Stephen in Toronto

Purchased a couch from Kijiji and decided to use Edward on the recommendation from a friend. Scheduled a pickup within 3 hours (which was previously unheard of by me). Showed up with a largish-van, packed the couch up and helped me bring it up three flights of stairs. A true gentleman, and I would recommend him to anyone. One thing is he didn't ask how long the couch was and showed up with a smaller vehicle. Had it been an extended length, or non sectional, it would have fit, but I guess I also would have mentioned it in the call. No biggie.

Needed a plug relocated behind the toilet for a heated, bidet toilet seat. This required moving the plug from beside the sink a few feet. Danny installed it quickly, was very friendly, and accommodating with my schedule. He's a true professional, and I felt like he went out of his way to make sure I was pleased. Would recommend him to anyone.

Received a call for a commercial property I own had a leak that was flooding the stairwell. Called Hoerner up at 5:30am, and they were on the scene by 6:30. Completed the job, and even helped me clean up a little. Only problem would be how expensive the emergency rate is, but I haven't been able to find someone for cheaper unfortunately.

Used them this season for the first time, their prices were substantially lower then the company I used last year, so I was a little suspicious. Purchased a package with seasonal opening and closing, and with biweekly cleanings. All went without a hitch. The only thing worth mentioning is they aren't as "slick" as the other companies I'm used to dealing with. They're not as friendly, or follow up oriented, but they got the job done and for half the price I normally paid, so I'm happy.

Purchased a place with cracked tile work in the shower, thought nothing of it until mold started to appear around the crack. Called them in and quickly discovered that the hairline crack allowed moisture and mold to take over the whole wall behind. They gave a quote, explained the process and executed all in under a week. Very punctual, friendly guys, who do great work and don't make you feel stupid when you ask a lot of questions. That was an added bonus! Highly recommended!

Chris was great, upfront, told me what I could do with my budget and stuck to it. He even indulged me in some of the techniques he was using that would result in a superior product that I've noticed I don't see on some other decks. Him and his crew were in an out in a few days, very courteous, clean, and most importantly did a great job and on budget!

The location is in the city which is nice, and the prices are quite comparable to the other shops. However, this is one of the smallest pet stores I have ever been to and the staff doesn't seem to know a whole lot. Unless you're looking for generic big-brand pet food and don't have a lot of questions, this is your place. However, we're spoiled for choice in Toronto so I would probably just check elsewhere.

The sales staff are very knowledgable about their products, and the one girl that went over the setup even knew about common issues with the pumps and filters I was looking at (later verified with a google search). The prices were a little higher then Petsmart I later noticed, but I would happily pay a little extra knowing how knowledgable they were.

Josh installed my pears ago and it's held up extremely well, looks about the same as when it was installed. He was the most expensive quote I took but, I felt he was honest and gave the quote straight up and had some pretty happy references. He ended up coming in under budget, ahead of schedule and followed up with me at the end of the first season to see how well we did. Great experience and I definitely recommend him whenever people mention installing a pool.

Great system, alarm was surprisingly fast install. The installer was nice, courteous and most importantly, showed up on time and did a good job. Used the existing wiring in the wall which was nice. Alarm is really cool, have accidentally tripped it and the live person comes on!

This place is by my house so I thought I would give it a try. Good quality framing and it was considerably less then most other custom framing places. I recently had an equally sized piece framed in a similar frame for more then double this cost. Granted, there is some give in quality–most frames are MDF. But the turn-around time and look for value was impressive. I also noticed the last time I was here that this is the only place in the city that sells Ork typography city maps. (a hip screen printed typography map from Chicago). It's almost twice the price of ordering directly from them though. Side note: the address listed on homestars is incorrect. It's actually located on Roncesvalles, not Queen West.

Used the custom framing services here, but they do host a collection of local paintings for sale. Some of them good, some not so much. Donna (maybe the owner?) is very helpful and they definitely know what they're doing. A little pricey, but framing fine art is a tricky thing where you don't REALLY want to take any chances. They have an excellent selection of frames and matts, and the salesperson spent a seemingly ridiculous amount of time with me picking out the perfect, acid-free, fine-toothed, semi-matte, mat to go inside of a gorgeous mahogany frame. Only complaint would be I have found places that are considerably cheaper that provide equally exquisite work, but they aren't quite as polished in their demeanour.

