Hallmark is a great place to go pick up last minute gifts (not that I would ever wait until the…read morelast minute!). It's great because they have so many cards to choose from - my favorite collection is the Maya Angelou collection. They are such beautiful cards and they hold a lot of wisdom in them. But Hallmark isn't just cards. They have gift books, knick knacks, home decor items, candles, picture frames, stuffed animals, coffee mugs, they have a lot of stuff. The reason I say it's a great place for last minute gifts is because of that reason: it's a one-stop-shop. You can grab a gift and a card and be on your way!

Ok. I was making fun of this store as I was walking from a…read moremediocre toy store to a shoe outlet in South Common. Man , was I glad to go in. 1. Huge amounts of Pop Art things: Think Star wars, Marvel, etc. 2. I loved their sales ! 50% off things like Hello Kitty toys 3. 90% Kitsch and 10% cards. This store reminds me of those old San Francisco stores, except grown up without the naked lady stuff. It surprised me how many things I could have bought in here. Cons: Too many things I wanted to buy.

I like this Michaels location. It is reasonably well organized (much like other Michaels locations)…read morebut I've also had the pleasure of hosting a couple birthday parties here and the staff have been excellent for this particular experience. The staff are good at running crafts for kids and really make them feel comfortable. We parents can then focus on the snacks/food while the staff can run the activities. The store itself has a good selection of all sorts of craft items and other items that might be useful for event organization, decor, and more besides. There are frequent sales and the rewards program is pretty useful.

So I spend way more time and money than I should here. The staff are usually great and super…read morehelpful. download the app to keep tabs on the coupons. There's almost always a good coupon. Also specifically Quinn in the framing department is amazing. He's so helpful and really spends the time and knows exactly what questions to ask - wait for custom framing to go on sale though I've gotten up to 60% off my custom framing order before!!

This place is terrific. Geek heaven. Great selection of single issues and trades, and huge boxes of…read moreold archival stuff. A large gaming area for tabletop games. Tons of tempting action figures and sculptures. Books on creating comics. The staff are always helpful and willing to assist me in finding anything I can't quite place or remember. The negative reviews I've read here seem to expect some kind of big-box-store phony PR campaign from the staff. I think they are mistaking people who are naturally shy or introverted (typical comic book readers?) with being unfriendly or unwilling to help. When I've taken the time to engage with the guys who work here I've had nothing but great experiences, digging through crates to find a certain story arc with my favorite characters, getting recommendations based on other things I've enjoyed, having variant covers set aside until they're ready to go on sale, etc. I'm always greeted by someone at either door when I walk in, and even though they know me by now they always ask if they can help me find anything. I don't know what people are expecting. Complimentary tiramisu? Overall this place is a great regular stop if you're a comic book, tabletop or action figure/memorabilia collector and I strongly disagree with reviews stating that the customer service is lukewarm. If you're comfortable in any other hobbyist shop you'll be comfortable here.

Frankly I find this store overly crowded and not terribly friendly. As a woman who happens to be…read moreinterested in comic books, general geeky things, and games, I find it to be exceedingly important that there be good sight lines in a store of this variety and I find it confusing and hard to navigate as a store location. It really could lead to some uncomfortable encounters with staff or patrons simply because of the layout of the store. In addition I was there with a tall person recently and the items hanging from the ceiling hit his head. This is not good in general. It's a very disorganized clutter-filled store. And feels unusually crowded even when not many people are in there. I would much rather patronize other similar stores in Edmonton that do not have quite such a cluttered/unsafe aesthetic. It also took us a LONG time to find a staff member to help us in searching for a comic we were seeking (it was unavailable). It's good that this part of town has comics/games/etc. options for shopping but I really wish that it were more of a friendly place to shop, especially for people who are new to particular hobbies.

This was the first Dollarama that I went to years ago before all the Dollar stores were popping up…read moreand everything was a dollar back then. Now you can find a Dollar store in most malls or by the big box stores. I was in Westmount and decided to check out their birthday decoration selection. Although they did have some decorations, they didn't have anything specific for milestone birthdays. It was more of the generic standard streamers or birthday banner, candles, and napkins and plates. I browsed the other aisles and they do have a large selection of items for the home, holidays, and just about anything else you want to spend a dollar or two on. Seems pretty busy too but I didn't find anything I wanted for a dollar.

