It’s that time of year again for Streets of Toronto’s Best of 2025 — our ultimate guide to all the city’s top places to eat, shop and play. Here, we’ve rounded up all the must-know spots for shopping, from bookstores and record shops to where to get your shoes and dresses repaired. Here are all of Toronto’s shopping spots that you need to check out.
BEST BEAUTY BAR
Brow lamination or lash lift, facials or manicures — the Ten Spot does it all. Repeat clients are the norm, not the exception here, and the upbeat energy from experienced staff is a huge plus. 1355 Yonge St.
BEST MAKEUP
Rosedale’s Gee Beauty has been beloved by style icons like Meghan Markle and more. Give your face (and brows, and skin) a little extra luxury with their collection of multi-purpose tools and treatments. 2 Roxborough St. W.
BEST HAIR COLOURING
A real family affair, Colour Lab‘s father-and-son owners Jean-Charles and Raphael Azran do the best, most sought-after hair colouring in town. 1013 Yonge St.
BEST SKINCARE
Sold in countless local shops across Toronto and Canada, Indigenous-owned skincare brand Wildcraft is producing small batch moisturisers, simple serums and cleansers your face will love. Bonus: they’ll look pretty great on your shelf too! wildcraftcare.ca
BEST SHOE REPAIR
Your most unfixable, unwearable footwear will get a new life at Kaner’s — around since 1992, Kaner’s treats both designer purchases and your trusty old $20 sneakers with the same care. 110 Bloor St. W.
BEST BARBER
When barber Farid Alavi launched his own shop, Bench Barbershop, his clients followed. Come for the cut, stay for the complimentary espresso, amazing chats and great vibes. 1300 Bay St.
BEST RECORD SHOPS
Winner
Sonic Boom spans two floors as Canada’s largest independent record shop. Vinyl forever! 215 Spadina Ave.
Runner up
Rotate This is where the vinyl collectors know to go. Prepare to dig through the stacks. 186 Ossington Ave.
BEST LIGHTING STORE
The all-knowing staff at Royal Lighting can find any fixture, missing part and lighting solution you didn’t know you needed. Exceptional customer service and price matching go a long way. 1549 Avenue Rd.
BEST BOOKSTORE
It was pretty incredible to see a new bookshop open in this decade, and Flying Books has since been thriving, bringing local authors, book launches and its own imprint to the ’hood. 784 College St.
BEST BIKE SHOP
Led by two bike industry vets, Pedaal, specializing in cargo and folding bikes, has only been around for a year, and it’s already a T.O. fave. The coffee shop on site definitely helps! 168 Brunswick Ave.
BEST DOG GROOMER
Trust our office dog, Trapper — Wooftown’s gentle touch and calming environment will relax even the most skittish of pups. Choose from a bath and blow-dry, a full groom or a walk-in nail trim. 10 Birch Ave.
BEST FLOWER SHOP
Trust Apricot Flowers owner Cathy Kim to steer any floral novice right, whether it’s for a last-minute Valentine’s Day bouquet or a show-stopping wedding arch. 621A Mt. Pleasant Rd.
BEST COMIC BOOK STORE
Silver Snail made the move from Yonge and Dundas to Queen West last year, so now you get the fun of snagging your favourite comic book (trust us, they have them all) without trekking up all those stairs. 809 Queen St. W.
BEST DENIM
Celebrating 50 years, family-owned fashion boutique Over the Rainbow has seen four generations of shoppers stay loyal for a reason. The wall of denim, 150+ deep, is pretty spectacular. 55 Bloor St. W.
BEST VINTAGE SHOPS
Winner
Courage My Love just celebrated 50 years of making T.O.’s coolest look even cooler. 14 Kensington Ave.
Runner up
Mama Loves You’s pink interior is full of gems from the 1910s all the way to Y2K. 541 Queen St. W.
BEST VINTAGE WATCHES
With staggering inventory of every style and brand of watch you can imagine (and some show-stopping ones you can’t), vintage watch enthusiasts know Van Rijk is the place for unique finds. 90 Eglinton Ave. E.
BEST ONE-OF-A-KIND SHOP
The newest general store on the block, Bananas, is, well, bananas. An explosion of flamingo print walls, fart buttons, retro board games and a claw machine, there’s nothing quite like it in T.O. 2582 Yonge St.
BEST KIDS’ BOOKS
The colourful corner of T.O. occupied by Mabel’s Fables is no longer, thanks to ill-placed condo plans. But Mable’s new location opens this month, filled with all the same incredible books. 540 Mt. Pleasant Rd.
