Another day, another garden centre as a willing hostage for my sweetheart!…read more It seems I've (we've) been on a country tour of these venues for the past few months. Another city, another eye appealing experience. Lots of helpful staff, most which are students. Thanks to Dave for his advice in finding a perfect Begonia plant. There's a huge indoor and outdoor product selection including plant flats. Plenty of parking. It was worth the drive to this greenhouse operation.

I ordered my sister two hanging flowering baskets as a gift fo my sister who has Alzheimers and…read morecannot go to a garden centre to purchase flowers for her garden this year., Since she wasn''t able to go to the garden centre I went on line and spent 4 days researching when I finally discovered TERRA Greenhouse in Vaughan. I ordered her two stunning hanging baskiets that were perfect and I was so pleased. I didn't oversee a problem as there wasn't a sold out notifiation on the photo so I proceeded to order two. I received an email next day saying that they have confirmed my order, will prepare and it will be delivered to her shortly. No mention that it wasn't going to be what I ordered. Delivery was $75.00 on top of the cost of the two flowering baskets. When they arrived I was so disappointed. The two planters weren't even close to what was in the picture that I ordered. The colour scheme was completely different. It looked like they took whatever scraps of plants they had leftover, put them in the planters and delivered it. They didn't even notifify me of the change. They could have emailed me and said that the baskets I ordered were unavailable (even thought it didn't say sold out) and sent me a photo of what they created to get my approval before sending it as a gift to my sister. I thought what arrrived was so cheap looking and not up to the standards that Terra Greenhouse is all about and would definitely not have approved it. I emailed them and have not heard a response from them hoping that they could correct their error and send my sister the stunning baskets that I ordered or something very close to it. This is what I received and it is not what I ordered.

Studio Mikafleur located along College St. near Euclid Ave is a Japanese-owned plant and ceramic…read morestore. You do have to climb up a few steps in order to enter the store. Once inside, everything is beautifully displayed where there is even a plant room near the front of the store. The handmade ceramics as well as antique glassware and pieces are either displayed in the centre of the store or to the side. There are also other things like socks, candles, cards, tea, tea accessories, as well as incense as well. I've always found that the items at Mika are of high quality and carefully handcrafted. The staff are super friendly and helpful if you have any questions that need to be answered regarding the ceramics or the plants. If you are buying a gift for someone staff will make sure to include a card to explain how to care their ceramics. Mika is the type of place where I've always found great gifts for everyone - friends and family! They always come back to me to tell me how much they enjoyed the ceramics and items I picked up from Mika. Overall, a beautiful space for ceramics and plants! Definitely a great place if you are looking for high quality, carefully crafted ceramics!

Heaven is a place on Earth - and it's definitely Mika Fleur!…read more This is one of the shops that enabled this plant obsession I have going, but I promise it's healthy! Don't interview friends and family to confirm. Plant quality is great with no pests or issues. They have plant staples i.e. monstera, pothos, snake plants, etc. and a good supply in terms of selection and size but it can definitely vary. They also have rare plants from time to time that I have not been able to find elsewhere e.g. butterworts. They carry other beautiful items including dry bouquets, matcha, antiques, locally made candles and greeting cards, and handmade pottery (e.g. mugs, vases and planters). They do a great job of updating their Instagram stories to let you know of new plants and items in stock if you want to purchase/put them on hold. Everything is displayed so beautifully that it's hard not to draw inspiration. You absolutely have to purchase a plant and a mug from here to cozy up your space. Mika is the most helpful person here and, when available, always makes sure I know how to take care of my new plant babies. Take a walk-through and trust me you won't want to leave!

Bloordale has long been host to many galleries and yet something has been missing. Until now! Zebuu…read moreoffer a beautiful collection of unique hand carved art pieces by Brazilian artisans, handmade soaps and candles along with a lovely gallery displaying the prints of local artist Geraldo Valèrio. The owner is super friendly, kind and extremely helpful. I did not want to leave. They are also getting some locally made furniture pieces soon. We will be back again! Yay to Zebuu for adding more beauty to Bloordale!

Beautiful tapestries and unique gifts from all over the world. I am definitely coming here before…read morethe next wedding I attend. Really well curated and the owner is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I was worried about bringing my 4 yr old in with me, but he was very, very cool. If you are looking for unique, authentic housewares and art, this is the place.

Disclaimer: I've only been to the Bayview Village location, which has been around for about 30…read moreyears. This location is much newer, and I haven't made it there ... yet. I've browsed online photos of the new store, and it appears to have the same variety and quality of great china, housewares, decor and gift items that the Bayview Village location has to offer. I have spoken to staff on the phone here, and they were very courteous in answering my inquiries about the additional location. Based on the "flagship" location, I can honestly say it's a great shopping experience. You can take a look at the reviews for a better idea of what's involved there. Hope to make it out to this location soon.

I dropped by into this shop trying to do some last minute holiday shopping. It's small and cute…read more Lots of unique items and lots to look at. The one woman who was manning the shop was incredibly welcoming. Didn't rush us and tolerated a 4 year-old wandering around (and rearranging a few arrangements). The items are on the pricier side but seems like a good quality. We didn't find anything for the person we were looking for but bought a beautiful hair clip for our nanny. I would certainly wander thru again if I didn't have anything specific in mind.

