Kept is one of those places where as soon as you walk in, you know you could spend hours looking at…read moreall of the things they have for sale. Tea, chocolates, fancy paper, cards, hand bags, home wares this is a "get all of your gift shopping done in one place" kind of store. The store is nice and spacious with a good flow to it, and is packed with goods without being over packed. It's definitely full, but not so much so that you have to sort through piles of things to find what you're looking for. Whoever does the merchandising for Kept knows what they're doing, I'll say that for sure! If you're looking for local gifts, they've got some local products in here too. I noted some local card makers up on the second floor - if it can be counted as a second floor? - and Rousseau's has chocolates there, for instance. And in the not local category, they have Rifle Paper Co. here. I'm completely in love with the Rifle Paper Co. art style, so that made me incredibly happy!

This is such a cute little shop. I could definitely spend a fortune in here. Lots of cute…read moreknickknacks, kitchen gadgets, gift ideas and so much more. I was particularly fond of all the cat themed items, being a crazy cat lady, I approve. I forsee myself doing holiday shopping here. Plus there's a squirrel on the sign and I love squirrels. Nope doesn't take much to win me over. The new location is more spacious which is great!

What a lovely little shop celebrating all things pregnancy and baby related…read more I happened upon this boutique today, I suppose quite intentionally as I've wanted to head in and check it out for quite some time now. The first thing that struck me was the lovely smell when I stepped into the warm store - it smelled like lavender and that delightful fresh baby scent that all newborns seem to have. I was greeted promptly and took my time perusing the selections. They have a huge array of soft reusable diapers as well as lots of books, both educational for parents-to-be and playful stories for young kiddies. They have lots of wares to make new parents comfortable, like baby slings and cozy blankets. This is a great place to go if you're expecting or you know someone with a bun in the oven. You'll find an educated staff able to support you and offer you assistance with great products designed to help out with the rough and tumble, exciting journey of parenthood.

Absolutely the most warm and welcoming baby store in town…read more It's a must for the cloth-diapering and baby-wearing set, but even parents who don't opt for this lifestyle will find something to love. There's a great, curated selection of toys, books, and gear that is sure to make any parent or child on your list giggle with delight. The staff could not possibly be any more helpful, but to go even further, they host regular workshops on cloth diapering, baby wearing, pregnancy and delivery, breastfeeding, potty training and more. The store is gorgeous within, from the barn-board floor to the blackboard wall, to the rainbow of cloth diapers on display. The front windows are always a wonderland. The store is even accessible if you can't get into Halifax. They have a vibrant web presence at their website, Facebook page and Twitter stream.

I stopped in after calling this location as I was desperately seeking some help with gift wrapping…read morefor my wife's birthday. I arrived at the store and was greeted by a gentleman who probably provided me with a number of options for gift wrap service. We quickly make some excellent choices for gift wrap and ribbon, and he properly suggested that I have a cup of coffee across the street while they took care of the four packages I brought in. They were friendly, courteous, and easy-going and they are also efficient in the Gift wrapping. When I came back from my coffee, they rang my order up, and I was surprised that the cost of the wrapping and the paper was minimal. I would recommend this shop to anyone looking for a gift wrapping or stationary or candles or writing instruments. It's a very nice neat, cozy and friendly place to shop. Kudos to duly noted stationary. You have a customer for life in me.

When I was looking for a card for the upcoming first anniversary of my marriage, I popped over to…read moreDuly Noted after work one day. Normally I get cards at Sweet Jane's, but I wanted a non-joke one, and one that was hopefully locally made. It's a small shop with a a few racks of cards, and an impressive amount of stationery fit into the space. There also seemed to be a wedding invitation consult going on at the time. The selection of cards spanned lots of events, although I just ended up going with a cute one with a blank interior. Most, if not all, of the cards seem to locally made, so if you'd rather your $4-5 for a card go to a local shop and artists instead of Hallmark (and you should), hit up Duly Noted! PS. Bonus points for that awesome donair-themed birthday card.

Tal Gift Shop in Dartmouth Crossing fits the need for the little gifts. I was greeted by a nice…read morelady who actually asked me if I would like a cup of coffee, I thought this was a nice gesture. The store itself is packed full of merchandise for every occasion, my favourite was the display with all the Betty Boop items on it, again, my list of stuff has grown. :) I would not say there was too many speciality items, but they seem to have the basis covered, there was even a card rack, this is great, so you do not have to go elsewhere to complete the shopping. Nice gift ideas and a friendly staff.

Driving through the crossing I stumbled across Aby Tal which recently opened almost 5 months ago. I…read morewas looking for something for one of my Godson's for Easter so hey why not check it out. Walking in I was greeted by a woman working in which she asked me if there was something that she was able to help. I stated that this being my first time I just wanted to explore. Looking down the isles I came across some really neat and interesting items anything from pic frames, to candles to some fragrance kits, a little pricey to me but I continued on. The baby section was really nice and had something called a pee pee tee, think about that one! cute. Beautiful keep sake items for someone very special. I actually did not stay in the store long as I felt very uncomfortable with the way I was being watched. It was to the point where I just walked out of the store not feeling to great.