Usually I really like this Dollarama but I went here a few days ago and my opinion of it dropped a…read morebit. They were really busy (the saleslady claimed they weren't but there were about 12 people in line). It took awhile for them to get someone else up at the till to help with the huge line up and when someone id come to help, they didn't make a great transition. Instead of telling the next person in line to go over to the new till, they let it be a free-for-all so everyone rushed over to the newly opened till. It was really disorganized. This Dollarama has a good selection though. It's pretty big and they have a lot of good stuff. The staff brings their rating down significantly though.

I rarely buy anything at the Butterdome Christmas Craft Sale - not that there isn't a million…read morethings to buy (I gal could spend a fortune!) no, for me I just love strolling the isles, with my Mom, Sister-in-law and Aunt, spending time together and getting in the Christmas Spirit. For me, the Butterdome Christmas Craft Sale is a tradition, and I love it! I love meeting the busy vendors, seeing the new or "it" products side-by-side with classics like hand carved wooden toys or home-made fudge. I love the hustle and bustle of people doing their Christmas shopping in one big go, and trying to find my yearly must-gets! The Craft Fair is usually the last week in November or first week in December, so keep it in mind to add to your list of holiday events. Make sure to bring cash!! That's a must. Parking can be tough, the SUB parkade is the best bet, but you can take the LRT! And wear your comfy winter boots, it's a lot of walking! Happy Crafty Holidays!

I enjoy going to this every year... it feels like admission cost is rising but at least the price…read moreis valid for all 4 days rather than day of and next day only. There's also no scratch n win promotion cards for next season like previous shows. It's very warm in there, so expect to use $2 coat check. Your admission ticket also equals one ballot for their prize draw. There are draws for free admission pre-event on their Facebook page. If you're really keen, they have links that showcase the vendors this season. Vendors offer a large variety of unique crafts, some are similar to each other though. Prices and deals vary depending on the vendors; but keep in mind that unique tends to be more expensive than big box stores. It's mostly the same vendors as previous years, so it's easy to shop if you know what you want... or if you had regretted not buying something from this year, you'll probably get a second chance with the next year's craft sale. It easily gets crowded despite the decent amount of spaces between booths. If you can avoid using a stroller, you'll be able to get around more freely for sure. That being said, the butterdome is wheelchair & stroller accessible, which I appreciate. I also like how most of the food vendors are along the same area. There's always a bunch of samples to be had & popular items to pick up are wild dried mushrooms, butter tarts, bread, and maple products; just to name a few.

Don't buy Chinese goods.Everything is cheaply made, yet they still turn a profit. I try so hard to…read morerecognize Canadian business. OR I try to do without. Do I really need another pair of flip flops?

Parking; it's a bit of a fright. But the Hallowe'en section this fall is *crazy*! 1.5 aisles of…read morekooky stuff. Gift bags, all manner of food - even some gluten free! They seem to have branched out into clothing too. Yes, they've expanded their wares, and prices up to $3 now, but I got a wilton square loaf-y type pan for $3! Cards, always a good selection. Yesterday, unusual lineups for the checkout. Only 2 gals on cash. Cash or debit only. No refunds, returns or exchanges! Check your stuff out before you leave. Some flashlights have no flash. ;-) dead batteries don't help light the table at a birthday party.

Great service, beautiful products, and reasonable prices. I'll definitely be going back.read more

I was searching for some alternative wedding invites and this store popped to mind. I love finding…read moreunique cards for special events, because why pay $5 at a drug store for a so-so card when you could pay $7 for something really beautiful and unique? I found exactly what I was looking for and I'm sure everyone will love our cheeky invites. I will definitely come back here for all my greeting card needs! Beautiful shop!

I have mixed feelings on this one, but overall pretty positive!…read more This is a huuuuuge location and I was psyched to see the variety of products (and nicely organized, to boot!) Downsides: the primary staff member I spoke with about an ottoman wasn't overly friendly and definitely wasn't helpful, but the young man who lent me his measuring tape was a gem. I also found the "ambiance" of this place to be a bit yuck- the lighting was a strange shade of yellow that I think was raining on my parade. Overall I think this is a pretty great place to peruse for new household items and decor, and the prices are always great!

I was in the area and usually like walking around Homesense to look at what they have. This was…read moreseemed very sparse and picked over. Not sure if they are waiting for product to get on the shelves or an order to come in. Luckily it wasn't too busy and no line ups as my sister found an item she wanted. Hopefully they get more product to put back on their shelves. They have a great selection of coffees which is why I love coming to Homesense.