Marcelle makeup and skin care products were developed for women with sensitive skin. Manufactured and designed in Quebec, the company also produces the Annabelle line. If you would like to buy their discontinued and liquidated goodies, this is the moment for their next warehouse sale as the next one won’t be held until around October. All Marcelle colors are $2.50, all Annabelle colors are $1.50 and creams or lotions are $8 to $24. It’s a good time to stock up on gifts as gift boxes are usually there.  You can be put on a list for mail or phone calls in order to be notified.

Location: 9200 Cote de Liesse Rd. at 43rd Ave..
Phone: 800-387-7710
Dates: Friday Apr 3: 4-8, Sat & Sun, Apr 4 & 5: 9-4
www.marcelle.com

The Optionelle Collection is less about following trends and more about creating one’s own personal style rather than just jumping onto “what’s hot”.  The clothing focuses on everyday glam look which combines fashion and function and the attention to detail.
You can see the clothing at www.optionelle.com and then attend an Open House in order to try (sizes mostly 6-18 but some come in 4 or 20) and buy. Please call for appointment time. If you bring a friend, you can receive a 10% discount. Early birds might be able to reserve sample pieces at 30% discount. Elisabeth has been selling these clothes for years and is great at helping you select a wardrobe to suit you.  Shopping here is like having your own personal dresser.

Open House hours: Tues, April  7th: 1-5pm and again 7-9pm
Tel: 514-684-0370(call for an appointment time)
ehamacher@pubnix.net
www.optionelle.com

Lise Watier, our very own famous Quebec cosmetics queen, has semi-annual clearance sales of last year’s discontinued lines or slightly damaged packages of makeup, perfumes, and skin care products. The sale lasts 2 days on 2 or 3 weekends in a row. It will usually be held again in November. Stock up for the year! (well maybe 1/2 the year). You can sign up to be notified of future events by e-mail at www.lisewatier.com

Location: 5600 Cote de Liesse Rd.
Phone: 514-735-4959 X 840
Dates: March 28: 9-5,  Mar 29: 9-4, Apr 4: 9-5, Apr 5: 10-4
www.lisewatier.com

I often get questions about where to buy boy’s suits. Since they hardly ever wear them, the one time they need one, you don’t even know where to look. Well I do. Go to good old Schreters on the Main. Schreters has put a lot of emphasis these days on filling the niche of dress suits for young lads and young men. For the past 80 years, Schreters has always been known for its men’s suits and its full size range and it is no different for the boys.
Though this is the busy season for buying suits for first communion, confirmations, and weddings, you can find the suits here all year long. The sizes go from 4-20, prices from $99-$250 and the brands are wow: Michael Kors, Joseph Abboud, Ike Behar, Hart Schaffner Marx and Robert Allan. They can even fit husky boys in sizes 12-20. You can of course finish off their outfits right here with shirts, ties, and shoes. This is Schreters after all!

Location: 4358 boul. St-Laurent
corner: Marie-Anne
Tel: 514-845-4231
Hours: Mon to Wed & Fri 9-6, Thurs 9-9, Sat 9-5, Sun 12-5
www.schreter.com

Delta Dailyfood is makes prepared frozen meals for the supermarkets, schools, businesses, airlines, etc. At the end of each month, whatever hasn’t been sold to them, is offered to the public at really inexpensive prices (mostly $1-$2.50 per meal). Some of the food is in bulk and others are individual or family dinners.
It works best if you form a buying group with friends and that way you can get an assortment. On the menu for this sale: salmon in lemon herb sauce or in a beurre blanc sauce, Tandoori chicken, beef bourguignon, pop corn chicken, shrimp fried rice, Thai curry chicken, ziti with Asiago cheese, Pacific snapper with spicy sauce, chicken quesadillas,  and on and on with over 50 choices.

Location: 26 Seguin, Rigaud
Phone: 450-451-6761
Directions: Exit 9 on Autoroute 40 Ouest
Date and time: Mar 29: 10-3
You can be on their e-mail list for future sales, write to: l.brasseur@deltadailyfood.com

SAS, total comfort shoes, started out life in 1976 in Texas by Terry Armstrong and Lew Hayden, 2 shoe industry guys who wanted to create shoes that were so comfortable that you didn’t want to take them off. Without national advertising they turned their (originally) handcrafted shoes into a national brand and it has grown to over 300 stores throughout the US. There are now 4 outlets in Canada with the first in Quebec found in the Maxi Complexe in Pointe Claire.
The shop owners here span 4 generations of experience in footwear through the Fargnoli family and with Alan Levy from Larry’s shoes in Snowdon. They will be all able to fit you in shoes of comfort and quality because this brand comes in a huge range of sizes and widths. Ladies it’s sizes 4-12 in widths AAA to EE and for men it’s 6-15 from slim to extra wide.
Every April and October, the store offers up dollars-off coupons. This year it will be $15 coupon for anything in the store. You do not have to have it or clip it as they will automatically take it off at the cash.

