The Uniprix chain’s flyer will no longer be stuffed into your Publisac. Those of you who enjoy sitting in a comfy spot and comparing items side by side will now have to do it online - or - go to a store each week and pick up a paper flyer.

If you want to be reminded about them, you can register at www.uniprix.com to receive their weekly newsletter informing you that the flyer is available. You do have to fill out a subscription form. However, you can just go online whenever you feel like it and read the flyer - without having to divulge any personal information.

Entreprogolf has managed to corner the market on clearances from golf stores and golf course pro shops due to the owner’s connections on the circuit. Expect to find brand names: Calloway, Taylor Made, Titleist, Ping, Cobra, etc., for your clubs and accessories: bags, shoes, clothing (to XXL). Even on the new items, expect to pay 6% less than the more famous known chain in Montreal.

Location: 3970 Mont-Royal (parallel to Boul. Taschereau)
Corner: Robillard
Phone: 514-233-8113 or 450-926-8883
Hours: Tues & Wed 10-6, Thurs & Fri 10-8:30, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5
www.entreprogolf.biz

Every Wednesday and Saturday night until the end of the summer, you can enjoy FREE ballroom dancing on Ile Ste-Helene. It’s close to the Jean Drapeau Metro Station - listen for the music.

Location: Ile Ste-Helene
Time: 6:30-10pm
Date: Until the end of the summer

Zellers already known for reasonably priced merchandise, has made life even more fun for bargain shoppers. They have opened up a new Centre de Liquidation on Taschereau Blvd.  You will see lots of 20% or 30% off signs but they change daily.

Buyer beware though, about half the store is still regular priced merchandise. There are 50% off items too. I scored 12 pairs of men’s sports socks for $6.72.

Location: 5000 Boul. Taschereau
Phone: 450-672-7244
Hours: Regular store hours

Q1: In the summer it is easy to be green (despite what Kermit sings) because the pleasure of riding a bicycle can usurp mass transit or riding in cars. Can you suggest how to shop for one?

Biking allows you the sensation of being in your environment instead of watching it like a TV show from a car window. If you’re thinking you’d rather buy a new bicycle but only have a small budget, be aware that the lower priced new bikes may have skimped on quality in order to be sold for a certain price point so they may be manufactured with such things as plastic brake levers or plastic brake mechanisms which break easily. It is better to aim for one from a bike shop because in the long run, you’ll save on buying a new one or on repairs.

Q2: If we buy a second-hand one which are more reasonably priced or at a garage sale, how can we be re-assured that it is in good working order?

Picking one up at a garage sale,  or online, may not be a good idea as you don’t know what repairs might be needed or if riding it might even be dangerous (old tires exploding, worn brakes, etc). You should pay to get it checked at a reputable bike shop.

Q3:  No matter what kind of a bike we buy, we do have concerns about the possibility of it getting stolen, can you give us some tips on how to avoid this?
- Try not to buy one that is too flashy as those are taken more often.
- Don’t lock bikes onto parking signs (like the ones mentioning sector parking) as the signs can be pulled out of the ground and your lock slipped off
- Don’t lock your lock close to the ground as it is easier that way to break it with a hammer

Q4: Okay, we’re ready to hit the streets, where can we go to buy quality bikes?

ABC, 5584 avenue du Parc. Phone: 514-276-1305. Hours Regular. Customer satisfaction, competitive prices and keeping up with the latest trends have been the key ingredients that have made this store last since 1931 (in the same family!). Everything from tricycles to custom-made frames can be found here, with all the helmets, hydration systems, clothing, kid trailers and car racks (no charge for installation). Go up to the second floor for the racing bike section.  A bicycle repair service is available, and for the winter they can show you how to turn your bike into an exercise bike.

McWhinnie, 6010 Sherbrooke ouest, N.D.G. Phone: 514-481-3113. Hours: Regular plus Sun 11-3 (Sunday only Apr-June). Bicycles for the whole family can be bought here, from tricycles to mountain bikes, hybrids, BMX, touring and 27-speed racers. Service and prices have kept this store going for 79 years. New and used bikes are sold, as well as all parts, biking accessories and trainers. There is a reputable repair service too. A locksmith service is an additional bonus, and you can even get your skates sharpened!  www.mcwhinnies.com

Cycle & Sports Paul, 44 Ste-Anne, Pointe Claire. Phone: 514-695-5282. Hours: Regular (Sun 9-5 April - Labor Day) Bike stores in Montreal last a long time, and this one, at 61 years old, is the biggest and most specialized in the West Island. The selection of family, racing, mountain and hybrid bikes is surrounded by accessories such as hydration systems for drinking, computers to monitor speed and distance, night lights, cycling videos, trainers, kiddie transporters and clothing (reflective for night riding). Tune-ups and repairs are available.

