Liz at the Lake was beyond helpful to us in getting our cottage ready for the season. They have a…read moregreat selection of really good brands that will last and last. They have a wonderful store and I have only great things to say about the staff

Rude owner and quite a terrible location. Do not shop here when there are other lovely furniture…read moreshops with much better selection and service.

What a fabulous store to visit. The inventory is current and plentiful, with sizes and styles for…read moreevery taste. They also carry accessories from shoes to jewellery. Catherine and her staff are SOOOO pleasant, they made shopping there so special. Just go- you will not regret it!

It would be difficult to describe our purchase of a Temperpedic from Mattresses of Muskoka as…read moreanything less than a complete disaster. Without getting into nitty gritty details they: * Gave us a different mattress than the mattress we purchased * Placed that mattress in the mattress cover of the mattress we *did* purchase (see what they did there? Fraud, anyone?) * Set up our mattress upside down (so the memory foam was on the bottom - I didn't notice for months, until a back ache made me unzip the mattress cover (and detect the fraud)) * After a year of pestering them and threatening legal action, they finally replaced the incorrect mattress...with another mattress that was different than the one we originally purchased. * Set up the mattress on a non-approved base, which just broke last month. The legs literally folded over and the mattress sunk in the middle. Yes, we paid for an official Temperpedic base. (So, if you're counting, that's a second fraud). I had an even more scathing review posted on Google for the year I pestered them, but I agreed to take it down if they replaced our mattress. But now there's the issue with the frame as well. So, MoM, if you're listening (and I'm sure you are): I will (once again) take this review down if/when I receive a refund for the Tempur base that we purchased. I'd also like a refund for the difference between what you charged us, and what the replacement mattress you gave us cost. If this review is still up, the reader can know that Mattresses of Muskoka continues to stand behind their frauds, and has not yet refunded us as requested. You probably don't want to be next, right?

These guys only have the best selection at the best prices. They really help you navigate all the…read moredifferent features that mattresses have these days and tell you what you need and what you don't so you don't end up spending a fortune. Finding a good mattress guy is like finding a good mechanic and going to Sleep Country is like going to Mr. Lube - you're going to get screwed. I only trust Mattresses of Muskoka.

Saturday Afternoons opened probably two or three summers ago in Bala, but this was the first year…read morehusband and I bothered to go in. What we found was a high-end (read: well-crafted but fairly expensive), somewhat generic (read: could have come from Pottery Barn/Restoration Hardware/Crate & Barrel/West Elm) home decor store. While I appreciate that style for anchor pieces like sofas and end tables, I'd definitely rather fill a glass lamp with my *own* found seashells than buy one pre-filled. I wasn't all that surprised to learn, then, when composing my Yelp review, that Saturday Afternoons is a small Ontario chain. Because nothing in the Bala outpost seems particularly Muskoka specific like so many other home goods stores 'round these parts.

I don't know why so many towns feature Christmas shops, or how most year-round Christmas stores…read morestay afloat. What I do know is that Tis the Season thrives because it sells fudge. Any time we walk by it is consistently packed with tourists fiending for fudge. Excellent marketing ploy, Tis. Husband and I pick up tree ornaments as souvenirs on all our trips -- it's a fun, if super dorky, way to keep track of our travels, and we love reliving them in the dead of depressing winter. So we stopped in a few summers ago to find a Muskoka bauble for our tanenbaum. Tis' Christmas inventory is vast obviously, since it's all they sell (aside from the aforementioned fudge, of course), and varied. But I wish they had more Muskoka specific ornaments; there's only a few and it seems Tis could benefit from some more. We did find a pretty hand-painted glass one we liked here a couple summers ago. And when it broke last Christmas, we were able to score the same one to replace it this summer. But now there's no reason to go back. Unless we're dying for rocky road fudge or some butterfingers drops the ornament again.

The Best smelling Store in Muskoka. Want to buy local this is the store, the candles are made in…read morehouse as you watch. Support your local business.

I went to a famous "Canadian" clothing company (rhymes with Boots) website to buy a sweater for my…read moremother. Literally the most frustrating shopping experience. 3 different size measurements for every item. Why? She is an elderly woman. Its a woman's sweater. I just need one size. Then they didn't have any availability for what I wanted or the ability to find similar items possibly in stock. I went to Reddit. Looked for alternatives. Saw MBW. Went to the website. Found a blue hoodie. Showed my mom. Bought it. It will arrive next week. I spent more money on that sweater than what the other store was charging but I was happy to do it. MBW deserved the sale. It was easy. I had a great time looking at colors with my mom. And it obviously bothered me enough to leave this review. So great job MBW. Looking forward to getting the sweater next week. --Just a Canadian trying to buy a sweater for his mom.

3.5 stars. There are…read moretwo schools of shopping in Muskoka: sophisticated home décor and local art, and sweats. Seriously, sweat shops (the aboveboard, legal kind) are *everywhere* in the Lakes Region, all selling hoodies, pants, hats, and tees emblazoned with "Muskoka". Competition is fierce. I fall into the home décor/local art school of shoppers, but of all the places you could pick up your unmistakably "Muskoka" gear, MBW has to be the best. And not because the clothes are higher-quality (they do boast soft lining and a perfect weight), but because all the clothes are Ontario-made -- the only sweats you can find that are made in Canada. And not just made in Canada, but made right in Muskoka. MBW's philosophy is: if it *says* "Muskoka", shouldn't it at least be made here? I like that business model. Truthfully, tho MBW clothes aren't necessarily my style (sweatpants with bear paw prints on the booty remind me of high school cheerleaders), but I like the idea of supporting my home-away-from-home's local economy. Maybe the cat-sitter would like a pair of bear paw print booty sweats as a thank-you...

Super cute cafe in Baysville, with a very neat selection of loose leaf teas (!) and antiques. A…read morevery nice place to sit and have a relaxing coffee/tea. They also serve beer, if tea isn't your cup of tea.

The lady working (store owner) was very helpful and gave us a lot of detail about her products…read more(potato & pork pie) the price was a bit steep but for a small business that was understandable. Definitely a cool spot to check out if you're in the muskoka area.