Halloween Costume Specialty Stores

Joseph Ponton Costumes
Address: 480 St. Francois-Xavier, corner of Notre-Dame; Place d’Armes Metro. 514-849-3238
Joseph Ponton has over 15,000 costumes for kids or adults. Rental price covers a full weekend.
Maison du Costume Johnny Brown
7300 Hutchison, corner of Jean-Talon; Parc Metro. 514-495-4002
A costume specialist, Johnny Brown’s website lists 450 costumes for rent and up to 900 for sale. Accessories, makeup and more.
Malabar Costumier
5121 Park Ave., 514-279-3223
This Outremont shop rents costumes and accessories.
Giggles
7143 Newman Blvd., between Senkus and Léger. 514-363-9472
A party-supply store with tons of children’s costumes for Halloween.
Halloween Depot Dollard
3391 Sources Blvd., Dollard des Ormeaux. 514-683-0920.
Halloween Depot Ville St. Pierre
188 St. Jacques St. W., Ville St. Pierre.
514-363-9111
Halloween Depot Delson
Plaza Delson, 35 Georges Gagné Blvd., Delson. 450-638-7251.
A discount Halloween costume store with costumes, makeup, party supplies and decorations.
Party Mania
950 St. John’s Blvd., Pointe Claire. 514-694-3115
Party supply store has costumes, balloons and decorations.

Other places to buy Halloween Costumes

• Check out Craigslist and/or Kijiji for used costumes. You never know.
• Old Navy stores sell adorable, well-made and warm costumes for babies and toddlers; they often have animal costumes (monkey, lion, dragon, duck, etc.).
• Toys R Us
• Indigo bookstore children’s sections have some dress-up clothes.
• Value Village sells used and new costumes; you can order them online.
• Jean Coutu
• Pharmaprix
• Wal-Mart
• Costco

Child in costume courtesy of Paul Goyette.

Related posts:

1. Halloween For Kids in Montreal 2010
2. Kids Halloween Activities in Montreal
3. This Just In: Halloween Activities at Quartier Dix30

This is Balouni Enfants pre-launch. The shelves are being stocked as we speak!

I hate shopping at Toys R Us. There, I said it.

It smells like plastic. There are towers of TV-related toys. The candy displays surrounding the cash registers are almost guaranteed to induce a tantrum. Fun is not included.

I would much rather take the kids somewhere else to buy toys. Somewhere like Balouni Enfants, a new independent children’s store in Montreal.

Balouni stocks toys, clothes and kids’ accessories, featuring many Canadian-made and eco-friendly products.

The launch of the store is the realization of a dream for Karina Von Byern, a good friend and neighbour. You know the kind of neighbour who will help track down an expert to take care of three orphaned baby squirrels that show up in your driveway? That’s Karina.

Balouni Enfants has its grand opening on Saturday, June 26, with animation for the kids. Plus, it’s right next to a Second Cup coffee shop, a casual lunch spot called Le Vin Levain, and close to the beautiful Lacoursière Park. Read on for details!

ISM: Tell us the story behind the name “Balouni”.

Karina: Balouni is my 4-year-old daughter’s imaginary sister from Africa. She’s been part of our family for over two years, after some friends went on an African safari and she was quite impressed by that. Balouni changes age and appearance a lot, and in the past was often blamed for many misdemeanors!

ISM: Opening a store has been a dream of yours for a long time – what made you decide to do it?

Karina: A really great location became available and I thought, “It’s now or never!” I always knew I had to open my own store.

ISM: What has been the best part of launching the store? The worst?

Karina: There are many great parts. Being a buyer is one of them. The support from the people around me. Pulling together the big picture. I’m still in pre-launch, so the real best part will come when the business is running successfully – that would be undescribeably rewarding! The worst part has been paying almost 4 months rent for an unopened store during renovations.

ISM: Many parents go for the convenience of buying children’s products at big-box stores like Wal-Mart or Toys R Us. How does Balouni offer a different experience?

Karina: Balouni offers conveniences that surpass those types of stores: free gift-wrapping, helium balloons for the kids, new baby gift-baskets, a play area. We’ll also have a birthday club where kids get signed up and … well, it’s a surprise!

As a small, neighbourhood retailer, I take customer service and a pleasant shopping experience seriously, and customers will feel it the moment they walk in. I look at the origins and safety of items, and encourage Canadian-made, ethically traded, eco-conscious, and educational products.

