Montréal gift guide

FOR THE TRENDSETTERS ON YOUR LIST

espace | MTL, located in Montréal’s bustling Griffintown neighbourhood, is the city’s flagship store of the iconic brand, Ciele Athletics. Made for runners of all ages and levels, the store is the starting line for those wishing to discover running, its vibrant community and its boutique space.

WANT Les Essentiels is a Montréal luxury brand known the world over for its timeless bags, accessories, footwear and clothing designed to simplify and elevate the everyday.

Atelier New Regime is a beloved local streetwear brand that makes tees, sweatsuits and accessories like tuques (always a useful item in wintertime Montréal!) that are both good looking and top quality.

The unisex nylon and leather bags designed by BAIN are carefully crafted and designed for maximum adaptability, often with different strap options.

For a one-stop shop packed with locally created Afro, urban and vintage styles, Boutique Espace Urbain on Plaza Saint-Hubert is a great go-to.

Gazelles is a womenswear brand whose designs aim at outfitting professionals in textiles that are elegant, sensuous, textured, flowing — and empowering.  

Made locally, the clothes at boutique C’est beau all adhere to sustainable production methods and boast sharp minimalist designs. Everyone on your list will want one of their tuques.

Make that special person in your life REALLY happy with a beautiful leather bag from local brand m0851. Their versatile pouches in different shapes and colours are perfect for stashing everything from lipstick to electronics.

MAS Montréal is a clothing brand dedicated to inclusivity for all body types. Their streamlined basics are easy-wear muted colours and flattering shapes, and they’re locally made mostly using dead stock, to give purpose to fabric that would otherwise go to waste.

For the yogi in your life, Lolë in a Montréal brand of yoga wear that combines urban style with fit function.

Kanuk is a decades-old local brand that makes exceptional winter coats combining quality and durability with on-point cuts and styles. They also have stylish accessories, for stocking stuffers.

From its store on Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Mile End, Ça va de soi is a shrine to pretty sweaters and cardigans made with ultra-fine Super 160 merino wool.

Le Cartel is a streetwear brand penned by a collective of artists, and it shows — their pieces are singularly stylish in their functionality.

Fashionable shoes designed in Montréal? Yes please. Maguire is a brand of luxurious, original, ethical and affordable footwear with a beautiful Mile End boutique.

WHEN YOU WANT TO PUT A RING ON IT

From earrings to fine necklaces crafted from white, yellow and rose gold as well as silver, everything at Camillette is locally sourced and made with delicatesse.

MYEL’s shop on tawny Laurier Avenue West is the perfect spot to pick up refined bracelets, pretty pendants and stunning stackable rings.

Argent Tonic has been a local destination for decades for elegant yet bold creations in silver or gold, packed with gorgeous semi-precious stones.

Ready to take it to diamond town? Head to Ecksand, an upscale jewellery seller specialized in handpicked, natural diamonds and pearls.

Master-class jeweler Roland Dubuc takes inspiration from origami to sculpt pieces out of sheets of gold or silver that he folds into exquisite wearable artworks.

Freitag has a huge fan base for its trendy shop full of in-house or local designs with an organic, contemporary feel. The selection features lots of silver pieces with semi-precious stones.

Small local chain Kemmi features boho-style jewellery handcrafted from the highest quality silver and solid gold.

Select your meaningful gift at Corail Blanc from the cool-girl headpieces, body chains and anklets, all  made by local designers.

Ruby Mardi on Saint-Zotique is perfect for the romantics in your life: they have everything from elegant engagement rings to an abundance of dried and fresh florals and colourful prints.

FOR ALL THE LITTLE ELVES

For sporty kids on your list, there’s a CF Montréal special that will make their absolute day: buy two tickets for a soccer game, and you’ll get a free limited edition bobblehead of Samuel Piette!

The ultra-loveable dolls from Raplapla are cuddly, original and full of personality. They’re lovingly handmade in the brand’s Mile End workshop (which also offers repair services at its in-house “hospital” for all fabric toys in need of TLC).

Les Petits Voyous is a store in Westmount best known for its children’s fashion, but it’s also full of sweet gifts for tots, from plushies to pacifier clips to sipping cups to kiddy home décor.

Drawn + Quarterly is a famous Montréal bookstore and publisher known for its original comics and selection of contemporary novels, but across the street from their original space is their offshoot, La Petite: a wonderful children’s bookstore.

Bonder Books on Westminster in Montréal West is 60-plus years old, having provided books to kids and young adults to generations already. Check out their special Montréal authors section.

Mouton Royal is a small shop with a big heart, with an ethically and sustainably made selection of stuffed toys, DIY kits, blocks, musical instruments — even costumes for dress-up fiends.

TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY

Toutes les choses parfaites elevates the corner store to new heights, with a focus on tasty local products as well as plants and a selection of craft beers sure to please any taste.

