Pharmacies are always open the latest on Christmas Eve so if you really get stuck at the last last minute, head for one of them. In the Pharmaprix flyers I have seen: perfume, a micro-derabrasion system for a home facial, cameras, a Sony docking station $99, kids’ acoustic guitar, Minnie Mouse alarm clock, gourmet chocolates: caramel shortcake or almonds and cranberries, a pet bed, a gingerbread house kit, and … the slinky.
Denim Kings is having a Boxing Week salel. T-shirts $10, winter jackets $50, designer denims $50 This is the moment to buy someone (or yourself) a holiday gift. Men’s sizes go from 28-40 and women sizes are 24-32.
Location: 8575 Boul. St-Laurent
corner: Guizot
Tel: 514-750-3288
Dates: Dec 26-Jan 2
The friendly husband/wife owners of Faon have the perfect combination of knowledge to run a children’s clothing store as they have worked in the fashion industry in NYC and have three kids. On Dec 26 and 27, everything will be up for grabs at the buy one get the second one for 50% off sale.
The shop is well designed for Moms (or Dads) to shop in easily – with its ramp to get in, wide aisles for strollers, a giant playhouse for the kids to play in, huge changing room which can fit a stroller (and a doorknob above toddler height), and even an aquarium at kid-in-stroller-level at the cash.
These fashionistas have shied away from the stifling pink/blue clothing (sizes 0-7)and made sure to have green, orange, beige, gray, red or black and white in really cool styles.
They try to buy Quebec brands first (Petit Lem, Krickets) and then head for the labels that give style, quality and economy: Tea (only one in city), the European Noppies, Peekaboo Beans, Berlingot, Zutano (from Vermont)
There’s a section for baby gifts: diaper bags, Ergobaby carriers (this is the brand the mammas are asking for), bibs and small toys like the hugely popular Blabla dolls.
Dix Milles Villages is a fair trade shop, a member of World Fair Trade Organization, sells artisan-crafted accessories, home decor and gift items from 31 countries around the globe from this shop and through Festival Sales. The income helps unemployed artists pay for food, education, health care and housing. Started by one Mennonite woman, Edna Ruth Byler in 1946, nowadays thousands of volunteers work in the 100’s of member boutiques.
Locations: 4128 St-Denis (514-848-0538); 5675 Monkland (514-483-6569); 290 bord du Lac (514-428-0450).
www.tenthousandvillages.ca
www.dixmillevillages.ca
Right at our very doorstep, we are lucky to have a genuine Amerindian store, Okwari – no “made in Orient” items here. Everything from fringed deerskin jackets, dream catchers, headdresses, moose bone jewelry, painted turtle shells, tomahawks, moccasins, snowshoes, rugs, leather vests and sheepskin coats and hats, or gloves, to Six Nations and Inuit soapstone carvings and prints, are handcrafted, manufactured and sold by the First Nations’ People.
Location: Route 138, Kahnawake, 3rd light after Mercier Bridge
Tel: 450-632-7527
Hours: Daily 8-10
If you get a copy of this month’s Local Herald Montreal, you will see me on the cover. Inside there’s a long story about how I started Smart Shopping Montreal.
Kidlink (5604 Monkland Ave. Tel: 514-482-4188) has always focused on award winning toys and good books. this is the perfect place to go for advice on what to buy kids of all ages.
– For 12& up: Fushigi Ball, is a metallic magic gravity ball. You can do tricks with your hands and it looks like it is floating. Comes with a DVD to show you how to do the tricks $20.99. It’s a big hit
– For 8 & up: Competition Cups; Though this sounds deceptively simple, you get a box with 12 cups and DVD instructions . You simply stack unstack them as fast as you can. Look it up on YouTube. Comes in 2 sizes $20.99 & $38.99. The bigger one comes with a timer and a mat. This is good also for teens.
– 8 up, especially teens: Urban Headphones: Made by Bojeux, a Montreal company. Written up in Protegez-Vous, you put together your own headphones and decorate them. They have great sound. $25.99
– Duct tape craze: Duct tape can be used to decorate sneakers, tables, school bags, bracelets, belts, water bottles, school books, as it comes in dozens of designs: polka dot, leopard, jeans, stripes, etc.. You can buy books to give you ideas. “Just Duct Tape It” is a bestseller $11.95 and there’s “Tape it and Make It” $16.99. Tape is $8.99 a roll.
babies – Taf toys, My First mp3 Player is preloaded with Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc. Parents can download music and use a USB key to add it. It won awards $59.99.
family – Alex 3D Cityscape is a 42-piece puzzle which you then work upwards in 3D to build buildings on the floorscape $20.99. Award winner.
