The best monthly sales of linens, etc. is the one held on Louvain St. in the Chabanel area. For bedding, curtains, carpets, comforters, pillows, shower curtains, carpets, bath towels, mats, dishcloths, oven mitts, etc.
Location: 120 Louvain
Dates and times: Fri Feb 26: 11-6; Sat Feb 27: 8-1
www.liquideco.com
This Wednesday February 24th, I will be appearing at the Ville St-Laurent Library in Ville St-Laurent to enlighten the audience on how to save money when shopping. The talk will cover all the areas in my “Smart Shopping Montreal” book: Clothing, Household, Leisure, Second-Hand, Repairmen, Specialty Stores and Services and International Food.
I hope to see some of you there!
Location: 1300 de l’Eglise
Phone: 514-855-6130
Date and Time: Feb 24th at noon
Q1: When something old breaks, you might wonder “where do I go with this?”. First of all, should we get it repaired, rather than buy a new one?
Older items were made better. Craftsmanship was so far superior. There was beauty in that hand work. An old lamp would have had real brass covering the socket instead of being painted or plated. Insides of clocks were as beautifully made as the outside. Workmanship was meant to last and be passed down from generation to generation. We are losing contact with our past when we don’t keep things from our parents and grandparents.
Q2: What if we have an object that is cherished, valuable, or memorable and it breaks, is there any one around that can still fix expensive items?
Well unfortunately as I rewrite my Smart Shopping Montreal book each year, most of the master craftsman in the repair section are dying out and there aren’t many the younger generation taking over. When you find them, expect to pay a decent price for the years of training, time involved, and the artistic nature of this service.
Q3: Can you recommend some of these craftsmen?
Whenever something old breaks and you’re wondering “where do I go with this?”, Mr. Fixit was always the place to head to. Repairs and restoration to china, crystal, antiques, lamps, paintings, clocks, carved soapstone, porcelain, ivory, alabaster, marble and objets d’art are cheerfully taken care of. They still might be able to fix older small electrical appliances and antique radios. For the last 56 years they’ve been fighting obsolescence and winning!
Location: 4652 boul. Decarie, Snowdon
Corner: ch. Cote St-Luc
Phone: 514-484-8332
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5
www.themrfixit.com
Minas Studio d’Art is a repair depot which handles everything from crystal, china, glass and porcelain repairs to antique lamps and oil paintings. Some of the other reparable items they do are: Inuit art, wood carvings, metal art, ivory, gold leaf and even papier-mâché. Expect to pay a fair price for the years of training, time involved and the artistic nature of this service. Evaluations of antiques is available.
Location: 7364 ch. Cote St-Luc, Cote St-Luc
Corner: Robert Burns 514-485-9222
Hours: Mon-Thurs 8-6, Fri 8-5, Sat 11-2
www.minasart.com
A T Art Restoration is two craftsman who are used by antique dealers in the city. The husband and wife team can repair all sorts of things at their workshop at home: china, figurines, paintings, frames, marble, statues, bronze, vases, porcelain, ivory, woodwork and more.
Phone: 514-521-9561
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6
Q4: Any final comments?
Anyone out there who love to fix things. We need talented people to keep up these trades. Call these businesses.
The EVEology clothing 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 looks which combine fashion, function and the attention to detail.
Most interestingly, it is designed and sorted by body type so you can easily choose which pieces will make you look the best.
You can view the clothing at www.eveology.com and then go in locally to try them on and buy (sizes mostly 6-18 but some come in 4 or 20). This week there will be an open house and you do need to RSVP. Otherwise, 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 Hamacher has been selling this way for years and is great at helping you select a wardrobe to suit you. Shopping here is like having your own personal dresser.
Tel: 514 684-0370
fashionista@acn.net
www.eveology.com
I get calls during the year from people needing help getting rid of their household items due to a move, a senior transition or for a an estate situation. They just don’t know what to do with it all.
I just got an e-mail from a gentleman who calls his company, Money for Clutter. What he does is help people sell furniture, antiques, china, books, artwork, clothing, tools, appliances, jewelry, collectibles, pianos, garden equipment and almost any household items.
He goes into a home and photographs the items they want to sell. Then he prices them at market value and advertises in local Montreal web sites, on his site and to his own e-mail list of regular buyers. He negotiates the price before the potential buyer goes to the seller’s home so there are no surprises. If there is a lot involved or if they are elderly, he will accompany the buyer to the seller’s residence.
He works on a commission basis and takes a percentage of the final sale. If needed, he can set them up with a mover. For seniors, he offers a packing service, the sale of unwanted belongings or can hold an estate sale. He likes to say that he make a hard time a lot easier.
Mark Hodess
http://moneyforclutter.com
Families worldwide have been flocking to H&M, European-inspired knock-off queen of the hottest new styles. North American companies lag, as they only do a few buying trips a year, but at this chain the trends reach here faster - and they’re very affordable.
Occasionally fashion designers throw a bone to the masses and create a line that we can afford. This Saturday a line by Sonia Rykiel featuring strong striped knitwear for women and girls (18 months - size 
will show up at the Ste-Catherine & Peel store and the Centre d’Achats Rockland location. Besides the knits, there’s jewelry and a signed bag (money is sent to Unicef for this one).
