Why not celebrate Valentine’s Day at home with something that is very home-grown, our very own Montreal smoked meat. It’s even red and white in Valentine colors. At Zytynsky’s Deli, the traditions have gone on for three generations in this 98 -year-old Polish/Ukrainian shop. You can even have red and white cherry cheesecake for dessert.

The most popular sellers for their loyal clientele are their old-fashioned smoked meat, old-fashioned ham, head cheese, stuffed chicken, knockwurst, kobassa and cabanos.

Do try their delicious Montreal-made pyrohy (pierogi) filled with cottage cheese and potato, cheddar cheese and potato, or sauerkraut, or perhaps some cabbage rolls. Frozen pierogies by Supreme are here too and amongst the groceries: sour cherry and black currant jam, and don’t forget the desserts: there’s fresh strudels and cheesecake with cherries or maybe peaches.

Location: 350 Beaubien E.
corner: 12th Ave
Tel: 514-722-0826
Hours (for now): Tues-Sat 9:30-5pm

Infinitheatre has a sweetheart of an evening lined up for you on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Since we are stuck with a curfew in the wintry cold, infinitheatre has invited all partners to snuggle into their sofas, pour a glass of something special and to join them this Valentine’s Day for FourPlay, a seductive 5 Ã 7 with music and tantalizing words by some of Quebec’s finest artists.

This live digital performance combines two popular infinitheatre events shacking up together: a teaser for The Pipeline until theatregoers are welcomed in person, and the annual fundraiser. All proceeds will go to support new Quebec play development initiatives. The evening will be hosted by the charismatic Ellen David. Then four playwrights will read excerpts from their plays and four musicians will serenade with their songs of love.

Their new Artistic Director, Zach Fraser, has melded together these playwrights: Mishka Lavigne, Quebec Writers’ Federation Playwriting Prize (Albumen); Arthur Holden, Write-On-Q! honourable mention (Beloved); Alex Poch-Goldin, Write-On-Q! honourable mention (The Trial of William Shakespeare); and Michaela Di Cesare who is offering a sneak-peak into her newest play (Oppression Remedy).

Live music will feature: the smooth hip-hop of Justin Johnson (Just J), suave singer-songwriter Ariel Ridgeway (Faux Chic), Julie Choi, pianist extraordinaire (from King of Canada) and virtuoso violinist Pavel Denisov.

Officiating the loads of door prizes and the silent auction (including theatre tickets, restaurant meals, books, albums, booze, a hotel stay, artwork and floral bouquets) is Canada’s longest-serving Prime Minister (King of Canada’s Brian Dooley) alongside the the company’s esteemed AD emeritus (the newly-relaxed Guy Sprung).

Make it a date! Infinitheatre wants you to be their special someone this Valentine’s Day.

FourPlay 5 Ã 7 tickets (all include a tax receipt):
Cupid $25 (students/arts workers): FourPlay + access to door prizes
Nymph $50: FourPlay + access to door prizes, $10 discount on a future infinitheatre production, an infinitheatre magnet
Aphrodite $250: Artistic Director’s Special Delivery  Valentine’s Gift Pack, FourPlay + access to door prizes, a nice bottle of something special, chocolates, a limited-edition infinitheatre mug, $10 discount on a future infinitheatre production, an infinitheatre magnet.

For tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fourplay-tickets-136829981157
For information: box-office 514 987-1774 ext. 104.
Check the website https://www.infinitheatre.com/  for updated prize list.

A Zoom link will be sent out before the Feb. 14 event

St-Viateur Bagel offers delivery throughout  North America. Since no one can get here during the pandemic, what better way to cheer someone up than by sending them to someone who misses Montreal, or  anyone who you’d like to share a taste of Montreal. Place your order at: stviateurbagel.com/en/shop

What can be more synonymous with Montreal then the legendary St-Viateur Bagel, baked at the longest running bagel shop in Montréal? This family business has had over 65 years of tradition and one famous recipe throughout the years. Made with 100% natural ingredients, their bagels contain no artificial preservatives.

What makes St-Viateur’s bagels so special: each bagel is hand-rolled, dipped in honey water, and baked in a wood-fired oven that was designed to both bake and flavor the bagel. What comes out of this process is a light, chewy, slightly sweet bagel, that bagel aficionados’ will agree, is incomparable to any other bagel being made today.

For decades they churned out a constant stream of white (sesame seed) and black (poppy seed) bagels. Nowadays, they have  bagels for every taste including multigrain, cinnamon & raisin, flax, rosemary, all dressed, sea salt and more. We can all agree that nothing compares to the flavorful aroma that consumes you as you walk in and you won’t be able to resist eating a hot one straight from the oven, right out of the paper bag.

Smeared with cream cheese, layered with lox, or simply toasted – St Viateur bagels are delicious for breakfast, lunch or absolutely any time of day.

