It’s that time of year again – the holiday craze begins! Sometimes it’s hard to avoid the department store rush of the season but we are huge believers in supporting small and local businesses! We’ve got the list for you of the best artisan and gift shops to find unique, novelty gifts for your loved ones this holiday season.
This Kensington Market staple is your one-stop for unique patches, gorgeous designer prints, stationary and ceramics. Your gift recipient will be begging to know where you picked up their present!
Everything Toronto can be found at this store, from neighborhood-specific toques to streetcar replicas. It’s time to rep what makes you uniquely Toronto with these fun, novelty items.
This Indigenous-owned family business opened its doors in 2014 and has been making waves ever since. Find beautiful beaded earrings, unique pendants and cozy moccasins. Pacha Arts is all about featuring local artists and talent – check their Events page to see what is coming up!
Looking for kooky holiday gifts? This is the place to go. You will find everything from bright and fun socks, Hamburger and other food ornaments and cozy onesies, slippers and toques too!
Looking for that novelty greeting card or Prince or Frida Kahlo ornament to complete your holiday décor? Scout has it all – even unicorn Christmas crackers!
We love a general store that pairs minimalism with wacky styles! This is your stop for colourful enamel pins and simple apparel designs. Likely General has even more to offer though – if you gift recipient loves a unique home décor piece, check out their ceramics and fun prints.
Not only is the NCCT doing amazing work for Indigenous people, but is also features an array of Indigenous art and design. Find unique graphic tees and caps here, as well as beautiful home décor.
The Craft Ontario Shop features lovely sculptures and handmade artisan goods from across the world. We love their Indigenous gallery of handcrafted sculptures and prints. You won’t want to miss this incredible shop!
Do you like handmade décor? Then you’ll be eager to decorate for the holidays with everything Spruce! From reindeer daschunds to ornate painted hour glasses, your home is going to look fabulous this holiday season.
With a focus on the LGBTQ+ community, TKVO is the perfect queer gift shop. This shop is focused on practicing self-care with sweet scented candles and apothecary. But most importantly they are here to encourage you to be yourself with blunt and eccentric designs and apparel.
Harry Potter fans will flock to Curiosa where all your magical dreams of Hogwarts can come true. Write and seal your very own Hogwarts letter, choose a wand or pick up a mysterious gift for that HP lover in your life.
With four locations across the city, this Toronto staple is the shop you didn’t know you needed. Here you will find classic reads, table top books and more for discounted prices. You’re guaranteed to walk out of here with at least one (let’s be real, probably three) books!
We couldn’t include them all but we hope this is a great start. What did we miss? Please comment below with your top Toronto artisan goods and gift shops.
Image Credit: Photo of TKVO by DapperQ