Q: I own an autographed copy of your book, which has been very useful. I am really amazed that you were able to compile such a comprehensive source of information!

I have a question for you regarding second-hand discounters. Due to a medical problem I am not able to wear some of my older clothes which are in excellent condition. I have already given some away, but I was wondering if there are any stores that would buy clothes that were bought 25 or more years ago, but are still in excellent condition.

A: Thank you for buying my book, Smart Shopping Montreal. If you look through the section on “Second-hand Clothing” you will find some retro stores which sell older designs (my newest 14th edition has at least 36 stores in there). You can call each one and ask if they are buying.

Usually they have “pickers’ who bring clothing to them. Most people do not like to buy old styles. You can donate them to many worthy organizations. I especially like Thrift Shop for Nova because all the money goes to nurses who go to people’s homes. They get no funding from the governmanet: Tel: 514-697-6692.

Q: Hi……I have a tree ornament ..a silver ball….that actually made bird sounds when the switch was put on …..It’s special to us because my mother who passed away loved it and always laughed when she heard it. It no longer makes the bird sounds. Are you able to give me a location where I might have a chance of getting it fixed?

A: I would try Fix “r” Us. He’s on the West Island but seems to know how to fix everything. It was on my site under repairmen:
http://smartshoppingmontreal.com/store.php?s=180

Q: I am looking to buy a Quebec made product to bring overseas as a gift. We were thinking of an apron but want to have something made ‘chez nous’. Can you suggest any stores that have these types of products?

A: There is a section in my Smart Shopping Montreal book called “Handicrafts” on page 190. There, L’Empreinte Cooperative is a 41 year old co-op supporting 39 artists selling everything from ceramics to slippers or jewelry.

Also in Old Montreal in the Marche Bonsecours is “Boutique des Metiers d’Art du Quebec” showcasing 150 artisans selling: wooden boxes,teapots,boomerangs, toothbrush holders, and on and on.

There is another section called “Green and Local” which has more stores with Quebec products. There is also a shop  in the Jean-Talon Market “Le Marche des Saveurs du Quebec” which sells gourmet items only from Quebec.

You can buy the Smart Shopping Montreal book for yourself or a gift http://smartshoppingmontreal.com/index.php?p=buy

Q: Hi Sandra! My daughter wants to have a Japanese theme birthday and we are looking to buy some kimonos for the girls, some Japanese things for the loot bags (such as little dolls) etc. Do you know a good place for that in Montreal other than Chinatown?

A: Marche Oriental, 2109 Decarie  had a Japanese $2 store on the right side of the shop which has more kitcheny things but a bit of kitsch too. They have another location but I’m not sure if they have the kitsch: 2109 Ste Catherine ouest. Miyamoto, 382 Victoria Ave. Westmount is a shop for Japanese food and kitchenware and they might be able to direct you.

Not sure about kiddie kimonos. (maybe party stores for costumes) If you can fake it with sari fabric, there is a shop on Cote des Neiges that used to be called Uma Saree but maybe is now Boutique Uma or some variation of that. Tons of that type of fabric in the 99 Chabanel building on the 4th floor.

Q: I know in your other editions of Smart Shopping Montreal you had a place to stock up on socks and was wondering if this place still exists.

A: You have a good memory. That depot closed quite a few years ago. Right now you can shop at the flea markets which all have booths with socks. One in Chomedey is Marche aux Puces St-Martin, on 1550 boul. Daniel Johnson at Blvd St -Martin  or there’s Boutiques Marcado on 3565 Taschereau Blvd.

There’s Lingerie Hanna in the Plaza Pointe Claire off Highway 20 on St-John’s Blvd. It has similar merchandise to the ones in the flea markets but is in a mall with regular hours.

Q: I know in your other editions you had a place to stock up on socks and was wondering if this place still exists.

A: You have a good memory. That depot closed quite a few years ago. Right now you can shop at the flea markets which all have booths with socks.

