To celebrate Father’s Day, why not take your Dad over to Decarie boul. to feast your eyes on beautiful antique cars that will be on display between 11-4 on Saturday June 15. While there, treat him to some new duds at Jaf Pret A Porter. They will be holding a sidewalk sale with great deals on shirts, polos, pants, shorts. may of the items will be 10$ and 3 for 25$.

Jaf is a family neighbourhood corner store which has carries men’s clothes, some with well known names – Robert Graham, Jack Victor, Baumler, Tombolini,  Tommy Bahamas, m.e.n.s., Alberto, Victorinox,  S. Cohen, Façonnable,  Nautica.

Helpful salesmen will find you pants (to 50) and shirts (to 2XL) starting at $10, suits (to 56) at $145 – $995, sports jackets $75 & up, sweaters, jackets.  There are also made-to-measure suits and shirts, and suits for athletically built men. Expect free on the spot alterations (not in the liquidation center). Ask about tuxedos and rentals, and if you need them, boys’ suits in sizes 4-20.

Locations: Ville St-Laurent, 900 boul. Decarie  (744-0985); 619 boul. Rene-Levesque (514-877-9888); Laval, 3240 boul. St-Martin o. (450-978-9661); Laval  Centre de liquidation (closed Tues): 1880 St-Martin o. (450-688-3636).  Hours: Regular plus Sun 12-4
www.jaf.ca
Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/10gxiYg

This whole weekend, Mont-Royal Ave from boul. St-Laurent to Iberville is shut down for a street fair. Boutiques  are set up in the middle of the street selling off all kinds of goodies. Restaurants are cooking snack foods.

At the western boul. St-Laurent end of things, there’s friperies, cool Montreal young designer boutiques and goth shops. After you cross St-Denis and head east there’s the strip of used record/CD stores.

Q1: You wouldn’t think about it with today’s temperature, but  with the Fall season around the corner, women are going to need to refresh their wardrobes.

Yes if they shop at outlet stores or liquidation stores, they can get the brand names they know, that fit them well, for a lot less.

Q2: What is the difference between an outlet store and a liquidation store?

An outlet store is often a store where the same brand is sold for less but it may not be the same items as in their regular retail stores. Not all items sold at an outlet are found at their regular stores – perhaps the weight of the cotton is less or the logo is stenciled on instead of embroidered or it was bought just to be sold here. Some outlet shops mix these different items, some recalls from regular stores and some regular priced items.

A liquidation store is clearances from the regular stores from last season or overstocks from this season.

Q3: If they don’t have time to run all over the city for these, are they clustered anywhere?

Centre Riocan in Kirkland is large, has 4 strips of shops around a parking lot and there are perhaps two dozen stores in this outdoor “mall”. If you keep going west on the TCan to Exit 26, you will bump into a teeny weeny strip of 4 shops at Promenades Hudson. Both of these have some “single” brand ladies upscale clothing.

Q4: Okay we’ve made it to those malls, now, where to we shop?

Liz Claiborne Outlet is about to close on October 13. Liz lovers will be thrilled to be able to buy some of her lines discounted here – Liz & Co, Liz Golf, Liz Clairborne in sizes 4-22. The store is a mix of regular products like you’d find in a regular-priced boutique and clothes made just for outlet stores. You need to know the difference – or ask.

Location:  3264 Jean Yves, Centre Riocan, Kirkland
corner: Transcanadienne
Phone: 514-426-1549
Hours: Regular plus Sun 12-5
www.lizclaiborneinc.com

Jones New York Magasin Entrepot offers up Jones for less here in this white, airy spot. Beyond Jones (Sport, Signature Collection, Joneswear), though, you could buy Anne Klein New York, AK Sport, Evan Picone, Kasper, Bandalino or Nine West in a large size range from 2-16, 14W-24W and petites too.

Location: 3280 rue Jean-Yves, Centre Riocan, Kirkland
corner: Transcanadienne
Phone: 514-695-8385
Hours: Regular plus Sun 11-5
Other locations: Promenades Hudson (450-455-9009); St-Sauveur (450-227-8711).

