So yeah, just how much do you like your Japanese toys, and how much do you really want to pay for…read moreit? And is it really Japanese that you are looking for? It'll depend on your upbringing. I grew up amongst the Sogo 崇光, Mitsukoshi (三越), Yaohan (八佰伴), AEON and Seibu (西武) and had access to some really quality Japanese toys of the Showa (昭和) period. Did I grew up in Japan? No, I grew up in Hong Kong, and all I really wanted back then was a decent diecast KMB bus, the one that ran outside my childhood home on Jordan Road. I might've looked at all the Tomicas and Gundams, but none of those things really captured my imagination. That's why my parents bought me Legos instead. Fast forward to today. See, when your $dayjob have you run IT operations for a mid-sized company, you need a hobby that would help you majorly de-stress. For me, that implies building model kits, Lego sets, or travel. Oh, even better if it helps you remember your Hong Kong roots. I might run my plarail train sets, but those are MTR Plarail sets exclusive to HK. It also helps to have a wife who are understanding of your stress shedding hobby (she also love Re-ments). On the way to Toronto we made a stop in Mitsuwa (the US successor to Yaohan) in New Jersey and picked up a few Re-ments and F-Toys trade models before heading north. Me and the missus were driving around Markham looking at the mostly mediocre Chinese malls out there (seriously, how many travel agencies, herbal shops, restaurants, cellphone stores and "Korean" clothing stores do you really need?) during the snowstorm 2 weeks ago, and we came across Langham square, which is this kinda-premium shopping mall complete with free indoor parking (my wife loved that) and a T&T Supermarket, which was in total contrast to the other malls like Splendid China Tower (totally misnamed), which didn't even bother to shovel their parking lot. Maybe the name references the large snow bank walling up their parking lot on Steeles Street East. So why are local Chinese owned malls so keen to crib names from their more famous Hong Kong equivalents? Langham square was named after Langham place, which is this kinda-stylish vertical shopping mall that was located in the heart of Kowloon (fun fact: it was built by Hong Kong's infamous Urban Renewal Authority in an attempt to kill off the nearby Portland street red light district and gentrify the area - totally didn't work). This one was slightly different in that the area features some rather nice premium condos nearby (so if you came from the transit-shopping-podium-condo tower indoor complexes of Hong Kong's upper middle class, man, is this home-like to you). The mall features some of the same we saw all over Markham, while other stuff just seem like it can only exist here at this mall. A tax attorney. An IT consultant. The Markham equivalent of BlueRibbon (pre-prepped meals aiming towards a Cantonese palate). A maid agency. A social club. This seems a little more tailored towards the Crazy Asian Rich. And then my wife pointed out an anime store - those are a dime a dozen, probably selling some fake Pokemon merch painted in garish colors straight from Shenzhen. "Babe, this one is carrying TinyHK merchandise". WAIT, WHAT? So there are only 1 other place that I am aware that would sell you TinyHK diecast cars and models. It belongs to a shop that sells Airsoft guns located on the 2nd floor of Pacific Mall's "Culture walk" (or as I call it, Stereotype Central). I already bought an F-Toys model from them, and I was a bit put off by the owner's non-existent customer service skills. "Hi, may I help you?" Whoa. Is that the TinyHK mushroom hawker center model? And the price isn't too overly ridiculous (Canadian dollars, taxes included). See, I order TinyHK merch directly from HK, but the shipping is fairly atrocious. This store will sell me Tomicas and TinyHK diecast vehicles for a few bucks. "Hey, here's our card. If you order more than 100 USD we'll ship it stateside for free". Score and paydirt. So yeah, the quick and the easy - its a small storefront that is part-time staffed, they carry Tomicas, Re-ments and are an authorized TinyHK retailer. They also sell some other figurines, plushies and toys straight from Japan (so you won't see the same BS as all the other anime stores in Markham). Decent selection, pricing isn't too bad, and if you are a Honkie nerd (like me) you'll pretty much know what you're looking at and how much you want to buy. Definitely a stopover if you collect TinyHK or want that piece of collective memory from Hong Kong in your home. Seriously, they should just call this place "Yaohan". Us old school Honkies will totally get that.

Lots of miniature cars, food, and other miscellaneous toys, purses, bags…read more Friendly staff! Wifi: Mall. Loyalty: No.