Original location: 263 St-Viateur Ouest, H2V 1Y1 (514-276-8044)

Other locations:  821 boul Tecumseh, DDO H9R 4X8 (514-542-3344); 1127 Mont-Royal Est, H2J 1X9 (514-528-6361); 1585 Dagenais O., Laval, H7L 5A3 (450-625-5552).

Hours: Varies by location, approximately 7am-7:30pm during lockdown
stviateurbagel.com

Here’s good Covid news. This year, you do not have to line up for hours to get into the fabulous cosmetics and skincare sale as they have moved it online.

Originally Marcelle and Annabelle, they now have CW Beggs and Son skincare lines for men and Quebec’s favorite Lise Watier products. You’ll find lipsticks, gloss, eyeliners, shadows, blush, mascaras, pencils, brushes, cleansing gels, BB, CC and DD creams and nail polish.

Marcelle makeup and skin care products were developed for women with sensitive skin. Marcelle has been a trusted brand since 1933, catering to Canadian women’s needs since 1949 and is manufactured and designed in Quebec. Marcelle sells the number one eye-make-up remover brand in Canada; It is hypo-allergenic and perfume-free  for sensitive eyes.

Discontinued and liquidated goodies, at this online warehouse sale, many makeup items are $3.50, some $7 and creams or lotions are 30%-70% off. The product offering will be: Marcelle eye make-up removers, skincare sets, a lot of varied make-up items which were limited editions, recently discontinued goods and regular products.

You can be put on an e-mail list to be notified of future sales..

Dates: Until January 26, 2021
www.marcelle.com
Phone: 800-387-7710

The JRC Toys mega toy warehouse sale has been going on for a month already. You better get over there now in order to score incredible deals on name brand toys at fabulous prices. This Toy Holiday Sale goes on until Christmas Eve.

It’s up to us during this difficult year for Montreal stores to support our local businesses. This company is owned by a home grown, second generation local family.

JRC Toys has amazing deals on the hottest toys at discounts of up to 70% off.  There’s only a few weeks to check off everyone on your holiday toy list. If you shop often, you will see new items appear every week.

Get some incredible savings on some of the biggest brand names toys including: Paw Patrol, Phidal, Vtech, Cat, Melissa & Doug, Star Wars, Disney, Mega Bloks, My Little Pony, Nerf, New Bright, Slime, Disney Frozen, Play Doh, Orb, Crayola, Hasbro, baby alive, playmobil, Spinmaster.

Though the holiday parties will be different this year, we will still want to light up our kids’ lives with fun and educational gifts.

They are now open Mon-Fri 10-6 and accept debit, Visa Mastercard, but no cheques. There will be no exchanges or refunds, as all sales are final.

Head here for the best prices on the most recognizable brand name toys.

Location: 5589 Royalmount
corner: Chemin Devonshire
Metro: Station de la Savanne
Tel: 514-342-6979
Times: Mon-Fri 10-6
jrctoys.com
email: info@jrctoys.com

Yes it’s time to outfit the kids with winter outerwear, snowsuits and boots. And you may want to add some Fall and Winter clothing to their wardrobes, so it’s time to head to Goldtex.  95% of their stock is from Canadian suppliers and they only sell Canadian approved products which are safe for you kids. 

This superb outlet is hidden amongst factories in LaSalle, and it’s worth the trip to find it. Some of the clothing brands in sizes from newborn to 16  are: Levis, Converse, Hurley, French Toast, Nasri, Gusti, Perlimpinpin, and much more. You can even pick up baby sleepers from 2.99.

While it’s icy and snowy out there, you can still accomplish alot from your keyboard. It’s even better when you can shop-at-home at a store right here in Montreal and keep the money in our own city. Goldtex now has an e-commerce site which is simple to use. You can get your kids all clothed for the Winter – while shopping from the comfort of your couch. They we will also match the price of any online retailer in Canada.

If your  kids have outgrown their school colour code clothing – they sell it here:shirts, dress pants, unisex white polos, cargo and Bermuda shorts, cords, tunics, skirts, cardigans, blazers, knee highs and tights.

The upper mezzanine has  fancy party dresses, even for flower girls, suits, tuxedos, outfits for communion, confirmation and baptism.

There’s Perlimpinpin, Halo, Mabymoov, and Jolly Jumper bedding and lots of bottles, hats and shoes at the front along with baby cream by Aleva Health and The Honest Company.

Baby accessories are by Safety First, Nuby, Graco, Avent, Dr. Brown, Munchkin, The First Years, Oxo Tot, Boon, Haakaa, and Medela. You can find Lil Angels cribs and strollers, cars seats, high chairs, play yards and swings by Graco, Baby Jogger, Peg Perego, Maxi, Cosi, Safety First and Nuna.

Feel good about buying from a local second-generation family business who offer you great service, prices and products.