Location: 6361 Transcanadienne
corner: Boul. St. John’s
Tel: 514-426-8884
Hours: Mon-Wed 9-30-6; Thurs & Fri 10-9, Sat 9-5
Coupon dates: April 16- May 3
www.sasshoes.com

I’ve known about this company for years but haven’t written about it because they weren’t located in Montreal but all that has changed. St. Lawrence Textiles (you can tell that they have been around a long time by the way they spell their name) is now in Ville St. Laurent. They are currently having a warehouse sale for baby and children’s clothing with lines that wear well - Baby’s Own, Creme de la Creme, Nick & Eddie, Cora and others.

Location: 6869 Henri-Bourassa Ouest, VSL
Corner: Felix Leclerc
Phone: 514-387-7373 X 287
Dates: Mar 26-Apr 11
Hours: Mon -Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5

Amerella makes clothing for Sears, Walmart and The Bay which cover underwear to outerwear, and even include swimwear. Firstly their Wilson brand clothing offers ergonomic designs and stain resistant, anti microbial stretchy fabrics know to be breathable, quick drying and able to wick away moisture. West Coast Connection is a trendy California-influenced line known for its value along with up-to-the minute youthful styles in sportswear and outerwear for the entire family. IB Exchange is a snazzy leather line with competitive prices. Lastly for over 25 years the Ispo name has been creating comfortable and functional outerwear lines for the family using special fabrics and treatments. The company is having a semi-annual clearance sale with clothing for the whole family next weekend (April 4-5) at their warehouse.

Location: 2233 rue de Aviation
Corner: Boul des Sources, Dorval
Phone: 1-800-408-1527 or (514) 683-9511
Dates and Times: Sat Apr 4: 9-4, Sun Apr 5: 11-4
www.amerella.com

All of my fans will be happy to know that I will be back on a regular basis on Montreal’s biggest English radio station - CJAD 800AM. You can hear me starting this Wednesday and every Wednesday morn on your commute to work at 8:40 am.
The same day, I will start a regular appearance too on The Tommy Schnurmacher Show. This is a call-in show for an entire hour so those of you with those important shopping questions, this is your chance to have me answer them.  I will be on Tommy’s show at least once a month. If you miss  the show, you can always write to me here at my website.

Location: CJAD 800AM
Time: 8:40 am and then again 11-12 noon
Date: starting Wed Mar 25th

It is so easy these days to use cloth diapers. We have antiquated visions of women half a century ago slopping soaking diapers in pails or worrying about sticking squirming babies with pins. Wake up - this is a new world.  There are diapering “systems” to choose from, involving easy velcro pants with environmentally friendly cloth diapers using flushable liners (no muss, just flush).

There have been some complaints as to the energy costs of all this washing offsetting its environmentally friendly aspects. In 2006, Hydro Quebec came up with costs for home laundering: $.26 (cold water), $.41(warm), $.61 (hot) which would add up to $1.04, $1.64 or $2.44 per week based on four loads a week, versus about $20 for single use paper diapers. For two and half years, electric bills would only be increased  by about $317.

Compare that to the cost of throw-away diapers at between $2,500 and $3,000 per child. They still  make up the third largest source of solid waste in landfills; this will only increase significantly as the aging adult population begins to rely on incontinence products.

Really, it takes less time to dump a load of cloth diapers into the washing machine and transfer them to the dryer than it takes to get you and the kids dressed and into the car for a trip to the store when you run out of paper ones. However, there is a correct way to approach the cleaning of the diapers. First, it is important to have a higher energy efficient washing machine. Secondly, if you spin the diapers a second time, you reduce your drying time by about 25%. It’s also advisable to use biodegradable detergents and wash only every three days.

There are a few places in my Smart Shopping Montreal book to buy cloth diapers (you could do a search on this blog to find the others) but coming up, Le Baby Shop, a new location on the West Island, is offering to teach you how to use cloth diapers. You must call or e-mail to register.

Location:  Plaza Pointe Claire, 275-3 Boul. St- Jean (NOT at Le Baby Shop but at Fundomondo)
corner: Remembrance Highway
Tel: 514-671-0362
info@lebabyshop.com
Date: Thurs, Apr 2, 7pm