It’s the most wonderful time of the year and for small businesses, this is also the most important quarter when it comes to securing their financial future. For some of these shops, the next month could be make it or break it. We recognize that small businesses are a crucial part of our city’s many neighbourhoods so we wanted to take a moment and showcase 16 local brick-and-mortar stores that we think could help you find the perfect holiday gifts. These holiday gift shops in Toronto offer a variety of goods for a variety of people, everyone from teachers to kids to your partner, and cover several price points, including items that are perfect for stocking stuffers. Happy shopping!
Best Holiday Gift Shops in Toronto
Arts Market
790 Queen St. E.
1856 Danforth Ave.
2978 Dundas St. W., Toronto
If you love shopping at craft fairs and artisan markets, then you need to pop into one of Arts
Market three locations. The shops are filled with goods made by dozens of independent Toronto and area makers, allowing you to support their talents while also picking up a one-of-a-kind present. Items vary by location but expect to find jewellery, home décor, and personal care products. To see exactly what’s available, browse through the Arts Market website, which lets you see which vendors are selling at which location.
Blue Banana Market
250 Augusta Ave., Toronto
This adored (and big!) shop in Kensington Market has something for almost everyone. It’s one of the great holiday gift shops in Toronto to stock up on stocker stuffers and smaller, often sillier items, that can take a gift to the next level. In addition to certain big-name brands like Jellycat, Fred & Friends and Chia Pets, Blue Banana also stocks a wide variety of unique items crafted by Ontario-based makers. Expect to find everything from Toronto-themed knickknacks, cute but practical kitchen and bar items and so many different kinds of hot sauces, socks, and candles. This shop is also well-known for products themed around such popular titles as Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Schitt’s Creek.
Forbes Wild Foods
1385 Danforth Ave., Toronto
Are you hunting for an impressive gift for a fussy foodie? Or maybe you’re the fussy foodie and you have a reputation of cool, edible gifts to uphold? Then head over to Forbes Wild Foods, a new-ish shop that offers, “…Canada’s largest selection of high-quality wild foods for cooks, chefs, and food lovers alike.” Pick up a pre-assembled gift box or basket or create your own
from Forbes’ stock of syrups, teas, mushrooms, compotes and so much more, including fresh, in-season items.
Hanji Gifts
619 Bloor St. W. & Queen St W., Toronto
If you’re looking for gorgeous and unique items, Hanji Gifts is a must-visit. While this small shop is probably best known for its exquisite cards (the pop-up/3D ones are particularly beautiful) and other paper products, Hanji Gifts also sells scarves, socks, tea sets, and all kinds of colourful and cute items that are perfect for your kids’ stockings. It also sells the delicious (and locally made) Bisou Bar tea, which is sure to wow the tea drinker on your shopping list.
Labour of Love
223 Carlton St. Unit 2, Toronto
Prepare yourself to say, “That is so cute” every two minutes while exploring this Cabbagetown gift shop. This small store is packed with adorable cards, elegant jewellery, and plenty of ideas for anyone who loves a nice cocktail or carefully crafted meal. And true to its name, Labour of Love also takes some of the work out of finding the perfect gift with the nicely organized “Gifts” section on its website. There you’ll find suggestions for specific price points, people or categories (for example, “Canadiana” and the always challenging “Dads and Grandpas”).
Logan & Finley
670 Queen St. W., Toronto
Branding itself as “Toronto’s eco-conscious general store,” this shop is the perfect place to grab a gift for those people on your list who like to keep it green. Here you’ll find everything from sustainable and made-in-Canada clothing to skincare products to “less waste solutions.” Logan & Finley’s also offers pre-packaged gift boxes that cover a variety of themes including Coffee or Tea and Treats box and the Self Care Surprise box.
My Gifted Child
2883 St Clair Ave. E, Toronto
Yes, as you would expect based on its name, My Gifted Child does feature a range of clearly educational toys and products, as well as lots of books. But this unique shop also offers lots of items that are a bit less in-your-face about their educational goals. Find toys from such popular brands as Schleich, Melissa & Doug, and Crayola, as well as dozens of different LEGO, and Playmobile sets. The selection here is so top-notch that you could easily wrap up all your kid-age shopping at just this one store.