Promenades Hudson:

Jones NY (450-455-9009) – famous designer’s lines (2-16), (Sport, Signature Collection, Joneswear), Anne Klein New York, AK Sport, Evan Picone, Kasper, Bandalino or Nine West sizes 4-18, 14W-24W, petites
Lace (450-455-5552) – ladies’ fashions sizes 6-18
Olsen (450-424-5224 – ladies (34 – 46 European size = 2 – 16 Canadian size) regular, samples, clearances

Location: Boul. Harwood, Exit 26 on the Trans Canada Highway
Hours: Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5
Tel: 514-694-2371

Q1:  It’s time to be a tourist in our own city, can you tell us a bit about what’s happening in Old Montreal?

When was the last time you went to Old Montreal? If you haven’t seen it in the last few years, you won’t recognize it. The software companies that marched into its western end, mostly west of McGill St., have turned this area on its nose.

Now there are people living and working down here. Fabulous new restaurants have opened up in wonderful new boutique hotels. At the eastern end, near Bonsecours St., an entire new neighborhood was created.

Q2:  That sounds like a lot of changing, is the street scene modernizing and losing its Old World charm?

Did you know that the buildings on de la Commune Street look exactly the same today as they would have been to a sailor who sailed into the port in the 19th century?  Place Jacques Cartier has been totally refreshed. For the summer, St. Paul street has been turned into a pedestrian mall.

Q3:  Let’s get back to your specialty, what about the shopping there?

For all of the new inhabitants, retail shops opened to feed and care for them  – bakeries, dry cleaners, clothing shops, furriers and depanneurs have filled up the empty storefronts.

At first glance, dear old St. Paul St. is still filled with so many souvenir shops. Having said that, a handful of them contain the works of real artisans or more upscale gifts, and those are worth stopping in to see.

Q4:  What kinds of thing would we find in those stores?

You can think of these shops as shopping green and shopping local:

L’empreinte Cooperative is a 37-year-old co-op for over 70 Quebec artists and artisans, you can expect to find variety, including ceramics, handmade albums, glass vases, bowls, sheepskin slippers, pewter lamps, handmade clothing, puppets and creative jewelry. Marianne Chevalier weaves pictures using copper thread and for souvenir hunters, Renee Bovet captures Montreal street scenes on silk.

Location:  272 St. Paul St. East
corner:  Marche Bonsecours St.
Phone: 514-861-4427.
Hours:  Sun-Wed 10-6, Thurs-Sat 10-10 (Summer daily 10-10, Jan & Feb 11-5:30 daily)
www.empreintecoop.com

Smack in the middle of old Montreal, Les artisans du meuble quebecois, is a 43-year-old artisan’s consignment shop displays some of the wares of a minimum of 450 artists. Look for: glassware, ceramics, handmade cards, duck decoys, door knockers, fish bone shadow boxes, scarves, wooden kids’ furniture, dolls, quilts, creches, jewelry (silver, beaded), wooden boxes and then some.

Location:
88 St. Paul St. East
corner: St. Gabriel St.
Phone: 514- 866-1836.
Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

At Tant qu’il y aura des fleurs, the decor here feels like you’ve stepped into someone’s lovely rustic home. Objects to fill yours include artificial fruit and veggies, candlesticks, large quilts and pillows, Joanel purses, animal wallets, woven place mats, colorful tablecloths from Provence (wash ‘n use, stain repellent), dishes, wooden bowls, vases, interesting jewelry and for fun, roosters, For babies, look in the back for little terry robes and booties made in Quebec. Everything can be gift-wrapped to go.  Right now you’d be surprised but they have set up a Christmas section and does make people smile when the see it.

347 St. Paul St. East
corner: St. Claude St.
Phone: 514-395-9079
Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Inside Marche Bonsecours, , emphasizes natural items. Look for framed displays of beetles or butterflies, petrified wood, some minerals and fossils. You can buy an 8′ giraffe, skin drums, stone candle holders, dream catchers, bamboo flutes, paper lanterns and some really nice handmade paper stationery.

300 St. Paul St. East
corner: Bonsecours St.,  inside Marche Bonsecours
Phone: 514- 868-9992
Hours: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Q1: Today you want to talk about Montreal’s fabric district, where is it?

We are lucky in Montreal to have a fabric district. St Hubert Street, north of Jean-Talon, which has evolved from the 1940′s to the 90′s from a couple of stores to two dozen or more great places to find any fabric you could need. Where fashion fabrics once were its mainstay, nowadays with all our cocooning, the split is about 50% fashion fabrics and 50% for the home.

