We are so happy to look out of our windows at the happy Spring sunlight. That’s when we really notice our blinds and shades.

Clean window blinds and shades will brighten up any room decor.  Fenetre Deco does ultrasonic cleaning and repairs of all types of blinds, from 1″ aluminum horizontals to the higher end Silhouettes and Luminettes, and has one of the most extensive blind parts inventories in greater Montreal.

Ultrasonic cleaning is one of the safest and most thorough cleaning processes used in the cleaning industry today. The blinds are placed with a cleaning solution in large water-filled tanks, which use vibrating sound waves to loosen the dirt. Prices start at $15 per blind, and there is a minimum of $75 for a service call. Regular ultrasonic cleaning also helps improve the indoor air quality of offices and homes for a healthier environment.

They also sell many types of blinds and drapery and provide shop-at-home service for Hunter Douglas, Shad-o-matic, Sol-r, Levolor, Altex, wooden and PVC shutters, Sohji panels, roller shades, etc. Who better to suggest which blinds to purchase than the company which not only knows what new blinds look like, but also observes how they endure 2, 5 and 10 years later.

Keep your blinds and other window coverings in tip-top condition by having them serviced by the reliable experts at Fenetre Deco.

Tel: 514-364-2020
Hours: by appt
fenetredeco.com
Email: info@fenetredeco.com

Cafe Union has been a family business for over 100 years! Why not support our  Montrealers by spending your money and keeping money right here in town. Not only do they sell coffee but you can mix your own blend. If your machine is on the fritz, don’t panic, they can fix them too.

Cafe Union is a coffee wholesaler who roasts the coffee right here, but you can buy retail too. You can choose one type of bean or blend from amongst the espresso, melange maison (regular and strong), Kenya, Panama, Columbia Supremo, Fair Trade, decaf and Swiss washed decaf. They were here way before the trendy coffee shops as coffee lovers have loved this Montreal institution since 1910

Those who like flavors can buy Bavarian chocolate, Irish cream or hazelnut vanilla or one of the 53 flavored syrups(vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, etc.). Coffee related products like iced cappuccino, Chai latte concentrate now line the shelves.

Free delivery is offered for 5 pounds or more. They sell espresso machines (Gaggia, Saeco, Rancilio, Pavoni, Mokita, Breville, Quick Mill and Jura) and teapots, too.

It was a natural extension for this store to start a repair depot. Any commercial or domestic espresso machine by Gaggia, Rancilio, Pavoni, Saeco, Mokita, Jura or Quick Mill can be brought here for overhauls and servicing.

Location: 148 rue Jean Talon O, Montreal QC H2R 2X1
Corner: rue Waverly
Hours: Mon-Fri 8-5:30, Sat 9-3
Metro: Station Jean-Talon/Station de Castelnau
www.cafeunion.com
info@cafeunion.com

You are stuck in the house and have time to assess all those niggling things that need fixing. But where do you go to get them repaired?   Fix R Us is a handy and friendly West Island neighborhood fix-it shop with 30 years of experience under their belt.

They offer free estimates and here’s an idea of some of the magic these guys with golden hands can perform:

Jay at Talon Tire taught me that the state of your tires is one of the things that might save your life in a quick stop situation. Since this is quick stop season, or skidding or spinning season, make sure the ones on your car are the best you can have.

Talon Tire is an independent tire dealer which has been in business since 1971, and specialize in quality tires for passenger cars, SUV’s, vans and light trucks. It is one of the few tire shops that has been approved by the consumer watchdog organization, the Automobile Protection Association.

They are not just order takers – their staff has knowledge of a wide range of tire applications, and monitors the latest technological developments and trends in tire manufacturing. They can answer and questions about tires to help you make the right choice.

Some of the good reasons to buy your tires from them:

– Wheels are fastened on your car by first hand-threading the nuts and then hand-torquing them to manufacturer’s specifications. When needed, you will be able to remove the wheels without frustration – No warped brake rotors or stripped threads or marred wheels.

– Even if they install only one tire, they check and adjust all your tire pressures.

