Shopping in Stratford

This female-owned boutique started out eight years ago as an apparel-only outfit that clothed pregnant bellies and their subsequent newborns. Today, Tummies to Tots has grown to supply all manner of products necessary for raising a healthy baby. Parents put together cribs, soft bedding, and furniture that give new additions a comfortable transition to life outside the womb. Moisturizing creams and ointments protect tender skin, and plush toys and pacifiers distract infants while parents spend quality time with their own teddy bears. When caretakers take babies mobile, strollers and car seats secure a safe passage. Potty-training equipment gently eases wee ones into the brutal reality of a diaperless future that we all must one day accept. Tummies to Tots continues to outfit mommies-to-be in comfortable, ergonomic maternity wear, and engraves customized baby-tag jewelry with the name of each infant. An on-site consignment department gives parents the chance to snag equipment that has already proven its competence at childcare on another family.

At PDR Picture Frames & Gallery, framing treasured pictures and memorabilia is a family affair. Ross Pritchard and his kin size up clients' heirlooms and refrigerator doors, charting their exact dimensions to fashion decorative frames that display and protect. He and his staff utilize museum-grade conservation materials for added safekeeping. Not only a framesmith, Ross is also an accomplished artist whose paintings and pottery sit alongside other works in the location's gallery.

Benjamin Moore Color & Design Centre coordinates living spaces with expert decoration advice and top-shelf paints, primers, and stains in an extensive palette. Specially trained design consultants are available in store and are equipped with up-and-coming home fashion trends and sophisticated spectrometers to prevent interior layouts from clashing and for attaching proper labels to naked crayons. Viscous sheets of paint from Benjamin Moore and Coronado by Benjamin Moore glide off of premium-quality brushes and rollers, making for consistent coverage of all household surfaces. As they clothe bare walls with coats of brilliant colour, designers and paint technicians at Benjamin Moore Color & Design Centre extend a helping hand to the world around them with annual fundraisers for Habitat for Humanity and by promoting sustainable product sourcing and recycling.

When they were hairstylists, Lisa and David Robinson spent years listening to their clients complain about the difficulty of finding a lingerie shop whose bras came in a wide range of sizes and styles. Inspired, they decided to remedy this with their own boutique: My Top Drawer. The shop stocks bras in band sizes from 28 to 54 and cup sizes from A to M. Its professional fitters help customers find creations from brands such as Chantelle, Freya, PrimaDonna, and Goddess that are more comfortable than traditional corsets made from chainmail. If customers can’t find the right seamless, molded, pushup, or nursing style and fit in the store, the experts will custom order bras and mail them at no extra charge.

The shop’s wide range of supportive upperwear pairs with panties in thong, bikini, and brief cuts from Hanky Panky and Minerva. Additionally, customers can pick up both romantic lingerie and everyday sleepwear that keeps them warm when they go outside to count sheep in the pasture before nodding off. Spanx and Body Wrap shapewear smooth silhouettes, and the shop’s swimwear includes suits that accommodate full busts with larger cup sizes and supportive underwire.

At Play It Again Sports, athletes suit up to conquer challenges on the ice, in the field, or on the court with new and used gear from major-league brands such as Nike, Callaway Golf, and Adidas. An ever-rotating inventory keeps lockers stocked with spare balls, dressers filled with run-ready shorts, and dens populated with gleaming treadmills. Proud recipients of the Gold Standard Store award, amiable staffers stand ready to answer questions or assist with fittings, ensuring that each athlete leaves with the appropriate gear for their needs. Neglected equipment ready to leave storage spaces and rejoin the sporting life can be traded-in for cash or credit for gear, completing the ethereal Circle of Sports.

With shows customized to any occasion, Dotsy's Entertainment Company & Costume Shop’s trained performers mesmerize crowds with magic tricks, comedy routines, songs, and oodles of audience participation. The company’s balloon twisters can sculpt a new design every minute, and their roster of face painters covers up to 20 cheeks with stirring artworks in a single hour. To further enliven soirees, personnel can set up a nine-hole miniature-golf course, inflatable bouncers, and carnival-style games including a unicorn ring toss where players must lob a curled-up unicorn onto their partner’s ring finger. Dotsy’s singing telegrams and balloon bouquets bring good cheer to unsuspecting recipients, and their costume essentials—including hats, makeup, and wigs—let wearers embody the spirit of holidays and events such as Halloween and Renaissance fairs.