in this store for many years now and spent lots of money. I usually buy my gifts early, especially during Christmas so that I can take advantage of the selection. The owners Marina, and the other senior woman that works with her with the blond hair would not do an even exchange for a Christmas item. I had purchased 2 ornaments by mistake, 5.99$ each, and all I asked is if I could exchange one ornament for a Christmas napkin which was the same price. Its not like they were going to lose any money. The owner and the the blond senior lady at the cash both said no, no exchanges on Christmas items. She said we have never bent the rules in 30 years and we are not about to do so now. Wow, what great customer service! Especially considering the fact that on boxing day, a student employee told me to come back after boxing day, since they don t do Christmas exchanges on boxing day, which is completely understandable. Its not the money that bothered me, its the principle, and their horrible attitude. The owner and the blond woman that works with her were both extremely rude, they seem bothered, and unfriendly. The other day when I was waiting in line for boxing day shopping at their store, I was talking to another customer waiting, she said, the store has gone down hill, and I could not agree more. If the business is too much, and adjusting your inventory for a straight exchange for the same price is too much of a hassle, not to be discriminatory, but maybe its time to pass on the torch to a younger generation. These women are stuck in their old fashion ways of doing things. They need to realize they need to up their customers service with the times, be more flexible, and make exceptions when it makes sense, in order to keep their customers happy and coming back. Remember word of mouth gets around. If not, it may be time to retire, as I noticed during my Halloween shopping at their store, they ( when I say they, I mean the owner, and that blond senior woman that works there), they looked fed up of customers already. When I asked one when the Christmas decorations were coming out, she just nodded her head and rolled her eyes, like she was saying in her head, let me get through Halloween first. I went across the street to the new store that opened called the Zone Maison ( this is a small chain boutique store, they have others in Montreal), and what a difference in the staffing. The employees and owner really care about their customers, they have a positive attitude and they are more flexible. with their policies. This may be one of the reasons for the store owners frustrations and bad attitude. For many years, Le Panier was the staple store in the Pointe -Claire village, now they have a competitor that sells beautiful items, and has friendlier staff with more flexible policies. Do yourself a favor, its not worth the drive if you live outside of the west island, their Christmas selection this year, was horrible, compared to previous years, another client in the store noticed this as well. The owner blamed it on supplier issues, while Maison Zone, that sells similar items didn't seem to have supplier issues. The owner and the blond senior woman that works with her, (I don t know which one was worse, I would say the blond woman had a serious chip on her shoulder) needs to put a smile on her face, and pretend at least to show she likes her job. Life is too short to be this inflexible and bitter when you are running a business! Remember things don 't last forever in life, and its your customers that made you! Ps. Please read the low class review on google reviews, with the comment about the shopping bag! This store is not deserving of our business, if they continue to be this inflexible, especially with their customers that have been giving them our money for so many years! Shame on you!

Headline: Win the Battle, Lose the War…read more We just spent $100 on gifts at this store. When we asked for an extra bag, the clerk wanted to charge $1. This store has a lot of interesting and cute gifts. We've been in there half a dozen times in the past three years. However, our recent experience causes us pause.