Q2: Who’s shopping here?

The typical buyers are fashion designers and design students, decorators with their clients and without clients (then they can charge much more because they can mark up more), theatrical productions, mothers of skaters and of course, you and me.

Q3: So this is where you would go to find fabrics if you want to have clothes made to fit you perfectly or if you are redecorating your home.

Outside of North America, it is still quite popular, no matter what the income bracket, to have your wardrobe made by the neighborhood seamstress. It makes life so much easier that way, and for those of you who hate to shop, this is the ultimate way to never have to buy clothes again. The clothing will always fit your body properly and you will have the colors or fabrics that you like. For your home this is a treasure trove of designs.

Q 3: If we don’t have the time or patience to go into all 2 dozen shops, can you give us some of the highlights?

Starting at Jean Talon and going north on St. Hubert, here is a small menu of what is sold in the fabric businesses on that street:

7186 – Ultratext (514-271-9929) – ribbons, boas, sequin trimmings, elastic, buttons, fringe, peacock feathers, beads, styrofoam balls, boxes of  zippers
7193/5 - Saratex/Sam – one side dedicated to home fabrics and the other side to fashion fabrics. With its very organized huge inventory chock full of a rainbow of colors and kind, you can find it all – including vinyl, beaded ones, bridal and tassels, and they also can make drapes and slip covers. On the 2nd floor there is a liquidation center with bolts as low as $2.99-$9.99 a meter.
7194 – Draperies Georgette (514-270-2045) – made-to-measure  draperies and bedspreads, upholstery, lace
7196 – Draperies St. Hubert (514-274-0364) – fabric for draperies, sheers, laces and made-to-measure
7207 – Myrlene Decor – sheers, cottons, panels, strings, valences, bedspreads made-to-measure
7234 – B.M.Z. (514-272-4334) – inexpensive fabrics and clothing
7254 – Textiles Debouk (514-276-3278) -this is the little store that grew, and it now encompasses enough floor space to satisfy most of your sewing needs. For re-upholstery, you can choose jacquard, moire and cottons, and pick up foam and Dacron for your cushions. For fashion sewing, the newest fabrics with lycra, stretch leathers, vinyl, and wools, Chinese silk, camouflage and netting and Italian light wools are all here, along with curtain panels, boas, buttons and a room of plastic coated textiles.
7282 – Goodman-Carlyle – Quality fabrics at very low prices (90% off) await you here amongst the 1,000′s of bolts in stock (and more in warehouse). The chock full selection for fashion, home and the theatre includes lots of  glitter and shine, there’s an upholstery room, another room of  woolens including cashmere,wool crepe,boiled wool and jacquards  from England, France and Italy. The rest of the store is full of  brocades, lames, lurexes and sequins and then velvets, Italian linen in all widths, cottons, silks, satins, taffetas, corduroys, nylon, stretch lace, fake fur, polar fleece, plasticized fabric, airfoam, and outerwear fabric all piled 10′ high.
7334 – Joliette Textiles (514-276-5444) – small, one aisle inexpensive fashion
7348 – Beads Planet (514-223-1000) – beads to make costume jewelry
7360 – Textiles Riatex (514-271-6050) – huge store full of fashion and upholstery
7361 – Textiles Couture Elle (514-271-1608) – imported fashion fabrics (related to 7399)
7363 – Rubans Boutons – endless display of buttons and 1,000′s of ribbons
7381 – Trim Cite (514-272-7733) – neat, lots of ribbons, beads, cord, appliques, collars, fringes, lace, sequins, tassels, beaded trim
7390 – A.C. Textile (514-279-6201) – 3 rooms lots of fashion fabrics
7399 – Tissus St-Hubert (514-277-5945) – spacious, airy neat, higher end lines (related to 7361)
7432 – Boutique Bilal (514-278-8007) – ribbons, lace trim and collars, all sizes of  zippers, buttons, interfacing, elastic, labels, fringe, boas
7442 – Tissus Tueni (514-277-4785) – neat, party fabrics, jacquards, wool, silk, laces, men’s suiting
7454 – Accessoires de couture St-Hubert (514-278-9416) – tons of trimmings, costume jewelry, buttons, zippers, appliqués, ribbons, large rolls of sewing machine thread
7479 – Fleche Verte (514-278-8507) – beaded trim, pearls for bridal, appliqués, button covering
7488 – Matar Textiles (514-277-6462) – fabric and trimmings, interlinings, buttons, zippers, closings, belt buckles
7498 – Decotec (514-927-5890) – upholstery, tassels, cord, sheers, drapes, foam, re-upholstery and shop-at -home available
7500 – C & M Textiles (514-272-0247) – granddaddy of street, middle to high end for fashion and home. Upon entering, you are assailed by the luscious selection for gowns and bridal wear: guipure, laces, taffetas, embroideries, organzas, silk shantung, tulle and netting. Then there’s silks, woolens, microfibers, linens and sequins. For upholstery and drapery, check out the racks of samples from the mills of Europe and the chenilles, velvets, damasks, tapestries, cotton prints, lace curtaining, ultra suede, outdoor fabrics, blinds & shades. cmtextiles.com
7515 – Le Marche de Textiles “Elzein” (514-271-6017) – fashion and curtains
7541 – Chaton Beads (514-278-8989) – beads, rhinestones, buttons, pearl trimmings, bridal headpiece parts, frogs, satin flowers, sea beads (see book listing for more details)
7609 – Kava (514-271-2888) – giant spools of threads, some notions, zippers, lace trim

