GO TO CROCK A DOODLE INSTEAD (723 Gerrard St East). My family has gone to The Clay Room for more…read morethan ten years. I've completed many pieces there, including a yearly handprint ornament for my daughter. This time, after choosing our pieces and following their six-colour guideline for children, I was confronted by a clerk who told me my ten-year-old "only needs four colours" and that "it's four when we're busy." The tone was hostile, and the reasoning made no sense. Customers pay for the piece, the studio time, and the firing. Colour limits serve no purpose beyond making it easier for the establishment to handle customers. The same employee who was rude and hostile later called to say she hadn't realized we had more than one piece and that we could use six colours after all. By then, the experience was already compromised, so we did not return. Crock A Doodle was a direct contrast. Seven minutes away. Transit-friendly. Every table stocked with the full set of thirty colours. The price of the item covers everything: paint, time, and firing. It was straightforward and worth it.

Loved the experience and warm atmosphere! Had tons to choose from and excellent help from the…read morestaff. We'll be coming again! Thank you!!!

Went there for hooks, as I didn't have time to go to my usual place. A lot of bins were…read moredisorganized and dirty. I found some hooks that worked for my project, but had to carefully discard broken and dirty ones from the ones I wanted to buy (dust and sand-like substance in the bottoms of bins, kinda gross). That took some time, so I was in kind of a hurry when I checked out. When I left, I noticed that the woman charged me almost double, so I went back within five minutes to get an adjustment. She refused -- since I'd walked off the property the hooks were non-refundable. I explained that she'd made a mistake, and I'd take a credit or whatever, but she refused. She acted as if she'd never seen me before, even though I was the only one in the store for half an hour moments ago. It was pretty awful. I wish I'd been more careful and watched her tally up my sale, but regardless I'd never go back because of her horrible attitude and the cleanliness of the establishment.

Went in to pick up some basic seed beads to make a quick gift for a friend while I'm traveling…read more Ended up not buying a thing simply because the woman there was ridiculously unfriendly, which I found surprising since people in this area are very pleasant. Seed beads galore. Bead jewelry hanging in every place possible. Some findings. Some tools. They have your basics. Nothing really special or pretty. Not familiar with the Beaches area, but I guess if this is the only place to get beads then the prices are decent. If you dont live in the area, I'd consider calling them to see if they have what you need before heading there.

I've been coming to this DeSerres for ages, and the staff are always really kind and knowledgeable…read more The prices are a bit steep, but that's to be expected of good quality art supplies. One thing that annoys me, and the reason I'm giving them 4 stars instead of 5, is that the paint price lists can be a little misleading. They always put the price for series 1 paint (the cheapest) at the top, in a larger font, then all the other (higher prices) are listed underneath. Most of the time they don't organize the paint by series number either, which adds a fun level of tedium to every visit. Besides that, it's a pretty solid establishment, and I'm glad to have a local art supply store.

Please note this store has moved closer to coxwell station: I visit their store fairly frequently…read more I like the new layout of their store. Some of their art supplies could be more competitive with the pricing of the same products from places like office depot, but the staff is quite knowledgeable, and they try to keep up with trends. They've even added supplies for acrylic poured paintings.

The Arts Market is an organized store showcasing local artists products…read more The experience of walking around to find a unique one-of-a-kind gift made me feel like I was walking inside a trendy museum. I will definitely return to check out new items.

Need a nice hostess gift our birthday present. The Arts Market has everything from handmade scented…read morecandles to vintage clothing to beeswax food wraps. Something for every taste here. A great place to browse.

Things Japanese carries assortment of authentic Japanese products…read more So much fun to browse around and everything here is just so delicate. Love the tablewares and they even have tea sets for the tea ceremony. Friendly shop owner also gave me good tip that if I forgot getting any gifts or souvenirs after my trip to Japan, I can always come by and pick up some. Good idea especially I love travelling light! I doubt my friends would have notice the different :) as Things Japanese has their goods shipped from Japan anyway!

An excellent assortment of extremely beautiful Japanese Flatware and other products. Great gift…read moreideas that are of higher quality. More expensive but but worth it in the end. Will be back.

A few years back I ordered several highly crafted journals!!! They were hard to find, sold out, but…read morethey were kind enough to locate some for me. I love them, even years later. Thank you for great service, and excellent craftsmanship. Ava Ault

Ok, admittedly, I didn't purchase anything here, but trust me I will!…read more This store is an absolute treat for the senses. I have not seen a more colourful, visually enticing store in Toronto. The fabrics are stunning! If you're looking for something authentic to decorate an Indian themed space, then look no further. They have an amazaing array of silk brocade panels in every colour and texture imaginable. Their selection of cushions, cushion covers, and window panels seems almost unending. You can purchase product off the shelves, however, they also offer custom upholstery services. One would expect that the stuff they are selling would induce some sort of sticker shock, but that was not the case, as their prices seem quite reasonable for Toronto (6 beaded/embroidered cusion covers for $25 - and they were beautiful). All in all, I would recommend this place if you're looking for something different or if you just want to browse. It's also a great place to bring someone who's visiting the city, as they're sure to pick up a little trinket to take home with them...this place is beautiful. FYI, only gave it 4-stars because I haven't purchased anything there yet, so I can't really comment on their customer service, though the ladies in the store seemed very nice.