6 to adult – Qwirkle won many awards including Mensa. It is similar to dominoes as it is made up of 108 wooden tiles. You mix and match the 6 different shapes and colors to play strategy games $30.99
Le Panier and Clair de Lune are 2 different types of gift shops. Clair de Lune is all about candles and decor accent pieces while Le Panier offers up gourmet goodies, useful gadgets, jewelry, toys, Christmas tableware, and sweets.
Here are some of the cool items I found this year at Le Panier (300 bord du Lac in PointClaireVillage) www.thepanier.com
– Mop Slippers ($9.99) which you wear on your feet, walk around and clean the floor
– Credit Card shield ($5.99) prevents thieves from passing you and grabbing information off of the card in your purse or pants.
– Hot chocolate variety 12-pack ($22.99)
– Bagel guillotine ($22.99) to slice bagels and not fingers
– Trudeau cutting board with drawers (24.99) which separate food you are cutting
– Cake lollipop molds ($17.50) for the latest craze
– BBQ Spatula in the shape of a guitar ($22.99)
– BBQ lighter in the shape of a fishing rod ($22.99)
– Purse perfume atomizer ($12.99) to keep your favorite scent at hand
– Scarf hanger ($19.99) to keep your favorites in view in a closet
– Angry birds toque ($11.99)
– Solar motor kit: car, boat, animal ($24.99)
– Diet Dog bowl has posts in it so your doggie slows down his eating ($19.99)
Claire de Lune (6801 Rte Transcanadienne, Pointe-Claire in Fairview Pointe Claire Tel: 514-426-8797 and other locations www.clairdelune.ca) is Canada’s most extensive candle store. A gift from here can make your home (or someone else’s) smell just delicious as they have the many fragrances, exclusive decorative candles, aromatic lamps, reed diffusers and scent diffusers.
Choose from Clair de Lune’s exclusive collections of candles: floating ones, aromatic decorative pillar types, tealight, scented votives, mosaic and striped options and even a bird, cactus, rabbit or sparrow candles. To add a wonderful ambiance to a room, you can even buy hanging candelabras which hold real candles. There are many candle holders (of course): ceramic ones, mosaics, 5′ tall giants, elephants and glass blown beauties.
Gift ideas such as Eden & Berger Lamps for diffusing fragrances can be purchased, but also vases and dried flowers, Buddha statues, potpourri, piggy banks, cute notebooks, paper napkins and decorative dancer statuettes, small fountains, cozy throw blankies or scents for a car.
The yummy candle aromas come in: vanilla, Brazilian coffee, eucalyptus, cranberry, mint chocolate, spiced orange, ocean breeze, country fresh, lemon & lavender, mandarin and cranberry, apple, black-eyed Susan, lilac, lily and rose.
With one of the largest selections of top quality hair extensions in Quebec, ER Extension’s ultra hair boutique can handle all your hair extension needs. Choose from clip extensions, hot fusion, cold fusion, tape fusion, loop fusion…you name it, they’ve got it.
All of their extensions are made from fine quality 100% human Indo-European cuticle directional Remy hair. This hair comes from the exclusive Hindu Temples of northern India. It is virgin hair which has been colored only once.
ER carries all hair extension colors, textures & lengths in stock at all times. Finding what you need is quick and easy. Whether you’re looking to simply purchase hair extensions, or for professional hair extension installation, you’ll find it here.
Fusion extensions are installed in 2-3 hours and will last 4-6 months. They include hot and cold fusion and will add length, volume, highlights, lowlights and colorlights to your hair.
Location: 2070 Crescent St
corner: de Maisonneuve
Tel: 514-788-5599 or 1-866-789-5599
Metro Stop Station Peel / Station Guy-Concordia
Hours: Mon-Thurs 10-6, Fri 10-9, Sat 12-4
www.ERhair.com www.Rallonges.com