With everyone getting back into the swing of things, including a sporting life, you’ll be looking for gear, and Play It Again Sports is the place to go to buy it. Until Oct 19th, you can register to win a CCM Ribcore Rekoner or a RBZ Speedburner or an UltraTacks hockey stick. Someone has to win, so maybe it will be you!

Play It Again Sports NDG specializes in equipment for hockey, alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer and inline skating, etc. They are experts in skate fitting, and they take pride in ensuring a proper fit for each customer.

For over 15 years, this shop has helped parents in the Montréal area save money on new and quality used sports equipment. You can trade-in, consign or receive a cheque for your old ski, hockey, tennis, lacrosse, ringuette, baseball, in-line skates, snowboards or soccer gear.

You also have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of new high value sporting goods. They carry all the top brands you are looking for in a wide variety of active sports – without breaking the bank.

Each season their staff is trained by Bauer®, Reebok® and Easton® equipment experts to be able to provide your budding athletes with the best possible fit in skates and gear. For a great skating experience, the staff can transform them by heat molding, contouring, doing flat bottom V, or blade and chassis replacement.

Location: 2100 Decarie Blvd.
corner: rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Tel: 514-484-5150
Hours Mon-Fri 10-9, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5
Dates: Until Oct 19
www.playitagainsportsndg.com / FB: http://on.fb.me/1bFGiNx
Metro Stop: Station Vendome

With everyone getting back into the swing of things, including a sporting life, you’ll be looking for gear, and Play It Again Sports is the place to go to buy it.

Play It Again Sports NDG specializes in equipment for hockey, alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer and inline skating, etc. They are experts in skate fitting, and they take pride in ensuring a proper fit for each customer.

For over 15 years, this shop has helped parents in the Montréal area save money on new and quality usedsports equipment. You can trade-in, consign or receive a cheque for your old ski, hockey, tennis, lacrosse, ringuette, baseball, in-line skates, snowboards or soccer gear.

You also have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of new high value sporting goods. They carry all the top brands you are looking for in a wide variety of active sports – without breaking the bank.

Each season their staff is trained by Bauer®, Reebok® and Easton® equipment experts to be able to provide your budding athletes with the best possible fit in skates and gear. For a great skating experience, the staff can transform them by heat molding, contouring, doing flat bottom V, or blade and chassis replacement.

Until Sept. 27, you can register to win a Bauer Vapor 1X, Nexus 1N or Supreme MX3 hockey stick. The winner will be drawn  at their store on Sept 27. Someone has to win, so maybe it will be you!

Location: 2100 Decarie Blvd.
corner: rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Tel: 514-484-5150
Hours Mon-Fri 10-9, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5
Dates: Until Sept. 27
www.playitagainsportsndg.com / FB: http://on.fb.me/1bFGiNx
Metro Stop: Station Vendome

Boutique Encore, situated in a pretty townhouse right in the heart of Crescent street, is fully stocked with excellent quality clothes with lots of big-name labels. The prices are not to be believed. Why? The clothes are relatively new.

This well known, well-liked consignment shop feels like you are shopping in a tony boutique in any big city in the world. The names you will see might be: Gucci, Moschino, Armani, Versace, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Issey Miyake or Yamamoto.

Besides the everyday clothing, expect to find lots of formal wear, coats, bags (Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Hermes, Cartier), hats, furs, leathers, shoes, Hermes scarves and even estate jewelry.

Look for the same quality clothes for men (Armani, Hugo Boss, Brioni, Prada) in suits, trench coats, shoes and tuxedos.

Location: 2145 Crescent St., Montreal H3G 2C1
corner: Sherbrooke
Tel: 514-849-0092
Hours: Tues-Fri 11-6, Sat 11-5
Metro Stop Station Peel/Station Guy-Concordia
http://www.smartshoppingmontreal.com/store.php?s=6

It’s time to hit the road for a summer driving trip. Here’s THE place in the city to buy a pre-owned car.

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/
rouedelocation@yahoo.ca

Q: I was wondering if you could tell me the names of shops in Montreal that sell authentic used high end designers women’s clothing and accessories.

A: There are 6 or 7 in my Smart Shopping Montreal book (buy at www.smartshoppingmontreal.com). Here’s an excellent one on my web site, Boutique Encore: 2145 Crescent
http://smartshoppingmontreal.com/store.php?s=6

You know the name. Everyone knows you can save money buying stuff at Armee du Salut Magasin d’Economie and the profits go right back to the cause. If their prices weren’t good enough, they are actually holding a one-day sale tomorrow on all of their clothing.