– Their repairs on flats are permanent and safe, since they use only quality chemical patches applied from the inside of the tire. Repairs done from the outside, without inspecting for internal damage, are only temporary, and can result in an eventual blowout.

– Their tire and wheel balancing is state-of-the-art. It’s so uniquely accurate that consumers residing several hundred kilometers away go there to resolve their vibration complaints and leave with a smooth comfortable ride.

– Your “Mag” wheels are safe with them, as they use only the highest quality nylon-coated balancing weights. They won’t change the plastic finish of your wheels or cause corrosion like regular lead weights.

Special tires can be bought here too. Talon Tire sponsors and supports grass roots Motorsports in Canada, and offer a wide range of competition tires. To help keep a cherished classic car on the road they stock over 20 sizes of hard-to-find vintage tires.

– There is no commission, so their staff won’t propose a more profitable tire when it’s not the right choice.
– There are no hidden extras in their price.
– Their road hazard guarantee provides a replacement tire based on the price you paid, and NOT on a higher suggested retail price which increases every year with inflation.

They offer a two month or 1,500 mile / 2,000 kilometer free trial period for every tire that they recommend for your car and driving needs. If you don’t like them, they’ll refund you 100% of the purchase price.

Talon Tire makes buying the right set of tires easy.

Location: 2607 Diab St. Ville St-Laurent, QC H4S 1E7
corner: rue Bois Franc
Tel: 514-337-0833
Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6
http://www.talontire.com/

The best part of cold winter is the excuse to have many more delicious cups of coffee. West Islanders are lucky to have a specialized coffee emporium right in their midst.

Coffee imported from Italy is sold at La boutique du café Tazza di Mattina in Roxboro. You can purchase ground, beans or capsule coffee from Gloria, Caffé Harmonia, Dolce Vita, Caffé Barbera, Caffé Moreno, Caffé Lollo. Italcaffé, Caffitaly, Miscela D’oro and many more.

If you love real coffee and live on the western side of the island, you do not have to fight the construction traffic to buy real coffee, coffee makers and  supplies. They carry Saeco, La Pavoni, Avanti, Jura, Caffitaly, Rancilio espresso and cappuccino machines, and coffee.They have a selection of accessories for coffee as in frothers and cups of different sizes in glass and ceramic. Various cleaning products for all coffee and cappuccino makers are found as well.

If you want to buy a more traditional Italian stove top coffee makers, they’re here too. You’ll have a choice of many different sizes in brands Vev, Bialetti & Laila. Pretty colorful lines of accessories of home and tableware by Guzzini, Verdici and Bugatti are available to dress up your table.

This is also a local repair depot; They can fix your machine on site if it breaks – no more lugging it all the way downtown.

Location: 5 Commercial Ave, Roxboro QC, H8Y 2N9
corner: boul Gouin
Tel: 514-684-6161
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30-5:30, Sat 9-4
www.tazzadimattina.ca  FB: http://on.fb.me/1eNfNva

When I inherited a giant flat screen TV and needed someone to install it, I knew to call Radio St-Hubert for help. They’ve been selling televisions for over 50 years and nowadays, this is a great go-to place when setting up a sound system. They are the center for Bluetooth compatible equipment – speakers, music systems, re-chargeable speakers, headphones, etc.

Top of the list is Sonos which is a smart system of HiFi wireless speakers and audio components. One app unites your digital music collection which you can then control from any device. Music comes to life with crystal-clear fidelity with zero dropouts.

You can buy Canadian by ordering Bryston amplifiers and speakers made right here in Peterborough, ON. Not only are you supporting our country’s workers but they are guaranteed 20 years.

For speakers you can buy Paradigm, Klipsch, Monitor Audio, Epos, Totem, Dynaudio, as well as sound equipment by Sonos, Pioneer Elite, Cambridge Audio, Anthem, Creek, Yamaha, Cyrus, Sunfire and Sugden. For TV’s it’s Samsung and Panasonic. Look for Tivioli radios and Illico digital boxes.

Buying electronic equipment these days is so confusing. So why not go to a friendly small business where the salespeople are there to answer informatively any questions you may have. Radio St-Hubert is a family business which for over 50 years is still going strong, despite the big box stores that have opened. This audio, TV, video business has survived with old-fashioned, patient good customer service and sales people who have been there a long time. Installation can be provided, and there’s a friendly in-house service department.

