Support your local toy store

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Jenny discusses one of my favourite places: toy stores.

I’m a big believer in supporting local businesses. Sure, you can often find better and bigger bargains at chains like Walmart and Toys R Us, but I’ve been doing a lot of local shopping lately during my maternity leave, and it’s cemented for me that when shopping for toys, price isn’t always everything. Here are some compelling reasons to support your local store.

1. special orders
Recently I stopped into Mastermind’s Beaches location. A friend had recommended to me a bamboo mat, designed to fit any stroller, that wicks sweat away from baby’s back in the hot summer months, that she had purchased at that location a few weeks earlier. I was set on getting one because both my girls suffer from heat rashes and I figured this item would provide some relief. Unfortunately a lot of other moms had counted on it too, and the store was sold out; but a salesperson immediately set about special-ordering one for me – an option no Toys R Us clerk has ever offered.

2. knowledgeable staff
My local toy store, Treasure Island Toys, is a great example of how knowledgeable, friendly staff can make a shopping experience effortless and comfortable. Many’s the time I’ve stopped in to buy birthday gifts for girl #1’s cousins, classmates, and friends, armed with only a gender and age; the staff never fail to offer assistance within a few minutes, and always have a recommendation or two that’s appropriate for the child’s age and sex, taking out all the guesswork for me.

3. free gift wrapping
Treasure Island Toys also offers free gift wrapping – an incredible boon to busy moms, especially when faced with the often oddly-shaped packaging of many toys! Again, not a service I’ve ever heard offered at a chain store (except perhaps during the holiday season).

All these reasons have a common thread – unparalleled customer service. The service I’ve gotten over the years at big-box stores has been spotty at best; but the local stores I’ve frequented have never failed to surpass my expectations. I like a good bargain as much as the next person, but often (like when I’m hauling a hyper 5-year-old and a cranky infant along with me to the toy store) speedy, friendly, knowledgeable service that goes the extra mile is well worth the extra few dollars I might pay at the cash register.

Editor’s note: As I was preparing this post, I learned Mastermind has gone full force into social media and they seem to be doing a great job – they blog, have their own YouTube channel and you can reach them at @MastermindToys on Twitter.

Six String Nation - a Canada Day story

Looking for something to be proud of this Canada Day? Want to read a kick-ass story about our culture and heritage in a way that’s never been told before? Read on...

For the second year in a row, I had the good fortune of attending Podcasters Across Borders. Despite it’s name, this gem of a conference – organized by Canadian Podcast Buffet hosts Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche and their wives, Andrea Ross and Cat Bobkowicz – is about so much more thank podcasting. It’s really about content, creativity and inspiration. The three key elements in plain old-fashioned storytelling, the best way to engage an audience.

That’s exactly how the tone was set with keynote Jowi Taylor, Peabody award-wining writer broadcaster formerly with the CBC, as he presented an overview of his career leading up to the inspiring story of Six String Nation.

What’s Six String Nation and why should you care?

Six String Nation is many things to many people. It started with a dream in 1995 and over the past few years, it’s the result of a cross-country journey and collaboration culminating in:
• 64 pieces (hand-crafted from vast riches of our history, heritage and culture)
• 6 strings
• 1 guitar (the Voyageur)
• 1 Canada

According to Jowi, the goals are simple:

“• invite the many voices and perspectives that together define the spectrum of Canadian identity and experience to speak to one another – each in their own voice;
• celebrate the people and stories that make each part of Canada distinct;
• tell the story of a country from the roots to the trunk rather than the other way around; and
• encourage us to tell that story to ourselves and the world through music – the language that Canada speaks just about better than anyone else in the world.”

After Jowi’s story, we were further wowed when Jay Moonah, accompanied by Bob, Mark and a chorus of PAB attendees, started to play With a Little Help from My Friends on the Voyageur. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Many of us also had an opportunity to be photographed and photograph our friends holding the Voyageur as well.

What struck many of us as odd was the fact that there was no direct government support and next to none from corporate Canada. Six String Nation has really been Jowi Taylor’s labour of love.

Help support Jowi by telling others about his story, buying his book – I bought one for Mr. B as a Father’s Day gift – and checking out the Six String Nation tour this summer or a slew of visits to schools and community events throughout the year. You can even have your picture taken with the Voyageur.

Happy Canada Day!

photo credit: Six String Nation at PAB09 by lexnger on flickr, Thanks Lex!