1 – Many of us have heard the word Chabanel or shopping at Chabanel, where is it and why bother to go all the way there to shop?

- It’s the name of a street, a district, and a nickname for the Montreal clothing industry
- Chabanel St is north of the Met, off of boul. St-Laurent. There are 7 buildings which are numbered from #99 to #555
- Manufacturers, now distributors, sell direct to public -samples, liquidation and stuff not sold elsewhere.

2 – When can we shop there?

- Sat morn about 9-1
- Be prepared that some may not open that week;  it’s all on the whim of owner. You may find new ones that were not open the last time you were there.
- Certain spots open during week 9-5, like  the 4th floor of the #99 building, or lunch hours or Thurs & Fri 10-4 or whatever they feel like.
- It’s a bit like a treasure hunt.

3 – How is shopping different there?

- You have to look for signs on doors, building entrances, posted on walls, near or in elevators. Sometimes there are people  giving out the flyers.
Check entire showroom, outfits get split up or great,  sample racks might be  in back.
Prices are not always marked, just ask.
Buy immediately. It might not be there when you return

4- Is there a way to approach this for beginners?

- Dress for easy try-ons. You will be probably using a bathroom, an office, or an area behind a curtain (which might be communal).
- I like to wear a money belt so I’m all hand’s free.
- It might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you find favorites, those are the ones you’ll go back to next time. – Perhaps think of the first visit there as just exploratory.
- Take elevator to top and work down by staircase

5 – Just how good are the bargains?

Taxes are usually  included and prices can be up to 90% off.

- Bargaining can work here. But when prices are already at $5, $10, you don’t have to if you are uncomfortable.
- Cash (tax included) is usually the method of payment – and no returns
- Last week I bought 2 men’s polo shirts, 1 ladies sweater and a digital thermometer for $12!

For over 78 years, this family business has been known for its amiable and knowledgeable service for cameras and photography equipment. The original business has been in Old Montreal and now they have opened in Laval in the Centropolis area.

You can expect to find a good selection of cameras, cases, tripods, camcorders, digital cameras, printers, scanners and the like at competitive prices. They sell some used equipment and will rent equipment.

New location: 580 Promenade du Centropolis
Phone: 450-687-0067

Original location: 11 St. Antoine West
Phone: 514-861-5401
wwwsimonscameras.com

Q 1: Though downloading music one song at time has become the way to buy music, there are still people that want to own the CD and many want to keep DVD’s of their favorite movies, is there a way to buy these for less?

For students and others with less disposable income, the cost of CD’s and DVD’s  has become so pricey – at minimum wage, it could take an entire 4-hour shift to buy one. My suggestion – shop the second-hand stores for them.

Q2 : Perhaps, we are a bit lazy, but we don’t really want to run all over town looking for what we want, is there an easy way to do this?

We are lucky in that we have a “CD street”,  Mont-Royale Ave. where a bunch of stores are clustered near each other, so shopping for them is made easier. If one place doesn’t have what you want, ease on down the road to the next one.
The shops start just a bit East of  St. Denis Street and then continue East. These stores also sell DVD’s, some used books, perhaps vinyl records and even some pre-owned computer games.

