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.

Great selection of beads, findings and accessories. Lovely staff. Plus, online live sales twice a…read moreweek are fun! Always a pleasure doing business with Bellaire.

Beautiful beads and great prices especially on the drilled hole bead chips! There is a discount…read morebased on the total cost of your purchases, if in bulk. Bellaire carries a range of beads in the low to mid price range as w well as findings, crystals, etc. They have malachite, blue banded onyx (lemurian calcite), dark blue kyanite, shungite, etc but don't expect seraphinite or charoite, Herkimer, etc. Overall would recommend this to anyone making their own beaded jewelry.

I don't recommend the place, bad service. The staff really rude, even with kids. Really bad…read morecustomer service, because if you need help they act like you are not there, but if they see something that they don't like, for that they open there mouth.

From the owner: At Bliss, we sell affordable fashion jewellery and accessories that range from rings necklaces and…read moreeverything in between. We carry many jewellery pieces that are great for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays or just a little gift for that special someone. We also sell and fix watches as well as replace the batteries. We are located on the second floor in the Chinatown Centre mall. Come visit us and look around!

Bad quality shoes.....very bad. No service, No warrenty. They are not responding to the form in the…read morewebsite! See picture.

Well, everyone knows that manufacturers' outlets are hit or miss and this one is certainly more of…read morea miss. I did not buy anything and so am not commenting on the quality of Rieker's shoes and sneakers - they also have handbags - but this place is a liability to the brand. The staff was half lacklustre and uninterested and half hyper and eager to sell. The setting is austere, dated and somewhat depressing. There is no attempt to spruce the shop to lend some presentation or give a hand to the brand's image. The goods are of two categories. Defective shoes with mistakes and misfires, like wrongly sewed or not glued, are very cheap and $20 or $30. Actual wearable shoes and sneakers are full price and, in fact, more expensive than places like Walking On A Cloud when they go on sale. What is the point then? When I was there a Russian tour bus minus the tour or the bus had arrived and the visitors were scampering through the low-end boxes.

L.A. Cherie is a good place to go to to find something special, definitely not run of the mill. The…read morestaff is friendly and helpful. I have been a patron for many years at there various locations.

From the owner: The store with a heart.read more

During the Black Friday weekend of sales, I was looking at one of my social feeds on my phone. I…read moresaw a Minnesota Vikings t-shirt at a heavily reduced price. It was from Torrid. It took the right product at the right price being advertised to lure me in. I'm happy that it did. I had never heard of Torrid. Torrid specializes in women sizes from 10 to 30. Although I am not a curvy person, I can fit in all t-shirts that I got during this sale period. I ordered everything online. It has a sizing chart that was easy to follow. For t-shirts and tops, the smallest size is a 0. I figured that I'd go roomier with a 1. What stands out about Torrid is its footwear. Sizes range from 6 through 13. You can also get them in wide width. I'm a women's size 11. It's nice that I can find cute, feminine shoes in my size here. I got a pair of Mary Jane sneakers. They were in my size and were also heavily discounted. I like the graphic t-shirts at Torrid. My love for graphic t-shirts happened during the pandemic and I haven't stopped loving them. I managed to get Garfield and Strawberry Shortcake t-shirts. They are two cartoons that I grew up watching and they were cute. Each t-shirt was $12 after all the discounts were factored in. I was pleased. Let's get back to what sucked me into Torrid. I managed to get the Minnesota Vikings t-shirt. It's an official NHL-licensed item. I also found a Minnesota Twins baseball t-shirt that was an official MLB-licensed item. It's my first Twins item that I have ever owned and I got it on sale. My order came in two parts. A pair of shoes and my Garfield t-shirt arrived at the store first. I went to pick it up two Wednesdays ago after work. The closest entrance to Torrid at Vaughan Mills is entrance 5. I parked and had no problem finding the store. It's free shipping to the store that you select. With the Canada Post strike, it made sense for me to pick it up at the store. I chose Vaughan Mills because it was on my way home from work. It was awesome to browse this store. I saw sparkly blouses and fun skirts. I saw the best set of skull earrings that my best friend would love. I got to the checkout and got a lovely woman. I let her know that I was picking up an order. All you need to do is rattle off the order number. This woman confirmed my name and went into the back to fetch my order. Although the pickup instructions say to bring identification, I never had to present it both times that I was here. I got the skull earring set while I was there. It was 50% off. My first order had a barcode for 10% off. We used it. This woman was great letting me know about the extra savings. She placed my items in a nice paper bag with ties. I thanked her and left. My Mary Jane sneakers are extremely comfortable. I'm happy with them. I returned on Tuesday to fetch the rest of my order. I got an e-mail on the weekend saying that my order was ready to pick up. You have fourteen days to fetch it. If you don't, you won't be charged and the store releases the hold on your items. All my t-shirts fit nicely at a size 1. I could go down a size, but I like the comfy fit that I have and I want to breathe after a large meal... haha I wore my Vikings t-shirt to work on Wednesday. It was extremely comfortable. I got nice comments. It's also nice that I quietly got to celebrate the Vikings one-point win on Sunday by wearing this t-shirt. I'd shop here for t-shirts and shoes. I'm not sure how jeans and pants would fit me here. I saw some cool leggings while at the store. I should investigate that fit down the road. It's an awesome store. I'm so glad that advertising sucked me into this place. The quality is decent and I have saved a lot of money on my purchases. (466)

OMG! What a great store! The clothes are to die for. All the colors and different styles to choose…read morefrom and the sizes are a perfect fit. In this particular store the girls were amazing, so helpful and what a great smile on each and every one of them. It's hard to find a store that will not only carry a plus size, but also have a modern look and perfect fit to them. I not only recommend this store, I beg you to go and see for yourself. I assure you, you will not leave empty handed. There is something for everyone, 20's, 30's, 50's and even my mom who is 75 found something to buy. Thank you ladies for your patience and all your help!! I love my new clothes.

Charming shop on a charming stretch of Roncesvalles. I enjoyed exploring this neighborhood on my…read morelast visit to a Toronto. I stepped in to this shop because I liked the store name. They stock local makers and I ends up purchasing a cute little ring that is now one of my favorites.

Almost a 5. The only flaw. They could have more selection. But all items are carefully curated…read more When you shop at a place like this. Think shopping an outfit. Or looking for that special item that won't be seen on a mannequin in the mall. Quite a few local Canadian designers at reasonable designer prices. Wonderful accessory pieces also in a variety of areas, jewellery, leather goods, and novelty items. Boutique service and comfortable store. Shop local.

Looking for a car battery I checked Partsource…read more It's a standalone vehicle parts counter, suppose it's a choice for a do it your selfer retail customer besides walking into the parts counter at the dealership / Canadian Tire or NAPA. Found one variety of battery Exide for my car. Wish there was more selection from different companies.

I've only ever bought one part here but I have to give them a good review because they're the best…read moreloctaion at getting through the phone calls and helping you with part searches, warranty info and price quotes. Unfortunately they rarely have what I need on hand so I usually end up buying it at another Partsource store after they've given me all the info!