Worth the Trip
They are popping up everywhere. The Beaches, Queen West, North Toronto. Fabulous new shops we’ve found that are run by very savvy moms, filled with goodies for our little ones.
Like most mom entrepreneurs, these newborn retailers are united in their desire to fill a gap in the market that they discovered as new parents. They all love what they sell and are passionate about what they do. And they’re all worth a trip to, we think.
Books on the Beach
…H-I-J-K-Ella-Minnow-P…
ellaminnow is actually the name of a new children’s bookstore, the latest addition to the Beaches fabulous child-friendly strip along Queen St. East. Pop in for a look and visit Fiver and Hazel, the two resident bunnies. Also note the handy change table in the washroom that you are welcome to use. ellaminnow is a beautiful shop with a lovingly curated book collection run by Heather Kuipers, savvy mom of three. Heather’s background in social work, motherhood and a true love of children’s literature is all she needs to make the right choices when selecting her books. She simply chooses books that she loves: “They have to be beautiful, educational and real”. With its soothing vibe and great selection of gifts, this is definitely worth the trip if you’re not a Beach/Beaches (we don’t want to weigh in on that debate!) resident.
Simon Says Go to North Toronto Today…
…and check out the new children’s shop called Simon Says on Mt Pleasant Rd. just south of Eglinton. We found some fabulous designs like the machine-washable (with antibacterial insoles) sneakers by Tsukihoshi, beautiful hand-made wooden pull toys from Dinoxu and one-of-a-kind clothes from local designers like our favourite from A-List, the “Jacqui” dress, and t-shirts from our Danish fave ej sikke lej.
Where Modern Meets Functionality
Modern, functional and sustainable is the mantra at ella + elliot, opened by savvy mom and dad team Christian Imler and Suzanne O’leary. Now Torontonians can buy the latest and greatest in upscale stylish children’s furniture and accessories. Start with the nursery and find furniture by renowned New York designer David Netto. The Netto Collection is exclusive to ella + elliot (a crib will set you back about $2,000 just so you know, but you really can justify it as a work of art). ella + elliot also offers a selection of products that grow with children and that can be integrated into grown-up interiors such as our favourite glider from Monte Design and the Stokke Sleepi Mini Sleep System which starts as a crib and changes with each stage of a child’s life ending up as two chairs. (This wins the savvy prize for sustainable.) If you have some loose change, check out the Wheely Bugs or the bilibo toys for children and bring home the coolest birthday gift.
It might be the in-between season for fashion shopping, but it’s always the season for Jack and Jill.
ellaminnow
1915 Queen St East
416 698-2665
www.ellaminnow.ca
Simon Says
635 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2M9
416-482-8013
www.simonsayskids.ca
ella & elliot
188 Strachan Avenue
416 850-7890
www.ellaandelliot.com