Having lived overseas for six years, the one thing I totally missed when I was away from home was…read moreChristmas. Yes, the C word. I missed everything about the season - the snow (when I was in the desert), the lights, the music, the decorations.... It is getting chilly here in the capital and my heart is longing for the Christmas season. I happened to be wandering along Wellington and discovered Ravensara! Okay, it is not a 100% a Christmas store - but the sight of all those seasonal knick knacks in the window made my heart flutter. Now, if you are not in the mood for St. Nick, Ravensara also features amazing arts and crafts like jewelry and pottery. If you are looking for the perfect gift, you might want to give Ravensara a look.

I've learned a LOT about Koyman Galleries, just because I purchased a Groupon! I have been a…read morecustomer of theirs in the past, when they used to have shops in various malls around this beautiful city of ours. They used to have an outlet at Bayshore Mall, and I believe also at Carlingwood Shopping Centre. I know this because I bought one framed print and got it signed by the artist who was at the store to promote his work (Robert Bateman). That was an amazing experience, let me tell you! Now, Koyman no longer has any mall stores, except the one still in the Rideau Centre. And then, of course there's this place on St Laurent between Innes and Lancaster (since they're no longer in the St Laurent shopping centre!) This place is HUGE! It seems to cater more to the artists. I don't know if they necessarily have more art on display than they used to at the mall stores, because now you can see all their art, properly displayed and well spaced out and lit way better than it ever was in the mall stores. In those comparably tiny mall boutiques, they used to have layers of the art hung on sliding doors, and the stores seemed to be dark compared to this massive space, and of necessity to be somewhat cluttered. This warehouse-sized location is way not like that! Meanwhile, I was in to cash in on my groupon - I paid $30 for a $100 coupon good for custom framing. This is a deep dish discount! Keep your eyes open for such a special if it ever happens again! But don't be fooled as I was - I had forgotten how expensive good framing is. I'm getting 6 4X6 photos put into 2 frames, and will have to pay over and above that $100. I will have to revisit this review once the work is done, so that I can compare that experience to this one. For example, I don't yet know how long it will take to get this work done. I wouldn't say the store was overly busy when we got there, but there were 4 customers when we arrived around 4:30 pm (all of us in custom framing, and not in the store proper looking at buying art), and only 1 person serving, but suddenly 2 staffers appeared out of nowhere to help us out and the other customers. The groupon must really be calling the public in! The staff has been friendly so far, and knowledgeable about their stock.

I have had the pleasure to acquire a number of original paintings from the Gallery. I have had…read morenothing but exceptional service, from the purchase through delivery process. I highly recommend not only the Gallery but of course the artists which the Gallery represents. At the end of the day a Gallery such as Koyman's represents artist who make their livings off of their wonderful creations.

I actually love this place. Im a spiritual person, and I love Indigenous artifacts etc. I went into…read morethis store by surprise and I really like the store :) The store has a wide array of artifacts, some a little weird and some very cool. I bought a journal that has its cover made of leaves and a stick. It has a vintage feel, and im going to use this journal and make it into a scrapbook of my adventure. After visiting the other stores in Bymarket Square, I decided to come back to this store again. :) Well worth the visit! Btw the Asian woman at the cashier is very friendly and informative of the products there.

Laras is a cool place just to look at from the outside, so simply imagine what you will find on the…read moreinside. In the window stands a wooden giraffe and other figures, all painted incredibly well. It's a welcoming scene. As you walk in the small, yet cozy shop you will find all sorts of arts and crafts, and some clothing to boot. Incense burns and helps create a nice, soothing atmosphere to walk around in. The store has an exotic feel to it. Masks decorate the walls and the wooden figures range form small little things that will fit in your hands to much bigger, more significant pieces. It isn't a huge store, so stock is limited, but what they do carry is fairly unique for the Ottawa area.

If you are looking for a statement piece. This is a great start…read more The owners of this upscale second hand women clothing boutique are really gifted. They really know their job. Every time I go there I am always amazed by the quality of what they are offering. To me, all the pieces there are interesting. Not necessarily my style, but have great fabric or interesting pattern. That kind of thing. They have very good sales. Which is a great thing because some pieces can be pricey.

This was such a fun experience! A very well stocked boutique, a combination of new items, samples,…read moreand consigned items. Everything was perfectly clean and organized. The owner was wonderful - helpful without being pushy. It was clear she knew every single piece personally and that she cares deeply about her business and customers. I wish I had more time but I still walked out with a beautiful and unique black maxi dress from Turkey and a fantastic Second-hand top. Be sure to stop by at this place if you are in the area!

I'm giving this shop 4 stars because they pack a lot into such a small space! They've got loads of…read moreyarns, and plenty of needles. Everywhere you look, there's tactile experience to be had - LOTS of squishy yarn, some of it very affordable, like $5 or so. There's sewing stuff too, needlepoint, and some items made for demonstration and for sale. Cute Christmas window. The woman who helped me (both times I've been there) is friendly and knowledgeable. She tries hard to please!! I'm so glad there's a local yarn shop!! And now to get knitting :-) !!

