When setting up a new house or apartment, why not buy quality products that the restauranteurs use so they last a long time? Head to the Marche Centrale area, to Tzanet, for restaurant grade quality equipment for cooking and baking. It has always been a popular shopping destination for hotels and restaurants, but you too can take advantage of their quality and variety.

All of your cooking and baking needs are met with name brands like Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Good Grips gadgets, a big selection of quality knives by Victorinox, a huge variety of dishes by Dudson from England, Arcopal from France and professional quality stainless steel pots and pans.

They sell Chicago Metallic Bakeware, a 100 year-old company which produces bakeware with a non-stick surface, which releases easily and clean-ups up effortlessly afterwards. Bakers and cake and cupcake decorators will also love the 50 ft. wall of Wilton products – and so will you.

Why not buy fast food trays or cutting boards in different colours to match any decor, 3′ pepper mills, tipped glass candy jars, call bells, oval stainless platters, cocktail shakers, oil table lamps, many sizes of pizza pans, strainers, whisks, a single serving teapot, booster seats or bamboo steamers? And if you need them, there’s a section of second-hand equipment like dishes, mixers, tables and chairs, etc.

Location: 1375 Louvain
corner: boul. l’Acadie
Tel: 514-383-0030
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-5
Other Location: 710 rue Bouvier, Quebec G2J 1A7 (581-742-9876)
www.tzanet.ca

All it takes is one person to have a light bulb go off and life gets better for many. Sharon Sweeney of the Sherbrooke Forest Art Hive received a donated prom dress. She remembered not having the budget to get the prom dress she wanted when she was younger, and voila – Sweeney and her colleagues organized a Prom Dress Donation/Giveaway project at the NDG Community Council. They’re already planning to do this again next year.

Turning their office into a boutique, they’ve already filled it with well over 150 dresses plus shoes, purses and even some jewelry. If it doesn’t fit, a seamstress has joined the effort along with a fashion designer to alter the outfits. And there’s even a photographer to take that memorable portrait.

Youth whose families struggle financially often borrow a dress which they may not even like. If you, your moms, daughters or friends have party dresses or gowns lingering in your closets, why not donate them and allow a girl to become a princess for a night? And if you need a fab prom dress – head to NDG where true believers in reduce, reuse or re-cycle are making fairy tales come true.

Location: 5964 Avenue Notre-Dame-de-Grâce #206, Montréal, QC H4A 1N1
Tel: 514-484-1471
Date: May 27
Time: 11-4

Enter this modest storefront, which fills an important, under served niche and you will find a vinyl mecca offering racks stuffed with an assortment of new and used vinyl, rare-vinyls, and worthy gems.

Find an inviting selection of rock, jazz, soul, pop, alternative, electro, hip hop, jazz, country, reggae, soundtrack, vocal, movie stars, and of course, French, etc.

Don’t miss the little back room – it’s a great place to score a deal.

Whether you’re a serious vinyl junkie or casual collector perusing LPs, shopping at Beatnick Records will remind you why in-person music browsing will always have a place in our online-shopping culture. Discovering that rare LP  is a thrill you just can’t replicate online.

Location: 3770 St-Denis St., Montreal H2W 2M1 / Google Map: http://bit.ly/29IuFwf
corner: Ave du Pins
Tel: 514-842-0664
Hours: Sun, Mon-Wed & Sat 11-6, Thurs & Fri 11-9
Metro Stop: Station Sherbrooke
www.beatnickmusic.com
E-mail: beatnickmusic1@yahoo.com

With the brisk Autumn air upon us, you are probably starting to think about cooking, baking or perhaps stocking the freezer with plan-ahead meals. the first thing you should do is  head to the Marche Centrale, to Tzanet, for restaurant grade quality equipment for cooking and baking. It has always been a popular shopping destination for hotels and restaurants, but you too can take advantage of their quality and variety.

All of your cooking and baking needs are met with name brands like Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Good Grips gadgets, a big selection of quality knives by Victorinox, a huge variety of dishes by Dudson from England, Arcopal from France and professional quality stainless steel pots and pans.

They sell Chicago Metallic Bakeware, a 100 year-old company which produces bakeware with a non-stick surface, which releases easily and clean-ups up effortlessly afterwards. Bakers and cake and cupcake decorators will also love the 50 ft. wall of Wilton products – and so will you.

Why not buy fast food trays or cutting boards in different colours to match any decor, 3′ pepper mills, tipped glass candy jars, call bells, oval stainless platters, cocktail shakers, oil table lamps, many sizes of pizza pans, strainers, whisks, a single serving teapot, booster seats or bamboo steamers? And if you need them, there’s a section of second-hand equipment like dishes, mixers, tables and chairs, etc.

Location: 1375 Louvain, Montreal: New Location: 710 rue Bouvier, Quebec G2J 1A7 (581-742-9876)
corner: boul. l’Acadie
Tel: 514-383-0030
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-5
www.tzanet.ca

The South Shore University Women’s Club will be holding their 43rd Annual Book Sale. All funds from this sale will provide scholarships for women pursuing higher education.

This is a good moment to clear your shelves and cupboards of unwanted books and give them to a good cause. It’s also a great time to start a library or find inexpensive summer reading. There are thousands of books to choose from in English and French. They’re nearly new and used.