I was looking for an image to be enlarged and framed for an oversized gallery look and Google…read morebrought me to Graham at Alternative Arts. It was my first time going to an arts/framing store for such an ambitious project but after just a few minutes speaking with Graham I knew I had come to the right place. Graham was polite, welcoming and professional. He took the time to source what I was looking for, and helped guide me with making my vision a reality. The turnaround time for my piece was aprox 4 weeks which in my opinion was very reasonable- and the result phenomenal! I am very happy with the end result. Bonus - Alternative Arts was able to provide delivery due to the sheer size of the piece which I truly appreciated. If you're looking to have custom, professional artwork for your home I would highly recommend going to Alternative Arts.

I visited in early May to have a few pieces framed. I told Graham that I was moving at the end of…read morethe month, but wanted to have the framing done beforehand due to their stellar reputation, and he said that this would be no problem. Because I was spending a large amount of money, he offered a package price including a digital scan of one of the pieces I was having framed, a sentimental image of my great-grandfather. About a week before the move, I received a call that they had either forgotten to order or misordered one of the frames. I clarified that I was moving at the end of the month, and again was reassured. In the end, I received the call that the images were ready on the last day of the month - my moving day. My husband had to drive back a couple of days later to pick up the framed pieces. I called Graham the next day, complimenting the framing but noting that I'd not yet received the digital image. He assured me that it was on its way. A few weeks later, I called again to follow up, whereupon he said that he had lost some images from his hard drive but was working to recover them, and promised to follow up via email. He didn't, so I emailed about a week later. I was told that the image was lost, but that if I wanted to drive back again with the photo, he would make the digital image then. I reminded Graham that I had moved, and asked if he would be willing to provide a partial refund instead of the digitization. He responded with a very angry email, noting that the digitization was a courtesy he had offered due to the large amount I had purchased, and thus he was basically doing it "for free" and should not be asked to provide any refund. The framing work alone was excellent, five stars. Three stars deducted for multiple episodes of poor customer service related to this order.

My first time walking into an Umbra store! This is quite a big location (two floors of products)…read moreclose to Dundas are - and we walked in after spending time at the Art Gallery of Ontario. I've been such a fan of their products, and it was great to see their full selection on view! We were only browsing today but their products aren't the cheapest, but they aren't the most expensive either. My sister asked the sales associate if they sold water, as it was quite hot this day, and since they didn't sell refreshments they offered to refill out bottle! It was so sweet of her. I do purchase their products, so will be sure to look at their hanging shelves when I'm back home!

I am a huge fan of Umbra. My very first Umbra purchase was a huge, round mirror that I bought in…read moreWinnipeg from a store in Osborne Village. My friend and I carried it from this store to my apartment, roughly two blocks away. It was that heavy, but it was a minimalistic, practical item that looked good in a tiny space. Over a decade ago, I used to attend musicals in the entertainment district. I would often visit the Umbra store before a show. I got everything from the Bungee to photo frames. To this day, I travel with a Bungee, which stores various US credit cards and currency. I often swap them out with my Canadian ones when I'm am stateside, and vice-versa when I return home. The bungee part has never weakened after all these years. There isn't any parking by this store. I had parked across the street under Shoppers Drug Mart. I walked over to check this store out. It felt the same, except that the top floor is now a clearance section. I was so happy. I love penguins have been a fan of Umbra's penguin liquid soap pump since its inception in 2008. This clearance section had a modern version of the penguin pump dispenser, including an automatic version. These dispensers were 50% off. I got one of each. The only item that I didn't like was a coiled stool. It was not comfortable sitting on it. It was in the clearance section. Only folks who want to replace the coiled top with a comfortable cushion would be inclined to buy one. This store is kind of like a museum. It was fun seeing when items were first introduce by year and how they have endured. The Bungee and penguin pumps are two such items. It was nice seeing jewellery racks and vessels for plants and more. I tend to get inspired sprucing up my place whenever I see Umbra products. Strumba caught my attention, which is Umbra's version of the kalimba. If I didn't own a kalimba already, I would have bought the Strumba. It's a fun, small instrument to play. There's so much coolness at this store. Doorstoppers. Chess sets. Shoe racks. Tipsy bottle openers to match the sipper. I had the nicest man at the checkout. I paid with a credit card. He placed my items in a paper bag with handles and came out of his area to hand it to me. It was such a classy move and was a nice touch. I wished him a great evening. He reciprocated. I left happy with my clearance items. I hope to not wait over a decade to return to this store. Of note, my soap dispensers are awesome. (389)

This is one of the few shops I like to check out every time I walk by. There are usually a few…read morereally good deals, and the store owner seems to be able to source some really unusual and charming accents that I've never seen elsewhere. I love the casual vibe and staff here are always friendly toward me. Check it out.

Like Janna, I usually make a point of stopping into this store every time I am in the area (at…read moreleast twice a month because my salon is right at Yonge/Eglinton). This store usually brings a smile to my face because the products are fun, quirky, and even whimsical at times. Staff at this store are usually fun, too, in comparison to the alternate location in Toronto (which I have also reviewed). Furthermore, it is hard not to love this store when the entire stock is at least 50% off for the holidays. It was perfect for picking up presents for the gift exchange at work, while getting myself something, too.

Excellent, friendly, community space. Compared to many studios, the rates here are unbelievably…read moreaffordable. They have classes and Open studio (independent time). The staff is super welcoming and helpful. Also at the time of this review, if you're making your Pottery there, there is no extra fee for firing. Sooooo many glazes to choose from. There's a little bit of street parking around the building area.