Hey Roncy - how's everybody doing?

We hope you and yours are staying safe and healthy amid this COVID19 pandemic. It's a strange new world for so many of us and we're really proud of the way the neighbourhood has come together (partly by staying apart!) And we need to start by saying how much we feel for all our friends on the strip who are temporarily closed and our friends at the Westerly who have decided to close permanently. These are tough times for everyone but we are ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

We're doing our best to make provisioning yourself at the Mercantile a safe, healthy and easy experience through all this and there's lots you can do to help. For one thing, as you know, we're a small shop so social distancing is tricky. So please do yourself and us and your neighbours a favour - before you come in the store, have a look through the door. If there are more than 4 or 5 people in there just hang back for a second. People who come to the Mercantile these days generally know what they're looking for and we can help them find it quickly and get them on their way. That will create space for you to come in and maintain that necessary distance.

But there's another way we can make this easier for everyone: starting this week we'll be delivering on Wednesdays and Fridays. We don't have a fancy system for doing this online so here's how it's going to work:

During business hours (Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5) call in your order at 416.531.7563 and pay by credit card over the phone. We can either arrange for curb-side pick up or we can deliver to your doorstep on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Now, lots of people come for regular items all the time, but especially now that people are getting more creative at home, perhaps we should remind you of the range of things we carry. Here goes:

Crackers, aoili, sauces, ketchups, harissa paste and other North African sauces, preserved lemons, pickles, pickled onions, olives, kosher salt, Himalayan salt, grey salt, Maldon salt, flavoured salts, peppercorns, salsas, pasta sauces, mustards, coffee beans, oils, vinegars, aromatic bitters, cocktail and soft drink syrups, bar accessories, La Croix waters, tonics, soft drinks, spring waters, non-alcoholic beverages (Partake, Gruvi, Seedlip) jams, jellies, chutneys, cookies, maple syrups, honey, agave, molasses, pomegranate molasses, sugars, broths, bouillons, canned fish, rice wine vinegar, mirin, miso, gojuchang, hot sauces, liquid smoke, chocolate, candy, spices, dried mushrooms, vanilla, saffron, extracts, birthday candles, cake and cupcake stuff, tea, teabags and balls, chips, popcorn, snacks, nuts, rice, lentils, oatmeal, granola, liquid soaps, laundry and dishwashing liquids, tea towels, gifts, Queen's Pasta, eggs, Mad Mexican stuff, liquorice, cocoa, dried fruits, gummies and sours, popping corn, trail mix..........

Obviously not an exhaustive or detailed list but just in case you need something and are wondering if we have it before you call, that list just might help.

Again, order during store hours at 416.531.7563 for either curb-side pick up or Wednesday or Friday delivery.

Stay healthy, Roncy.

How fortunate that, this year, Valentine's Day falls on a Friday! You get all this week to fire up your imagination, stoke the fires of passion and then ignite a weekend of loving bliss with a Friday night tête-à-tête/coeur-à-coeur.... if that's your thing.

Honestly, it's one of those holidays that makes us a little bit uncomfortable because it imposes a) an idea of how you express your love and, b) what the nature of that love is. Because in spite of all the emphasis on red and pink it really is a rainbow of feeling that the day is meant to celebrate.

So forgive us our nod to cliché but we do at least imagine that we've got a broad enough array of tools for you to build exactly the kind of tribute to whatever degree of fondness or affection or tenderness or passion that you have in mind to mark.

Special chocolate confections from Odile, Denman Island and Roger's to go the classic route; hibiscus flowers in syrup to drop into a glass of bubbly for a certain flair, heart shaped ravioli from Queen's Pasta in a dinner-for-two size for the home cook, candy hearts for the kid (or the kid in you), the best Valentine's cards on the strip and a whole lot more.

Last weekend was busy with those thinking ahead but there's still time to add just the right accent to your expression of love, so come on in before Friday!