I had been looking for a particular shoe in Calgary but unfortunately there were no stores around…read morethat carried my size, or color that I wanted. I looked on line and found the style and color I wanted on Heel Boys website and noticed they had a pair in their Kingston location. I was a bit rushed to get them as I wanted them before a certain time frame and initially the shipping comments were that shipments were delayed. I contacted them and spoke to Avery, who was incredibly helpful and ensured me the package would be sent in the next day and had me stay on the phone as she printed off the package ticket and got things ready to ship. During my interactions with them I had actually had to call back a couple of times for my own clarification and to ensure I would recieve my shoes in time. Avery was incredibly friendly and professional throughout. I will absolutely be looking at their site and using them again in the future. Thanks for a great customer experience Avery.

I'll give you the short version. I went to pick up a pair of dress shoes for a funeral, found a…read morepair of Steve Maddens, cost me $116 and I left. Next day I came back to exchange them for a half size down, since they felt a little big when I tried them on at home, and the girl working there (not the same girl that sold me the shoes the previous day) showed me the size I asked for. First I noticed the box she took the shoes out of had what appeared to be black dog hair all throughout it, but I figured I'd just ask for a different pair when the time came, then when I tried the shoes on I noticed one of them looked worn, and had creases that form only from the toe of the shoe bending when you walk (if you know what I mean), so after I tried them on I asked her if they had another pair I could take since that pair looked like they were used/worn, which seemed to tick the sales girl off, and she very tersely said : no, I wouldn't sell you a used shoe, and she assured me that that was just the way the leather on some of them looked, so I reluctantly accepted that answer. So she rang them up, and as she was about to put them in the box full of dog hair when she stopped, dumped the dog hair covered tissue into the garbage and continued to put the shoes in the dirty box, leaving much of the dog hair still in it. If I wasn't so eager to get out of there and be done with it I would have said something, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe it was just a dirty box they accidentally used for the "new" shoes. When I got to my car I inspected the shoes more closely and that's when I knew I'd been lied to. The bottoms of both shoes were covered with sticky tape residue, along with some actual tape still on it, and outlines from where tape once was, the soles on both the shoes were peeling off on the inside (more so on the one that had the wear by the toe) and in one of the shoes there seemed to be some grooves inside near the toe left by someones toe imprints. So I immediately went back and pointed these things out to her, they were clearly used, and worn, and ruined. So she denied they were used, and said that was the only pair they had in my size, I obviously wasn't going to leave with these shoes though. So at this point she was being very rude, she seemed to take it personally, and amidst the discussion she told me I "shouldn't be complaining" since the person who sold them to me originally gave me them for about $15 less than she was supposed to unbeknownst to me. As if to say: sure I lied about the shoes being new, sure they're filthy, sure the soles are coming off, but since we screwed up the price by a minuscule amount which you had no control over, you should keep em and shut up. Shame on her (by the way, she said she was the store owner when I asked to speak to someone else because she was being so rude) a store owner treating a paying customer with such disrespect... Anyway after she said I shouldn't be "complaining" I'd had enough, I told her sweetheart, I have every right to complain, you sold me ruined shoes, and treated me like absolute garbage. She said why don't you just take your money back and leave, and I gladly did. I've worked in retail all my life, you NEVER treat your customers with such disrespect, and it doesn't pay to lie or bend the truth just to move a product out the door, I've never been so insulted by an employee, no less a store owner. Bottom line: the apparent owner (if what she told me was correct) has zero class, and is in the wrong business if she thinks that sort of behavior is acceptable in ANY business. I needless to say will never return, and I suggest you heed my advice and do the same if you value honesty and respect as a customer and more than that as a person.

What a great little toy store. Just like everything else in Kingston, this place has so much charm…read more The inside is beautiful. If toys are upscale, this is an upscale toy store. Not like the stuff you see in the aisles at Walmart. There are gorgeous books, educational toys and lots of fairytale/fantasy items, like hobby horses on sticks. My friend's daughter loves everything princess. They had a gorgeous rabbit princess dress in her size. It had flowers and rabbit ears on the headband and even a fluffy little tail on the back of the dress. She loved it. I also got her a cute picture book about dream animals. I would have loved this place when I was little! Oh, and they had these milk straws with flavour in the straw so that when you drink the milk it gets infused with that flavour. I think the one I got for her was Unicorn...something. Can't remember exactly but I had a giggle with her mom about them. So unique! If you need a special gift for an adorable child in your life, this is the place to go. The girl working behind the counter was so nice too! We had a great conversation about how she lived on the island and took the ferry to work. I really enjoyed shopping here! I'm going back to Kingston in October and will definitely stop in to grab another present for Izabela. I wish I'd taken pictures of the items, but I forgot and though I have one of Izabela in the dress, I wouldn't post a picture of a child anywhere online these days! Just take my word for it. It was gorgeous!

I have shopped here for years, for my kids, my grandkids, my friends' kids, my friends' grandkids,…read moreand none of them have ever been disappointed with their gifts. Neither have I. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful and the toys and crafts are unique and suited to every age, even mine - seventy-nine!