I was disheartened by the article in the Gazette mentioning Hastens, a Swedish mattress maker which has opened shop on St-Laurent Blvd with prices mentioned going from $4000-$49,000. Yikes!

Yes the company has been around since 1852 making their bouncy horsehair, wool and linen mattresses, so they do have a track record. However, if you want a round mattress, you can buy one right here from a local manufacturer, Laval Bedding, for under $1000.  Okay, so it’s made out of foam (dust mite resistant just like theirs) but no animals get scalped.

If regular size mattresses do not fit your irregular-sized body, then this quality mattress factory can make one up to fit. A twin set starts at only $225, and an extra-long 80″ twin box spring with firm mattress would only be about 15% more. You can choose how you want your mattress made. Memory Foam is available too. So support a local business and save the planet without shipping something from across the world.

Psst (my book can tell you where to get fabulous fabric to  cover it, just like theirs….).

Location: 950 Berlier, Laval
Phone: 450-663-5921
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5:30, Sat 9-4

Since the advent of eBay, we have come to believe that our junk is valuable to someone out there. Going to flea markets, you can see this for real. We are now afraid to throw anything out, since today’s garbage is tomorrow’s collectible.

The term ‘flea market’ has two different meanings. There are the real flea markets where finding a flea is possible, and then there are the wannabes - the newer type that popped up here in the 1980’s selling new stuff in order to skirt the no-Sunday shopping law.

The true flea markets mentioned below sport tables and glass cabinets full of collectibles, antiques and junk all mixed up side by side. Browsing through them is fun, not only because you really score deals, but because they recall memories of your childhood in the cups your mother used, the black jaguar figurine from the breakfront, the radio in grandma’s house and loads of toys you played with.

If you’re about to clean out your home or that of your parents, here are some of the items I have noticed that are now selling as collectibles: ashtrays, cigarette lighters, fountain pens, pen knives, kitchen appliances (toasters, mixers, blenders, utensils like ice buckets and tongs), hard luggage, frisbees, fat Schwinn bikes, change purses, tools, vacuum cleaners, and always toys in their original boxes (sometimes the boxes are worth more than the toys inside ). However, when selling some I discovered I hardly got enough money to justify storing them all these years.

Here are a few in the greater Montreal area that will give you a driving destination for a adventurous day out into the countryside:

St-Eustache: At the drive-in (exit 14, 25th Ave) on Autoroute 640 o. (450-472-6660). Open all year, Fri 11-9, Sat & Sun 9-5. Here’s one of the biggest indoor/outdoor flea markets (has sometimes reached 1,000 vendors), with lots of old housewares, fabric, new clothes, hubcaps, fishing tackle, sunglasses, phones, decorative objects, art supplies, fresh veggies, baked goods, watches and toys. Inside the building: horse gear, dolls, statues, candy, belts, knobs, purses, carpeting, dried flowers, hats, bridal bonbonnieres, hair products, vacuums, baby gear, jewelry, athletic shoes, computer gear and more.

Lachute: 25 rue Principale (450-562-2939). Open all year, Tues 5-5, Sun 8-4 (June-Sept). A well known flea market for collectibles (here the vendors arrive on Mon and the dealers work all through the night with flashlights buying up the best deals before it even opens on Tues morning at 5 a.m.). There’s also fruit, vegetables, clothing (old and new), old furniture and furnishings, tools and farm animal auctions (on Tuesday). A building houses antiques and reproductions.

Carignan: Super Marche aux Puces, 2375 ch. Chambly or Route 112. Open all year Sat & Sun 9-5. This one is big, with perhaps 500 vendors situated outdoors and indoors. The merchandise, half old and half new, consists of clothing, jewelry, collectibles, fishing gear, old LP’s, vacuums, crafts, makeup, electronics, used motors, used and new tools and tires.

This liquidation center’s offerings reads like a department store: books, CD’s, clothing and shoes, computers, DVD’s, electronics, exercise equipment, health products, housewares, jewelry, watches, sports equipment, tools, toys.