So I ended up on a Mic Mac Mall adventure last week and found myself in Build A Bear, jaw on the…read morefloor, wanting a teddy of my very own. I was astonished to see all of the bear ensembles and accessories, not to mention the insane number of teddy bear bodies to choose from. I really liked how post-stuffing (you get to fill your bear to the consistency you want) a staff member uses a needle and thread to sew the bear up - it seemed quite charming. I don't know what I expected, maybe a staple gun or a zipper, but the needle and thread just seemed so nice, like a little bit of love really was going into the creation of each stuffed animal. There were so many kids and parents and quite a few making purchases. This place seems like a serious hot spot if you're in the age bracket where having a teddy is still acceptable. I mean, I guess I could have made a purchase for myself, but it would have been in vein and frivolous at best. So, I'll just spend my nights dreaming of the sweet little bunny-bear that could have been mine, sporting a denim summer outfit and perhaps cool shades. Sigh...

Fun, colorful and friendly staff!…read more This store is a lot of fun! But I still don't know why we have to stuff our own animals when we end up paying roughly the same price we would for an animal that is already stuffed. But it is fun, I will say that. What surprised me when I walked into the store was how instantly happy I was. The music that was playing throughout the store was great, the store itself was well laid out and put together and the staff were the friendliest anyone could be before becoming annoying. The staff deserve the final star or two simply because they were friendly, helpful, attentive and looked like they actually liked or even loved their job! So important especially in a kids store. Build-A-Bear is what the title suggests. A teddy bear making store. Its easy, fun and the kids love it. I'm really happy there is one in the Mic Mac Mall and I hope they put one in the Halifax Shopping Centre because that mall is lacking in kids related stores. There simply isn't much else to say except if you think you and your child would like to make a teddy bear together, then this is the perfect place to go! Bring twenty five dollars or so for the experience, but if you have that money to burn, its worth it!

I really like this Indigo store, though I feel that its location is probably not the best for…read moremaximizing its potential. It's in a quieter corner of the mall, and could use a bit more space. They always have interesting promotional tables set up in front of the store with special deals and "Heather's Picks" (I don't know who "Heather" is, but apparently Chapters/Indigo thinks she is the queen of books so who am I to argue..). It's a well organized store despite its size, and fairly simple to navigate. I particularly like their little impulse-buy gimmicky gift selection, and rarely walk out of there able to resist buying at least some small gadget that I'll never use. I like the color scheme and feel of the store.. it's light and airy and usually not very busy.. I definitely recommend giving this location a try

What do I love about this little boutique book/gift store in Sunnyside Mall? Uh. Just about…read moreeverything. From the mall entrance, it seems like a small location but there's a fairly large selection. It's almost TARDIS-like, this store. Inside, you'll find the usual Chapters/Indigo selection of books but in a smaller (and oddly better organized) structure. There's usually a fair selection of good deals. I'm also often fascinated with their range of selection of gifts. Lots of fun little trinkets that I haven't found at any other division of Chapters. There are few staff but they are always friendly and outgoing.

I was expecting this store to primarily be a florist shop, but it's actually more of a gift basket…read morehaven. They definitely do create floral arrangements and sell plants, but the store front is dedicated to little treasures meant to be nestled into amply adorned goody baskets. I was greeted briefly after entering. It is Mother's Day weekend, so perhaps the worker's quick "hello" can be attributed to the frantic nature of this popular holiday. Around the store, different preserves and snacks could be spotted, along with body products and baby goodies. If you're looking to create a fancy gift loaded with various splendors, this shop can definitely help you out. I really wanted to be able to gawk at blooms in fridges, but alas, their flowers were kept off to the side and behind the counter, so I couldn't spot anything. There were however, massively impressive cacti filling the front windows which I did enjoy gobbling up with my peepers. This shop seems like a pretty good gift central station. If you're in the market to send a present far and wide, I reckon Good Baskets Ltd. can help you out with your endeavor.

Inkwell is carved out of my artsy print and font-filled dreams. Or maybe letter-pressed out of my…read moredreams would be more accurate since the place is filled with insanely gorgeous prints, stationery, gift cards, calendars, notebooks, tote bags, and so much more. This is one of those boutiques that is just going to make me poor. Why? Because after my first visit this morning, all I can think about is who I can send gift cards to...which is soon to be just about everyone. Maybe I'll just slowly work through my entire Yelp friends list? The interior is a heavenly white with gorgeous painted brick walls, an open feel, round showcase tables, and a clean storage system that manages to keep a shop of small products looking both tidy and whimsical at the same time. I'm not sure if it's all the cute animals, trees, and nature prints, but it kind of feels like stepping into the world of the Fantastic Mr. Fox in all the right ways. I managed to keep myself on strategy today, buying only the four thank-you cards that I immediately needed. But I'll be back...I just pray for the strength to refrain from a purchase of nursery room prints that I'm in love with. You know...'cause I might accidentally give birth over the next few days. But guys, it was a family of elephants holding tails in a row! ELEPHANTS! HOLDING TAILS! WITH A BABY ELEPHANT! I've heard of worse reasons to have a kid than that...

I LOVE the new space! I think it's smaller than their old location, but it feels bigger - and…read moredefinitely brighter. There is so much natural light, which makes the whole browsing the beautiful art even more lovely. I want to buy everything in the store. They have gorgeous prints, cards, scarfs, key chains, tea towels, cat toys...yeah, just about everything. A huge amount of their stuff is locally made (anything with a little blue dot on it) which I really appreciate. I love supporting local businesses that support other local businesses. Inkwell is the reason I started buying cards again. I would much rather spend $5 on a locally made card than on something mass produced. And it's always a little piece of art too, so it's a two-in-one gift!