Location: St. Barnabas Church, 95 Lorne Ave, Saint Lambert J4P 2G7
Phone: 450- 672-5328
Dates and Times: Aug 9 -11, 5 – 9 pm,  Aug 12, 9 – 3 pm.
www.ssuwc.ca

Here’s THE place in the city to buy a pre-owned car. With Summer around the corner, it’s time to start looking.

Wheels For Lease (Roues de Location) is a different kind of car dealership with a commitment to excellence; Their high quality of inventory, personal service, and especially their honest reputation is what sets this dealer apart.

It is the only pre-owned auto business recommended by the APA (Automobile Protection Association).

Their experienced sales staff is eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with you. You can easily browse their online inventory, then schedule a test drive and investigate financing options. You can also request information about a vehicle using their online form or by calling 514-735-2224 or 1-866-535-2224 where someone will gladly answer your questions.

Serving the Montreal area, Roues de Location sells pre-owned, expertly inspected, and problem-free cars. The dedicated sales staff’s goal is to make your experience of buying a car (or truck) pleasant, easy and financially advantageous.

Roues de Location can ship their quality vehicles throughout Canada. Each one is inspected before delivery. If they don’t have the vehicle you’re looking for don’t hesitate give them a call and they will gladly try to find one for you. Their best advertisement is their word-of-mouth customer satisfaction. In this business, honesty goes a long way

Location: 5257 Namur St, Montreal QC, H4P 2R7
corner: Decarie
Tel: 514-735-2224 or 1-866-535-2224
Hours Mon-Thurs 9-6, Fri 9-5, Sat closed, Sun 10-12
http://www.rouesdelocation.com/

For as long as I can remember, Dorval has been holding a Community Treasure Hunt. Each year, they pick one day and then encourage residents to place their unwanted yet functioning and useful items curbside. Starting at 9 a.m. that day, people are encouraged to help themselves to any of the items for FREE.

This effort to promote the reuse and recycling of household items is a wonderful idea. Others cities should take up the idea. Think of it as a garage sale without permits and price tags – all items are given away

When you go to the web site below, there is a list of the addresses of the homes who are joining in, and then a map of Dorval with pins locating each of these houses.

Location: Dorval
Date: Saturday, May 6
Time: Starts at 9 am
http://www.ville.dorval.qc.ca/en/information/community-treasure-hunt

Ranissance,  a charitable organization whose mission is job retraining, is a cousin to Goodwill in the U.S. The nearly new (fabulous prices) stuff is neatly organized. They have a dozen stores around the city and even a liquidation outlet  where you can get even more savings than in their stores. Clothes are are low as $1.29 lb., toys $.99 lb., bedding $1.29 lb.

Good deals can be found on clothes of course but also on appliances, indoor and outdoor furniture,  books, sporting goods, dishes or decorative objects. There are 7 separate bookstores too.

Locations: Liquidation Center, 5900, Ferrier St, TMR, H4P 1M7 (514 904-2737) and the Regular store locations: 7250 boul. St-Laurent (514-906-0804); P.A.T., 1530 St-Jean Baptiste (514-640-0245); 3200 Masson (514-376-8836); 6960 St-Hubert (514-274-9666); 4261 Wellington (514-766-5059); 7205 St-Jacques O. (514-484-0145); Plaza Cote-des-Neiges (514-733-6330); 381 boul. des Laurentides, Laval (450-663-8060); 2030 boul. Pie-IX (514 227-2841); 5500 Henri Bourssa est (514-438 387-3971) ; 1495, de l’Église, VSL (514 747-2635); 423 Victoria Ave, St-Lambert (450-465-4764);  and one of the bookstores: Librairie Plateau, 1310, Mont-Royal est (514- 528-9909).
Hours: (mostly) Mon-Wed 9-7, Thurs & Fri 9-9, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5
www.renaissancequebec.ca

Thrift Shops for NOVA is a charitable foundation that offers home palliative care and cancer support groups and runs 2 adult day centers for the elderly, all without government funding.

The 3 stores help raise money for their great cause. You can scoop up second-hand clothing for the family nicely hung on racks, or look for shoes, purses and hats. “Green” shopping by recycling is a planet saving idea: there’s home knick-knacks, china, glassware and books. The sale does not include the furniture.

Locations: (biggest) 43 Ste-Anne (514-457-1642); ; 2750 boul. St-Charles  (514-697-6692); furniture (and knickknacks), 449 boul. Beaconsfield (514-694-8417) (books only).
www.thriftshopsfornova.com

Music is such an important part of this season – and it’s a great gift for holidays. Records have made a comeback, so if you are looking to find some particular music and you enjoy the real sound of vinyl, you can stock up all in one place, Disques Beatnick Records.

It’s right on St-Denis but a bit south of the main shopping area. It’s worth going to for its combination of old and new music in vinyl. To tell them apart, the orange or pink stickers indicate the used items and the green or yellow means it’s new.

Sections for rock, jazz, soul, pop, alternative,  electro, hip hop, jazz, country, reggae, soundtrack, vocal, movie stars, and of course, French, etc. are sold and there are walls showing off the greats of vinyl; don’t miss the little back room.

Location: 3770 St-Denis St., Montreal H2W 2M1 / Google Map: http://bit.ly/29IuFwf
corner: Ave du Pins
Tel: 514-842-0664
Hours: Sun, Mon-Wed & Sat 11-6, Thurs & Fri 11-9
Metro Stop: Station Sherbrooke
www.beatnickmusic.com
E-mail: beatnickmusic1@yahoo.com