If you’re looking for typical high street shopping head to the Eaton Centre, Queen Street between Spadina and University, or Bloor Street between Avenue and Yonge. Otherwise, though they don’t do a ton of shopping, there are a few places Matt and Jess can unreservedly recommend. Click on titles to go to websites. A lot of them will be bookstores…

Jacob & Sebastian
This shop, with locations on Queen West and the Distillery District, was founded by one of Jessica’s best friends (and a fellow wedding-goer!). A beautiful shop that carries skincare and bath products, some of which you can’t get anywhere else in Canada. It made the cover of Toronto Life’s 2015 holiday gift guide. The owner, Joel, also happens to be one of the nicest people on planet earth. Do your skin and your heart a favour - go buy something and say hi.

Type
Matt’s favourite bookstore, located on Queen West across from Trinity Bellwoods Park. It isn’t the biggest book shop in the city, but it is very well-curated, with a focus on beautiful, colourful books and a great non-fiction selection. The store itself is well-organized and a pleasure to browse through.

Ben McNally Books
Jessica’s favourite bookstore is in the Financial District. Also not huge, but with an excellent selection of fiction and classic works. And despite being in a new-ish office building, and indeed being only a few years old, it looks like a bookstore that’s been there forever. True story: Matt and Jessica seriously contemplated getting hitched there.

BMV
There are a few locations of this second-hand bookstore but the biggest and best is in the Annex. Mostly they trade in remaindered books – meaning books that didn’t sell in a regular store, so they’re brand new but deeply discounted. (Matt once found a brand new hardcover copy of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom, which had been out for a few months and had a cover price of $40, selling for $5. He didn’t buy it, though, because he heard it kind of sucked.)

The Monkey's Paw
The eccentric, brilliant, slightly demented old uncle of Toronto book stores. A great, sometimes odd, collection of books punctuated by its Biblio-mat machine: put in a dollar, pull the lever, get a random book. If you've ever wanted to read about surveying boundaries in eighteenth-century Lanark County, now's your chance.

The Beguiling
If you like graphic novels and comic books, go here. No, that’s not a suggestion. Trust me. You’re welcome.

Swipe Design books + objects
Right next to the Spacing Store you’ll find this beautiful bookshop focused on all things design – industrial design, graphic design, typography. Jess is a designer by trade and Matt just likes pretty things (that’s why he wound up with Jess) – so they like this place a lot.

The Spacing Store
Spacing Magazine started life in Toronto but has since spread to a number of other cities. Here, in the beautiful 401 Richmond building, you will find a shop focused on urban planning, city design, and good old-fashioned Toronto pride. A great selection of books, mags, and gifts.

Monocle
For the twenty-first-century jet-set and jet-set-wannabes. Monocle may have launched in London, but it was launched (and is still run) by a Canadian-born Ryerson dropout, and its Toronto shop is filled with refined gadgets and accessories.

Broadawka & Friends
Every time Matt and Jess are on Queen West they pop into this shop. The owner, Jeff Brodawka, is seriously one of the nicest people. He makes a lot of the stuff on sale here himself – fashion accessories like shoes, scarfs, ties, and pocket squares – and also features a bunch of mostly Toronto-based artists and designers. It’s not just fashion; you’ll also find lots of cool cards and gifts here. Give him some of your business!

The Drake General Store
A really great gift shop that’s part of the Drake Hotel’s growing empire; the original shop is right next to the Drake on Queen West but you can also get your hipster on in the basement level of the Hudson’s Bay flagship store at Yonge and Queen, across from the Eaton Centre.

Kid Icarus
A great little gift and stationery shop in Kensginton Market. If you're in the area stop by for some funky cards, books, knick-knacks, and decorations. Pretty hipster, but don't hold that against it.

The Paper Place
Jessica loves a stationery store, and this shop right next to Type has heaps of great cards, wrapping paper, notebooks, and other good stuff. If you’re in Yorkville, check out The Papery as well.

Cabaret
Jessica's favourite vintage fashion shop in Toronto. Live like a flapper girl in the roaring 20s, or make like the Great Gatsby. Or, you know, just browse around. Whether you're looking or spending it's worth a visit.

Frank + Oak
This Montreal has gone global online, but its Toronto location features a great selection of men's clothing, a cafe, and a barber shop - natch.

Bay Street Video
Like movies? This place has a crazy selection. Like – it stocks more movies than amazon.ca. No exaggeration. It’s tucked away in an apartment building in Yorkville, so not the easiest to find, and it’s mainly set up as a rental store, but they stock and sell new copies of a huge proportion of their rental wares.

The Hairy Tarantula
If you’re a board game geek then check out this tiny shop on Yonge, just off Dundas Square. The small space is stacked with great games. There are bigger board game shops in Toronto, but none with a higher-quality selection.

A&C Games
Head to Chinatown to find Toronto’s most giganticest vintage video game store. Okay, this one is totally Matt’s pick, not Jessica’s. We know a geek when we see one.