Q3: What about quality and sound with used CD’s?

Unlike cassettes and vinyl before them, they hold up much better in their second-hand versions.

Q4: Can you give us some names and addresses?

L’Echange, 713 Mont Royal Ave. E at Pontiac St. This shop has been around 33 years and is one of the biggest around. In three aisles you will find deals on the used CD’s and DVD’s (good for jazz, pop, blues, folk, rock, French, classical  also small selection games Xbox, Game Cube and Playstation. There’s  some French books at half price or less.

Marche du Disque, 793 Mont Royal Ave. East at St. Hubert St. Rummage through this store with its 10,000 used CD’s, 700 DVD’s and 4,000 new imports. Collectors across the country head here for the basement, where they can find the biggest selection (perhaps 20,000) of used vinyl, oldies and collector’s items. www.disquesmerite.com

Le Fox Troc, 819 Mont Royal Ave. E St. Hubert St. Neatly displayed alphabetically on two walls, 90% of the store is for CD’s and DVD’s (10% vinyl), with just some French music, pop and world beats as well.

Le Free Son, 1477 Mont Royal Ave Et Fabre St. One long and narrow aisle takes you all along the wall of used CD’s and DVD’s, and the other one takes you back to the front with new CD’s. You’ll find used progressive rock, metal, classic rock and francophone music here. Two CD players are available on which you can check out your selections. www.freesonrock.com

I just love this. First I heard about it in Dorval and now Beaconsfield’s Environmental Advisory Committee is doing one. You decide what you no longer want to own and on the designated day, you put the objects on the curb near your home.
Everyone else is invited to drive through the neighborhood and help themselves to whatever interests them. It’s a huge re-cycle event and everything is FREE.You can only help yourself to items left at the curb, nothing on the lawns, driveways, steps, etc.

Date: May 16th, starting at 9 am and lasting til evening

Galeries des Sources is one of the few malls on the island that I would call a liquidation mall. A chunk of the stores are entrepots of chains and others sell really inexpensive (mostly) clothing. This is what was there the last time I was in:

Ardene (514-667-3382 x158) – hair ornaments, caps, flip flops,  bit tops, shoes
Benix & Co. (514-683-2722 or 683-2722) – deals on kitchenware
Bentley (514-685-3746) – bags, purses
Bouclair (514-683-4711) – linens, blinds, bamboo baskets, leathe ottomans, pillows, vases
Boutique Casa Kaura (514-684-6669) – work co-ordinates, tops, bottoms
Bureau en Gros (514-684-1831) – office supplies
Cardon Entrepot (514-421-0334) – $5, $10, $15 ladies’ separates
Chaussures Pop+ (514-685-1699) – inexpensive family shoes, lots athletic sneakers
Cazza Petite Entrepot (514-685-3947) – petite ladies’ shop here
Chausssures Rubino (514-685-7979) – family shoes
Corbeil Electromenagers (514-421-5395) – large appliances
Delilah Entrepot (514-684-0009) – hair ornaments, scarves, jewelry
Dollarama (514-683-7711) – dollar variety store
Hallmark (514-684-9595) – you know the name, cards and stationery
Ka-Do-Meli-Melo (421-6978) – oriental home accessories, lamps, vases
L’Affaire est dans l’sac (514-421-2422) – purses, backpacks, luggage, wallets, evening bags
La Comtesse (514-684-7071) – perfume stand
La Source/par Circuit City (514-683-4753) – electronics
Lingerie Tocade (514-685-8686) – large shop, nightgowns, undies, bras, bathing suits
Manteau Manteau (514-421-9554) – ladies’ coats clearance, clothing
Modes Melanie (514-684-3434) – Jazzy jeans, sparkly tops, gowns
Senso Uomo (514-683-9862) – men’s casual and dress, shirts, slacks
Stitches (514-683-4339) – casual clothes for men and women, jeans, bathing suits, T-shirts
Ti-Top (514-685-6867) – ladies’ undies
Top Ten (514-685-4010) – everything $10 youthful fashions, pants, dresses, bathing suits, dress shirts
Winners (514-683-6260) – full discount store for the whole family

Location: 3237 boul. des Sources
corner: Transcanadienne
Hours: Regular plus Sun 10-5