Location: 6278 rue St-Hubert, Montréal H2S 2M2 / Google Maps: http://bit.ly/26dK537
corner: Bellechasse
Tel: 514-276-1413
www.radiosthubert.com
Hours: Regular hours, closed Sunday

So you’re stuck in, in freezing weather. You have lots of time on your hands, so perhaps it’s a good moment to get excited about a small reno project – perhaps re-finishing a piece of furniture? Circa 1850, is  small local shop which has been in the paint and varnish business since forever.

A forever piece of golden jewelry is a special gift. It doesn’t have to cost a bundle if you head for a jewelry wholesaler.

You can pay full price for gold jewelry in full-price retail stores downtown or you can go up to Bijouterie Oro, a wholesaler, and save half your money. Since 1987, this 3rd generation jeweler has been selling wholesale, and is open up to the public. Lucky us.

There is lots of golden stock to choose amongst, more than you would see in your small local jewelry store. You could go nutsy over the vast assortment of gold hoop earrings – they sell them by weight. You can select amongst the 100’s of chains; they are strong in 2-tone and 3-colors of gold from Italy or Turkey. There’s 14-carat Italian chain bracelets too, and lots of little religious pendants.

If you want to buy illusion diamond studs, they have those too. These earrings give the illusion of a whole stone, but are made up of little ones – for a much littler price.

If you have an older diamond (or any other precious stone) ring and you’d like to change it into something more modern, they can show you trays and trays of semi-mounts (that’s what your stone sits in), so you can see exactly what the ring will look like – it can even be tried on. You can take jewelry which has been just sitting in a jewelry box and have it re-modeled.

Bijouterie Oro still does local manufacturing, so they can reproduce a piece of jewelry from a photo. And they can repair your broken jewelry too.

If you decide to have something made from scratch, it would take about two weeks from the time you walk in the door until you happily present it.

Location: 1255 Phillips Square, Suite 1010
Tel: 514-393-1721 or 514-575-7511
Hours: by appointment only, Mon-Fri 9-4:30
orojewelleryinc@gmail.com
www.smartshoppingmontreal.com/store.php?s=280

Clean window blinds and shades will brighten up any room decor.  Fenetre Deco does ultrasonic cleaning and repairs of all types of blinds, from 1″ aluminum horizontals to the higher end Silhouettes and Luminettes, and has one of the most extensive blind parts inventories in greater Montreal.

Ultrasonic cleaning is one of the safest and most thorough cleaning processes used in the cleaning industry today. The blinds are placed with a cleaning solution in large water-filled tanks, which use vibrating sound waves to loosen the dirt. Prices start at $15 per blind, and there is a minimum of $75 for a service call. Regular ultrasonic cleaning also helps improve the indoor air quality of offices and homes for a healthier environment.

They also sell many types of blinds and drapery and provide shop-at-home service for Hunter Douglas, Shad-o-matic, Sol-r, Levolor, Altex, wooden and PVC shutters, Sohji panels, roller shades, etc. Who better to suggest which blinds to purchase than the company which not only sees what blinds look like new, but also observes how they endure 2, 5 and 10 years later.

Keep your blinds and other window coverings in tip-top condition by having them serviced by the reliable experts at Fenetre Deco.

Tel: 514-364-2020
Hours: by appt
fenetredeco.com
Email: info@fenetredeco.com

Q: My daughter has been looking for privacy fabric to cover the rails on her balcony. We checked all the hardware stores and a couple of pool places and can’t find anything. We see them on balconies. Do you have any answers for her?

A: When you think fabric, C & M Textiles should be the name which comes up first as they have just about everything and are located somewhere near you. So yes, they sell balcony canvas. It comes in a few colors and is 30″ wide. They have locations In Montreal, on the South Shore, up in Laval and even in Ottawa

There is also Lascan, 9001 Elmslie, Lasalle (514-366-28000. They sell all kinds of canvas and fabric for tents, awnings, tarps, etc. These are outdoor fabrics so they should be just the right type for your project.