The ‘bead’azzling Jo Penny Jo Penny wandered into a bead shop on Granville Island 25 years ago and fell in love. Three months later, she opened her own Beadworks franchise in Toronto. Today, the Queen Street East shop carries tens of thousands of beads from all over the world–India, Africa, Germany, Japan and the Czech Republic–in natural and painted wood, crystal, ebony, bone, glass, metal, seeds, semi-precious stones and pearls, and people of all ages are discovering the joy of beading. A trip to the shop is a sensory experience and beads from $5 to $50 in every co-
lour of the rainbow are meant to be handled. “You can get lost in here for hours,” say Jo. “From earrings to wine glass charms to bookmarks, people get immense satisfaction from making something beautiful with their own hands. You can put together a bracelet for as little as a dollar and it’s functional, personalized and utterly unique.”
BEADWORKS 2154 Queen St. E 416-693-0780 beadworksjo.com
Fresh-from-the-sea Maritime goodness from the Ralph Family to yours There’s a good reason walking through the bright red door at Seaport Merchants is like stepping into a Maritime seafood shop. The Ralph family–Gerry, Lorne and Marilyn–hail from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and Seaport Merchants is a third generation neighbourhood operation spanning four decades. “Our shop is the epitome of a down-home grocery store,” says Marilyn. “It’s small, intimate and authentic. People can smell it; they can feel it–the salt water; the freshness; the
friendliness.” The Ralphs have four priorities: fresh, quality product; attentive, personal service; customer satisfaction; and resource sustainability. “We buy our fish at its freshest point from premium suppliers,” Marilyn says. “We know our product, we know where it comes from and we know how to prepare it. This shop is a reflection of our culture and how we live. The people we serve are not just our customers, they’re our neighbours, our friends, our family.”
SEAPORT MERCHANTS 1101 Victoria Park Ave 416-755-9960
Neighbourhood Living – East Side
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