Blog

It's almost pretty enough to wrap a present in but you're more likely to want to give it as one of the most useful gifts you'll give anyone, including yourself!

For the past week, we've been trying out this new product called BeesWrap made by a young farmer in Vermont -  infusing organic cotton with beeswax, organic jojoba oil and tree resin, creating a washable, reusable, and compostable alternative to plastic wrap. It feels great in your hands, for one thing: we've wrapped it around a half loaf of bread, a chunk of cheese and covered a bowl of leftovers with it. As you handle the product it warms slightly, softening into the shape that's tight around the food or over the bowl. When you're done (or put it in the fridge) it hardens a little making a secure little package. When you've finished the cheese or bread or leftovers, just wash the paper in cool water with a bit of mild dish soap, let it air dry and it's ready to go for your next food storage task. So not only does it feel good to use, physically, it feels good not to be using more plastic wrap!

It comes in three package types: the smaller Sandwich Wrap, complete with attached wooden-button-and-twine tie; the larger Bread Wrap, suitable for most common fridge or counter storage challenges; and the 3-pack, so you can try it in a few different applications.

We had a similar product a couple of years ago but it wasn't as good as this one  - so all of those customers who've been asking when the old one might come back will be very pleased with BeesWrap - perhaps even positively abuzz!

We've known Wendy Tancock from before there was a Mercantile. Over decades, she has created a body of designs that combine a naïve graphic style with a sharp sense of observation and wit that is engaging, concise, funny, instantly recognizable and always uniquely Canadian. From hand-selling topical T-shirts out of cardboard boxes at Toronto events in the mid-'90s, we've watched her distinctly cottage-industry-scale business catch on with larger and larger markets beyond the city limits.

Now, we're very excited for Wendy that a new distribution partnership is helping customers across Canada be as charmed by her as we've always been. That partnership is also allowing her to branch out in terms of products and we're thrilled to be able to offer her new line of tea towels along with an enhanced selection of coffee mugs and - as usual - her Canuck-centric greeting cards.

So, while you've always been able to find Wendy's greeting cards on our rack in the middle of the store and you've regularly been able to find some of her mugs on our shelves, we're celebrating her success this week with a special window display and an in-store feature spot.

Come in and be charmed. Everyone knows it's Wendy!

You can pick up all kinds of Valentine's treats this weekend for the LOVE-liest day of the year coming up next week: Popcorn and chocolate Caramel Hearts from Be Mine, Laura Slack's Raspberry Ganache Valentine Dark Chocolate Bar and specialty confections from Denman Island and Saxon Chocolates.

But for a cozy night in, you might want to plan ahead. These ricotta-filled ravioli from Queen's Pasta are cold, cold hearts - but only because we keep them in the freezer at the back of the store. Boil from frozen until they float, finish in a pan with some brown butter, parmesan and pancetta, sprinkle with parsley, serve with a nice bottle of prosecco and things can only get hotter from there!

Pick them up this weekend - quantities are limited!

Pop quiz:
What day is coming up soon when you should let that special someone know just how you feel and express your affection and appreciation?

Ummm.... the correct answer is "tomorrow" and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that. Trick question.

However, since the calendar specifically designates a particular day for these expressions and we know people will be coming into the store looking for the right vehicles for that expression on that day, we wanted to let you know that we are prepared - not as on-the-nose as a heart-shaped box and not as lewd as Samberg/Timberlake's other thing in a box but a box nonetheless!

Remember, it's not so much about the stuff as it's about the experience and this box is all about experiences and sensations:

• Sprucewood Fresh raspberry Shortbread Cookies
• Pukka LOVE tea (organic rose, chamomile & lavender)
• Really Great Goods, lavender & lime epsom salts
• Fenwick Organic Coconut wax candle, Lavender & Eucalyptus
• Laura Slack Raspberry Ganache Valentine Dark Chocolate Bar
• all wrapped in a white Flour Sack Tea Towel

All for $49.95

Of course, you'll find all kinds of Valentine-themed choices around the store - from cards to chocolates to adorable gifts - but this right here is love in a box, Prêt à Aimer!

I'm willing to bet that the item in the store most commonly the subject of a "hey, check this out!" comment between couples is any one of these stylish dishes. The company is called NowDesign but the look is decidedly retro and recalls those great CorningWare dishes that brought tuna casseroles from oven to table decades ago (and still do in our nostalgic reveries!).