Most of their products are sold at local dollar stores or can be bought directly from the site. I…read moream very picky when it comes to $$$ without sacrificing quality and for craft stuff, specifically, craft booking stuffI find this both reasonable priced and of course it is acid free. Rarely do I buy plain cards in bulk at the big box chain craft store that starts with "M"...you know who you are. I specifically pick up their "Forever In Time Collection."

The staff were all absolute dolls! All the ladies had smiling faces and we were asked multiple…read moretimes if we needed help with anything in a way that didn't feel at all pushy, as if a bunch of crafters worked in the store and wanted to help you navigate the thousands of items. We were looking for crafts we could accomplish while camping. We ended up with Yarn for macrame-ing and a Tie Dye est with t-shirts. Straight from entry to check out there were friendly and helpful staff, the difference between this store and the average was definitely noticeable!

From the owner: Everything to Create Anything. Our expansive craft assortments include the most popular art…read moresupplies, fabric, canvases, yarn, knitting & crochet supplies, frames, floral, scrapbook materials, beads, jewelry kits, Cricuts, craft machines, and more. Party plan with ease, Michaels offers balloon inflation, party decorations, gift packaging, favors, tableware and seasonal occasion decor. All your party supplies in one place. Visit our Cornwall branch today and unleash your creativity.

Wow! What took me so long to come in here? Then when I do, it's mere moments before closing! On the…read moreother hand, maybe that's a good thing, as I can then only do so much damage to the wallet! I can understand why quilters get such a stash too... very tempting, although I don't sew much. This shop has a section for yarn, but the quilting and sewing side has more variety in it. I was tempted by a lovely apron, which is funny because I don't ever wear one! Maybe I would though... if it looked like this, and if I made it myself! They offer some upscale yarns in here that were heaven to sink my hands into. I managed to walk away with "only" 2 skeins, which will be for a project for me; I'm thinking mittens, but we shall see. I recently purchased the new knitting book called "Saltwater Mittens", which contains patterns that are supposed to represent Newfoundland, and I'm just itching to get going on a few of these patterns! They have a knit-night on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00. Now that it's on my radar, I will keep this in mind so that I can spend more time looking around. And oh yeah, knitting! LOL I will definitely be back.

From the owner: We supply products and classes to makers of textile arts. We offer fabric, yarns, Bernina Sewing…read moremachines, threads, and other sewing/quilting notions. In our yarn area we feature Canadian Hand Dyers in a variety of yarn bases and weights. We have dyers represented from Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. We still support the quilters among you with fabrics, thread, notions, patterns, classes and Bernina sewing machine sales and service. Longarm quilting services are available from “The English Rose”. What’s new you say? If you are into knitting/crochet, you will be pleased to know that we now carry beautiful materials, patterns, notions and classes for you as well! New stock is arriving daily so check back often.

Well, isn't this place just awesome! They've been here for... only forever! I've been shopping…read moreherefor over 15 years. One of my favourite items from this store are their little cookie presses, which are made by local artists, and offered in many, many different designs. They even come with an easy and tasty butter cookie recipe in English or French. I've got dozens of them - they're great, and only $2.50 a piece. I make these cookies all year, using different themed presses, depending on which holiday is coming up. Read: RECOMMEND. The store looks deceivingly small from the street, but it's a deeper store than it looks from outside. They sell arts and crafts made locally, some Indian art, and touristy types of things - the perfect gift for visitors to this fair city, and for the locals. They have offered colourful silk scarves, Dream Catchers, slippers, mitts, hats, paper gifts, wood carvings, and much much more. The place is eye candy! Ok, go shopping now, and then go bake! :-)

From the owner: Inuit art and Native Canadian art has been our passion since 1963. Family owned and operated, The…read moreSnow Goose Ltd has a well established reputation for excellence and authenticity in the presentation of Canadian and First Nations Arts and Crafts from the East coast to the West coast and across Northern Canada.

The store is located on the Sussex strip with other cute shops and boutiques. They have a wide…read morearray of different types of semi precious stones, silver and gold jewelry. All beautiful! I can imagine being easily consumed with spending tons of time looking at all the beautiful jewelry and stones they have. If you are looking for a one of a kind gift for that special friend, this is the place you have been looking for. Something's are a little pricey but I didn't get a chance to really look at everything considering that I went on a mission to get some small Quartz to make earrings. Next time I visit I will try to spend more time looking at everything with more of a watchful eye.

Sold me and "angel rock" however it wasn't reflecting the proper colours in the bottom so it was…read moreclearly painted in the top and not the bottom. I'm NOT impressed and don't know why they would sell to based on a false advertisement when I've been a collector for YEARS. Probably I get than they have been open. This is quartz and has just been painted. Would have appreciated some HONESTY. Never buy from here, sickening. Or MASALA, same owner, the way they run their businesses are sickening! Seriously, so better. I would give a half star if I could!