Trashman: garbage never smelled so sweet

Innovation seems to be at its height during tough times. It didn’t take long after the city workers went on strike for some innovative Torontonians to come up with solutions to a potentially stinky problem.

Bill Hennessey took an entrepreneurial approach. But what Ryan Taylor is doing is an inspiration to us all. Ryan developed a plan to pick up people’s garbage with help from his partner Asaka Yamashita and friend Michael Penny. The cool thing is all money collected will go to War Child Canada, a charity helping children in war torn countries.

Ryan Taylor isn’t a guy with extra time on his hands. He devised this plan while working on his new business venture, Fair Trade Jewellery Co. (The FTJCo) set to launch in mid-July. (Stay tuned, it warrants a post of its own.)

I recently interviewed Ryan for Bargainista:

B: Where did you get the idea to pick up garbage during the garbage strike?
RT: I’ve read and heard a lot of negative feedback regarding the labour dispute, a lot of anger but nothing constructive. I think people are upset with changes to their routine and illegal dumping is always unacceptable for locals, who take pride in their neighborhoods.

While the city and union work out their differences, I thought a simple solution to ease tensions would be to offer a small scale pick-up and drop off service especially for families, seniors and those physically unable to get their garbage to an official drop site. By offering this service for a fee we achieve two things: people are more considerate of what is essential to dispose of and with all the proceeds we support a worthy cause in War Child Canada.

B: How can Bargainista readers arrange to have their garbage picked up and where does it go?
RT: We’ve tried to make it as simple as possible visiting my “trashman” blog and use the form on the site to enter your pick-up details, if your readers are paying by credit card they can do so direct to War Child. It’s an honour system so just make a note that payment was made using that method on our form.

B: Will you pick up garbage from businesses as well as households?
RT: Both absolutely.

B: What are the three most important things we need to do if we want to arrange to have our garbage picked up?
RT: Ask your neighbors if they’d like to take part, help those around you in need, and consolidate your trash.

B: What can we do to help?
RT: Blog about it, tweet about it, and better yet print off the 8.5 x 11 posters and show your support offline.

B: How big is your team?
RT: My incredible partner Asaka, my videographer, Michael and me.

B: How did you decide to donate all proceeds to charity, specifically War Child Canada?
RT: My relationship with War Child was really solidified after NetChange week. I really enjoyed working with James, the War Child team is incredible and of course the cause really needs our support.

B: What has the reaction been from Torontonians?
RT: Generally positive, I think these ‘spark’ programs are new and hard to grasp. People like long planning sessions, big brand sponsors and traditional media coverage to confirm legitimacy. Is it shameless promo or good community? I leave that for the public to decide, in the mean time I’m renting a truck, up at 3 a.m. hauling 50lb bags dirty diapers from around the city. ;)


B: What has surprised you most since you announced this initiative?
RT: I’m getting more attention speaking to people in the community using good old-fashioned DIY posters than Social Media. There’s something to be said about a smile and a handshake from a neighbor.

Where can you find Ryan when he’s designing treasures instead of collecting trash?
Ryan Taylor
Goldsmith, Adventurer
The Fair Trade Jewellery Co.

Atelier: 523 Parliament St. (map)
Toronto, Ontario M4X1P3

image credits
photo of Ryan Taylor from http://blog.ftjco.com/blog/
poster concept designed by Jason Murphy

Fit-in 15 – we’re all winners!

Thanks everyone who participated in the Fit-in 15 challenge yesterday. Bargainista readers really stepped up their game and in a friendly “add an extra 15 minutes of activity to your day smack down” against Parent Club, we came a head by a nose (9 Bargainista readers compared to 8 at Parent Club) and get to display the trophy here. Yay! Congrats to all Parent Club participants as well.

Daniele Rossi will be getting a 4GB iPod Shuffle and iTunes gift card courtesy of Canadian Chiropractic Association’s Fit-in 15 program.
Here’s his comment:

“Did a power walk as a warm up before my workout in the gym today. Set it for 15 minutes and found it was the best warm up I've ever done!”

I just happen to have another prize pack lying around so, Tanya McGinnity who took a 30-minute power walk with her sweet little pug, will receive one too. Congrats to both of you!

As for the random draw, I invited Caroline Fernandez from Parent Club to do the honours. She had a little help from a sweet tool called Random Interger Generator. Thanks Caroline!