Location: 8875 Salley, LaSalle Click for map 
corner: Dollard
Tel: 514-365-9699
Hours: Mon-Wed 10-5, Thurs & Fri 10-6, Sat 9-5
www.goldtex.ca

Catch me on the newscasts at the top of the hour on Black Friday on CJAD 800AM radio starting at 11 am.. You can listen on your cellphone on the Iheartradio app

Elizabeth Zogalis interviewed me on the importance, right now, of shopping here in Montreal. Of course, that’s what I have been Smart Shopping about since 1986,

Keep your money right here in Montreal. Supporting your own community, neighbours and friends is so important in these COVID days. But it’s important the rest of the time too.

Let’s face it, this year we are going to spend much more time in this cold northern land without any runaways to southern climates to warm up. That means more time snuggled up in bed too. So this would be the perfect moment to invest in a forever feather duvet.

Shopping at a local family business is the right thing to be doing during this pandemic. Ungava Duvet is located centrally, right off the Main and is a friendly helpful company which sells high quality duvets at fair prices ($49 & up). You can create a sleep sanctuary with Ungava Duvet. There are duvets made for winter, summer, and all seasons, to keep you warm when it’s cool and when it’s warm. Choose from: goose down, duck down, feather, 100% Australian wool, alpaca, 100% silk, and synthetic.

Feathers today are treated so differently than they were in the past when they weren’t sanitized. Today, they are washed several times with anti-allergen soap and sanitized. It is rare for anyone to be allergic nowadays.

The team at Ungava will help you walk through the many options. Duvets can be lighter or heavier, goose or duck, flatter or fluffier and even made extra warm for people who like to sleep in colder rooms. They sell Hutterite duvets which are made from a more rare and expensive bird feather or European Oslo ones for people who enjoy a heavier blanket weight.

Get a good night’s sleep with incredibly comfortable pillows to suit your preferences. Pillows are available in: goose down, duck down, feather, 100% New Zealand wool, buckwheat, Latex, microfiber and synthetic.

They can create made-to-measure sizes of duvets (even for cribs), feather beds, do special constructions like custom sofa seats and window seats and you can also buy wool, feather and foam mattress toppers.

Better quality futons (UFO) are made here too (with guarantees), as well as futon covers, bases and bolsters. To finish your decorating, there’s Egyptian cotton and bamboo sheets, bamboo towels and a large selection of ready made curtains (19.99 up).

Since 1981, Montrealers have always loved the fact that everything was being made right here in town so Ungava Duvet became a well-loved and trusted brand. Shop on line or at their outlet store. Free shipping for purchases over $100.

Location: 10 Pine St. W. suite 112, Montréal H2W 1P9
corner: boul. St-Laurent
Tel: 514-287-9276 or  1-800-363-3533
Hours: Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5
duvetsungava.com/
info@duvetsungava.com

It’s cold outside. It’s time to make your nest inviting without breaking the bank. Saturday, Liquideco is having a one-day warehouse sale on the household essentials to make your home look its best.

Stay safer by being able to go to one place, Liquideco, and find all kinds of things you can use for your household.  Shop for bedding, comforters, curtains, bath towels, kitchenware, decorative pillows, and so much more. With up to 80% off discounts which are direct from the manufacturer, this is the perfect time to cosy-up your home.

Shop this VIP sale and you’ll find everything you need for your home for less. Cash only. All taxes are included in the prices.  ATM on site. Free parking.

Location: 8566 Boul. Pie-IX – Click for map 
corner: Boul. Robert
Date: Saturday, Nov 14
Times: 8 – 3
www.liquideco.com

JRC Toys mega toy warehouse sale has always been there for us and it is no different this year. You can always score incredible deals on name brand toys at fabulous prices.

The holidays will come this year, and no bug is going to stop us from celebrating. Though the parties will be different, we will still want to light up our kids’ lives with fun and educational gifts.

JRC Toys has amazing deals on the hottest toys at discounts of up to 70% off. You can get a head start on your holiday toy list starting today . This is the kind of place where it is important to shop often as new items appear every week.

The biggest brand names in toys are always here, including: Paw Patrol, Phidal, Vtech, Cat, Melissa & Doug, Star Wars, Disney, Mega Bloks, My Little Pony, Nerf, New Bright, Slime, Disney Frozen, Play Doh, Orb, Crayola, Hasbro, baby alive, playmobil, Spinmaster

They are now open every day, Monday – Friday till 8pm and weekends 10-5. They accept debit, Visa Mastercard, but no cheques. There will be no exchanges or refunds, as all sales are final.

Head here for the best prices on the most recognizable brand name toys.

Location: 5589 Royalmount
corner: Chemin Devonshire
Metro: Station de la Savanne
Tel: 514-342-6979
Times: Mon – Fri 10-8, Sat & Sun 10-5
jrctoys.com
email: info@jrctoys.com

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