What a great shopping experience today at Bushtukah on Richmond Road. My husband purchased a pair…read moreof green Shimano cycling shoes from Christian. The quality of service was beyond reproach. Christian was very knowledgeable and highly personable. He is very happy with the cycling shoes.

Been a longtime customer at Bushtukah buying multiple bikes, bike trainer, X country skis and lots…read moreof clothing and accessories. I have never been disappointed with the service and am glad to support a local business.

It had been years since I last stepped foot in an MEC store. The last time I did was in Montreal…read moreperhaps eight years ago. That particular store is long gone. My friend and I stopped by to check it out. She let me know that you no longer need a membership. Yep, I live in a cave. This store is huge. It's two floors of camping gear, bicycles, apparel, snacks, and more. I know many folks who think that MEC is strictly for campers. I have never done any camping in my life. It's not because I don't like nature. It's because I'd get eaten alive by mosquitoes. My bug bites get puffy and extremely itchy. Instead, I can enjoy getting hats and tumblers. We saw a flat flask that we both liked. It would be great in a bag or purse. Is it bad that I was thinking of filling it up with booze instead of water?! It was a bit expensive at roughly $60. Every water bottle that I own does not exceed a third of that price. I like the sling bags at MEC. They are durable, have many zippered compartments, and are comfortable. I still have my red one. This store had more updated styles. If it came in purple, I would have bought one without any hesitation. There were some sales going on. Prices are high to begin with, so if you can get something on sale, do it. I saw a sun sombrero that fit my large skull. I couldn't justify paying $40 for it. I hope that it goes on sale. I like the travel accessories. From charging adapters to mini flashlights, you can get everything here. My friend found a pair of Teva sandals in my size, at a reduced price. I haven't worn this brand in ages. I had just bought two pairs of sandals a couple of days earlier. Had I not, I would have probably bought this pair. Teva has velcro straps on all its sandals. I am into the convenience of velcro on footwear these days. This store had those massive Stanley tumblers that everyone seemed to want earlier this year. I held one in my hand. It was $60. I then put it down, similar to the flat flask. I enjoyed browsing around this store. I can now say that I've been to MEC in Ottawa. Yay! (286)

We have had such a great experience with the MEC. We had shopped at a few other places for…read moreadventure clothes, gear, and more and they have a good selection. For clothes, yes come try, check out their sales. They also have a great selection of boots and shoes. Their clothing is varied and I appreciate them having a store brand. We actually like a lot of the store branded items. They seem to carry lots of sporting stuff. I would say a good strong selection of camping, biking, skis, hiking, and... climbing! I love their climbing selection. They even have ice picks. I would say definitely talk to their staff if you have questions. They are knowledgeable and helpful.

I like Fjallraven from the pants to the shirts. I found the prices here to be overpriced. The staff…read moreseemed uninterested in assisting me, socializing with other staff. When I asked for help identifying the price of an item, they didn't know the price.

They have beautiful products that seem overpriced. The staff was super attentive but it was black…read moreFriday week. I loved the colors and their pants collection. They also have some pretty nice shoes. The store across the street is worth checking out too. It's a small store.

No customer service at all. I went in to buy a pair of skates for winter. Walked in and the guy…read moreat the counter didn't utter a word. Then I walked over to the skates and waited for someone to come help me for 10 minutes. NO ONE CAME AT ALL. So I decided to leave. As I was leaving the store there was an employee blocking the doorway. I said goodbye and the guy couldn't be bothered. He didn't say one word.

Very rude staff more interested in playing on their phones than serving customers. Won't go back.read more

While visiting home recently, I decided to play golf for the first time in a long time, but wanted…read moreto do it right by getting a pair of shoes. With this place being the only possible spot in town to carry them, I rolled the dice, stopped in, and became pleasantly surprised when there was not just one, but two options. The price was also "marked down" 50% on both so what would have been a $120 pair cost me only $60. They also had sizes 11.5 and 12 in both. Another surprise. The only thing they didn't have was a pair of nylon socks, so I rolled the dice again and took a dirty, likely germ-infested sock from the used sock box and hoped to leave without getting plantar warts or else some other unrecognizable fungus. Three days later and I haven't had to visit either the podiatrist or dermatologist. Before entering the store, I got distracted by the sales rack and ended up picking up a $10 t-shirt and a $32 pair of running shorts inside (not on sale). The cashier/manager told me he could save me 20% on my total at the counter by simply providing my name and address. Not my email address, which would have likely resulted in me getting bombarded with unwanted spam, but my physical address. Easy enough. My total came to just under $90 and I left one happy shopper.