You can find all these and more in my Smart Shopping Montreal book: One in Chomedey is Marche aux Puces, St -Martin on pg 123 or Boutiques Marcado on the South Shore pg121.

On pg 18, there’s Lingerie Hanna in the Plaza Pointe Claire off Highway 20 on St-John’s Blvd. It has similar merchandise to the ones in the flea markets but is in a mall with regular hours.

Q: When in November is the Guerlain sale?

I bought my mother’s favourite can’t-find-in-dept-stores Eau de Cedrat  (the only time I bought it was at Pharmaprix a decade ago) last year at their Greene Institut and I found out too late about their Lachine sale in your site after the deal was sealed. I don’t even know how to get there by public transport. Guerlain sends me pamphlets from Paris but no info for Montreal.

A: If you had taken a peek at my Smart Shopping Montreal book, there is a section called Seasonal Warehouse Sales. There are 15 pages of them. On page 33 is all the information for Guerlain in Montreal. Their phone # 514-363-0432  and www.guerlain.comand  They have sales in the Fall and Spring.

This fan wrote, “I remember when you were first starting out and I got the first edition of your book,  thinking then that it was a brilliant idea. Now I cannot imagine what we would do without you. So many times my friends and I are looking for something, searching the net or calling each other, and then we realize “Oh ya. Let’s look at Smart Shopping Montreal!”  You never let us down.”

Q: My husband wears size 12 (sometimes 13) wide (EEE) shoes. I am looking for a warm, water resistant pair of winter boots for him at a discount price. Are there any places to try that won’t cost a fortune?

A: In the Specialty stores section of my book, there is a subtitle for “Shoes, large and small” where I mention 1/2 dozen stores that sell that size. Right now it is the end of the season so most would be having clearance sales. I just heard Chaussures Tony Shoes on the radio saying all the winter boots are 50% off. A new store you may not know about is Chaussez en Grand on St-Hubert St.

Q: J’aime beaucoup ce que vous faites, votre livre, depuis sa sortie, a toujours été un guide précieux, compte tenu de mon petit budget. Vous êtes mon dernier espoir, je crois, pour ce nouveau projet.
Je voudrais faire mon propre abat-jour mais je ne trouve pas de structure. J’ai l’impression d’avoir tout essayer ( Oiseau bleu, Bouclair, Fabricville, Homesense (les deux) les grosses quincailleries, Abats-jour illimités) sur internet les structures viennent de l’Australie mais je ne veux faire qu’un seul abat-jour car j’ai reçu un magnifique papier japonais. Avez-vous des suggestions?

A: In my book, Le Consommateur Averti Montreal, there are 5 other lamp and lamp shade repair shops (starting on page 151). They would have parts and pieces of lamps: You have gone to stores that sell finished products so they would not have “structure”. Here’s one from my book, Abat-jour Marie-Elizabeth Tel: 514-695-0045.

– Another idea would be to go to a flea market, like Marches aux Puces St-Michel, http://www.smartshoppingmontreal.com/store.php?s=23  buy an old lamp, take it apart and use the part that you need.

– In fact you can buy any new lamp too and take off the shade and put on your Japanese paper.

– Here’s another idea, call Au Papier Japonais (page 167) Tel: 514-276-6863 and find out if they have any artisans who cover lamps with the paper

Q: I found your web site www.smartshoppingmontreal.com, and I’m very impressed. It has lots of very useful information. We spend about 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so buying the right mattress is really important. Do you have any recommendations for the outlets that have good quality mattress at reasonable price? I’m not talking about big brand names and chain stores. I’m talking about manufacturers in and around Montreal, and their outlets/warehouses.

A: On the top  of each sub-category page (in a highlighted orange box) of the web site it says “Below you will find a tasty selection of the 1500 businesses which appear in the Smart Shopping Montreal book. This is just an hors d’oeuvre and you really need to buy the book to get the whole scrumptious meal”. So in the book there is a section called “Mattresses” and on page 87 you will find a home grown mattress manufacturer called Laval Bedding… and others.