DL’s Curbside Mother’s Day Shopping Guide

You get a pass if Mother’s Day snuck up on you this year (and we’ll just assume you know why), but there’s still time to grab a gift if it did. Local shops have adapted to Toronto’s new retail landscape by migrating online, offering free delivery, and advertising sales and shipping promos, but none are better suited for last-minute gift crises than those offering curbside pickup. It typically works exactly as you would expect: order what you want, pay for it, drop by and pick it up in front of the shop. It’s contactless, safe and it helps local shop owners weather these troubled times. Plus, your mom will love it (although that part is on you). So read on for our list of shops that have the perfect gift for just about any mom, along with the perfect way of picking it up.

Tokyo Smoke

Even amongst the young brands that have transformed cannabis consumption into a design-savvy pastime, Tokyo Smoke stands out for its well-curated lineup of accessories that have helped it stake out new, mature ground in cannabis culture. To wit, the three-piece Heirloom Stack Pipe, which neatly combines a grinder, pipe and ashtray in a pink, fluted glass package. Tokyo Smoke, Multiple locations

Studio Pazo

Studio Pazo has long been an East End Design District go-to, and its robust lineup of sought-after labels, including Fornasetti, Alessi, Artek and too many more to list here, should put it toward the top of your list if your mom is into classic Italian or Scandinavian design. Its easy-to-navigate online shop also makes browsing and buying a cinch. Studio Pazo, 219 Queen Street East

Studio Brillantine

Few shops in Toronto can accommodate tastes that encompass Kidrobot figurines, George Jensen housewares and Vivienne Westwood accessories, and none that we know of are also offering curbside pickup as well. Consider it a very niche one-stop shop. Studio Brillantine, 1518 Queen Street West

Rose City Goods

Most of us – including your mom – probably have two things in common right now: higher than normal stress and a responsibility to stay home. We can’t recommend breaking isolation, but we can suggest Rose City Goods’ lineup of at-home self-care goods, including handmade and ethically-sourced bath and skincare products from Murphy + Joe, Lunah Life and Bkind. Rose City Goods, 1504 Dundas Street West

Craft Ontario Shop

Hundreds of independent designers and artisans working in textiles, ceramics, woodwork and countless other mediums are represented in Craft Ontario’s brick-and-mortar Queen West shop. Current highlights include Andreas Krätschmer’s naturalistic wooden bowls, Dana Reed’s etched copper wall hangings and the 2019 run of Cape Dorset prints. Craft Ontario Shop, 1106 Queen Street West

IQLiving

Have you noticed that baking has become one of the standard methods of coping with isolation? IQLiving’s huge line of Instagram-ready cookware, including from Le Creuset, All Clad and Lodge, can not only meet the moment, but last a lifetime as well. IQ Living, 542 Danforth Avenue

Hopson Grace

Hopson Grace’s high-end kitchen essentials are reminders of better, more social times, when a roomful of friends was a reason to celebrate, not run. So consider anticipatory gifts, like porcelain serveware from Dibbern, Mud Australia and Richard Ginori, because when this is over, there’ll be plenty of reason to put it to good use. Hopson Grace, 1120 Yonge Street

Cocktail Emporium

With books, bar tools and a selection of bitters that numbers in the hundreds – including from local distilleries like Dillon’s, Kinsip and Nickel 9 – Cocktail Emporium is a well-established hub of Toronto’s cocktail culture. Of note is the house collection, Potion House, which features everything the aspiring – or established – bar-savvy mom could need. Multiple locations; curbside pick-up available at 972 Queen Street West

Dynasty

Sure, flowers are fine for Mother’s Day, but for moms with green thumbs, consider switching up the bouquet for fernwoods, dracaenas or ficus altissimas – you know, the kind of plants that, with a little TLC, have some real staying power. Dynasty, 146 Ossington Avenue