Finally, one of the best fair-priced, fashionable children’s (0-14) clothing chains from the U.S. has landed on our doorstep. Look for the specialty marked racks with a further percentage-off sales. Timed right, you can often scoop stuff up for under $10 - or under $5. Now is one of those time

Locations: Mail Champlain (450-466-9511) Carefour laval (450-682-1745); Les Galeries d’Anjou (514-351-9109); Place Versailles (514-352-2069); Carrefour Angrignon (514-595-4613); Fairview Pointe Claire.
Hours: Regular plus Sun 12-5
www.childrensplace.com

If you love the clothing at this chain StyleXchange , you’ll love the clearance event going on tonight. If you head to the malls below after they close, both guys and girls can stock up (at 50% off) on, perhaps, Jack & Jones, Lady Dutch, Super Dry, Vera Moda, Diesel, Gas, Triple Five Soul, Blend, G Star, Bench and Foxy etc.

Locations: Place Montreal Trust, Fairview Pointe Claire, Place Versailes, Champlain Mall
Hours: 9:30 pm-1 am
www.stylexchange.com

I have watched many businesses transform in the twenty-three years I have been covering the shopping scene. Bouclair was a fabric and notions store that started drifting into curtains, pillows and the like. Now that hardly anyone is sewing  these days, they have chucked the fabrics out of the store and are concentrating on home accessories like: linens, towels, mirrors, wood and bamboo blinds, bamboo baskets, leather ottomans with storage, leather dining chairs ($99), tons of pillows, vases and more.

Locations: Quartier Laval,624 boulevard Le Corbusier (450-687-2620; Carrefour Laval, 3035, Boul. Le Carrefour(450-681-1862); Carrefour Laval, 2585 Daniel Johnson Blvd.(450-682-5541); 5885, boul. Robert-Bourassa (450-665-0270); Ste. Dorothée, 510 Autoroute 13 (450-969-0281); Anjou, 7250 Des Roseraies Blvd.
(514-355-4858); Vaudreuil, 3080, De la Gare Blvd.(450-455-7701); 3149-A Des Sources Blvd.(514-683-4711); Marché Central (514-384-8856); 4425 Jean-Talon Blvd. E. (514-725-9175); 11277 Lacordaire Blvd.(514-327-1113); 2101 Dollard Blvd.,Place Newman (514-365-7337).
Hours: Regular
www.bouclair.com

We are so lucky to have the Lindt Chocolate Outlet Store come to town. This chocolate company started in Zurich in 1845 and then acquired the famous Rudolf Lindt’s company in1899 (he was the one that invented the “conche” melting method). This European chocolate shop offers you all the Lindt classics including 6 kinds of Lindor truffles (intense orange is there) and for the “health conscious”: dark chocolate in 70%, 85%, and 95% and also the pretty petits desserts. Half of the store is 50-75% off and the chocolate still tastes wonderful at these prices. You can buy baskets and deli items.

Location: Mega Centre des Sources, 58 Brunswick Blvd., Pointe Claire
Corner: Sources Blvd.
Tel: 514-695-3392
Hours: M-F 9:30-7, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5

How lovely to have a diaper fairy who comes in once a week, takes your bag of dirty diapers and hands you a fresh sweet smelling pile of soft cotton diapers. For smaller babies, (about 80 diapers) it’s $26 per week, and bigger kids (50 large), $22.50 per week. They are sent to be done to the same place where hospital clothing is cleaned and are washed in very hot water with a peroxide soap which is not at all irritating to the baby’s bum. In fact, cloth diapers are 5 to10 degrees cooler than paper ones, so less bacteria grow and babies have less rashes.

Name: Couche Maman Ecolo
Tel: 450-474-3550

Naturino are well constructed high fashion comfort shoes for kids (0-16) made in Italy and we have a shop here in Montreal. They are designed with a “walking on sand” cushioning. The Rainstep line is waterproof, warm and dry and the shop also carries the lines Falcotto and Nowali. Nowadays Birkenstocks for the whole family have been added to the mix. So you can start your kids out early with these comfort shoes.

Naturino-Birkenstock
1325 Greene Ave. Westmount
corner: de Maisonneuve
Tel: 514-939-0363
www.naturino-mtl.com
www.birkenstock.ca

Owned by a manufacturer of corrugated boxes,  Magasin Festival Store is the place to buy (ask about the used ones) boxes (1.5 to 6 cu. ft) for moving, storing and shipping, with special ones for mirrors, artwork, lampshades, golf bags, bicycles, dishes and crystal and wardrobes. Protective packing supplies are here, like bubble wrap, inkless newsprint, tissue paper, foam chips and huge plastics for mattresses and sofas.

Location:  8310 Cote de Liesse, Ville St-Laurent
corner: Montee de Liesse
Tel: 514-340-1119
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-5, (Sat 9-3 from April 1-July 5)
www.festival.ca

If you are in a panic, getting some kids ready to go off to sleep-away camp and you haven’t gotten around to getting those pesky name labels for all their clothing, help is here. Centre de Couture Snowdon can make up name labels for camp in minutes.
People have been coming to this well-stocked notions and trimming shop since 1950 to choose from one of the best selections of buttons in the city. If you are handy, you can come here to find ribbons, snaps, bra cups, zippers, patches, boas and appliqués. They can also cover buttons, do pleating, make belts, cover buckles, sell you wool and needlepoint yarn, and repair sewing machines. You can even get your knives, scissors and pinking shears sharpened here.

Location: 5137 boul. Decarie
corner: ch. Queen Mary
Tel: 514-486-0544
Hours: Tues-Fri 9:30-6, Sat 10-5

We have our first Marlies/Dekkers store, though they are located in twenty countries around the world. The fashion lingerie designer hails from the Netherlands and touts the lines as “bras straps that are meant to be seen”. Their underthings called Undressed cover bustiers, backless undies, corsets, bra and panty sets and there’s the Sundressed swim suits too. Another line is called Nightdressed and there is a bit for the men and Special Sized too. The brand has been enjoyed by Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, The Pussycat Dolls, Courtney Love and Nelly Furtado.

Location: Les Cours Mont-Royal
Tel: 514-303-8599
www.marliesdekkers.com 

I often get calls about where someone can have a party - for a shower, special birthday, anniversary or whatever. I have found a decently priced yummy restaurant that fits the bill for this. Pasta Tutti Giorni started out in DDO with 2 guys and some Italian family recipes. Eventually they joined up with partners that wanted to franchise their concept. It worked for awhile but a little over a month ago, those partners went bust and their stores had to be shut.

However all is not lost as the original location in DDO is still open and at lunchtime on the weekends they are open for private family celebrations. Imagine, you can get the whole restaurant to yourself for the afternoon. You can make up your own menu for your guests by selecting meals off of the menu. The restaurant will print it up for you to hand your guests at the table.

For under $20 per person, you can have soup or salad, main course, dessert and coffee. Our family favorites are anything that is covered with their rose sauce (we take it out by the litre) and their special recipe for eggplant timbale (not on the menu but available for parties - it’s like a tender eggplant lasagna). The restaurant is licensed if you want to add any drinks to the mix. They seat about 100. You can of course, dine there anytime - even if you aren’t having a party.

Location: 3343 Boul. des Sources, DDO
corner: Boul. Brunswick
contact: Peter Klaiman
Tel: 514-421-3266
www.ptg.ca