Oh ya, and I guess you’re all wondering how I’ve been managing my Fit-in 15 for the past week. Well, here’s the rundown:

June 17 – I took a brisk lunchtime walk, then after work headed over to the Toronto Girl Geekl Dinner in a brisk walking mode only to learn I was early. I headed home and did some more brisk walking too.

June 18 – I attended the ChickAdvisor Recessionista Shop Crawl, skipped two subway stops after work and walked to the starting point plus another two hours of shopping on foot.

June 19, 20, 21 – Getting around in Kingston on foot during the three days of Podcasters Across Borders counts, right? ;-)

June 22 – 15 minute brisk walk at lunch for the Bargainista – Parent Club Smack Down and another brisk evening walk.

June 23 – 15-minute brisk lunch time walk (and I’m sure there will be much more this evening).

I’m certainly making an effort to add at least an extra 15 minutes of activity into my day. The bike is coming out this weekend too. You’ve all inspired me.

When it comes to daily physical activity, what inspires you?

Disclosure: Canadian Chiropractic Association is a client of Fleishman-Hillard, a sister company to iStudio and I've been working on this project.

DIY decor not just for nurseries

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Rebecca Atkinson completes her DIY nursery series.

As a final follow up to the Nursery on a DIY budget series, here’s a recap of two bargains we found/created for less than $20, which in theory could be applied to any room of your house really.

When painting, generally you take off the light switch and electrical plate covers, which of course got me thinking. They were boring, plain, white things. I wanted to dress them up somehow – and have them match the theme of the room if we could. I went looking in stores and online and saw lots of light-switch covers, but also saw the prices and thought surely this could be recreated for less.

During one of our trips to Michaels, Mark showed me some scrapbook paper he found for $4.99 which matched the flash cards we had. He wanted to know if there was something we could do with it. For $4.99 I said we must be able to and threw it in the cart.

It wasn’t until we got home that it dawned on me. Why not cover the light switch and electrical covers in the paper? I passed the idea on to Mark who is much better with a pair of scissors than I and he too was game. After wasting a few sheets trying to figure out how to make it work, we finally figured it out and found yet another use for that wallpaper glue we still had left.

After tracing the light switch cover (including showing the outline for where the hole would need to be for the switch itself and cutting out the shape, we affixed it by applying the wallpaper glue to the paper (minus where the hole cut out was traced) and then carefully sticking the paper on the cover. Once we’d let it set for a couple of days, we then took an exacto knife and carefully “exed” out the middle, affixing it with some more glue as needed. For a final touch, we applied al light coat of a shellac just to protect the paper so it wouldn’t tear prematurely from everyday use.

One other piece of the puzzle we wanted was to find a nice drape or shear for the room. We already knew from advice from friends that we wanted a blackout blind for the room so it could be closed during the sunniest of days allowing baby to sleep.

With an older style house, we have some odd-shaped windows so on a trip to Fabricland looking to buy fabric to make curtains for another room in our house, we thought we’d see if there was anything we could find for the baby’s room. Always one to look through discount bins, my husband and I were rummaging through the “clearance” bin for packaged draperies, when he exclaimed – “I found it!”

Sure enough, it was the perfect sheer for the room, the exact colours we were looking for and everything. We checked the price tag and found it said $7.99. Bonus! So excited with our find we immediately headed for the check out in case it was a mistake…

As I neared the cash register, I saw something on the package that made me stop. It wasn’t a sheer, it was a shower curtain! I immediately groaned, showed Mark and we went back and put it down looking for something else. Very disappointed we were getting ready to leave when we both stopped and asked ourselves why we couldn’t use that as a sheer? Immediately we went back and checked it out and discovered that if we didn’t tell anyone it was a shower curtain, they might not know. All we had to do was buy some nice curtain hooks and none would be the wiser.

However, we’re so proud of our find and our thought to use something “unconventionally” that we now proudly point it out to anyone who sees the room asking if they like our $8 shower curtain turned sheer. What do you think – can you tell the difference?
Lessons Learned
1. Practice with scrap paper first – especially good if you have paper the same thickness (scrapbooking paper is a thicker stock)
2. Once you glue on the outside, the middle gets hard so you need to cut with precision and trim carefully; don’t glue anything until you’re sure it will fit where you need it to
3. Just because something is labeled with a purpose already, doesn’t mean that’s what it has to be used for – get creative
4. Bargains are available to be found, you just have to be open minded

My Shop Crawl haul

Have you ever been to a ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl? Maybe you’ve thought about it but weren’t quite sure about spending $25* to save money and party with a bunch of other women (well, mostly women) who love shopping too.

