French Vanilla Home and Garden has opened a whole new world of expression and re-purposing old…read morefurniture and items that would be considered junk. Some of the items I have refinished using fabulous Fusion paints, Hemp Oil and Acrylic finishes sold at French Vanilla are coffee and occasional tables, book shelves, cabinets and candlesticks. It is amazing how they take on new life. All of this new found art has been inspired by visits to French Vanilla and discussions with the lovely owner, Sheila Stone. Sheila takes the time to explain application of paints, offers suggestions on how to make pieces really unique and introduces me to new techniques on almost every visit. Sometimes I purchase, sometimes I don't but I am also respectful if she is speaking to other customers, as it is not like other shops that just sell merchandise. Sheila is personable and bends over backwards to help her customers. Thank you Sheila. Deborrah Oak Bay

Resident of Vancouver and returned to this delightful store and found owner Sheila Stone so…read morepersonable and helpful. Beautiful selection of items for home and more!! Put this on your list to visit.

This may be my favorite store in all of Victoria. For real…read more Whoever does the buying for this store needs some recognition. The selection of gift ideas and greeting cards and jewelry and kitchen gadgets and house accessories is bloody amazing. My friend who lives in Victoria visits this store regularly and when I visit, we come here and literally, we could spend hours here. There's so many unique and curated items, stuff I've not seen elsewhere, and the staff are super nice to boot. I personally love stationery stores, and I can attest, this store has a vast, vast selection of greeting cards - some traditional but many witty and/or twisted (which I appreciate!). There are fancy soaps and lotions, and gourmet chocolates, and jewelry made by local artisans, ands much more. I spent a ton of money on cards here (note: it's always a good sign when you hear people laughing aloud in the card aisles!), and I also got a few chocolate and fruit logs that were packaged to look exactly like salami (I thought these would be awesome on a dessert "charcuterie" board, and as a gift to a foodie friend too). I found colorful silicone twist ties and baggie clips, and some unique gifts for my kids (one who is a falconer and a "birder", the other who's into jewelry) and for some gourmand friends, too. Seriously, you'd be hard-pressed not to find something for everyone on your Christmas list, or as a hostess or birthday gift here. Oh, and their doormats are great, too. My friend found the perfect mat for her new home here.

had a lovely time at The Bungalow. So many nice things. Great selection of gifts, home decor,…read morejewellery etc. bought a dozen linen napkins that I haven't seen in other stores and they gave me a great bag with kitties on it to take home with my purchase. will definitely make it a destination next time I'm in Victoria.

When I decided that my living room needed a total makeover, I was apprehensive about implementing…read moredrastic change without professional help. I have always known what I like, but I was intimidated by the myriad of decisions facing me, and more importantly, I did not want to make any expensive mistakes. I live in Vancouver so hiring an interior decorator in Victoria seemed problematic, but I knew what a great designer Sue Pipes was and Janice, the owner of Calla Design, assured me that the extra cost would be minimal. The first thing I have to say about my experience with these 2 highly professional ladies is that we quickly established a very easy working relationship. They were immediately accessible through email and phone, and from the outset exhibited terrific enthusiasm, even though my one-room project was a relatively modest one. They suggested 3 different options for my living room and provided paint, fabric and carpet samples for each look. What was amazing is that they helped me recognize how important it was to keep an open mind and push the boundaries of my comfort zone in order to achieve something special and exciting. The result was just that - a look much bolder and more colourful than I would have ever imagined for myself - but because it was put together with professional expertise and flair, I have to say I am thrilled with the outcome! Along the way one unfortunate problem was encountered with a piece of custom-made furniture where an error in dimensions had been made by the supplier. Sue & Janice swiftly alleviated my concern, emphasizing that my satisfaction was paramount. They resolved a difficult situation in a thoroughly professional manner without involving me. Following this hiccup, Sue worked long and hard to help me in the final stages of the project - assisting me with decisions relating to artwork, and accessorizing - for that final polished result. For anyone on a hunt for a first-rate interior designer who has fresh and original ideas relating to style and a remarkable sense of colour, I recommend Sue Pipes of Calla Design without reservation!

From the owner: A unique home furnishings boutique offering full service interior design, home accessories,…read moregiftware and small treasures. We carry a number of exclusive lines including Canadian furniture company Whittington & Co, bath lotions and soaps from elizabethW, Anitca Farmacista diffusers and Match pewter handmade in Northern Italy. Also included, we gallery the original work of five local artists Complete renovations or if you are just looking to freshen things up...reupholstery, window coverings rugs and flooring. Start with a 1 hour consultation...