Some sales items are the “Cook with Jamie” Jamie Oliver cookbook (list: $41.95, their reg. price: $9.99, sale price: $4.99); Tylenol Arthritis Pain (list: $18.99, regular: $6.99, sale: $3.49); Under Armour caps (list: $33.99, price: $9.99, sale $4.99); NFL authentic jerseys (list: $79.99, price: $19.99, sale: $9.99).

New products come in daily. I have not visited this one yet.

Location: 948 Begin, VSL
Corner: Cote Vertu
Phone: 514-332-9606
Hours: Daily 9-5
Dates: July 10-20

Q1: Summer time, with more down time gives us many more chances to enjoy reading.

What better way to spend a lazy summer day than to curl up with a good book, or even a not so good book. Despite the inventions of radio, movies, television or the Internet, books still sell. In the North America more than 275,000 new titles are published every year.

Q2: How do you explain that?

Books are portable and go everywhere with you without having to be plugged in, backed up or requiring batteries. Books can keep you company while waiting in lines, at the doctor’s office, on the Metro and, of course, in the bath and bathroom. Books are great to go to sleep with.

Q3: Books bought in bookstores are getting to be expensive these days, what else can we do?

You can buy them in second-hand stores, at garage sales or trade with friends and family - and of course online: Amazon, e-bay, chapters.indigo.ca, barnesandnoble.com, smartshoppingmontreal.com

Q4 : With all that competition - around Montreal - do we have many second-hand bookstores and can you let us know about a few of them?
If you shop at second-hand stores, you soon learn that not only can you buy there but you can also sell back books when you finish them. This causes more problems, though, because it gets you back into the stores more often, and yes, you do wind up buying more books. There are 20 stores I mention in my Smart Shopping Montreal book, here are some with a little twist:

The Word Bookstore, 469 Milton. Hours: Mon-Wed 9:30-6, Thurs & Fri 9:30-9, Sat 11-6. Every day for the past 34 years, their window display has a new theme, and the books change. If you pass when the store is closed, slip a note under the door with the title you want and the time, and you may win the privilege of buying it. Today’s subject will be books by and about Virginia Woolf, the English novelist. Successful windows are sold out within half an hour of opening.
With an emphasis on liberal arts and the classics, you will find everything from slightly dog-eared hardcovers to collectibles. There is usually a shelf outside selling paperbacks for as little as $.50, and an inside bench selling books at $1 (There’s lots to choose from now as people clean out their books in the Spring and they do a lot of buying then).

Atwater Library Book Room, 1200 ave. Atwater. Hours:Wed-Sat 12-3  If you love to read hardcover books, this little room staffed by volunteers is a godsend. The proceeds from donated books go towards acquiring new additions for the library, and are sold for rock bottom prices, mostly $1 a book, but some a bit more, or $.50 for the few boxes of softcovers.    www.atwaterlibrary.ca

www.usedbookcircle.com Used book shopping will never be the same, because now you can type in the book you are looking for, and within 48 hours you can find out which of the 20 participating second-hand book stores in the Montreal area have it in stock. If the book is not found, you can even ask them to keep the request on file in order to notify you when the book shows up later on.

You can laugh all you want (and who doesn’t need more laughs these days) while enjoying all the out door fun at the Just for Laughs Festival site on and around St-Denis and the new Place des Spectacles site. On their website at hahaha.com there are 5 pages of free fun including a sound machine, a break-dance contest, clowns, improv, pyrotechnics, a pop-up box,  choreographed painting, acrobats, juggling, a 1963 Chevy turned into a 6-man band, stilt walkers, puppetry, ancestral fire rituals, light shows and a double bass that thinks it is a dog.

On Sat July 18th at 4pm there’s the famous Twin Parade. For singing aficionados, there’s Just Sing on Tuesday July 21 and Wed July 22 where the audience is invited to a sing-along with 250 singers. Dancers are not left out so they can shake their booties on July 23 at 7 pm for Just Dance.

Kids and kids at heart can play every day at Just Play on De Maisonneuve Blvd. There’s Rock Band, Guitar Hero, foosball, table-top hockey,  chess, checkers and more.

Location:  St-Denis between Ste-Catherine and De Maisonneuve and surrounding area
Dates: July 16-26
http://boxoffice.hahaha.com/billetterie/forfaits