Context for this review: I visit a lot of character and stationery stores in Toronto. Also, I am…read morebig on customer service - the real reason for the fail rating behind this review. OK - so as I've mentioned, I frequent a lot of stores similar to this one. Some are pricey, some are awesome values. This is definitely on the pricey end of the range, so no redeeming stars to be had there. Yes, it's on the tourist trap strip, but given that they're big enough to have online sales, and that the prices were beyond what I see in Toronto, doesn't help my rating. The range of merchandise is pretty good - lots of harder to find, more unusual pieces like calligraphy collections and the like, and a few glass pen selections. Daytimer and diary selection was pretty thin. Better range of plain sketch books and one or two music book choices. For the plush character merchandise, it wasn't so great - some more recognized Pokemon characters and a lot of generic animals, fruits, etc. There's some jewellery, backpacks, etc. Not much in terms of housewares/practical items like mugs, eating ware (except for portable), boxes, etc. The store was not laid out very well and the merchandise needs to be hunted through for differing varieties of some of the items. My hindsight brings up a dark and dingy image compared to the cute and bright logo on the outside of the store. Last but not least nail in this review coffin, I was actually insulted by the staff's attitude and remark while cashing out. Not only could I sense the attitude in their down-the-nose gaze, which was chilly enough, I got the message loud and clear that working here is all about them when I made my usual request not to have the 2 pieces of receipts stapled together. "Well, our policy is that returns need them both, so I (underline, bold and capitalize that "I") need it [sic] stapled." Okay, YOU need them stapled. WE won't be back. Not in the store and won't bother looking online, either.

Midori Gifts is a purveyor of cute plushies, stationary, and fashion accessories mostly of Japanese…read moreorigin. I actually didn't see a ton of very well known branded stuffed toys (no Sanrio characters) but there were a few of the more popular Pokemon. There were a lot of different tools for journaling including an array of gel pens, stickers, and notebooks including ones with 2020 dates, diaries with flaps, and bound leather journals. They had some fashion accessories like fuzzy scarves, mittens, and hats. There were some anime statues in a display case up front but I wouldn't say that's the focus of the store. The store is really well organized and neat. There was only one associate working there when we dropped by who was industriously rearranging the shelves. She left us alone for the most part but thanked us for coming in as we left.

We happened to walk into this store after a late breakfast. My wife found a pair of shoes (of…read morecourse!) and I made an ass of my self by asking the salesperson for a beer after he offered a blind lady a glass of water. Big yucks! Actually, aside from the fact that this is a very nice store, carrying some very expensive but well-made brand name shoes, the service that several of the sales staff provided to the above mentioned blind woman and (yes, true) her blind daughter who were out for some new shoes, was beautiful to watch. Kudos to Conrad, who dealt with us and the blind lady with humour and elan. So, for lots of sales staff for such a small store, for a great collection of shoes and for excellent service to all concerned -- 5/5!

I don't recommend Ricki's I went to exchange a pair of jeans…read morethat I bought a week and a half ago and unworn because they are too big. I have the receipt but they would not allow me to return them without the tags as well. Very annoying. I would not recommend shopping here.

So the Cataraqui Town Centre is pretty much the only game in town when it comes to indoor malls in…read moreKingston. It's small, but it has all the usual cookie-cutter mall stores: Reitmans, The Bay, Sears, Call it Spring, Le Chateau, Claire's, The Body Shop, etc. They do have a Sephora though! But don't be expecting Kate Spade, Ted Baker or Coach! They do have some unique non-chain stores like a place called "Neat Things" and some independent hair salons. At the time of the writing of this review they are undergoing renovations, so maybe they are expanding (?) or modernizing (?). Some parts of the mall look a little dated, but some parts are more modern. The food court is large and looks newer. It's ok to poke around in, but it's definitely not a destination mall.

Wow! Laura is so friendly and welcoming! Outstanding service and a neat selection of…read morecollectibles. Definitely worth popping in and having a look. And if you are looking to sell. She is willing to take your items and make it into someone else's treasures. Stop in today

Super helpful staff, an incredible owner, and if they don't have what you're looking for within the…read moreshelves and shelves of gaming stock, they'll order it for your convenience. Michael has made this store into one of the cornerstones of the tabletop and comics scene, and apart from select stores in the Toronto area, you really won't find another place like this to get lost in for hours on end anywhere nearby, check it out when you get the chance!

I don't think I can walk by a games store without going in. It really makes you feel some kind of…read moreway when you walk into an entire store which is dedicated solely to fun. The store had a big comic section. Next to this area was a variety of art books, D&D dungeon master guides, and various merch like Funko Pops and comic figurines. I was more interested in the TCG section with singles for MTG. Here they had a whole Ultimate Guard section which I have never seen before. They had a ton of great displays for TCG accessories and I saw some really cute Christmas themed Dragon Shield sleeves. It looked like they carried just about every other colour of Dragon Shields as well. The next part of the store was all about Warhammer. The back of the store had many tables set up and there were a few people playing Warhammer. The tables were pretty spaced out which made it easy to get around. While we were browsing some of the cards, an employee came over and offered to help. It really seemed like they were genuinely interested in what we were looking at since we all share the same hobby which made the whole experience feel comfortable.

This store carries a great selection of used books and new books. They are supporters of the 1000…read moreIsland Writers Festival and contribute a great deal to the world of books.

Great books at great prices! You never know what sort of treasure awaits. The staff are friendly…read moreand helpful. I've bought several books and asked the owner why they were about half the cover price. Apparently they get books that were returned unsold from *new book* stores at highly discounted prices and pass on the savings. It is worth a stop if you are in the area, and if you are an audiophile, there is a vinyl section in back. If you enjoy books, you're likely to find something of interest at a reasonable price.