They are oven, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher safe and come in a variety of sizes, colours and designs. And here's the best part: as the third entry in our January Weekly Sale Series, they are all 20% through until the end of the month!

You'll find them to your right just inside the door.

Also...
We're experimenting with new Sunday hours. Starting this weekend we'll open at 11:00am instead of noon - closed at 6:00pm as usual.

If you're anything like us, the last couple of weeks have included a fair bit of indulgence. And fair enough, we all need that from time to time - though the evidence is clear that the planet itself suffers from our excesses often more than we do ourselves. 

While New Year's Resolutions can come from a genuine desire to change or improve, more often they are designed to atone for our exorbitances, which is perhaps why they fail so often: as the memory of our pleasures fades, so too does the impulse to limit them.

So here's a resolution that's simple to keep, good for you regardless of your susceptibility to indulgence and good for the planet to boot: carry a re-usable bottle and drink more water!
Every minute, one million plastic bottles are purchased worldwide, and 91% of all plastic isn’t recycled. 180 different animal species have been documented to ingest plastics containing BPA, many of which are permanently injured or die as a result of the poison. The Pacific Institute suggests the production of bottled water takes 2000 times the energy required to produce tap water. And Toronto tap water is some of the very best in the world - subject to far more rigorous testing standards than bottled water.

Green's Your Colour is a Burlington Ontario-based company that offers triple-insulated bottles in 350ml, 500ml and 800ml sizes in a variety of designs (Island Life and DinoStomper are pictured at left) and the makers of the lightweight que collapsable silicone containers (pictured at right)  donate 10% of profits to the Rainforest Trust so it's a win win win for you, the planet and your resolutions!

And now, we're offering BOTH lines of these handy containers at 20% off! Quantities are limited.

As we look forward to entering our 10th year on Roncesvalles, we wanted to thank you all for making us your friendly neighbourhood specialty shop. Whether you're looking for a special gift or that missing ingredient for your first foray into Moroccan cooking or a simple treat on the way home, it is so gratifying to meet our customers daily, weekly or even just occasionally and know that they think of us as the place where you're likely to find just the thing.

Thanks to you all, we had a terrific 2017 and we hope you did too. And of course, we hope that 2018 brings you everything you hope for and that you'll keep us in mind for both your every day needs and your special occasions.

It goes without saying that we are also your go-to store for ringing in the New Year - whether you're hosting or looking to bring just the right contribution to the snack or bar table: the best selection of aromatic bitters in the neighbourhood, cocktail mixers and soft drinks, snacks, chocolates, olives, pickles, gourmet treats or all kinds and accoutrements for the bar, cheese board or kitchen counter. And of course we've got Walter Craft Caesar Mix for New Year's Day!

Have a safe and happy new year and we look forward to serving you in 2018.

A reminder that we're open 10:00am-4:00pm on December 31st, closed on New Year's Day.

You can spot the tell-tale signs almost immediately from behind the counter: those who finished their Christmas shopping days or even weeks ago and who are perhaps picking up some hosting items or additional stocking stuffers, those who are methodically going through the list and those who are just beginning. We've seen all three types over the last few days and will for the next couple as well (our full holiday hours are listed below).

Whether you're looking for something very special for a tea aficionado, a super-elegant hostess gift or a teacher gift on this last day before the holidays begin, consider the special edition gold-tin Kusmi Tsarevna Christmas blend tea.

Kusmi was founded the same year as the Confederation of Canada 150 years ago in St. Petersburg by Pavel Michailovitch Kousmichoff - a poor delivery boy who learned the blending arts at the hand of a master tea blender and rose to create one of the world's great tea merchants. The family fled the Russian Revolution and centred the brand in Paris in 1917.

Cinnamon, cardamom, orange peel, anise, ginger and liquorice are all notes in this black tea symphony and the tin is big and bright enough to be of use to your own little drummer boy or girl probably by next Christmas!

Holiday Hours

We're open 10:00am to 8:00pm today and tomorrow, the 22nd and 23rd.
December 24th, 10:00am to 4:00pm
December 25th & 26th we are closed
(Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day everyone!)

December 27th we're open 10:00am to 7:00pm
December 28th we're open noon until 6:00pm.