Sunday, January 29, 2012

Online Shopping Guide.

One of the biggest challenges when decorating your home on PEI, is the lack of sources available to us. What may seem like a simple afternoon shopping around Ikea to our big city counterparts, would be a dream come true for some of us island design enthusiasts.

Don't get me wrong. A couple of great small home decor stores have cropped up over the last few years and for that we are thankful. However, I know that supplying their stores with up and coming products is sometimes both expensive and challenging.

When I make it to Charlottetown, Winners is my first stop. I'm elated when I've, by chance, caught a new shipment day but most days it's been well picked over and I leave feeling a little deflated. Nothing like getting your hopes up and having them dashed! :)

Oh well. The good thing is that it forces us to be resourceful. It's no secret that my favorite activity is scouring antique and vintage stores for pieces to make my own with a little elbow grease, ingenuity and a lick of paint!

Alas, online shopping is my friend. Free shipping, my bosom buddy. More and more, our favorite companies are now shipping to Canada. That being said, it depends how much you want it because generally there is a cost involved. (Such dismay when you see. Free Shipping! *US only* Argh!)

So here it is. I've compiled a list of my favorite online shopping stores and plan to add to it when new ones crop up. Be sure to read the fine print at each site as some larger items cannot be shipped.



* This guide is intended for Canadian shoppers, more specifically, Atlantic Canadian shoppers:)

Furniture, lighting, rugs, accessories 
(some things are not available for online shipping but I've called the store in Toronto 
and they were happy to ship directly)

Accessories, bedding, rugs

Furniture, lighting

Furniture, lighting, rugs, accessories, bedding

Crate & Barrel
Furniture, lighting, rugs, accessories, bedding

Restoration Hardware
Furniture, hardware and home decor items.

Costco
You need a membership but shipping is free in most cases!

Lee Valley
Cabinet hardware (knobs, pulls etc) and more!

Best site for modern designer fabrics. 
Shipping is somewhat reasonable but join in with a friend to save on costs!

Designer fabrics
Fabric.

Tonic Living ~ a Canadian company
Beautiful fabrics and custom sewing service.

Not just books! Great home accessories at reasonable prices.

Pillow covers, vintage items, art prints
I'd be lost without Etsy. Seriously! It can be a bit overwhelming unless you are looking for something specific. An unbelievable resource for unique pieces, purchasing directly from the artist. 

A buying and delivery service for residents of Halifax, Dartmouh, Truro, Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, PEI and St John's NFLD. Brilliant if you ask me! They will pick up whatever you want from the Ottawa Ikea location (largest in Canada) at a charge of 20% of total order before taxes. 
I've not used it yet but definitely plan to!  

Please let me know if you know of one I've missed! I'd be thrilled to hear about it! The more the better!

48 comments:

  1. Restoration Hardware - love that place too

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  2. Great list! Overstock is also pretty good for lighting and smaller decor items. They won't ship rugs and some furniture.

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  3. What a great idea to pull a list like this together. I presume you know about Susan Snow's shop in Charlottetown called Moving Designz (http://www.movingdesignz.com/about_us.htm).

    The ones I would add to your online shopping list are Lands End and LL Bean as they have great bedlinens and towels (super soft and fluffy) and a few other things like dishes and mats etc. Also I know Chania from Razmataz (from Ontario) sells Pine Cone Hill linens and Dash and Albert rugs. This is her website: http://www.razmataz.ca/category_24/Pine-Cone-Hill-Linens.htm

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  4. This list is great. Being an Atlantic Canadian myself I know how you feel. I lived in the states for a couple of years and LOVED all the FREE shipping. And now that I have moved back home I get frustrated when places won't ship to Canada and when the free shipping doesn't apply here. But you do what you can, and like you said, you learn to be resourceful :) Oh, and I wish we had an Ikea close too!

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  5. Oh and my husband's office tried out the "my box buyer" just before Christmas to purchase some things for the office. It worked out GREAT...so I definitely think we will be trying it out for some items for our home in the near future :)

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  6. Thanks for putting this list together (I'm in Halifax)! I've seen a few things on West Elm that were too large to ship, but never thought to call the Toronto store, so it's great to know that they may be willing to ship direct :)

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  7. Yeah! Great list. Some new-to-me shopping I'll have to try.

    three others that come to mind ...

    1. amazon.ca ... rather obvious, yes, but they are adding new products all the time. got a sweetheart deal on a Bodum bean grinder last summer. free shipping too!

    2. costco.ca ... yes, you have to be a member but the online shopping is awesome! free shipping in most cases ... to. your. door. can't beat that!

    3. currys.com ... not furniture or decor. but their art supplies rock. they are SO helpful and over $50. free shipping. for all those diy projects! ;)

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  8. Hi Jane,

    Thanks for this great list. I shop at some of those and will have to try the others. We don't have them all where I live also.

    I realize online shopping is easy and helps make life a little more simple!

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  9. Some great ideas with good links. If anyone is interested they is a site I usually frequent to buy some of my home decor stuff. It's called World to Home. Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out: http://www.worldtohome.com/

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  10. I'm always so envious of the Americans and their awesome selection of online sources. No hefty customs or long waits:)

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  11. Designer Fabrics will also ship to you - memos and fabric very quickly. https://secure.designerfabrics.ca/shop/scripts/

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  12. Jane, this is such a great post. I'm an Island girl myself, and though now I live on Vancouver Island, I came from the Charlottes. We.had.NO.home decor.shopping! The Sears catalogue was our go-to resource, and trips to the mainland were a dream come true. It's changed a little in the last 15 years, but even though I don't live there anymore, I can't say it's come leaps and bounds. By nature I love to shop from home, because that's what I had to do... so this awesome post has been bookmarked in my favorites! Thanks for sharing :-)

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