My wife and I were in town the other week when I ventured into Back Alley Music for the first time…read more Being from Texas, I was curious as to what sort of music they had in stock. Their selection was pretty on point, and even held quite a few treasures. As I was making my way through the collection, I heard the manager talking to his daughters off hand about the band Explosions in the Sky, a band who, in the early 2000's, I had gone to see out in small West Texas. My ears immediately perked up and I asked why the band was mentioned by them. To my surprise the manager had just intentionally made the order for the album to come to the store. His knowledge and appreciation was evident. Before making my way out I stopped and I bought that vinyl. I'm listening to it right now. It's amazing to go to a place and see how well rounded and engaging the staff is with their knowledge and appreciation for music. Personally in that moment when Explosions in the Sky was first mentioned I found myself a bit homesick, thinking back on growing up in Austin in the 90's. Without knowing my background, I was addressed with a down to earth empathy, very much like how it was during the countless of times being in a record store back home. With engaging the staff, I was brought back to a familiar scene of spending hours listening to music. No doubt I would be the last to have such experience at this great store.

One of my stops on the trip was to go to the local record store. This is a cute shop with a bunch…read moreof used and new records. Prices for used are on the cheap side. Even though l arrived an hour before closing time, l counted at least 4 or 5 new people coming in and out, which l think makes it a popular place. Separating used vinyls by letters inly forces you to go through all of them. The good: A good selection of used records. A section of " new used records " is something l never saw in a store before and found some goodies in there. Bunches of vinyl sleeves in packs of 100 (12.75 x 12.75 by the way). The bad: First store l visit that did not have an online catalog to view beforehand. Which means that the pictures on their Instagram account (on which they do not reply to messages) can quickly be out of date. If you are looking for a more precise underground artist/band, you will not find it here. If l lived in PEI, l would probably be there every week. It is a nice place to go to.

When I went in with my two sons we were greeted, I was given great advice on an air compressor for…read moremodel painting (including advice on where to get a beginner model). Several model sets were unique to this store and prices were very fair for the items we got.

Walked in and were not greeted by either one of the men behind the front counter who were busy…read morechatting each other up. ( Free customer service Tip # 1--Always greet customer even if you are talking with a buddy, it makes us feel like you value our business) Two other sets of customers came in after us and they were greeted and offered service so I thought to myself, " oh maybe it was just an oversight , no biggie then" Wrong. We saw about 4 or five employees as we walked around and not one acknowledged us and I did have questions. It was just an unfriendly vibe in there. Now on to the store itself There are no prices on anything but they do have price scanners but they do not work. We took an item to check the price and the message displayed " item cannot be found in inventory" Lovely. It is usually a pricey item but I did need it , but I was not going to ask unfriendly people who didnt even care if I was in their store. I wanted to leave since a weird customer began to stalk us through the store after looking me up and down. They have a lot of things for Rc cars building , painting, your own and the electronics. They have models some imitation Legos a few painting supplies but the bulk of the store is RC stuff. We walked out to the sound of crickets and will continue to shop online.

Staff were so nice! Felt very welcomed. The comic and other book selection was incredible! Good…read moreprices as well.

Visited the shop from USA. Prices on back issues were really great. Friendly staff. Clean…read more Purchased a nice silver age DC.

I love to visit this store when I'm in Charlottetown. They have different things and books that…read morethe chain stores don't have. I always tell my guests who visit to stop in this store and most times they see a book they want and buy

Bookmark is a regular stop on my family's trips to PEI. While not as large as Chapters, it has a…read moregreat selection of off-the-beaten-track novels and other books. Plus it's great to support a small business. Bookmark also has a location in Halifax. This store is long and narrow with one side stocked with books and the other with art supplies. That's something else that makes it unique; get your art and books on art in the same location! Even though the only "artsy-craftsy" thing I do is knit, it is always a pleasure to check out the sketchpads, pens and other supplies. They also have stationery. I always find something to buy in this store simply because it seems to have different titles than the big-box stores. Also, because it's on the Island, it has books by their local authors you simply won't find anywhere else. I do wish it was a bit bigger with a leeetle more selection, but that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?

Excellent service, super friendly knowledgeable staff. And a Great spot to pick up phone…read moreAccessorie.

I've loved stopping in to Owl's Hollow since I was a little kid visiting PEI! The variety of toys…read moremeans that there's something there for kids of all ages! I really love the wooden toys. When I was younger, I never noticed all of the yarn, but now that I'm a knitter, it was the main thing I wanted to see. The shop has a great selection of yarn and accessories (including cute anti-slip stickers for the bottoms of slippers & the biggest colour selection of Phentex I've seen) in the back corner. On top of the great products, there's a cute little coffee shop in the front. You can pay for your coffee shop order while you're paying for your products at the main cash. We did have to ask at the cash to make an order as no one was at that counter. It was no problem to quickly bring up a guy from another part of the store to pull a shot of espresso. This is a perfect shop for a crafter with kids! The kids can look around at toys while the crafter can stay in the yarn section. The staff are friendly and easy-to-talk to with the woman I spoke to on cash also being a crafter. There is lots of parking alongside the building and you can easily spot it on the main road into Charlottetown.

We have been shopping at Owl's Hollow since 2010 and we continue to do so. The awesome staff and…read moreproduct selection, the ability to custom order, and the location make Owl's Hollow an extremely attractive shop. The store feels much larger than it is with its large inventory yet maintains the community closeness that is being lost by bigger outlets. We highly recommend Owl's Hollow. Fun staff, clean, convenient, and local--all wins!

This gallery is on a pedestrian only street, so be sure to walk down and check it out. The walls…read moreare covered with a variety of styles of paintings and prints, with local and national artists. Artwork by PEI artists Richard Vickerson and Heather Millar are just a part of what you'll find. Non-painting art includes glassworks and jewelry. These aren't basic gold and silver hoops that you'll find in a local mall, but unique pieces that will give you a personal piece that you'll enjoy for years. Prices on the pieces I looked at ranged from $30 to several hundred $, so you should be able to find something in your price range. The woman staffing the store when I was there was knowledgeable about the works and the artists, so your questions will be answered in a friendly way. Great place to make a PEI purchase.

Details Past and Present Fine Arts Gallery is Charlottetown's premier place to find representative…read moreworks by PEI's top local and regional artists. The gallery also features select works by Canadian, American, and European artists. The owner and staff put on temporary/seasonal exhibits that are fun and exciting to attend. In addition to the two- and three-dimensional art on view, you will find high-quality crafts such as pottery, art glass, and artisan-made jewelry on display. A small amount of fine antique furniture items is also part of the gallery mix. Whenever I have a special gift that I want to give or whenever I want to treat myself, this is the first and last place that I head to, because I always find something out-of-the-ordinary at Details Past and Present.

Seems like a well equipped Outdoor Adventure outfitter type store, just slightly off the beaten…read morepath, near Walmart. I was looking for a special backpack, and their selection was mostly NorthFace. Although the young staff appeared to be keen and eager to help, they seemed to not have much product knowledge in the backpack area. I ended up just reviewing the products myself, but did end up finding what I was looking for, even though two staff were sure they didn't have any...