Sparetime is a somewhat unique shop that primarily specializes in 3D puzzles and construction type…read morecrafts based on The Little Prince, Studio Ghibli, and Bandai brands. I was really happy to come across this store in Hillcrest Mall. In terms of Totoro merchandise, there were colour variations I don't normally see, especially green. Of course, there are many sizes and colours of plushies to choose from, but also tote bags, figurines, and some neat in-store art decor that were all different from what I normally find. The really neat section for me is The Little Prince merchandise, which you don't tend to find much of elsewhere. Here, it rivals the extent of the Ghibli selection, with books, clothing, mugs, plushies, and puzzles. I was really eyeing the $45 Fox plushie, which was really nicely made, but I turned to one of their wooden 3D laser cutting puzzles instead, along with a mug that actually is from France. There were several books to choose from that went from toddler to adult level, including an absolutely gorgeous pop-up that really was more like a work of art for the coffee table. It's not a large space, but the amount of stock is still pretty good. The staff were polite and efficient in ringing up my purchases. When I saw the payment terminal I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get a paper receipt, but thankfully, it was provided without a hitch. This store is good enough to make Hillcrest Mall a return destination for me. If you're into Studio Ghible, The Little Prince, or Bandai, I would highly recommend checking them out. If you're into wooden puzzles and unusually themed puzzles as well, same. You can also check out their their website first to see what kind of merchandise they carry. As for me, I will definitely be returning.

This little shop has become popular due to the hype of blind boxes. Their selection is always top…read morenotch. The staff here are very friendly, and they have some opened blind box items for trade.

Mr. Pen is next door to Chatime near Finch station. (They also have another location downtown along…read moreBloor.) It's a little haven for anyone with a soft spot for Asian cutesy stuff. The store's layout is joy to explore. But it does make your wallet hurt -- the adorable Mofusand kitty blind boxes are $14 a pop! Their variety of pens is awesome (great Sarasa collection), and they have mugs, eco bags, notebooks, stickers, etc. The staff are present, chatting amongst themselves in their corner, but if you have a question you'll find they know their stuff. Great place to grab gifts and cards!

This is a toy, gift and stationery store a.k.a. "character store" that makes Centerpoint Mall a…read moreplace to head to with a purpose for me. It's an awesome alternative to having to go way down into the city for a similar shop, or going all the way out to Pacific Mall or First Markham Place where you have to camp for a parking space and play rat in the maze trying to find the store you want! It's a modest size, and has a modest selection of merchandise, although it tends to carry only some of the more topical and popular stuff like Hello Kitty or Totoro items. They always have featured items on sale for very good prices, and a nice selection of gift cards and stationery. If you need Asian money envelopes and the like, this is a great place to get some. You can also get your origami and lucky star paper and "vases" as well. They also carry a few housewares (kitchen and bathroom wares, some small decorative and storage items, etc.) and gift items. After months of eyeing a particular lucky cat on the shelf above and behind the cash, I finally made the purchase. It was the last one of its particular kind and the staff pulled it down, wiped it off, and retrieved its cushion and all its packaging, expertly reassembling the box with its contents. This store has a bit of newer competition now with One's and now Miniso, but I have found that it tends to be far more worthwhile to circle back here after checking the other places out, because the prices are that much better for similar items. I like coming here regularly. It's very casual but it's great when you're down for a low key mall hop. Even if I don't buy something each time, I enjoy the browsing experience. It's especially great at the later end of January/early February and you are not dealing with a mob for lunar new year!

Happy Cute Mart is the brainchild of Queenie Best, who owns Queenie's Cards. She wanted a show…read morefeaturing local artists and small businesses that sell cool, cute merchandise. This event took place on June 22, 2024. The event was free. There was an early bird deal where you could purchase a $20 ticket ($5 off the regular price) to get VIP access. It meant that you got a timed entry slot to arrive instead of waiting in line. You also got an exclusive Happy Cute Mart tote and a plush keychain. I went for VIP access. My timed entry was between noon and 2 pm. I had no problem driving over to Thornhill Community Centre. I have passed by it often over the years, but had never dropped by until yesterday. Parking was busy due to this event, along with community centre activities and folks studying at the library. I managed to nab a parking spot near the west entrance of the community centre. I then headed over to line up. The south entrance was the entry-exit point for this event. I had bought my VIP ticket so long ago that I forgot that I didn't need to wait in line. I bolted out of the lineup once I made that realization and hit the right side of the south entrance. A man greeted me. He let me know that the table with the yellow tote bags was where I'd get my VIP ticket's QR code scanned. Nice! I got my ticket scanned. I got a cute tote bag with a small plushie keychain in it. I got confused when the two women said that I could buy merchandise further down the table. I declined and went in. This event had over 85 vendors. There were snacks and food for purchase when I started. I wanted all that towards the end of my stay. The variety was great, but everything sold out quickly. I was shopping and browsing, doing my thing. I heard my name. It was Queenie who spotted me from a distance. It's pretty cool when you have a good relationship with a plushie pusher... haha! She wanted to say hi. She could tell that I got VIP access holding my cheerful yellow tote in hand. The vendor variety was amazing. I can't list all of them, but I will list those that I ended up making purchases, in buying order: - Flair Fighter - waterproof stickers (BMO, Hello Kitty, Keroppi, and Ditto) - Paige Draws - crocheted bear - The CroChic Shop - crocheted keychains (Grogu, R2-D2, and Patrick Star) - BathBunny - Miffy plushie and keychain - YenYen Design - penguin stickers - Honograms - kewpie mayo plushie - The Little Bird Designs - gummy bears belt bag - Sterling Six Threads - McDonald's popsicle characters t-shirt - Little Bakes of Kindness - colossal cookies and mini sausage buns - Queenie's Cards - Penny the pineapple bun plushies This event was well-organized. It did get a little congested with customers standing there while others were trying to pass by in the middle row. Otherwise, it was great speaking with new vendors and saying hi to a couple of familiar ones. Queenie had a Kickstarter for Penny the pineapple bun plushie. Her Kickstarters generally exceed the targeted pledge goal because her designs are cute. Shipping was factored into the price of each plushie. However, those who were coming to this event could opt to pick their goodies here. I did just that. She asked me how many additional Penny plushies I wanted, to make up for the shipping cost in my pledge. I wasn't greedy and opted for one. Before I left this show, I asked Queenie if I could pick up my plushies. She didn't give me two. I got six. Holy cow! It was incredibly generous of her. It also speaks volumes on how great our relationship is. I will keep two. I need to give four away to good homes. I'm extremely happy with my purchases. Some other highlights: - My gummy bears belt bag has two pockets in addition to the main one. The strap is also long. I love it. It's the perfect belt bag for me because I wear it more as a crossbody bag. - The mini sausage buns were on the secret menu. I originally wanted a box featuring mochi cookies and pineapple buns. They were sold out when I returned. I did get two colossal cookies. Both the sausage buns and cookies were delicious! - The three folks at Paige Draws were all undergraduate students. There was a sign that said to support them through university... haha I had a wonderful time. Now, I'm poor! I'm pleased with my purchases and look forward to this event next year. (241)