Locations: Centre d’Achats Rockland (514-340-7763); 1100 Ste Catherine St. o. (514-788-4590).
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. Mom and Dad can buy t-shirts and jogging pants and tops.
Location: 6869 Henri-Bourassa Ouest, VSL
Corner: Felix Leclerc
Phone: 514-387-7373 X 287
Dates: Feb 18th - Feb 27th
Hours: Mon -Fri 9-6, Sat 9-5
Q1: Montreal is a multi-ethnic city, and we have many places to buy authentic groceries from different parts of the world. Today you wanted to tell us a bit about East European food.
When you think of Russian or Baltic food, you think of hearty stick to your ribs dishes and that’s just about what we need at this time of year. Since these are local family businesses, much of the food is homemade so free from preservatives or additives. Their meat products are smoked naturally with wood, not injected with flavoring.
Q2: What countries are we talking about?
Russia, Roumania, Hungary, Slovenia
Q3: What kinds of foods might we find there?
Well borscht of course, chicken Kiev, different kinds cured meats: gypsy sausage or Moscow salami, goose pastrami. There’s healthy foods like kefir, yogurt drink and their smoked fishes are full of omega 3 (mackerel, herring and sturgeon). You’ll always find dumplings - my favorites are called pelmeny, little meat dumplings that I put in soup. Cabbage is good for you and they make homemade sauerkraut and stuffed cabbage. Don’t forget these stores also make wonderful desserts.
Q4: In what part of town would you find these stores?
West of the city in the Snowdon area: Sherbrooke St., Decarie Blvd., Victoria Ave.
At Bucarest Charcuterie and Patisserie you’ll find that Rumanian food and everything to make an authentic meal - meatball soup, stuffed grape leaves, naturally smoked sausages, chopped eggplant salads, stuffed cabbage, marinated mushrooms or carrots, goose, lamb or pork pastrami, fresh roe, homemade sauerkraut, pickled cabbage heads, etc. can be purchased here.
Russian foods to try would be sprats, sturgeon, whole herrings, smoked eel and mackerel, kefir and pilmeny (meat dumplings and others), chocolates and homemade cakes. Their canned groceries cover more of Eastern Europe, and include: sour tomatoes, white cherry or walnut preserves, chestnut puree, Hungarian paprika paste, pumpkin seed oil, black currants in syrup and yummy juices (pomegranate, red currant, blackberry).
Location: 4670 boul. Decarie at Cote St-Luc Rd. Phone: 514-481-4732
Patisserie et Charcuterie Bourret - The Roumanian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Swiss, German take-out foods in this 40-year-old business include zakuska, smoked eggplant, fish egg salad, goose pastrami, salamis, stuffed cabbage, pickled whole cabbage, fresh and smoked sausages, head cheese and Bulgarian sheep feta.
Bakery specialties to try are kifli (almond and apricot), poppy seed bagli, the 7-layer dobosh, cozonac, and torte wafers ($3.99). There is a wall of grocery products like gooseberry jam, chestnut puree, letcho, Hungarian noodles.
Location: 5771 Victoria, Snowdon Phone: 514-733-8462 www.bourretinc.com
St. Petersburg Russian Delicatessen - If you’ve ever wanted to try gypsy sausage or dried Moscow salami, you’ve found your spot. Russian yummies include smoked trout and mackerel, salmon caviar, borscht and chicken Kiev of course, but also spicy carrots, pickled mushrooms, herring with beets and potato, pelmeny, 10 kinds of pierogies and varenikas in the freezer, lots of jarred and canned veggies, and after you’ve had your pickled tomatoes, grab a piece of halvah or a few cookies from the 75 bins and wash it all down with strawberry soda, sour cherry tea - or kefir.
Location: 5584A Sherbrooke ouest Phone: 514-369-1377
Though it seems a conflict of class, Holt Renfrew will be the location to see Nicole Richie on Thursday. She will be launching a line of clothing there called Winter Kate (taken from her daughter Harlow’s middle names). At that time she will also be signing autographs.
Montreal’s own Brian Cytrynbaum’s company is the lucky license holder for her collection of clothing and her other collection of shoes, called House of Harlow.
Location: Holt Renfrew, 1300 Sherbrooke West
Phone: 514-842-5111
Date: Thurs Feb 18th
Time: 1-2:30 pm
If you like the styling and quality workmanship of Kanuk’s made-in-Quebec line of outerwear, then this is the moment to take advantage of their in-house sale. Kanuk coats are pricey but they are guaranteed for life - what other products these days will claim that?. The coats are famous for their design of optimal insulation - sewn right through to the lining. They are light enough for the mild days, “cool” enough for a night out and warm enough for a forest trek.
The after-season sale of leftover coats, ends of lines, samples and imperfects are priced $295-$750 (regularly $947). You can leave your e-mail on their website or your name with the receptionist to find out about their next sale.
Location: 485 Rachel Est
Corner: Berri
Tel: 514-527-4494
Hours: Wed - Fri, 8am - 9pm, Sat & Sun 8am - 5pm, Mon, 8am - 9pm
Dates: Feb 17th-Feb 22
www.kanuk.com