539 Best Places to Shop in Canada

With sizes running from 2 to 22, this place makes finding the perfect fit a snap. Choosing from among the casual wear by fashion labels like James Perse, Pas de Calais, Autumn Cashmere, and Odd Mooly might be a bit more difficult.

Designer Christian Chenail's contemporary take on fashion always has a French twist, and his daring black gowns are showstoppers. His flirty skirts and dresses usually come in cheerful shades of red, blue or pink and call to mind the styles of the '50s.

Besides stocking their own line of seriously cool Nova Scotia--theme hoodies and tees, this gorgeous boutique stocks a huge range of gifts, cards, and food items from local makers. 

This Montréal-based women's fashion label creates stylish, comfortable clothing using natural fabrics cut in simple lines. Since the styles are timeless and the pieces well made, you'll likely treasure your purchase(s) from Naïf for years to come.  There are other locations, including one in Mile End at 227 rue St-Viateur.

Shop alongside Toronto chefs for quality kitchen supplies—Le Creuset cookware, seafood crackers, or unique showpieces like Canadian hardwood serving boards—at this multifloor shop that also hosts cooking classes.

Located just a block away from the Gastown Steam Clock, Nettle's Tale is a welcoming shop that designs and manufactures ethically made and size-inclusive (4X to XS) swimwear and clothing. You can mix and match their locally made swimsuit tops and bottoms, or opt for a full-piece.

Go crate-digging at this basement record store where new releases sit beside jazz, punk, and reggae oddities. Their buy-and-sell program accepts cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and even vintage studio gear—so if you're looking for something obscure, you just might stumble upon it here.

This gift shop offers a mix of novelty gift items, clothing, housewares, as well as higher-end local handcrafts and souvenirs. 

The nonprofit shop also known as the Newfoundland Outport Nursing and Industrial Association was founded in 1920 to raise money for public health services, with the proceeds from the sale of the homespun, hand-knit clothes used to hire nurses. Today, it sells a variety of knits for all ages including the classic and much-coveted full-suit onesies for babies and toddlers.

On certain days (posted on the website), the boardwalk is the place to watch master craftsmen blowing crystal into graceful decanters and bowls, which can be purchased in this shop's showroom.

This Beach institution serves ice cream on waffle cones (made in-house), as well as molded chocolates and truffles. Even though the house-made sweets are delicious, the sizable selection of imported candy and treats from the United Kingdom and other parts of the globe has an equally devoted following.

This shop bills itself as the oldest store on the oldest street in the oldest city in North America. It's worth a visit just to see the accordions, tin whistles, fiddles, ukuleles, and ugly sticks (traditional Newfoundland instruments made from discarded tools and household items) on display. The shop also stocks recorded music, and you are sure to see your favorite local musicians popping in for a purchase or a chat, and occasionally to play a tune.

Based in Vancouver, with locations elsewhere in Canada, Oak + Fort sells simple (but stylish) locally designed women's clothing and accessories, plus a small selection of menswear and home decor items, at its spacious storefront.

This pigtail-covered boutique offers three levels of fun for babies, kids, and young adults. Innovative and kooky gifts, books, clothing, and even scooters are available.

Edmonton’s original indoor farmers' market has been selling locally grown and produced goods since 1983. Locals flock to the market every Saturday to pick up seasonal fruits and veggies, honey, locally raised beef, wild game meat, cheese, and other goods. It's also a great place to people-watch.

The clothing and accessories here, from local and international makers, may not be one of a kind. But as the name of this funky little shop attests, you won't see the designs at mass-market retailers either.

A blaze of rainbow colors, Original is glamorous, life-affirming, and a little outrageous. If you're heading to a gala or you're after a crinoline dress (in fuchsia), you need to come here. The endless selection of platforms, pumps, and wedges is outdone only by the dress section, up a multicolor flight of stairs.

Regulations no longer allow tours of the smokehouse, but the friendly owners will explain the process of producing some of New Brunswick's best cold-smoked Atlantic salmon, and you can buy the finished product. You'll also see it for sale in local grocery stores and on the menu at many regional restaurants.

Once located in a stand-alone shop in Yorkville and now in the Manulife Centre, this boutique for all things denim has been around since the 1970s. You'll find every variety of cut and flare: the trendy, the classic, and the questionable from lines like Naked & Famous, rag & bone, and MOTHER fill the shelves. 

Pages is Calgary’s finest local bookstore, where you’ll find a vast selection of new and used fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. If you’re looking for the work of local Alberta or Canadian Indigenous writers, this is the place. There’s always a rack of bargain books just outside the front door, and the knowledgeable staff inside can help you find some literary gems.

This fabulous little stationery store is tucked in the back corner of the Net Loft across from the Public Market. Here you'll find everything from fine handcrafted sheet paper from around the world, including Japanese and Origami, to cards and gifts, craft and art supplies, and dip pens and inks. This is truly a tactile paper lovers delight. 

This paper factory produces handcrafted stationery using a 17th-century process. There's also a small museum, which explains through photographs and demonstrations how paper is manufactured the old-fashioned way. Slivers of wood and flower petals are pressed into the paper sheets, which are as thick as the covers of a paperback book. The finished products—made into writing paper, greeting cards, and one-page poems or quotations—make beautiful, if pricey, gifts. Visitors can wander through the museum for free, and guided tours can be arranged for groups.

Pattes d’éléphant offers an expertly curated thrift experience in a stunning storefront reminiscent of New York's Soho. Discover unique second-hand clothing and accessories, alongside a select collection of contemporary pieces by talented local designers.

Paul's Boutique, owned by none other than the eponymous and eccentric Paul, is an Ali Baba's cave of 20,000-plus rare and used records, with a strong emphasis on hip-hop and vintage 45s. The shop also stocks old DVDs, magazines, and music memorabilia. Housed in a colonial Québec home with dormer windows that's painted canary yellow and fire-engine red—and appears to be caving in on itself—it's hard to miss Paul's Boutique.

Tareq Hadhad arrived in Nova Scotia as a Syrian refugee in 2015 and started up this successful chocolate business with his family, becoming the subject of a book and subsequent movie. Originally based in small-town Antigonish, this flagship store on the Halifax waterfront sells a selection of boxed chocolates and tasty bars, many printed with messages of hope.