Last Thursday, I attended the ChickAdvisor Recessionista Shop Crawl. The weather was a perfect ’cause the rain stayed away. My plan was to see how much swag I could walk away with without dropping a penny. Well, things didn’t quite go as planned. The deals were hard to resist and I spent some of my hard-earned cash. At least it wasn’t all on me. With an extra 25% off regular and sale items at Banana Republic, I bought Mr. B a Father’s Day gift too.

Anyway, I thought you’d like to know what I got for free, so I’ve included a photo. As you can see, I came away with a lot of goodies, including a $100 gift certificate towards an overnight stay at the Park Hyatt (another gift for Mr. B), a $25 gift certificate for Stillwater spa, 10% off at Roots online store and lots of beauty products from Maybelline – the event sponsor. All shoppers who completed the crawl got a swag bag with a bunch of stuff from the sponsor, a martini ticket and a lot of surprises on the way. Plus there were games and prizes at the FLOW after party.

Over the next little while, I’ll be coming up with a contest or two so I can share some of this swag with some of you.

This post wouldn’t be complete without a shout-out to Ali, Alex and the rest of the ChickAdvisor team for making the night a success, and especially to Sumaya – we finally met in person and she’s a sweetie.

What did you think of the Shop Crawl? Would you go again? What would you suggest to make it even better?

*Full disclosure: as a media friend, I received a complimentary ticket.

Get Fit-in 15 and win an iPod Shuffle

Full disclosure: now that I’m consulting full-time as a digital strategist, in addition to sharing my personal experiences as a consumer and my experiences with products, services or initiatives I’ve learned about through online outreach from other firms, I may also share my experiences related to my client work from time-to-time. This is one of those times.

By now most of you know I’ve been relatively successful with NutriSystem. My downfall has been integrating regular physical activity into my daily routine. So when I was asked to help with outreach on the Canadian Chiropractic Association’s Fit-in 15 program, I jumped at the chance to participate. Fit-in 15 is a program designed to help busy Canadians learn to fit a mere 15 minutes of physical activity into our day. Check out these helpful tips.

Since Wednesday, I’ve been incorporating at least 15 minutes of physical activity into my daily routine. By adding only 15 minutes, I’m gaining several health benefits. I’m keeping an activity log that I’ll share next week.

But this isn’t about me. It’s all about you and how you can win a 4GB iPod Shuffle and $20 iTunes gift certificate by getting involved too. Read on…

Bargainista and Parent Club have arranged a friendly Fit-in 15 competition between our two sites. Who will win the much coveted (very-non-official) Fit-in 15 trophy*?

Monday, June 22 (that’s this Monday people!) go for a 15-minute brisk walk. You can do it downtown – on your lunch break. Quick step your way to your favourite store for some power shopping. Push the stroller to the park. Walk to pick the kids up from school. However you can fit-in 15 minutes of fitness into your day.

Then, (pah-leez), come over to Bargainista and comment before 6 p.m. ET The blog with the most reader comments on Monday (by 6 p.m.) “wins” the competition and gets to display the virtual trophy.

So how can you win?

It’s easy. Do your bit. Take a brisk 15 min. walk. Leave your comment on the blog. All comments will be tossed into a virtual hat and one lucky commenter who is chosen by random will get a 4GB iPod Shuffle and a $20 iTunes gift certificate courtesy of Fit-in 15.

It doesn’t matter where you live to get involved. Only comments from Canadian residents will be eligible for the Shuffle and iTunes gift certificate.

[Disclaimer: we devised the trophy/competition all-by-ourselves. It is not an acutal competition endorsed by Fit-in 15. It's a buddy-system competition to get ourselves - and you - moving]

Marc by Marc Jacobs catches my eye

I’ve been whining about my sunglasses for at least the past year. I wanted a change but hadn’t found the right pair: something fashionable, yet not equal to half a mortgage payment; something that suits my face, yet fits the bridge of my nose… you get the picture.

Not that I always want the newest, shiniest pair I can find but the ones I’ve been wearing for the past several years were getting tired looking and the lose arm just kept getting looser no matter how much I fixed it. Check out the picture my friend Alexa Clark took of me wearing my at the post-BookCamp get together below and you’ll see what I mean.

