The Little Paper

Among other things, great neighbourhoods need great people, parks, libraries, schools and green spaces. They also need great stores and services. And the only way to keep those stores and services in your neighbourhood is to use them. It can be very tempting to head out to the big box store off the highway (hey, we do it sometimes too) but this holiday season, consider hanging around a bit closer to home.

Your local merchants have felt the pinch as much as you have and are working hard to keep your business. They offer great service, individual style and selection and chances are, they’ll remember your name the next time you’re in. The parking (if you need it at all) is a breeze, the stress factor is way lower and, there are coffee shops and restaurants to take a break in and, most importantly, when you shop in a store that’s owned by a member of your community, you are helping to keep the streets where your children grow up safer, more vibrant and full of individuality and character.

EAST

Baby on the hip

969 Queen St. E.
416-465-4141
www.babyonthehip.ca
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm, Sun: 12-5 pm

Nestled in a strip of Queen Street East, in Leslieville, baby on the hip offers eco-friendly baby essentials for the modern urban parent. They specialize in organic, fair-trade and locally made items for your little one. kids on the hip, their sister store for older children, is just a short walk to the East – you might want to grab a latté from Mercury Coffee before heading over.

Bumbleberry Kids

1908 Queen St. E
416-691-5556
bumbleberrykids@gmail.com
Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-5pm
Bumbleberry Kids has renewed the best children’s and maternity clothing from the Beach neighborhood. Clothes from newborn to size 8 kids and maternity have been carefully selected to provide high quality clothing for less and store owner, Robin, is a friendly and helpful resource in a great community.

Kids on the hip

1142 Queen St. E.
416-466-1171
www.kidsonthehip.ca
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm, Sun: 12-5 pm

Cheryl and Gini, the local entrepreneurs who brought us baby on the hip, have expanded on a fabulous theme with kids on the hip – a wonderful destination for natural, simple, and fun items for your eco-friendly toddler. The store features locally made clothes, wooden toys and books in a neighbourhood bursting with great little stores, restaurants and cafés.

Ella Minnow

1915 Queen Street East
416-698-2665
www.ellaminnow.ca
Heather’s delightful little bookstore in the Beach is absolutely charming. From the peaceful Tiffany blue walls, comfy reading nooks and divine selection, Ella Minnow is a charming independent island. Heather curates a stellar inventory and the store features story-telling programs as well a direct route to the wonders of Dufflet next door.

Midoco

1964 Queen Street East
Toronto ON
416-691-5676
www.midoco.ca/beach.html
Midoco’s bright and sunny East End storefront is a mecca for crafters, creators and artists young and old. From serious paints, whimsical art supplies, beautiful papers, ribbon, notebooks, water bottles, bags and so much more, its hard to leave Midoco without an armload of inspiration.

CENTRAL & MIDTOWN

INQUISITIVEkid


178 ½ Davenport Road
416-642-0752
Tu-Fr: 10am-6:30pm, Sa: 10am-5pm
www.inquisitivekid.com
INQUISITIVEkid’s carefully selected products encourage creativity, instill independence and a desire to accomplish, and help foster a sense of self. Featuring PLUUNK furniture: clean design & well made. Whether you are shopping online or in the store, you’ll find something fresh, modern and well-made at INQUISITIVEkid.

Game & Hobby Zone

2 Bloor St. W. Cumberland Terrace
Upper Level # M11, Lower Level # L21
416-413-1511
gameandhobbyzone@rogers.com
A relative newcomer to Yonge and Bloor, Game & Toy Zone has educational and family board games, toys, novelties, gift items as well as jigsaw puzzles, and die cast models. Bring in the advertisement on page 11 of this issue and you’ll get big savings exclusive to Little Paper readers.

Petit Pied & Bon Lieu

890 Yonge Street – 416-963-5925
2651 Yonge Street – 416-322-6067
www.petitpied.com
www.bonlieu.com
Petit Pied and Bon Lieu are absolute shoe meccas. You can travel uptown to the Yonge and Eglinton location, indulge yourself and your child at Davenport or head west to Bloor Street Village, each location has a large and beautiful selection to choose from.