When I was a kid I remember going to Fairview Mall. Back then you had Sears and Hudsons Bay as…read moreflagship stores. Now in 2025, both big box stores are no longer in business. Fairview Mall has gone through an evolution and reimagination of the retail space. I love how they redeveloped the space where Sears used to be. The space is now converted into a mini Chinatown spot with Saint Germain bakery, bubble tea shop, Hong Kong style cafe, Thai restaurant, and a T&T Supermarket. On the top floor there's a Marshalls / Homesense big box store. I noticed the Zara store has been renovated and now occupying 2 levels. The store looks immaculate and love the modern layout and self serve checkout kiosks to make shopping faster for DIY people. I managed to do some shopping at H&M and got some great deals in the sale section. I also bought some groceries like green beans, lychee, bbq pork buns, and curry beef pastries. It's not very often you can go to regional mall and be able to buy clothes, groceries, and bakery goods. It was a pleasant experience. I look forward to the transformation of the vacant Hudson Bay space. Oh did I mention they have a Playdium arcade in the old Sportchek space beside the Cineplex theatre.

Good to see CF Fairview mall is thriving. It is very spacious, well maintained, and all the shops…read moreare open. Food options are remarkable. You have the usual fast food at the food court, but at the other side of the wing you have plenty of Chinese restaurant. T&T supermarket is here too Very coinvent location, ample parking for everyone. There is access to bus line and subway.

I love this store!! It is so cute!…read more I am not sure how often they cycle through different items since i haven't seen a lot of the other ones in the pictures on Yelp but the time i went they had really interesting items. I ended up buying a 3D bunny you can DIY with paper for $20, the one i wanted (the dinosaur shown in my picture) was out of stock and unfortunately i could not buy the one on display either. I gave the woman at the front my name and phone number for in case they ever got it in-stock again for the future. I went to this store about 5 months ago and till now haven't received any calls so they must not carry that item anymore. One of my other favourites was the light up shadow box picture frames (also posted in my pictures). I would've bought one if i had a spot to put it at home just wasn't sure where to put it. Will definitely return to see what new and cute things they have in store!

Only knew of this store since I worked nearby in the same building. It is such a cute little shop…read morewith lots of knick knacks and lots of cute gift options! I've made several purchases since I discovered this place and their service has always been kind, friendly and helpful. I'm surprised there aren't more reviews about this place. It is definitely a place to check out when you're looking for gifts annnd the PLUS is that they provide gift wrapping & a gift bag during the X'mas season! (correct me if I'm wrong and that they do it during the year too?) I recently picked up a few things here and they were all neatly and meticulously wrapped up, placed in a nice little gift bag with some gift paper on top. Their products always change and it is never the same. I can't say so for the electronics because I don't usually browse in that section but for sure the knick knacks and little gifts change as I've went back often just to see what's new and different. Definitely will be a place I return to when I am in need of some gift ideas and if you're in the area/live nearby, swing by this place too!

With the new renovations, this centre is looking promising…read more The food court itself has decent options. The lighting, I'm not sure if it's intentional but has bright a darker areas. You could say there are also communal tables. One thing I'm not a fan of is I can't see what's in the other side of the food court from one side to another. I would like to see all my options at once. Also, it would be good if the stairs on north side from the food court would allow me to get to second level (upstairs). The shops seem to show some promise with Miniso and Dollarama. Keep adding interesting shops and food options and I could bump it up a star.

I am giving this Centre a 3 star. Not because they deserve it (right now), but because it appears…read moreas though there is HOPE for this becoming a good shopping centre. There is a tremendous amount of construction going on - and there are great stores which will be opening once the construction is complete.