Old’s Cool General Store
250 Westlake Ave., Toronto
“Operated with kindness and a sense of community,” this beloved shop is known for its strong sense of activism and its impressive stock of gift-worthy items. Pick up puzzles for all ages, browse through the extensive selection of self-care products or grab a book on subjects as varied as art activity books for kids to indigenous cooking books. Old’s also offers an impressive selection of high-quality teas, which can be packaged up into the ideal gift for the tea drinker in your life.
Red Pegasus
628 College St., Toronto
This long-time Little Italy gift shop is filled with sweet and beautiful items that are ideal for the special people on your list. Here you’ll find a variety of jewellery and other wearable accessories, home décor items and even Christmas ornaments. There are also lots of amazing smelling items including soaps themed after Toronto neighbourhoods.
Scout
405 Roncesvalles Ave. & 1140 Queen St E., Toronto
Both locations of this gift store are well-stocked with a collection of carefully selected expressions of thoughtfulness. Browse through the store’s new holiday series, which features ornaments, décor, and some gorgeous cards. Scout also sells a wide selection of home goods, craft kits geared to adults and even items perfect for babies (the manta ray crinkle toys are so cute). Feeling a bit overwhelmed? The “Curated Collections” section on Scout’s website offers ideas organized by price range, occasion, and such themes as “Waste Free Living” and “Mind, Body, Spirit.”
Silly Goose Kids
2054 Danforth Ave., Toronto
This place is the favourite shop of countless East York kids for good reason: It has everything they could ever want! All kinds of classic and creative presents can be found here including board games, Great Pretenders dress-up items, and Jellycat stuffies. Silly Goose Kids is also known for giving back to its community (it’s currently participating in the Michael Garron Hospital toy drive), which is just another reason to shop its excellent selection.
Soma Chocolatemaker
32 Tank House Ln.
443 King St. W.
77 Brock Ave., Toronto
Who makes the best chocolate in Toronto is a controversial subject but we’re confident that Soma would be included on pretty much everyone’s top five list. For years Soma has been crafting delicious chocolate treats in a range of formats including drinking chocolate that you’ll dream about in your sleep. Have someone on your list with a taste for bold flavours? Grab a bag of the Mayan drinking chocolate. Need a hostess gift for someone you don’t know that well? Pick up one of Soma’s elegant gift boxes. And need something for that in-law who has a sweet tooth but is otherwise hard to please? Then check out the unique Birch Branch chocolate, which is sure to wow.
Sonic Boom
215 Spadina Ave., Toronto
Yes, this music store does sell music, but it also offers so much more. Wander through its airy space and find headphones, band apparel and “toys and puzzles for all ages,” many of which are perfect as stocking stuffers for both adults and kids. There’s also an awesome book collection that includes colouring books, graphic novels and of course lots of books about music.
Spacing Store
401 Richmond St. W., Toronto
As “Toronto’s City Store,” this downtown shop offers Toronto-themed almost everything: Tote bags, throw pillows, even socks. It’s a great spot to pick up something for those hard-to-buy people, such as teachers. The Spacing website is conveniently organized to offer helpful suggestions based on price and themes, for example, gifts for music lovers and gifts for the history buff, the Toronto history buff that is. Spacing also offers stuff for kids including some oh-so-cute T-shirts that are sure to impress.
This Is Made
2 Tall Grass Trail #3, Vaughan
Residents who live in or near the northern portion of Toronto may want to explore this Vaughan boutique that features the wares of over 60 artisans and makers. There’s something for all ages and interests here: skincare and makeup for that teen who’s always on TikTok; team-themed gift boxes for the sports lover; cute and cozy outfits for babies and kids and everything that friend who loves to throw parties could ever need. This Is Made also has an extensive holiday-themed section that is perfect for that friend or relative who really, really gets into the season.
Type Books
883 Queen St. W.
2887 Dundas St. W.
427 Spadina Rd., Toronto
Everyone knows that Type, one of the city’s best independent bookstores, has a terrific selection of both fiction and non-fiction books. But did you know that Type also offers a wide selection of kids’ products including arts and crafts supplies, dramatic play items, and puzzles and games? Type also offers plenty of non-book items for adults, including stationary supplies, games, and Baggu-brand reusable bags, which are also a great choice for those hard-to-buy-for people — one of the perfect holiday gift shops in Toronto.
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