It's remarkable how fast the kitchen specialists workout a new kitchen for you. Having got some quotes from some more local kitchen renovators, I knew exactly what to bring in. Their quote was almost $20k less then one contractor including install, so I went what the hell. The kitchen specialist used our floor plan and pictures to make a model, designed exactly how we wanted it in less then 3 hours. Three weeks later I was sitting in my new kitchen. Quick, efficient, friendly to sum it up. Only complaint would be laminate cabinets feel a little cheap, but there's not other option if you want a clean, and modern look. Other then that, quality!

Located in the Queen West Antique ghetto on the west end, this place is well merchandised in a huge space. Makes a huge difference since I find it hard to shop in those crammed little stores where you really need to dig for a find. Only high quality, well preserved pieces are for sale here with a strong focus on the 50-60s. Picked up some vintage high school lockers that I use for storage, that I absolutely heart. Sales people are also knowledgable about all of the pieces and were very upfront about any wear and tear on the vintage pieces. Love it here, but prices are a little on the higher end.

Bought a wheeled desk a few months ago for converting a closet into a miniature office. Service was fantastic and the desk is beautiful. The sales girl cracked out the tape measure and measured almost every desk in the store. She also went over the colours they didn't have, and explained that they would be happy to order them in. It made me feel like she was looking out for my best interests rather then the inventory they were trying to sell. Decided to pick one they had in store, they even lent me a dolly to take home to help with delivery, I just had to leave ID behind. Awesome service! Only problem I've had with it is it has a wheeled keyboard tray that has wheels that go to the floor. Around the wheels are rubber rings to prevent the floor from scratching. It tore and broke off after a week. Now I barely use the roll away keyboard since it would scratch the floor. Oh well.

First off, great showroom. Lots of selection, everything modern and merchandized so that you want to buy by the room, not the piece. Purchased a bed, the associate was really helpful even getting the spec sheet out and providing detailed measurements for me to decide. When I came back the next week, he still remembered exactly what I was looking for. Delivery was nice, they even carried it up the 3 sets of stairs and pretended to like it. Great service!

I find the furniture a little old-school for my tastes - think overstuffed couches and giant wood coffee tables, but during this time of year it's one of the few places to purchase quality christmas decorations. Lanterns, pine spray, vases, stocking holders, and the magic pickle! Only complaint is it is kind of pricey, but it's hard to find this kind of stuff in Toronto.

Staff is very helpful and was knowledgable about the mirror. Helped me determine the size, and suggested hardware to hang it with, even gave me instructions on how to properly mount the 30lb mirror. Most of other furniture seems decently priced, but looks a lot like the Ikea stuff but more sturdy.

Got a great coffee table from here. The staff is extremely helpful, and very knowledgable of the products and their brand. There's not a lot of Canadian furniture designers these days, and even less that do modern, so I'm happy to support them! Looks great in the living room.

Not a wide variety of brands, but a great selection within the range. Went on the weekend and the brand's sales rep was there answering questions and sharing her personal experience with the product. Found it extremely helpful and definitely not something I would find at a smaller place. Delivery was relatively fast (didn't expect same day), but they helped me get it in place, leaving only plugging in and hooking up. Wish delivery was included in the price and "free", but overall no complaints with the service. Got in less then a week from ordering.

Awesome selection of cabinetry hardware made of high quality materials and cool and obscure pieces like pocket door hardware and concealed hinges. Staff are extremely knowledgable and helpful, great when you have that "I know what I want but don't know how to do it" moment.

This is by far one of the cleanest and pleasant fabric shops in the fashion ghetto. Things appear to be stacked on top of each other randomly, but each fabric is meticulously organized by content and weight. By far the best selection of silk charmeuse in the city (strangely enough the best priced too). Tip: If you look hesitant to purchase and the owner is there, he'll usually bargain himself down.

Good quality mass production furniture. While the prices are substantially higher then in the US, it provides good quality for the price point in Toronto. Downstairs is great priced knick knacks and kitchen goods.

Great prices and even better sales. The staff are a little lack luster and anti-social, but if you know what you're looking for this is the best price on name brand computer hardware. Recently purchased a Xerox printer on clearance for $200 that Xerox had a list price of $1800!

Good place to pick up organizing bins and tools. If you need a specific sized container to store a random object, this two story emporium is the place to find it. The only problem with this place is most containers/boxes/etc are not very aesthetically pleasing. Not too bad since most stuff is meant to fit behind a door or in a drawer.

Friendly and knowledgable staff help you navigate a huge collection of fabric. Downstairs is mostly interior stuff, with a decent sized collection of outdoor fabrics. Upstairs is a huge collection of jersey and knits, probably the city's best - cleanest at the very least.