Speaking of brews, raise a pint to Montréal with a selection of beers from La Maison des Bières, where you can pick from 450 microbreweries in Québec and the world.

The Deluxe cocktail kit by local drink specialists 3/4 oz includes five generous bottles of flavoured syrups and mixers in an attractive box. It’s a readymade gift!

Dinette Nationale has a selection of sweet and savoury pastries, frozen desserts and more that are just as great gifted as enjoyed on the spot. Peruse their jarred confections and recipe books too.

Come stock up on Montréal goodies at Le Petit Dep, purveyors of local treats and sweets from pickles to chocolates.

Chez Potier - Épicerie Gourmande is a gourmet grocery store whose selection of fruit jellies, macaroons, jams and caramels are all developed by chef Oliver Potier and his team.

For the avid cooks you know, you’re sure to find something they need at Boutique Crème on Laurier Ouest, purveyors of only the finest cookware. Cast iron trivet, anyone?

Domaine des 15 lots in Hochelaga is the perfect place to go for anything maple, from syrup to butter — they even have maple soap.

The simple, sturdy, leather and canvas aprons from Montréal atelier Dahls” are built to last. It’s no wonder they’re favoured in professional kitchens around the world.

Bakery Les Glaceurs makes gift-worthy cupcakes all year round, but their Christmas themed cakes add seasonal wow to any table.

Every year Québec candy company KandJu produces a collection of seasonal gummies that you can mix-and-match to make a bucket tailored exactly to your tastes.

Juliette & Chocolat is a perennial purveyor of sweet treats, but the Holidays are a great opportunity to gift their advent calendar or jars of caramel spread and chocolate sauce.

Chocolat Boréal’s gourmet chocolate boxes are a local delicacy, with Québec inspired flavours including sea buckthorn caramel and Labrador tea flavoured ganache. They also make advent calendars.

Condiment connoisseurs will appreciate the spicy stylings of La Pimenterie. As see on Hot Ones, their famous Curry Verde is delicious on dishes both savoury and sweet. 

Cookbook lover? Well, Westmount cookbook store Appetite for Books has shelves full of delectable titles to choose from.

FOR FINE CRAFT AND DÉCOR FANS

Get artsy and find some of the city’s most unique gifts or souvenirs at the boutiques of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, McCord Stewart Museum, Pointe-à-Callière or Canadian Centre for Architecture. They’re packed with everything from precious, one-of-a-kind jewelry to unique fashion, objects, coffee-table books and more. 

Inspired by global travel and artisans, Palma boutique offers limited-edition Montréal-designed pajamas, cushions, jewellery and robes.

Plaza Saint-Hubert craft shop arloca has everything, from dainty rings to socks to beautiful prints and postcards worthy of display, all by Canadian artisans.

L’Empreinte is a coop packed with Montréal-made goods, featuring pottery, toys, art objects or jewellery by dozens and dozens of local artists and artisans.

Not your typical tourist shop, Boutique Bonjour Montréal offers original items by local artisans ranging from fashion accessories to jewellery, greeting cards, tableware and more.

Marché Saint-Laurent is a market in Old Montréal specializing in locally made products including clothing, objects, toys and more.

Add some magic to your holiday tree with a handblown glass ball from Espace Verre, Montréal’s foremost glassblowing studio, where you can both learn and shop year-round.

Little Italy’s BELANGERMARTIN specializes in Montréal-made home and fashion items, including stunning throws and lamps you’ll want to take home for yourself.

Offer a dramatic yet delicate lamp from Montréal’s Atelier Cocotte, who’s hand-crafted fixtures feature strong organic lines shaped from gently curved wood veneer.

FOR COSMETICS THAT SHOW YOU CARE

BKIND is a booming brand of vegan, all-natural and sustainably produced beauty products that specializes in face, body and hair care. They also have a vibrant palette of cruelty-free nail polishes.

Les Citadines’ beautifully packaged Montréal candle collection consists of seven specially-formulated scents in tribute of the city’s iconic neighbourhoods.

Indigenous shop Yawinonh makes beautifully scented products designed to assist women with their cycles. Their signature kits, creams and soaps make for very pretty gifts.

It took the founders of Maison Lavande a decade to finesse the delicately scented creams of their Clémentine & Lavande collection, designed to be hypoallergenic (even for delicate baby skin).

Koko & Karité is a widely distributed botanicals-based cosmetics brand that skips all the harmful sulphates, parabens and silicones to provide nature’s best kind of skincare. 

Slow-made by hand with natural and organic ingredients, Apprenti Ôr’ganik’s self- and home-care products such as hand soaps, body creams and room sprays scented with blood orange and geranium, cedar or Canadian pine.

Subtly scented enough for any gender, Luxcey skin-care products offer a complete sensory experience, hitting aromatherapy as well as bodily wellness.

Gift an olfactory experience with different scents and fragrances that are created by local artisans at Savonnerie M’Nonga, specialized in natural soaps, bath salts, oils and body butters.

Merry shopping!