Love this store, they have a lot of Korean mask, toner and cream…read more Loyalty programs which is very good

Kiokii and... is primarily a purveyor of Asian branded cosmetics and beauty. They mostly specialize…read morein products from Japan and Korea, making it a great alternative to Sukoshi Mart. They carry Cosrx, The Creme Shop, Etude House and the like. The prices were competitive too when I was comparing to the Korean grocery stores! They also have some non-beauty related products like plushies. Some of these looked like they were Disney Japan exclusives. I also saw an interesting posture helping plushies from Liveheart. When you're sitting at a desk, the plushie sits on your lap and prevents you from hunching over close to your screen. They even have structured arms that you can put your arms on top to prevent them from dangling. These were also Disney with Lotso and Baymax options! If you're a K-Pop fan, they carried BT21 care products like under-eye masks and lip balms. I also saw a lot of hair dyes that featured artists like Blackpink.

I have been coming to Markham Town Square for decades. As usual, I tend to focus on stores than I…read moredidn't even notice this listing until today. It's situated on the northeast corner of Warden Avenue and Highway 7, across the street from Markham Civic Centre. My first visit here was in grade 12. I wanted to go to my first major concert. Madonna was doing a couple of shows at SkyDome. I'm dating myself and I don't care. I needed a wristband to get my place in line, well before doing anything online was a thing. My best bet was getting one at a music store at Markham Town Square. My dad drove us up here. We lived in the Beaches. My mom wrote a letter to show my teachers that I needed to be excused from their classes. Thank goodness I was a good kid and student to swing this arrangement! In short, I got my tickets. I paid for them, even though my dad insisted on paying. I was elated. I made it back to school in time for my French class. I couldn't stop smiling. Markham Town Square will always have a special place in my heart. Little did I know that I'd become a Markhamite and visit this place regularly years later. This music store is long gone. There used to be a Chinese restaurant between the No Frills, and Town Gift & Postal Service. It has changed names over the years. It's the only store that is vacant these days. No Frills is your grocery store. I never have any problems finding what I need here. The selection is decent and I've never been disappointed shopping here. Town Gift & Postal Service is a non-descript store that you wouldn't expect to be a post office. People often hit Shoppers Drug Mart and are disappointed to learn that it doesn't have a post office. Town Gift & Postal Service is your post office. The folks who run this store are nice. It does get busy thanks to the post office part of this business. There used to be a Mr. Sub. It's gone. I was sad. I'm happy to see that a Korean eatery is about to take its place. I probably frequent these businesses the most: - Shoppers Drug Mart - Felix & Norton Cookies - McDonald's This Shoppers is convenient to get to. If I need to grab something quickly, I can here. There's lots of parking that it's rarely an issue. Felix & Norton Cookies are amazing. I love their gourmet cookies, perhaps more than I should. It's the butter that makes them so decadent. It has Pusheen products, which is a bonus. I like this McDonald's. Staff are friendly and I have yet to have anyone mess up my order. I tend to hit the drive-thru. This plaza has another drive-thru, which makes it stand out. You rarely see a couple of drive-thrus in close proximity, but you do here. The other is Scotiabank. The lane is tighter than McD's, but it works. For the longest time, the store where Canada Computers & Electronics is was vacant. It used to be a Future Shop. When it shuttered for good, it was empty for years, with a brief stint as a returning office for one of the elections. I love Canada Computers. It brings out the geeky side of me. There is a lot to look at and prices are pretty good. Next to Canada Computers is Honeymoon Dessert. It was previously a Menchie's. It's a nice addition to get your dessert fix, including really good fruit teas. I have frequented Cora's, Teriyaki Experience, and Pizza Pizza over the years. All have been at this plaza for years. I still haven't visited all businesses. Wonton Hut comes to mind. One of these days, I'll cave and place an order. This plaza has everything I need. Food. Burgers. Cookies. Computer accessories. Dessert. It suits my needs nicely. (172)

