There are endless ways a shopper can approach the store-saturated strip of Yonge between Eglinton and Lawrence.
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For the sporty yet style-conscious, the nabe has outdoor outfitters and gear spots galore, including Higher Ground (2488 Yonge, 416-486-2488), the Sign of the Skier (2794 Yonge, 416-488-2118) and the mother of them all, Sporting Life (2665 Yonge, 416-485-1611).
For fresh-air-craving mall rats, shopping centre staples like Gap (2635 Yonge, 416-487-1583), Club Monaco (2610 Yonge, 416-487-0841) and Town Shoes (2283 Yonge, 416-489-7474) are all represented. But we’re (obviously) in a gifting state of mind, so this neighbourhood profile is peppered with uptown present picks.
One of the biggest holiday hauls is to be found at Restoration Hardware (2434 Yonge, 416-322-9422). While all I want for Christmas is a home office that stows away in a giant vintage cigar-leather steamer-style trunk, there are also more practical and wallet-friendly finds amid RH’s burnished doorknobs and switch plates. A pair of slippers in red ribbed cashmere is $99, and an adorable children’s xylophone toy is $24. Prep the spare room for seasonal guests with a fresh coat of private-label paint and the selection of amber glass apothecary jars and neutral bedding found upstairs.
For the proudly Canadian type on your list, there’s no more patriotic shopping experience in Toronto than the Roots Lodge store (2670 Yonge, 416-482-6773) at Yonge and Lytton. Behind a log cabin facade is the company’s clothing and accessory lineup, including the new Canada Collection benefiting Right To Play, which trains coaches in developing countries. Pieces include the wool Fredericton sweater, with its retro “C” crest ($98), and a maple leaf varsity bag in tribe leather ($358).
Across the street at Sporting Life, the gift options filling the foyer include equally Great White North-appropriate finds like Canada goose down coats and marled wool sock monkeys. The store’s coziest gift idea, though, has to be a collection of bundled-up Woolrich flannel blankets in plaid and buffalo check ($110).
In case of holiday emergencies, it’s smart to pick up a few cheap presents that will appeal to any forgotten giftee but are still cheerful enough to make you look generous in spirit. This is why bath and body gift sets were invented, and Kiehl’s (2518 Yonge, 416-483-1335), Pure + Simple (2375 Yonge, 416-481-2081) and Sabon (2552 Yonge, 416-485-0303) all have fresh options.
Kids’ gifts found along this strip range from cutesy to clever. In the former category, there are sweet pairs of sparkling red or gold Chuck Taylor-style sneakers on sale for $14.99 at Olly Shoes (2600 Yonge, 416-487-3100) or a snowman-print onesie for $28.99 at Hatley (2648 Yonge, 416-486-4141). At Love Child (2523 Yonge, 416-486-4746), baby-sized T-shirts ($20) have a sassier tone printed with photos of Barack Obama and text that reads, “I need a change.”
Take a gift-shopping break by picking up a party dress at Canopy Blue (2582 Yonge, 416-483-2583) or Mendocino (2300 Yonge, 416-646-0812). Add some jewellery from Eko (2611 Yonge, 416-545-0776), or fashion your own holiday necklace with some baubles from Bead Girl (2445 Yonge, 416-322-2202).
At Carbon (2581 Yonge, 416-487-0795), the menswear finds include casual buys from John Varvatos, coats by Mackage and Shared’s T-shirt sets, which come boxed and ready to wrap for $55. Down the street, just opened Dunning (2514 Yonge, 416-481-7665) carries sportswear including slim-fit polos and merino wool zip-ups perfect for your preppy pops.
Dad might also like Plum Island Soap’s man can ($49) from Pistachio (2433 Yonge, 416-322-9451), which packs soap, shave gel, rum oil, a bath mitt and hand butter into a paint can. The eco card shop is full of holiday finds, as is other local stationer Essence Du Papier (2476 Yonge, 416-932-0109).
For seasonal decor, try the Little Party Shoppe (2566 Yonge, 416-487-7855) and Sheridan Nurseries (2827 Yonge, 416-481-6429), which is stocked with miniature pine trees and full-sized reindeer twig topiaries.
For music and movie lovers, Vortex (2309 Yonge, 416-483-7437) is the area’s go-to spot for used vinyl, CDs and DVDs, but it’s also started stocking new records this year. Soul, blues, drone and electronic titles are catalogued online at vortexrecords.ca.
We haven’t forgotten about you foodies. The sweet-toothed can pick up treats from Dufflet (2638 Yonge, 416-484-9080) which shares its uptown space with Quince Flowers (416-486-4343). Splurge on a holiday dinner at gourmet go-tos like North 44 (2537 Yonge, 416-487-4897) and Centro (2472 Yonge, 416-483-2211).
But the ultimate in culinary gifting has to be a class at celeb chef Bonnie Stern’s cooking school (6 Erskine, 416-484-4810). The All About Cheese class ($135) December 9 looks like it would make a delicious early present.
Hint, hint – and happy holiday shopping.
fashion@nowtoronto.com