Really, really disappointed with Midoco right now. I bought a fine-tipped marker that was a shade…read moretoo blue for a project and brought it back a day later (unused) and they refused to let me exchange it for another shade (of the same brand). Midoco, it's not underwear, it's a marker and unused. I don't care what your "policy" says, I returned it a day and a half later and this is how you treat your customers? Do yourself a favour and walk another few minutes West of the Midoco on Queen. Go to Above Ground, they're 100x better in terms of stock and prices. I wish I had gone there first too, would've saved myself a lot of hassle and bad feelings over one blue marker.

This is the only place in T.O. that I have seen stocking Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks and that alone…read moreis worth the trek out to The Beach. These notebooks are like "tricked out" Moleskines. They rock numbered pages, are available in grid, graph, lined and blank, have stickers to help organize, have a table of contents page and feature high quality paper (though less impressive than Rhodia). Leuchtturm's website shows no international distributors outside Europe[1] and you can't even find a mention of Leuchtturm on Midoco's website. But none of this matters, because I am telling you: you can find these fine notebooks here. Get one. They also stock a wide array of other (lesser) notebooks, pens, craft paper, markers, art supplies for adults and children and creative gifts for the hard-to-shop-for in your life. If this store has a failing, it's the cramped layout. They have placed all the desireable items (including the Leuchtturms) within 12 feet of the cash register. There's always a gaggle of people near the entrance. Expect to find yourself apologizing and saying "excuse me" a lot when you visit. But also expect to find some cool stuff, and possibly spend way too long here. Obligatory Title Pun: It's OKEY, MI-DOKEY. (So lame, I know.) Menu Readability: I really don't care for rounded sans-serif ultra-modern lettering, and the Midoco wordmark is no exception. Need to mention: This store is superior to the Bloor street store. What this place teaches me about myself: I'm obsessed with notebooks. Help me, please. _____ [1] I hear they are distributed by Kikkerland in the U.S. I don't think this is the case in Canada or we would have seen more of these notebooks by now.

Terrible customer service and unfriendly sour faces. Been…read moreshopping there a few times before but I always get the same attitude. My last purchase was a Veja shoe and when i was at the store it seemed ok but when I tried at home with a sock it was a bit tight. I tried to exchange for one size larger and because I didn't have the box with me they didn't any to do anything about it. I didn't wear once and still sitting on my closet. I have always tried to support the local shops but I don't feel like going back there ever again. thank you so much for your good business " Good Neighbour"

Queen West meets Queen East at Good Neighbour, as they bring that hip west-side taste and retail…read moreexperience to the east end. Housed in a cute Victorian small-town cottage beside the Leslieville Pumps gas station/grub joint, the store is like a teleporter to that other side of Queen Street, that I wonder if I am even in my own neighbourhood anymore whenever I step inside. I guess it's a sign of the times in the east end, as much as it is an interesting addition to the Leslieville strip. I was forwarded a meme whilst contemplating this nonsense (because apparently no one else has yet, bloody hell), and on it, a satirical list of things purported to be signs your 'hood is gentrifying, including an "inexplicable general store." Inexplicable. General. Store. I guess that best explains Good Neighbour. True to form, the place is filled with all sorts of eclectic and stylish stuff of all random categories scattered everywhere, like greeting cards, clothes and outerwear, mugs, footwear, backpacks, cosmetics, stationery. It's sort of like a Drake General Store (or maybe even an Urban Outfitters), but with more emphasis on fashion and lifestyle goods... and less on random cheeky hipster gag gift kitsch. There's a small kids section tucked in the back by the fitting room stalls, with an assortment of dresses, toys, puzzles, and humourous books. The men's stuff upstairs kind of scares me with the quantity of soaps and toiletries for the discerning well-groomed hip man. The place itself is a marriage of curated hip(ster) tastes (oh wait, they even have a table of selected Drake General Store crap for sale), and Club Monaco chic. Thankfully like a good neighbour the folks here don't stink so much of that douchey we're-too-cool-for-thou attitude that many hipster businesses are known for--they instead stink of individual cheerful Queen West-esque personality and a level of helpfulness not normally seen in a more corporate fashion boutique. Pricey? Kinda expected that. What is not expected are the sale offers that do pop up time and time again. My sister claims she bought a pair of jeans here for less than what Hudson's Bay was charging for the same brand. But I usually end up with socks, or scarves, or cards. Or whatever. {TTC: take the 72 bus or the 501-2-3 to Queen/Carlaw}

Big fan of this type of shop, an opportunity for local artists to share their wares…read more There is also one down the street, check out both.

There is no secret that Toronto has a huge arts community but did you know we have a huge craft…read morecommunity as well? Rather than wait for the holidays to find a well-made, one of a kind piece owner Daniel Cohen wanted to create a space to give artists and crafters a space to sell their goods year-round. The market itself is big and beautiful with a well-curated list of up to 40 vendors ranging from crafted paper goods to delicious smelling bath good to vintage clothes. If you're just looking to support local artists or looking for a new place to support, this place should be on your radar.

What you cannot get at Tap Phong Trading Company down the street.. you can probably get them in B &…read moreJ Trading Company!! Love to browse around and look at all the junkie merchandises... Great selections of incense.. Ommmmm I am ready for my yoga mediation sessions!

A great place to buy stocking stuffer toys. The most fun I ever have shopping for Christmas…read morepresents. And Cheap! What's not to love?