This has always been a fun place to look when I've visited Victoria. This time the door was locked…read moreat noon on a Friday. They had a sign on the door to ring the doorbell and to please be patient. We could see people shopping inside. While we waited others came and left because they didn't wait to wait: We were just getting ready to walk away (after about 10 minutes of waiting or so) and when someone came out and we caught the door and slipped inside. While looking around we heard the doorbell ring so it was definitely working. What kind of business practice is this to treat your customers like this? They do have a lot of cool stuff but it's not cheap. Not worth waiting out in the rain for (thankfully it was a dry day for us).

Wanted to stop in last time I was in Victoria but door was locked and no one answered. They do…read morehave beautiful mostly expensive things but they also mark up items. Last time I was able to get in I saw several items that were twice as expensive as the exact same product at other stores!

Nice shop for home goods and gifts. I would come back to shop again as it is in Chinatown.read more

LOVED this store! We were visiting Victoria for the holiday weekend, and I just randomly stumbled…read moreupon this shop when we came to Chinatown for breakfast at one of the cafes- and when I peaked inside this store I was like YASSSS this is exactly my kind of shop!! So many cute items for kids and beautiful home wares- and wow the JellyCat selection! Everyone was polite and helpful and efficient. Highly recommend! And the Lit candles smell amazing!

A few years back I bought a beautiful floor lamp from Urban Barn. It was expensive for my budget…read morebut I looked at it as an investment in something I loved that would look beautiful in my living room for years and solve my light issue in that room. Recently I noticed the lamp shades were discolouring and starting to fall apart. I think this may have been my own fault by using the wrong watt of light bulb. I contacted Urban Barn and they promptly ordered me new lamp shades to replace the old ones and my lamp is now as good as new. I am very happy with Urban Barns exceptional customer service and resolving the issue for me without me having to invest a new lamp. In my experience, not all companies would have done so and would have left me screwed with an unusable expensive lamp. Thank you Urban Barn, great customer service! This will not go unnoticed when shopping for my home. Fiona Johnson

Horrible customer service. Did a major price increase mid transaction without warning and wouldn't…read morehonor. Terrible procedures for returns to warehouse. No paper trail leaves you wondering if it will ever get processed. Snobby and unfriendly staff. For no good reason, it's urban barn!

Do not order from Bois et Cuir online under any circumstances. They've promised me 6 separate times…read morethat the table I ordered was shipping and it still hasn't shipped, even after charging me an additional $50 for shipping after the order was placed. I was told with 100% certainty that it would ship by today and they'd call me to confirm, but neither happened. I placed my order 2 months ago and the table is ready (or so I'm told), but still no shipping. Unacceptable.

I don't normally write reviews, but the customer service is second to none. We walked into the…read moreVictoria store and were immediately impressed with the interior display and furnishings. The store has a great welcoming vibe. We decided to purchase 4 dining chairs and bar chairs now - even though our house is still under renovation. The manager, Sandy, truly understands the stress of home renovations and furnishing problems. Her expertise in design and understanding our needs really helped us envision the possibilities. I cannot ask for better service. I even bought some great candles to add to our home. Thank you so much.

An excellent selection at this used furniture store which has been under the same ownership for…read moreover a quarter century. Charmaine knows her stuff and her collection is fairly priced and well made. After wasting a lot of time at other places in Victoria, we found just what we wanted in short order here with several options to choose from. Highly recommended!

Charmaine's is fantastic, and always seem to have great, and ever changing, selection of furniture…read more The staff was incredibly friendly, and even more helpful. I purchased a couple of teak drawers from them recently and the girl working was more then eager to help me load them into the rather awkward back seat of my Dad's car. Oh, and before you say "Hey Steve, why didn't your Dad help load them into the back seat?", he's has a heart condition so lifting heavy furniture into awkward Swedish vehicles isn't an option. The price was surprising affordable for the set of drawers, and looking around the other Mid-Century furniture they had was cheaper then a few other stores in town.

I have loved Paboom for 20 years! This store has everything to make your home feel warm and…read moreinviting. It's my go-to when I need plates, cutlery, frames, throw pillows, shower curtain, planters, cards, jewellery. There is more than I can mention in a small post. The owner is absolutely lovely and has amazing taste. You can revamp your home without the huge price tag. Grab some gorgeous throw pillow and blankets, a new lighting fixture and a rug. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this place?

i have been a customer at Paboom for 5 years and I always find something awesome. The quality is…read moreexcellent, the staff are friendly and helpful. pricing is good and it is worth the drive down from the Comox Valley. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cute shop!

We went to the Douglas St. branch -which in itself is beautifully done. We dealt with both Sam and…read moreJason who are excellent sales personnel. A carpet exchange which was particularly challenging was carried out by Sam. He was extremely accommodating, should we say exceptional! Don't hesitate to buy here at all! Wonderful experience!!

Jordans has a wide selection of high end beautiful rugs as well as some cheaper options which was…read moregreat for us as we were looking for a rug for our home as well as a rental. The sales staff were friendly and very helpful.