Buying Holiday Bakes Locally, Reality of Retail & Girls Night Out
Let's do this!
Buy Your Bakes.. or not
Christmas baking isn’t for everyone, and frankly even I get overwhelmed when doing multiple different recipes. Why not support a local bakery, patisserie or home business? I didn’t talk about people who specifically focus on cakes like wedding or birthday cakes because I felt that would be overwhelming.
You pretty much have to order everything in advance so get cracking.
ALSO, no - not everyone mentioned is going to have Christmas ‘themed’ bakes - but I don’t think that serving mince meat and gingerbread matters so much as enjoying something delicious.
Maison Halwa (they have a lovely box for pre-order)
Not dough but Arancini from Mamma’s Arancini
Heart & Loaf (Breads, etc)
Le Cavalier Petrone has a beautiful selection but is already sold out. This is your notice for next year. They still have chocolates available.
Please note: This was very difficult to research. If anyone has any leads please let me know and I can update.
If you are more of a baker or want a mix of both I highly recommend local baker Janice Lawandi’s recipes at The Bake School. She even has a Christmas Bakes section.
Reality of a Retail Business with Harlie Dover of Boutique NouLuv
Harlie Dover owns Ville-Émard retail boutique Boutique NouLuv which carries both new and used items for kids from newborn to 12. She sat down to talk with me about what she does and the realities of owning a retail business in todays day and age.
What is your background and why did you start this particular business?
I’ve always had a lot of interests and wanted to mold them into a career that fit my values and passions. I have an educational background in communications and film and used that for a career in marketing and project management. I’ve worked both as a freelancer and for various businesses. When I was laid off during the pandemic, someone mentioned the idea for a kids store selling both new AND used kids items.
We live in Ville Émard, which has a main street, Monk Boulevard, but it doesn’t have a lot of stuff on it. I thought it was a good idea and I wanted to build something for my community.
From conception to now it’s been around 4 years.
A lot of people’s values are about participating in the circular economy, especially for kids clothes. Fashion is the most polluting industry and a lot of people are interested in reducing that. It’s a really hot topic right now.
In the last 2.5 years since opening, how has your vision changed and why?
You have to be able to pivot otherwise you probably won’t survive.
When I first opened the store I had a smaller age range, and all the new stuff would be only made in Quebec. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Made in Quebec was expensive and limiting. Not everything is made here. Most new products are Canadian owned, but I do have other products too - I just make sure they are really well made and not something you’ll find at a big chain.
I also had to reuse how to use the space, and build an online store. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to have a retail space, and now I realize I need an online store too.
Shifting to a smaller, nicer selection of clothes, more gear, and essentials. And every month we do a very popular bin sale. Once a month for two days, you fill a canvas bag for $25 from the bin. There’s some searching but the hunt is also pretty fun.
What are your core values that drive you to keep going despite the challenges?
The environmental factor. When I walk around a mall and see all the clothes being manufactured, it makes me uncomfortable. The sustainability and environment is number one. Building community is another which is why it’s a retail store.
What advice would you give someone else trying to open a RETAIL store?
It’s hard but I don’t want to discourage anyone because I don’t want our world filled with chain stores. You have to have a hard shell, make smart choices and crunch your numbers from the beginning. Talk to other entrepreneurs, do surveys, make sure you are opening the business people want. Validate your assumptions.
Getting a coach is another important part. YES Montreal is a really good resource.
What are some other places that you love in your neighbourhood of Ville Émard and Boulevard Monk?
Monk Café Buvette, Cinqàsept, Melissa Bolduc, a few sushi places, Taco et Margarita, Korean, ceramics, etc
Do you have any holiday gift suggestions?
We have a ton of fantastic gifts but really, just go and support your local store. This is what is so important. And normalize giving second hand gifts!
You can find Harlie in her lovely Boutique NouLuv
An Italian Girls Night Out
Fancy but not too formal, a great vibe and Italian food you can’t go wrong with. You and your girls want to head out to dinner and these three options can’t be beat:
La Spada - 3580 Notre Dame Ouest
Elena - 5090 Notre Dame Ouest
Mano Cornuto - 988 Ottawa
Rita - 3681 Wellington
Random Gift Ideas
I love these colourful packing cubes from Cotopaxi. They come in all sorts of sizes and the colours make me smile. I have the smallest one that I keep a permanent collection or items for carry on including Gravol, extra headsets and wipes.
I love Vuori clothing. I have a sweater and t-shirt I bought a couple years ago that I wear all the time and still look great. It’s carried at the Running Room and probably other places too.
My friends swear by MasterClass - learn everything from pastry to art from REALLY big names.
Into baking? I’m a big fan of Nicola Lamb’s Kitchen Projects newsletter and recently bought her new book which I plan on slowly baking my way through.
Hogg Hardware in Westmount is more than just a hardware store - in fact it’s mostly not. It has great unique gifts and is one of my go to stops for Christmas gifts including the cutest Christmas decorations, journals, candles, etc. They also have a large-ish British goods section. Zone, with various locations, is also great.
Not local, but my friend’s shop in Saskatchewan, The Corner at Paradise and Main, is full of cute things. If you have any questions just reach out to them and they can help.
More with the baking - yes, I’m on a baking kick. Here’s Janice Lawandi, from The Bake School, best baking books of 2024.
Presentation Gifts specializes in baskets but also has other individual items you can buy. Everything is carefully curated and gorgeous.
Not a small shop, but books are always great gifts but they can be expensive. Scholastic is a great option for more affordable books and you can also use it to give back to your school.
A beautiful article on the Montreal food scene.
Reader Recommended:
Looking for a holiday market? Try this one in Dorval recommended by reader Nada.
Tara formerly (still of?) Little Minimalist recommended the hot honey and glassware from Marché L’Ilot and now I want everything from their shop. If anyone knows them personally I will definitely be reaching out to them to be interviewed.
Have a kid who loves colourful, cute things? Charlie Pickles has the cutest stuff (if you’re in Toronto swing by their store in person!)
Bref and Buk & Nola also have amazing gifts with brick and mortar stores (all Tara recommends).
Podcast Links for This Week’s Episode
This is the last Podcast. Thank you for listening. All podcasts will be taken off air December 24th. If you’d like to learn more about each of my podcast guests, their interviews are all in some form in the newsletter archives.
WHOOPS - ALMOST DONE: Please remember that while you may receive Three Good Things to Know as an e-mail, all issues of the newsletter are available in the archive. You can also listen to past Podcast episodes on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
ALSO, HMMM: Do you follow me on Instagram? I’d love to see you there.
LASTLY - PRETTY PLEASE: It would mean the world to me if you shared 3 Good Things with friends and family. You can do so using the buttons below.
OKAY JUST JOKING REALLY LAST BUT REALLY IMPORTANT: Please don’t be shy to contribute. This could be a book you read, restaurant recommendation, event or someone really awesome I should get in touch with so they can share their knowledge or promote their business.
Michelle Little is a photographer who specializes in family, maternity, newborn, headshots and boudoir. I offer studio, in-home and outdoor photography. You can see her website here and get in touch here.
I also have an insanely popular photography newsletter you can sign up to here for news, mini session announcements and more. Once a year I giveaway a free studio session to a lucky subscriber (maybe that’s why it’s insanely popular?)