Wowow, I just stepped into cheapo's paradise and survived! I've been to Japan a fair number of…read moretimes in recent years and I gotta say, you cannot resist Japan's ¥100 stores because their items are just so ingenious, practical, and affordable! From what I can see, Ichiban Living imports a lot of their products (Sería) and sell them here for $2. YES! Everything is just $2! Reasonable with the conversion rate and tax. Just my luck because I was starting a new shopping list for my next Japan trip, but now I can save the plane ticket and stock up here for the time being. Here, you will find high-quality items like stationary, diy craft scrapbooking supplies, kitchen supplies, baking supplies, dinnerware & utensils, household basics, cleaning supplies, organizational boxes, those small empty travel bottles, small bags and pouches, bicycle accessories, basic jewelry, basic electronics.. just everything useful and practical! Funny story: a friend of mine who recently became a new mother said that the only thing missing on her expensive baby stroller is a cup holder (for her beer lol). Well, look what I found... a cup holder attachment for your stroller! LOL. Seriously, whatever knick-knack you can't find at your local Dollarama, whether the size just ain't right or it's not the colour you want, it's worth taking a look here. Really, you will notice a Western-Asian comparison of practicality here, the difference show in the items. It is located in the basement/garage level of Pacific Mall. It looks small, but it's full of compact variety. As I was browsing deeper into the store, to my astoundment I found.. stairs.. which meant MORE! :O It led me to the (even) lower level where more items are stocked (so if you find something on the top level but is not in good shape, try the lower level). With those stairs, I unexpectedly spent a good hour there, which is so typical of me and dollar stores.. You can never get enough of bargain variety stores.

Ichiban Living is located in the basement of Pacific Mall and is like a Japanese Dollarstore. The…read moreprices are all about $2.25 each. You'll find things you didn't even know you need. Once you enter the store, be sure to go to the corner and go downstairs, as there are many more knick-knacks for you to peruse. I wanted some thicker padding for my chairs and tables, so it didn't dig into my carpet as much, and I only found it here at a reasonable price! Look at those cute chairs and table socks! I also picked up some padding to stick in the bottom of my laptop to prevent overheating. I found some useful large S hooks that can fit my balcony railings and dividers to hang more plants. They have kitchen tools, bathroom gadgets, storage, pots, hangers, beauty tools, you name it, they have it. Always worthwhile to check out when you're at PMall. Note, I'm not sure if it's due to the fire, but the escalators at Pmall are not functioning, so you have to use the service elevators the past weekend to go up and down the mall.

I've been here a few times and was able to find a dress last time, but my husband found a shirt…read morethis time for himself, so I'll count that as a win! The checkout was really quick, which was great. It was hard to find some stuff and some items were in the wrong areas..

Tip: Mall entrance 6 will get you to this Winners…read more It dawned on me after posting a handful of photos yesterday that I have never reviewed this Winners store. I have been here countless times over the past couple of decades. Yes, I will say that this store is at least twenty years old. I can't tell you why I've never posted a bunch of photos or reviewed this Winners. Better now than never! This Winners is on the second floor of CF Markville Mall. It's next door to Auric King, which used to be where the Pickle Barrel was for years. It's kind of weird to not see this eatery next door to Winners. Years ago, I would go shopping at Winners with a friend. Afterwards, we'd have dinner at the Pickle Barrel. It was always an enjoyable outing. The Winners remains huge and spacious. Why? Many moons ago, it was the second floor of Walmart. I was early for my eye appointment, so I spent some time at Winners before I headed over there. I spent most of my time in the beauty products section. Sadly, Winners doesn't seem to carry the gel nail strips that I like anymore. However, it did have the cutest plush croissant keychain. I looked at nail polish, lip gloss, eye shadow, and more. The beauty section was extensive and fun to browse. I headed briefly over to the winter coats section. There was lots of variety. i didn't need one, but it was nice to browse. The store was busy at around 4:30 pm. Many high school students were in this store, which made me smile. It was nice to see that there are still teens who like to hang out at a mall like I used to. I should stop by more often. This store is by mall entrance 6. It's where I like to park my car at the mall. There's lots of parking and there's a marked pedestrian crossing that I like. (464)

There's never a better time to rethink your money. If you're a student on a budget, an avid…read morethrifter, or a frugal spender like me, this store is for you. My first experience at Plato's was selling with them. Because of their established database, the process is quick & easy. Bring in your gently used clothing by bin or basket (no bags please!) and pick them up after they've assessed them. Salability is objective and depends on your item's condition and style. Their system will determine if your item's on trend, in demand and if it will sell well with them. With your consent, they will happily take your items and pay you instantly in cash. Then you're good to go! As for the payout, I don't have any expectations because I know I'm not there to make a profit. The clothes I bring will otherwise be donated to charity, so it's delighting to make a couple of bucks here first before I send them off. So far, I've sold with them x2 and made $14 for 3 items, and another $10 for two items. YMMV. If you're selling, all you need is a phone number and ID, just walk-in. Not limited to clothing; they also take footwear, bags & accessories (jewelry, phone cases, unopened make-up, sunglasses, etc!). For both guys & gals! The staff are friendly and will explain the process to you. They also offer the Five Stars loyalty rewards program. I walked around the store while waiting and saw some decent trendy items you can pick up for $6-7! You will find brand name items in good condition. As with any secondhand store, you just never know what you might find. Compared to other thriftier stores, I would trust Plato for better quality products because of their selectiveness. So the next time you clean out your closet, I hope that you'll remember this place. Help the earth out and give your gently used items a second chance :)