BEST PIERCING PLACE
Climb the staircase off of Queen Street up to clean, no-nonsense tattoo and piercing spot New Tribe. Fair prices and extremely experienced piercers is the name of the game here. 232a Queen St. W.
BEST MEN’S FASHION
As stylish as its oh-so-cool olive green interior suggests, Muddy George (and its fearless leader, Altaf Baksh) has been credited with giving new shoppers a whole new fashion sense. 973 Bloor St. W.
BEST KIDS’ BOUTIQUE
Prepare for cuteness: the walls and racks of children’s boutique Zero20Kids are filled with tiny tweed sets, miniature shoes, darling little event dresses and all things adorable. 7700 Pine Valley Dr., Woodbridge
BEST WOMEN’S DEPARTMENT STORE
Andrews offers the best in luxury fashion for women. Here, you’ll find the most coveted brands, everyday essentials and a knowledgeable team that comes with a long-standing family business. 2901 Bayview Ave.
BEST CONSIGNMENT FURNITURE
The longer you wait to buy that one-of-a-kind armoire or antique coffee table at luxury consignment furniture shop Of Things Past, the cheaper it gets — if someone doesn’t snag it first! 185 Bridgeland Ave.
BEST NAIL SALON
Newcomer Anna’s Heavenly Nails has absolutely nailed it — a spotless salon and professional, careful team led by Anna herself make every visit here a true experience. 1278 Yonge St.
BEST TAILOR
Owner Mike Mouradian at Last Minute Alterations has been helping Yorkville residents look their best since 2018 — and now, he’s bringing his tailoring magic to the 905. 441 Clark Ave. W., Thornhill
BEST DRY CLEANER
Take your well-loved, sentimental pieces and delicate fashion finds that you’re too scared you’ll ruin in the washing machine to Ashford Cleaners. From couture to those dreaded dry clean-only wardrobe items, they do it better than anyone in the city. 535 Eglinton Ave. W.
BEST VACUUM AND SMALL APPLIANCE REPAIR
At York Appliance, they can fix anything — this family-run business has been at it since 1969, and Raffi Asalian and the team’s customer service are hard to beat. 2029 Avenue Rd.
BEST FOR APPLIANCES
For over 75 years, Caplan’s Appliances have been selling Torontonians premium appliance brands. There popularity and quality make them special. 1111 Weston Rd.
BEST EYEWEAR
Customer service (and pretty snazzy glasses) is Squint Eyewear’s strong suit. Patient and knowledgeable, the staff here are just the best — and we love the eye-catching window displays. 1152 Yonge St.
BEST T.O. SWEATSHIRT
Truly, honestly made in Canada, the super soft fleece sweatshirts at Province of Canada look and feel good. Choose from a classic Toronto style or get neighbourhood specific. 104 Ossington Ave.
BEST TATTOO SHOP
Whether it’s your first-ever tattoo or getting inked is a seasonal thing for you, trust Tattoo People to get it right. Clean, professional and true artists, you can choose from a variety of styles that include more unique offerings, such as watercolour and handpoking. 1071 Bathurst St.
BEST FOR DRESSES
At the top of a hidden staircase off of Queen Street is Space Vintage, a colour-co-ordinated haven of ’90s/Y2K event dresses. Everyone will ask you, “Where did you get that?” 319 Queen St. W.
BEST UNIQUE BOUTIQUE
Family-owned shop Ed’s Mercantile is a curiosity shop filled with countless local small businesses — ranging from vintage clothes and handmade pottery to old postcards, funky jewelry and wacky collectibles, all in one trip. 605 Bloor St. W.
BEST CONSIGNMENT
Dundas West’s VSP Consignment is where stylists go for designer finds for way less. Wait around for their pretty regular sales (often 50 per cent off or more) for an even better deal — it helps that their online catalogue is pristinely organised if you can’t make the trek to their beautiful, curated downtown shop! 1410 Dundas St. W.
BEST HOMEWARES
A shop for cool people, by cool people, Mjölk is filled with Scandinavian and Japanese pieces ranging from artisanal brass bottle openers to a 1959-designed butterfly coffee table. 2959 Dundas St. W.
BEST PET RESCUE
Set on 50 acres of greenery just outside Toronto, Dog Tales has been finding a home for rescued pups, cats and bunnies (and horses too) since 2014. Prepare to fall in love! 1405 19th Sideroad, King City