I went to Sports 4 College Square to buy a pair of New Balance running shoes, but they did not have…read morethe model I wanted. The clerk suggested I try another brand. I asked if I could try them at home to make sure they were comfortable, and the clerk assured me that I would be able to return the shoes. Today, I brought them to return to the store, as I found that they were a bit narrow in one of my insteps. When I went to return the shoes today, the clerk went to the back of the store where only staff can go and spent a long time talking with, I assume the manager or store owner. When he returned, I asked what the problem was. I was told that there was a note on our name that said we were only allowed to get an exchange or get credit. I asked why and was told that over the past six years, (since 2018) my husband and I had bought 9 pairs of shoes and returned them. I was then told by the person from the back of the store that we were banned from buying any shoes from that store because it takes up too much of the staff's time to deal with people who buy and then return goods. Wow! I am not a person who goes and tries things on in stores and then returns them and buys online after. I rarely buy anything online. I felt very violated by the attitude of the staff people in the store. Instead of talking to me about why I returned the shoes and maybe trying to get to the bottom of why the shoes had been returned, instead we are told we are banned from buying in that store. What a shocking way to treat your customers! I will definitely let others know the customer service policy of this store. We have at least 6 runners in our family and many friends also. Looking forward to buying from a store that respects and values its customers.

I was diagnosed with metatarsalgia and knew that I needed new shoes. I had been walking everyday…read morefor more than 5K for 90 days since we were in Florida and chose not to rent a car just for that reason. We had to walk everywhere. It was all hard surfaces and by the end of the 3 months I had a very sore foot. A friend of mine recommended sports 4 where she said she always bought shoes. When I walked in Nathan greeted me. It was really busy and he started to serve 3 customers at once. I have never in my 50 years of living in Ottawa and now at the age of 80 had such outstanding service. Nathan measured my foot and then brought out a pair of shoes that were a miracle. He wanted to make sure that these were the best so he brought out two more. He gave me time to walk in each pair and then choose. Although not a super athlete we have walked every day on many trails in the small towns within an hour of Ottawa. I was one of the featured trails in The best trails of 2021 on the Alltrails.ca website. Today I went to my zumba class and I didn't have any pain in my sore foot in my new shoes. Nathan is a super star salesman and has saved my life. Thank you Nathan and Sports 4. Roz L.

Worst online ordering. They took the money from visa and they put them back without any…read moreexplanation. Twice in 3 weeks

Kind of expensive, but not good service, or much to say in a good way I guess…read more I had trouble finding what I wanted, getting service, and then they had a very small selection of skates. Decided to shop somewhere else with better options.

Trailhead used to be in a really cool rustic looking post and beam building at Scott St and McRae…read moreAve, but that building was torn down to make way for condos (story of my neighbourhood). So it moved to the Fairlawn Plaza which is across the street from Carlingwood Mall. The older building had much more character, and was really fitting for Trailhead, which is an outdoor adventure kind of store, like MEC. Nonetheless the new store is doing well. Admittedly, when I walk into these kinds of stores, I am like a fish out of water. I have zero interest in kayaking, camping or climbing mountains. I like the temperature controlled climates of enclosed shopping malls, museums, theatres, and restaurants (and don't ask me if I want a seat on the patio, because the answer will always be "no." Lol). Actually, I do like the outdoors, but only when the weather is fair (20 degrees Celsius, no precipitation), the sun is setting, and the bugs haven't come out yet. I am not sporty nor outdoorsy. So why the heck do I even go to Trailhead, you ask? Because they have some cute clothes! They have a great selection of prAna jeans (ethically made, sustainable, and organic fabrics) and they have clothes that are great for travel, like they fold up real small and don't wrinkle (brands like FIG from Montreal, and Toad and Co.). Their prices are on the higher side, but they do have sales, although their sales are not as discounted as at Bushtukah or Sail. Nonetheless, I like going in to poke around, but only for clothes because I have no idea what most of the other stuff in there is for ;) Oh, they also sell Canada Goose jackets. These are also of no interest to me, as I try to avoid situations where I have to be outside when it's -30 degrees. Lots of free parking in the plaza.

The person who helped me with the purchase of my cross country skis was Tyler. He was extremely…read moreknowledgeable, and very helpful. He taught me the proper way to use the bindings, and was patient with all of my unending questions. There was never any pressure, just education, and assistance. On another note, I was pleasantly surprised at the price of the skis and bindings. The same brand and style was much less expensive than at their competitor. I can honestly say that the only reason I was in there was because I had a gift card, but I realize now that my bias that they are too expensive has been quashed. their prices for good quality items was very fair.

Bought a commuter bike last September and it has been a very dependable ride with excellent…read morehandling. The free annual tune up was very good as well; I was dumping too much oil on the chain, so Andrew showed me how to do it properly, which was above and beyond. A small issue with the chain was resolved to my satisfaction, so I highly recommend Giant Kanata.

From the owner: Discover the latest bikes, accessories, and services at Giant Kanata CA. Call us at…read more1+(613)599-1240. Your ultimate destination for all things Cycling.