So, last week, with a bit of cash in hand from a birthday gift, I walked in Holt’s on Bloor and headed straight for the sunglass display. Presto, within five minutes I found the perfect pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs – oversized by not exaggerated. As my husband said, “Big, but not too big”. As Goldilocks would say, “They’re just right.”

When I got home that night I wondered why after looking for a new pair for so long, I was able to find the right pair within minutes. Was the selection that different? Was it my frame of mind?

Hmm, I thought some more. Then it occurred to me. It’s the way Holt’s merchandises their sunglasses that made the difference. Hundreds of pairs were on the wall. How was I able to sort through them so quickly? I’m convinced it had to do with the airy feel and the room between each pair along with more than lighting. Perhaps not so eco-friendly but definitely customer-focused.

What about you? Have any examples of smart merchandising to share? Oh yeah, and what do you think of my new shades?

photo credits
top photo: Mr. B
bottom photo: Eden, Lex, Gerry & Sue by lexnger on flickr

Diaper bags: the most important accessory for new moms

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Jenny shares her wisdom about choosing the right diaper bag.

As a new parent, perhaps the most important accessory in your childcare arsenal is one that you will be toting for the better part of the next two years: the diaper bag. Choosing the right diaper bag for your needs is critical. The wrong bag can leave you fumbling, wailing and/or smelly-bottomed baby in hand, for that elusive diaper/wipe/soother/bottle that has slipped to the bottom of a too-large bag or that is lost in one of too many compartments.

Happily, there are a multitude of options available, and diaper bags nowadays can even come in stylish prints or classic leather. I recommend checking out the bags that other parents are toting and asking for their opinion – ideally, ask a friend who’s a parent if you can give theirs a “test drive” by carrying it for them on your next outing together. This will give you a good sense of how awkward or comfortable that particular style is for you, and how easy or hard it is to find what you’re looking for within it.

Personally, I’ve used three diaper bags, each a different brand and style, for the varying needs as my oldest went through different ages and stages.

1. California Innovations makes a sturdy yet lightweight shoulder bag that I’ve used for both my girls in their infant stage. It boasts a multitude of compartments for the multitude of necessities that I won’t go anywhere without in the first year: diapers, bottles, Tempra, gripe water, wipes, extra burp cloths, my breastfeeding cover-up, soothers, and more. There’s even a thermal compartment with an easy-access double zipper that you can stand a large bottle in! Granted, in a stain-resistant solid navy blue it’s not the most trendy – but at this stage that’s not important to me, accessing what I need when I need it is.

2. skiphop makes gorgeous bags in a huge number of stylish prints and solids. I used one when my oldest was a toddler and found that its one big central compartment was perfect for toting toys, books, whatever would keep her amused when in a store, at the doctor’s, in a restaurant. I also liked the smaller side pockets for other necessities like wipes, a couple of diapers, and extra underwear when toilet training, as well as the top zip compartments for my own personal stuff – wallet, keys, etc. Since at this stage the diaper bag became my own de facto purse, I appreciated the wide array of trendy colors available!

3. Finally, during the preschool years, a simple Roots backpack became my mainstay – perfect for hauling toys, books, extra clothes, ballet gear, gymnastics gear, whatever – and best of all, small and lightweight enough for our #1 girl to haul her own stuff for a change!

Celebrating local merchants

One of the main attractions about living my neighbourhood is the access to local shops and services. I live within walking distance of merchant villages and I do my best to support the local merchants, especially the ones that are independent businesses. They tend to place a bigger focus on their customers. Sometimes their prices may not be as competitive as a chain store but nothing compares to the level of service they offer.

Yesterday was Village Day & Sidewalk Sale in Yonge-Lawrence Village. Merchants couldn’t have asked for better weather. The community was out in droves – I was there twice – once by myself and once with my family. There was lots of entertainment, freebies and special offers. There were also several spaces for rent and just as many new neighbourhood businesses popping up.

It’s in everyone’s best interest to support local businesses and keep our neighbourhoods sustainable.

Here are some of the places I “supported” yesterday:
• Cozy Nails
• Calia Hair Design
• Narnia – I bought a cute dress for ½ price
• Adrian’s
• Tim Hortons
• Starbucks

UPDATE
Here are some of the photos I took. The Olive Oil Boutique was smart to take advantage of the passersby with big signs in the window. Had they been sharing samples of some of the gourmet foods they’ll be selling, the impact could have been greater. FYI, opening day is next Saturday, June 20.



What have you done to support your local merchants lately?