Remenyi Music

210 Bloor Street West
416-961-3111
www.remenyi.com
Remenyi has been offering musical Toronto quality and service since 1890. The venerable but welcoming Bloor street store is just West of the AGO and handily across the street from The RCM and sells pianos, string instruments, guitars and sheet music. And, on December 5th, Remenyi will be playing host to a free family concert with Chris McKhool.

WEST

Roncesvalles Family Foot Care

22 Roncesvalles Avenue
416.536.FOOT
footclinic7@bellnet.ca
http://www.roncesvallesfootcare.com
Roncesvalles Family Foot Care specializes in plantar warts, corns and calluses, thick/ingrown toenails, fungus, ultrasound therapy for foot or ankle pain/injuries and custom made orthotics.

Diaper-eez

2309 Bloor Street West
416-604-0916
www.diaper-eez.com
Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm, Sat: 10am-5:30pm, Sun: 12-4pm
Considered the cloth-diapering mecca in Bloor West Village, Diaper-eez offers useful and fun products for the care of expecting parents and their new kids, including cloth diapers, toys, nursing accessories and much more. Susan, the store’s delightful owner, is warm and welcoming as well as an unparalled source of wisdom and support for new (and not so new) moms and dads.

ella+elliot

188 Strachan Avenue
416-850-7890
www.ellaandelliot.com
Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12pm-5pm
West end parents Christian and Suzanne Imler opened ella+elliot just over 3 years ago. In a large and bright store just a stone’s throw from Trinity Bellwoods park, ella+elliot offers Canada’s largest selection for the modern baby and now, modern solutions for big kids too as well as professional design services.

Evymama Nursing & Maternity

266 Jane Street (Just North of Bloor)
416.913.0546
www.evymama.ca
10-6 Mon-Wed, Friday & Saturday, 12-5 Sunday, 10-8pm Thursdays.
Evymama is Toronto’s only breastfeeding boutique, specializing in beautiful nursing bras from A to M cup, fashionable and flattering nursing tops, dresses and designer maternity wear and accessories with a truly extensive selection of cloth baby carriers.

Little Bird Fly

2955 Dundas Street West
647-384-3443
www.littlebirdfly.ca
A beautiful open space filled with gently used children’s clothing, toys and shoes. Junction resident and store owner Amanda has included some funky maternity clothing in the mix, along with a wonderful kids’ play area in the back.

hello sunshine creative baby shop

5 High Park Ave
Toronto, M6P 2R5

www.www.hello-sunshine.com
Christina and Delko, Hello Sunshine’s owners, know what they’re doing. As busy parents of two small children, they have first-hand experience in choosing clothing, accessories, equipment and furnishings for young families. Hello Sunshine has been an essential destination across from High Park for over two years!

Kid-eez

2323 Bloor St. W. Unit #7
416-763-1100
Why battle traffic, expensive parking and long lines for dance clothing, shoes and accessories when everything you need is available in this lovely little shop behind Body Language Academeny of Dance in Windermere Court? A bit of a west end secret, Kid-eez is staffed by dance teachers who know how to choose just the right gear for your own little dancer.

Little Lola and Company

778 Annette Street
Toronto
416-915-5652
www.littlelolakidsshop.com
Victoria is a busy mom with an inspired eye for all things beautiful. Little Lola offers west end families and anyone else up for a visit to Annette absolutely stunning clothing, toys, gifts and design accessories. Little Lola’s annual Open House is on Friday, Nov 13 from 10am to 8pm and Saturday, Nov 14 from 10am to 5pm. Great savings are just one reason to use this as an excuse to acquaint yourself with Little Lola.

Mabel’s

323 Roncesvalles
416-534-2333
www.mabelsbakery.ca
M-F: 8:30am-7pm, Sa: 8am-6pm, Su: 9am-6pm
Roncesvalles was thrilled to welcome Mabel’s to the strip for local and organic meals to go, baked goods from scratch, artisan cheeses and the best of Ontario’s specialty items. Gorgeous cupcakes, caramelized onion dips, hand-made pizzas and so many other deligfhts make Mabel’s an essential destination for holiday entertaining and easy family meals.

