Calgary's East Village is an up-and-coming neighborhood. It's development has been slowed down by…read morelower oil prices (the big industry in these parts), so who knows what this area will look like next year. In the meantime, there's enough construction here to imagine the possibilities. That includes the retail outposts like Liz & Lottie who have staked their success on their stylish taste and the promise of a lot more foot traffic past their shop. I wandered on a recent Friday afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed this version of retail therapy. Liz & Lottie is more geared perhaps to those who are "sugar and spice and everything nice", but for folks like me (e.g. snips and snails and puppy dog tails), there some interesting things, plus loads of gift opportunities. I also enjoyed their nice selection of local and Canadian items and their good taste in selecting and displaying their wares. Liz & Lottie was definitely worth the extra bit of East Village discovery exploration. Best wishes for your continued success.

You've gotta love a gift shop where you can go in and find beautiful things for everyone on your…read morelist (and a gift or two for yourself!) My super stylish and in the know sister in law has been finding awesome gifts at Liz & Lottie for everyone in the family since they've opened and I have been following them on Instagram to keep tabs on the new items coming into the shop. The two owners are super kind and helpful, I've messaged them on Instagram with shopping requests/items I am looking for and they have sent me back pictures of products they have in store that match the request -- how nice is that! I often visit on my lunch break as they are tucked into the East Village at the bottom of one of the high rises but it's easy to get there either from walking through the river walk, taking the train to the end of the free line then going for a short stroll or driving right up there. On this visit I walked away with gift for four upcoming events! A sassy and slightly inappropriate valentines card for my husband, a baby shower gift, a gender reveal party gift and a birthday party gift. Trust me I could have kept shopping! Great place to find all sorts of treasures including local and Canadian makers which is so great to see.

This place has lots of cool items in it. They have a lot of art done by local artists, and my…read morefamily and I were all very impressed by the quality and talent of the artwork :) They have a little mini-gallery attached to the shop with more artwork showcased. They sell a lot of high-quality gifts, like jewelry, figurines, travel mugs, ponchos, that kind of thing. The staff were also very friendly and relaxed. If you're in Drumheller, check this place out :)

For quite some time we've been looking, high and low, for a nice antique parlor chair for a room…read morewe're renovating. While at your shop we came across a chair we thought might do but were unsure of the color, size and how it would be in the room. Travis, a sales person working there, went way beyond helpful making certain we were completely satisfied in every way. Without his help we probably wouldn't have made the purchase. The chair is perfect, and Travis is fantastic and we're delighted. Ron Calgary

Went there with my boyfriends family and came across my dream vintage find. A pair of vintage…read moreroller skates, which happen to fit perfectly, not too big and not too small. They are ice skates that have been customized and turned into roller skates. In great condition and were fairly priced. I've only ever seen leather white or black vintage skates but these are suede and red! I've been looking for a pair for months and this is the first pair I have ever found and I lucked out by them being my size! I've already took them out for a spin and they're perfect, just need to switch the indoor wheels for outdoor wheels and I'm all set! They had a wide variety of booths with everything you could ever imagine including a booth full of video games and my personal favourite Pyrex! Definitely worth the drive from Calgary and will be stopping here more in the future! The staff was super friendly and kind!

I love this store. I love the things they sell. I love the prices at which they sell them. And I…read moreespecially love that I can find things in this store that I can't find anywhere else. Whether you're looking for a pair of tweezers, a fashionable cushion for your living room, kitchen accessories or a great gift idea, Twisted Goods will most definitely deliver. If your shopping expedition lacks originality, head over to Twisted Goods. You wont be disappointed.

I checked out their new store in Aspen landing. Great great store!! So many cool but useful things…read moreperfect for gift giving. Of course I didn't leave the store the store empty handed. ;) The staff is very friendly and helpful and prices aren't bad either. If you're looking for something unique this store is a must.

My kid enjoyed the scavenger hunt with a prize. This museum is small and we went the first days of…read morethe season this year so some of the exhibits require some maintenance. Lots of good local history though and the staff were friendly.

From the owner: We are a museum focusing on the history of Drumheller, from coal mining and dinosaurs to…read moreagriculture and notable figures of the valley.

I was looking for a gift shop that didn't have the typical mass produced souvenirs made in China…read more Many items here are designed by indigenous artists and some support very worthwhile causes. The shop keeper was very helpful and explained the significance and meaning behind the items I selected. It warmed my heart to contribute to the artists and their causes. Just take all my money...

The owner is friendly and approachable. He is definitely customer focused…read more His store specializes in Canadian and First Nations art. He also has artwork from other parts of the world. I enjoy shopping for his Canadian art cards.

A really well rounded gift shop with a ton of variety. If you can't find a gift here, what are you…read moreeven doing? A number of items you see from popular brands like Knock Knock- sarcastic socks, notes with attitude, but also lots of stuff that looks locally inspired and / or local made. Home items, wedding, birthday, Calgary and Canada, jewelry, fun mugs. Books, the list goes on and on. Can't imagine what doing inventory here is like, but they have a really appealing and well rounded shop. Loved it!

I took a long walk around Calgary yesterday. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day and I wasn't…read moreabout to miss it. Interesting people were out, cute dogs were being walked by their owners, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Part of my stroll was down the "hip" Uptown area of 17th Avenue. What drew me into Steeling Home from my walk was an on sale desk fan that was displayed outside on a cute antique table. The price was right, but I knew darn well that it would be hard to get it in the suitcase for my eventual trip back to the San Francisco Bay Area. I might still change my mind on that.... Anyway, I decided to stroll around inside and really enjoyed exploring the many pockets of interesting stuff this relatively small store holds. It has books, antiques, jewelery, and much more in-between. The people watching was fun too, with a fresh touch of Portlandia thrown in. I'm glad I stopped in and reminded myself that marching around a new City is fun, and stopping to explore some of its quirks is even better.

The food was cold literally, didn't have time for them to correct it because I waited a long time…read morealready due to it being really busy in the restaurant and it being the weekend. I advise other patrons to remember this if you are in a group, if your food is ready to bring it out right away instead of waiting for everyone else's order to come together because your food will be cold like my food was as my friend who received her's hot. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement due to the fall's pumpkin's arrival.

We used to love going to the farm but as they became more popular they became more aggressive about…read moresqueezing every cent possible from their visitors. Successful businesses can run on one of two directions, where the customer is the primary focus or where the business owners are the primary focus. Guess which is the path the Saskatoon Farm chooses to follow?