I like the idea of this place. You bring in your gently used items and they will buy things that…read moreare currently trending (which honestly always seems to be forever21 type clothing), and you get a few bucks in cash right back. Sometimes they take a few hours to go through your stuff depending on volume of people. You can leave or shop around while you wait. Shopping here is interesting. It really illustrates how sizes can differ between brands because there's stuff in large that fit a small person, and vice versa. The store itself is usually organized best they can. A few time though, I did want to purchase something and it had tears or rips in them. But they were being sold at the same or higher price than other pieces of similar style. While I understand the idea is that these are pre-owned, I think they need to maybe review the seams a lot closer before hanging up for sale. It's a bit disappointing to think you found something great at a good value, only to realize it's damaged and you can't really justify getting it.

Peppertree Klassic is my go to store, and has been for years…read more Karen of course, is truly amazing with her wonderful talents of purchasing the proper brands of clothing and accessory for her clientele, and how she displays the merchandise in the store- and in the wonderful windows-front of the store and back of the store. The service from the staff is very wonderful, always greets you when you walk into the store. If you are trying to put things together or just browsing, they are available to always assist. The presentation of the clothing is outstanding, it makes to want to buy. The value of the product is excellent.

From the owner: AMAZING Spring Fashions , Footwear and Accessories from…read moreFavorites such as Tribal, Renaur, CYC, Parkhurst, FDJ and Second Yoga Jeans plus more from sizes 0 to 18

I walked in to the store and received great service from Helen. She assessed my situation and…read moreprovided excellent advice pertain to my needs and best shoes for me.

Great place to go for your running needs. Staff is helpful…read more Great place to runners, gears, clothing. Not a cheap place. You can also donate your old runners there.

I really loved this shop!…read more The store is large and very deep, and it's filled to the brim with women's fashion accessories - primarily scarves, hair accessories of every sort and jewelry. Seriously, though, their selection of scarves and hair clips and headbands and scrunchies and hair ties is out of this world. And their prices are super reasonable. My friend and I each got a gorgeous scarf (they have lots of sales where, if you purchase 2 items, the price per item is less than if you just purchased one). The jewelry selection is also huge, but everything was dainty and Uber-feminine. (I prefer bolder and more modern jewelry, so none of the earrings or rings really appealed to me. But I can see, if one likes more delicate jewelry, there'd be lots here that you'd like). They also had some nice wallets and totes and handbags. (As a side note, I can't help but marvel at the poor reviews here with people complaining about their jewelry breaking or turning thier ears black. When you spend $10 or so on jewelry, don't expect Tiffany quality lol).

It's basically like a boutique version of stores like Ardene or Claires. Cheaper jewelry and…read moreaccessories. It's a huge store and they have an assortment of things to purchase. Personally, I don't think the quality was great at all. It matches the quality of items purchased from AliExpress where it's cheap, looks fine, but really won't last. I got a small crossbody purse here for casual wear, and within two weeks, the coating on the bag was peeling off. The jewelry is terrible quality to be honest. Great for one time costume use but otherwise, I wouldn't suggest spending your money on them. Service is also disappointing. Every time I wandered in, there was a customer trying to return or exchange a product that turned bad or proved to be poor quality. And instead of it being a simple "Of course, let me help you with this", it was a long conversation where the staff would get a bit defensive or do the "I need to call someone" thing. It just gives you the feeling that you should shop like it's all final sale.. I'm not really sure if there's a return/exchange policy though. Really, I wouldn't recommend shopping here if you need quality jewelry. You're not going to get good quality jewelry or accessories. If you ordered cheap ones off AliExpress or something, you'll probably receive the same quality. Some pieces look nice initially, but I guarantee you'll wish you'd have saved the money and invested in a genuinely nicer quality piece elsewhere. There's so many great jewelry/ accessories stores that are affordable and stand behind their product. Or shop on Etsy for hand made jewelry!