Shopping in Ajax

Though Botany Floral Studio owner Rachelle Soucy holds a BFA degree in studio art and has designed for flower shops throughout Canada, her passion for blooms stretches back much further. As a child, Soucy accompanied her grandmother to her garden, where she witnessed the cycles of the seasons and the various flowers, vegetables, and plants they brought with them.

At Botany Floral Studio, Soucy’s nostalgia for her formative years tangibly permeates the space. Locally grown blooms, succulents, orchids, flowering branches, and berries mingle with the wistful dreaminess of the studio, beckoning visitors to linger by inimitably arranged displays to see if a peony will whisper them a story from their childhood. In addition to perusing the aromatic bouquets, visitors can enroll in arrangement workshops and enlist the services of Soucy and her staff, who lovingly tailor designs for events such as weddings and Valentine’s Day.

Canadian Down & Feather Company captures the coziness of the clouds with products ranging from terry-cloth mattress pads to goose-down pillows and blankets. Each finely threaded duvet comes with a set of care instructions that divulge how to properly wash them and fluff them to fully protect against cannonball attacks. The company also offers several products designed to shield beds from pests such as bedbugs and dust mites.

In business for only a few years, the designers at Sweetpea's enjoy a singular flair for floral and gift items, attracting admiration from Roncesvalles Avenue shoppers, the New York Times, and blogTO. Owner Sara Jameson adorns the spacious yet inviting interior with aromatic flowers and vintage decor that exudes a pastoral essence. Exposed brick walls stretch from the glass storefront to the windowed rear of the shop, where long, lacquered counters afford designers ample space to prune, arrange, and pep-talk colourful bouquets. Old-fashioned wood armoires display glassware and other gift items, and a long gallery of greeting cards offers the perfect words to express heartfelt sentiments or sincere apologies for parking too close to another car.

Dedicated to keeping their shelves stocked with unique baubles, the staff at Ranae Boutique carefully curates an assortment of jewellery limited to one or two pieces per each sparkling design. Helpful staffers bustle about the shop assisting guests in the selection of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets encrusted with light-capturing stones such as Austrian and German crystals. The sterling-silver collection offers scratch- and irritation-resistant 925 silver and rhodium plating, with each piece accompanied by a complimentary cleaning cloth to wipe away the greedy fingerprints of ring-hungry Gollums. Triple plated to stave off discoloration, the silver- and gold-plated collection leaves the store snuggled inside the cozy confines of a sleek gift box. Ranae Boutique’s staff offers on-site customization of all pieces needing minor alterations, and modification to the jewel’s configuration can be made with off-site redesigning services.

For half a century, the opticians and frame consultants at Crown Opticians have balanced designer frames with specialized lenses upon the noses of near- and far-sighted clients. Frames by designers like Gucci, Prada, Christian Dior, and Tom Ford suspend from clear display hooks on the walls of the boutique's interior. To supplement the advanced reflective technology of mirrors, the office's innovative Optikam lets clients compare side-by-side pictures of themselves in different glasses. Instead of snapping shaky self-shots with cell phones or point-and-shoots, clients pose in front of the Optikam's lens, posing for multi-part shots that reveal each pair's most flattering angles. The camera also serves an analytical purpose, silently taking precise measurements used by doctors for final fittings and processing.

The trained staff at Eyewear Studio enhances vision and aesthetic appeal by combining quality lenses from Nikon and Essilor with frames by top brands such as Ray-Ban, Vogue, and Columbia. The on-staff optician measures and fits single-vision, bifocal, and progressive lenses to wearers’ specific requirements and perform free adjustments for any eyewear purchased at the shop. Specialty options, such as polarized and antiglare lenses, sharpen vision while keeping eyes protected from the sunlight and wayward pencils.