Melonhead

2100 Bloor St. W.
416-762-0800
www.melonhead.ca
Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm, Sat: 9am-6pm, Sun: 10am-5pm
Every little girl needs to get her haircut in a pink cadillac! Melonhead’s two locations on Yonge Street and in Bloor West Village offer parents great choices for haircuts and kids love the sparkle spray, free helicopter rides and parting gifts. The friendly West End location is owned by parents Navaz and Sharmina who offer first-timers a ten percent discount!

Midoco

555 Bloor St West
Toronto ON
416-588-7718
www.midoco.ca/annex.html
Midoco’s bustling Annex location is your creative outlet for craft and art projects, parties and supplies. Like her sister in The Beach, the Bloor Street Midoco is constantly inspiring and consistently well and imaginatively stocked.

Petit Pied & Bon Lieu

2390 Bloor St. West
416-767-8366
www.petitpied.com
Bloor West parents were thrilled to see Petit Pied open up in the west end, fufilling their midtown Toronto reputation for an extensive inventory of high quality children’s shoes (and great looks for moms, as well) to the Village.

Planet Kid

87 Roncesvalles Avenue
416-537-9233
www.planetkid.ca
When Sara moved Planet Kid from its Queen West location last year, we were thrilled to have her that much closer. Her lovely little store stocks local designs by Red Thread designs, Hankwear, Baby Ben and Kid Brother as well as Little Soles, Stonz, Boggs and Blundstones. Don’t miss local artist Rachel Riordan’s gotta-have-em alphabet prints.

Roncesvalles Family Foot Care

22 Roncesvalles Ave
416-536-3668
www.roncesvallesfootcare.com
Roncesvalles Family Foot Care specializes in plantar warts, corns and calluses, thick/ingrown toenails, fungus, ultrasound therapy for foot or ankle pain/injuries and custom made orthotics.

Roncy Village Veterinary Clinic

215 Roncesvalles Avenue
416-538-8387
Dr. Mark Kinghorn and his team are eager to meet the four-legged inhabitants of West Toronto and have swiftly taken to the local community - their Hallowee’n party was a great treat for little animal lovers and their Roncesvalles storefront makes a big effort to welcome their neighbours.

Scooter Girl Toys

187 Roncesvalles Ave
416-534-2211
www.scootergirl.net
Mon-Wed: 10am-6pm, Thu-Fri: 10am-7pm, Sat: 9:30am-6pm, Sun: 10am-4pm
Located in the heart of Roncesvalles Village, Scooter Girl Toys offers the coolest toys for girls and boys of all ages, including games, puzzles, books & cd’s, clothing, shoes and so much more…free gift wrapping year round! Teré and her staff can suggest the perfect gift for any child – local parents know that there isn’t a birthday party for miles without something hand-picked and truly special inside Scooter Girl’s distinctive striped paper.

Snap Fitness 24-7

183 Roncesvalles Ave
647-351-7627
torontohighpark@snapfitness.com
www.snapfitness.com/torontohighpark
Your own passcard lets you into Snap 24 hours a day and, starting November 3, Snap will offer low cost child minding on Tuesdays from 9am-12pm and Thursdays from 9am-12pm. Okay, so we are now officially out of excuses.

Tangerine Salon

15 Neepawa Ave at 383 Roncesvalles
416-231-4788
www.tangerinesalon.ca
Located just south of Howard Park, across from the Second Cup Patio, Tangerine Salon offers a warm and friendly atmosphere that is so unique it has to be experienced to be appreciated. Tangerine’s stylists have received the highest certification in the business and are well equipped to handle all your hair challenges. There is also free client parking.

Toronto Eye Care: Drs. Nolfi, Paterson & Associates

2425 Bloor Street West, #106
www.torontoeyecare.com
Doctors Jerry Nolfi and Jill Paterson have been proudly providing excellent eye care in Bloor West Village for fifteen years. Family owned and operated, with super friendly staff, Toronto Eye Care is an easy choice for West End children and their parents.

The Toy Space Inc.

106 Bathurst St
416-203-0792
www.thetoyspace.com
Randall and his wife Danielle are celebrating four years at Bathurst and King with a big birthday party on Saturday, November 14th from 10 am to 7pm. Join them for cake and receive 10% off all regularly priced toys.
(A little known fact - in addition to helpful staff and a great selection, The Toy Space has ice cream. Kawartha ice cream. ‘Nuf said.)