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Toronto prides itself on having some of the finest shopping in North America. Indeed, most of the world's name boutiques have branches here, especially in the Yorkville area, where you can find such luxury labels as Chanel, Prada, and Cartier. For those a little leaner of wallet, you can join in one of Torontonians' favorite pastimes: bargain hunting. Locals wear discount threads like badges of honor and stretch their dollar at Winners—where overstocked and liquidated designer pieces and last-season fashions are slashed to a fraction of their original retail prices.
Toronto has a large arts-and-crafts community, with numerous art galleries, custom jewelers, clothing designers, and artisans. Sophisticated glass sculpture and Inuit art are ideal as gifts or for your own home. A few record stores are still going strong despite the dominance of digital music. The survivors’ trump card has been focused inventory and knowledgeable staff—head to Rotate This for alterative and indie music or Atelier Grigorian for classical and jazz. Bookstores such as Indigo have lounge areas where you can sip a coffee from the in-store café while perusing books by Canadian authors such as Alice Munro, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and Rohinton Mistry; don’t miss favorite independent Book City.
When it comes to department stores, all roads lead to Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street West, the epicenter of Toronto's designer shopping. A mere block east is the more mid-price department store The Bay. A second Bay can be found across from Eaton Centre, a sprawling shopping complex with multilevel parking in the heart of the city.
Nearly 70 vendors occupy the historic permanent indoor market and sell items such as fish, meats, produce, caviar, and crafts. The building, on the south side of Front Street, was once Toronto's first city hall. The best time to visit is early on Saturday from 5 am, when there's a farmers' market in the building on the north side. Get there after 9 and it quickly becomes the worst time to visit.
One of the city’s longest-running rare bookstores occupies a nondescript brick building overflowing with more than 50,000 titles dating from the Renaissance to the present day. Family owned and operated since 1978, you will be astounded by the innumerable variety of books that cover every inch of this building ranging from art to fiction, travel to politics. Knowledgeable and friendly staff are ready to recommend fascinating reads. D & E Lake also specializes in selling fine art, coins, and modern and vintage maps and posters—all as impressive as the shop’s book collection.
Browse traditional, as well as contemporary and even avant-garde art from the Canadian Arctic—a far cry from the traditional whale carvings and stone-cut prints you may expect—at this family-owned gallery founded in 1961.
Flatiron’s Christmas Market is the only year-round Christmas store in Old Town Toronto and is one of the oldest gift shops in the neighborhood. The owners are proud supporters and members of the LGBTQ+ community; their small shop is packed full of imported and handmade European Christmas decorations, as well as off-season gifts such as Canadian souvenirs, home decor, and more. Its novelty and cute offerings have attracted celebrity clientele such as Liza Minnelli, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Halle Berry—this is the perfect spot to buy small and unique gifts for your loved ones back home.
For more than 10 years, HAVEN has been the go-to shop for premium and modern men’s clothing, shoes, and accessories, as well as hard-to-find Japanese labels such as Junya Watanabe, NEEDLES, and KAPITAL. The store occupies an expansive, 1,500-square-foot, light-filled space with soaring ceilings and knowledgeable, friendly staff. Exclusively available in store is HAVEN’s namesake brand; inspired by classic Canadian designs, it offers utilitarian clothing in cotton, wool, and Gore-Tex to complement the country’s climate.
Canada's biggest auction house hosts more than 100 auctions every year, in person and online. They feature Canadian and international fine art, including many prestigious collector and catalogue auctions; in addition, special auctions include Indigenous art, jewelry, and decorative arts.
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