The rest of the stores are full of: kitchenware, toys, electronics, household furniture and bedding.  Seniors get 10% off daily. Look for the weekly deals. When you donate, you can receive a $10 coupon.

Locations: 1620 Notre-Dame O. (514-935-7425 x 237); 11815 boul. Pierrefonds (514-683-6414); 7066 St-Hubert (514-276-0349); 5762 Sherbrooke O. (514-488-8714); Longueuil, 1562 ch. Chambly (450-468-7194); Brossard, 1875 boul. Panama (450-462-9185); 3444 Ontario E. (514-529-4025); 2125 boul. Cure Labelle (450-687-4348).
Date and Time: April 24: 9-9
www.thriftstore.ca

What a great idea the Alzheimer Groupe Inc.  thought up to raise pure profit for their mission. Those who have been lucky enough over the years to be able to afford high end designer garments, and no longer wear them or want them, have offered to donate them for a vintage clothing sale.

There’s current styles too.  Labels include: Armani, Prada, Yves St-Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Chanel, Manolo Blahnik.

Those of you who want to be first in line can attend the April 22nd Private Event ($75 including cocktails).

AGI helps those diagnosed and living with Alzheimer’s disease improve their quality of life and supports the family members affected by it.

Location: l’Atelier, 5500 Ferrier, H4P1M2
corner: Devonshire
Date: Apr 22-25
Time: Thurs & Fri 11-8, Sat 10-5
www.agiteam.org

Q: I have an old Brother Activator 800T portable typewriter. I would like to either sell it or give it to someone who would use it. Do you have any suggestions?

I also have a portable sewing machine Singer model F9708385 in a wooden case. It doesn’t work but could probably be repaired. It has a handle to turn to make it work. I think it was bought in about 1932 in England or Belgium. Do you know anyone who might be interested in it.

A: Take photos of them and take them to: Marche aux Puces St-Michel at 7707 Shelley just south of the Metropolitain at boul. St-Michel. It is  open Fri-Sun. There are 2 floors of flea market dealers and someone there either wants them or can tell you who might.
– You can always post it on Kijijji and try to sell it that way too.
– Or give it away at https://groups.freecycle.org/freecyclemontreal

Steel furniture has made a huge resurgence in the decor scene due to its good clean lines and durability.

We all remember those enamel-painted pieces of office furniture that lurked in our elementary schools or in our parents’ basements. They were heavy, utilitarian, and usually painted a neutral almond, taupe or (heaven forbid) olive green. Yes they were very durable, but ugly and terribly un-cool. Aside from throwing it out, or sending it to the basement to store your now useless record collection, there didn’t seem to be much to do with it.

On that point, archMontreal has a different take on it. Ignoring the terrible mid-century paint jobs and the laminate tops, these pieces usually have very good, clean lines, harking back to the beginning of industrial design and the adage that form follows function. They have several of these pieces, salvaged from their own workshop, and decided to try to make them usable again.

One of the easiest fixes is to get rid of the paint and get back to the old, bare metal, which they did using the services of a local sand-blaster. The next step was to replace the laminate tops with made-to-measure maple or oak counter tops, tapping into the current trend to mix industrial metal and wood for a chic, urban loft look. You can see the transformation in the accompanying photos – the before and after pictures of the metal cabinets that were sandblasted.

Originally used in a Montreal industrial shop, the cabinets now could be re-purposed as storage armoires, book shelves or even mud room furniture. If you can stretch your mind enough, the sky’s the limit for what these pieces could become.

archMontreal is proud to make re-purposing and re-using salvaged materials and furniture their main mandate. It’s the best sort of recycling – instead of destroying pieces of our industrial heritage, they make sure they can lead new lives as something else.

Visitors to the shop will find plenty of furniture ready to be re-purposed or in the process of finding a new existence. They are happy to provide unaltered pieces for those who want DIY projects or to help you along your path to a unique, custom piece.

Visit them right away (before the pieces are sold!) to see the cabinets and more, or follow their Facebook page [/archmontreal] or their Instagram [@arc_montreal] to see their new arrivals.

5524A rue St-Patrick, suite 202 Montreal, QC, H4E 1A8
corner: boul Monk
Tel: 514-788-6007
Hours Tues-Fri 9-5, Sat 11-4 Please call before going to make sure the doors are opened
Station de l’eglise / Station Vendome

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.