Found in the Quartier du Petit Champlain shopping district in famed "old Québec" City, you'll find…read morea store that has carved out quite a nice -- and unique -- niche, in an area with stores trying to find one amongst the throngs of international shoppers. Artnika is no gift shop: it's here to sell and support the creations of artists and artisans both local and international. Artnika is relatively new, having being established by Yolanda Santos and her daughter Gisel Campos Santos in 2013. It is definitely a lovely place. There are so many items, I can't do it justice here. But, I'll give you a few of their offerings that caught my eye. They have handcrafted jewelry .... if you're into originality and hues that POP, you've come to the right place. If you're into purses, you'll be hard-pressed to leave without one, as their offerings provide a rainbow of colors. I was particularly drawn to some of their wood items, especially their watches made of wood. Yes, you heard that right, watches made of wood! (Don't worry, you won't get splinters as the watchbands are made of leather!) Then, the art! There are tons of framed paintings. While "a little bit of everything" would be an apt description, I would say there is somewhat of a focus on cities and cityscapes. Still, you'll find children, animals, nature, etc., in several depictions Artnika is selling. There's also a strong focus on the Québécois artists. For one, I was drawn to both the beauty and humor of long-time local ceramist Pauline Pelletier's clay sculptures of cats, birds, and other animals. She seems to love color, shape, and shimmer (many of the faces are masked in a gold-like substance). The focus is quality at Artnika, so don't expect a ton of bargains. For example, they sell 3-Dimensional cards by Swing Cards. They move, they pop, they are amongst the most intricate cards I've ever seen. And they are $10 a pop. Pricey, but totally worth it, especially for your kids. You may not be looking for art in Québec City. Or, better said, you didn't know you were looking for art ... until to stopped at Artnika!

I want to give this shop 5 stars but we were followed throughout the entire store which made us…read moresuper uncomfortable. Everything was super cool to look at but having someone constantly staring at us made us both ready to leave. I fell in love with a dress that I wanted as a wedding dress but we weren't allowed to take photos. I'll probably be back next year but the experience was unsettling.

While wandering through Old Quebec we decided to stop in at this boutique selling a variety of…read moreMedieval attire and accessories. This shop has a very strict no photos rule which I can understand, but what was frustrating for us as customers was the fact that we were followed throughout the store by an employee who continuously asked us questions as we looked at their merchandise. We thought about purchasing a few different handmade journals, but after being followed we walked out empty handed. Moral of the story, this shop had a great selection of merchandise (which is reasonably priced), but the customer service killed it for us here.

They have a lot of unique Canadian artiste creations ranging from home decor to jewelry and…read moreclothing accessories! The shop owner is very kind and i especially love the metal work jewelry. The price is very decent considering its original art work and all hand crafted. There are souvenir stores down the road charging almost the same $$ for much lesser quality accessories that are clearly not handmade. The store is very clean and brightly lit and I particularly enjoy that each artist has a section with some cards you can take that have their information on it. If you are traveling into the city, be sure to support the local artists!!

A shop filled with uniquely Canadien art items. Prices range from reasonably affordable to wow but…read moreit is enjoyable to check things out. Years ago I bought a sculpture that I still use today. Found items by the same artist this trip. It was nice to see the continuity.

This review is long overdue but we had great customer service as well as they have many beautiful…read morejewelry pieces that are high quality. I would definitely visit here again.

There isn't much they don't make themselves here at Le Forgeron D'or. The watches and some of the…read morediamond. But what they do make will make you swoon if you have a love of unique jewelry. Let me just say this isn't your cookie cutter jewelry you're going to find in a regular shop. This is big, this is bold, this is original. The shop owner was absolutely lovely even after I told her I couldn't afford a thing she was selling. The story may have been different at the height of tourist season but hell, it was November. She let me try on two rings that ran over $600 each. Then she asked me if I wanted to try on a $15,000 ring. I said hell no! But my friend did and I think she swooned a little. So I have decided that one day when (if) I grow up, I am buying myself a ring here. Just because.

This is an artisans' cooperative formed in 2008. It's a charming shop in the Quartier Petit…read moreChamplain that's larger than it looks from the street. It's my favorite kind of store, featuring handcrafted wares. They're of high quality and are imaginative. There were earrings made of pieces of vinyl records combined w/ sterling silver and others made of pieces of the record labels. There were necklaces of dichroic glass, handmade notebooks of denim and leather and very fine ceramic pieces. There were very cool puppets. My favorites were a couple of cats clothed in sumptuous robes. There were gorgeous painted silk scarves. And that's just what I can remember admiring. One of the artists was staffing the shop and she was friendly and welcoming w/o being the least high pressure. The shop was a welcome contrast to all the touristy shops selling souvenirs that surrounded it. It's close to the port so when cruise ships are in town it's readily available, although I suspect most cruisers are heading for the souvenir shops. Too bad.

Christmas store year round?! Yes please! We visited the store on a Friday in May. It was busy but…read moreeasy to walk around. There are sooo many different decorations and even fun hot chocolate flavors. We got 6 different hot chocolates and a cute addition for our Christmas village. The cashier plugged in the village item to make sure it worked and we appreciate that. Upstairs they have a discounted items that are broken.

Wow, if you're into Christmas knick-knacks, this store will be heaven for you. I've never…read morepersonally seen a year round Christmas store (though Costco seems to be trying lol) and it was fun to putz around a little in here. It was pretty crowded and it's a popular tourist stop for sure. We ended up getting each of the grand-darlings a souvenir ornament from here, and actually in retrospect this place fits their family perfectly. It turns out their mom and pops have procrastinated taking down their tree so they're doing the year round thing too and are already ready for this year's Christmas! I'm glad their parents never read my reviews lol. BTW, the staffers here are all appropriately cheerful and friendly.

Beautiful shop carrying a huge selection of Canada-made articles, from knives to jewelry. It is…read morealso conveniently located in the old city. The staff is bilingual: we were helped by Camille who not only was truly a professional, she also made the perfect recommendations based on our taste and she nailed it! this store definitely stands out among a lot of stores carrying mass-produced items. Buy local and support the local economy and art and crafts!

The rabbit fur scarf quickly caught my sister's attention and made its way under our Christmas tree…read moreback in Indiana. This cozy store in Old Quebec is a one-stop shop for souvineers and all things Quebec. But not Quebec in the kitschy way, think artisan products made by local artists ranging from feather hair pieces and wool socks for men to fur everything and hand painted magnets. The good: even balance of offerings for both males and females. The bad: slightly on the pricey side but you have to keep in mind these are not mass produced items.