My father was an art dealer, so I value this artisan connection. We’ll have silly things like baby dinosaurs that hatch from eggs, T-Rex masks, shark bathing caps, etc. You’ll also find a really great selection of bilingual cards, books, CDs and stationery, too. Did I mention we’ll have gorgeous clothing?

Tell us about what you have planned for the store opening on Saturday, June 26.

Karina: FUN!! We’ll have face-painting and a balloon sculptor to entertain the kids while they discover the store with their parents. You’re all invited to the opening of Balouni Enfants, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 3, at 7 Place du Commerce, Nuns’ Island. (View map)

Related posts:

1. Guided Tour: Salon Maternité Paternité Enfants (Parents and Kids Fair)

Indigo Laval
Address: 900 Le Corbusier Blvd., Laval
Telephone: 450-686-4801
Hours: Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Even though kids these days seem most attracted to books about their favourite TV characters, taking them to a book store still feels like a wholesome family activity. On winter days when we are sick of snowsuits, the kids’ section at Indigo/Chapters beckons.

Parents Feel Welcome
We were happy to try the new Indigo in Laval recently, which opened in the fall. Everything is bigger in Laval, and the Indigo kids’ section is no exception. Like most newer Indigo/Chapters stores, the kids’ sections actually make parents and children feel welcome. They don’t mind if we read the books and try out the toys. They don’t give us dirty looks for hanging out because we don’t have anything better to do. So, parents, grab a coffee at the on-site Starbucks – because chances are good that you’ll get the opportunity to drink it.

Places to Read Together
The Laval branch goes above and beyond the Pointe Claire Chapters and Brossard Indigo in terms of comfort: There are beanbag chairs, a giant multicoloured teacup where parents and kids can sit, plus a long table with several seats where kids can colour. Yes – colouring-book pages and crayons are provided! (When kids ran out, parents were able to get more by asking at the desk.)

Playtime and Storytime
Aside from having various locations for sitting and reading together, there’s a good ole’ Thomas the Train table, a mini kitchen, a plastic fruit and vegetable stand, and Plasma cars available for rides. The store also has employees read stories if there are lots of kids in the section; I was told that on weekends, story time would be held at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. We were able to stay around an hour, reading books and exploring all the activities.

The bathrooms (with changing tables) are conveniently located at the back of the children’s section. There are several restaurants in the surrounding shopping centre if you need a bite to eat. Another bonus: Indigo Laval is one of the few places open at 9 a.m. on Saturdays – great for those mornings when the kids pry your eyes open at 6 a.m.

Related posts:

1. Book Stores for Children
2. Guided Tour: Laval Children’s Museum
3. Guided Tour: Le Salon du Livre

Many moms will swear up and down that they’re really, REALLY happy with a homemade card, a bouquet of grocery store flowers, or breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day. But, what they really, REALLY want is a jumbo order of peace and quiet. In a bread bowl.

Dads, they want you to take the children away. Just for a few hours.

What you need is a game plan … and possibly some socks (we’ll explain later).

Here are 10 things to do in Montreal this weekend with your kids, plus a bonus activity. Oh, and one more thing, dads: fobbing the kids off on your own mother doesn’t count, ‘kay?

1. Hit a parent/baby cafe. The Weather Network is calling for rain on Sunday, so plan on an indoor excursion. For dads with kids age 0 to 2, a parent/baby cafe like Bebe et Compagnie in St. Leonard, Maman, Bebe et Cafe in N.D.G. or Kavaloo in Outremont is a good bet. The play areas are well contained, dads will get a chance to drink a coffee while watching the munchkins and, if the kids last, buy them lunch (avoiding at-home cooking and cleanup).

2. Indoor play centres. For kids age 0 to 8, an indoor play centre will do the trick.  Jungle Adventure (Laval and St. Leonard), Funtropolis (Laval), Fundomondo (Pointe Claire), Kazoom (Pierrefonds), Kindermotion (Pierrefonds) or ZigZagZoo (Vaudreuil) are all good bets for active kids. For those toting a baby, all of these places have an area for little ones, as well as huge climbing structures for kids age 2/3 and up. Fundomondo, Kazoom or Kindermotion are great options for parents of two children under 4 — the play areas are enclosed, making it easier to monitor the comings and goings of a 3/4/5-year old, while watching a baby. For older kids, Funtropolis has ball-shooting machines, and both it and Jungle Adventure have trampolines and video games. This is where the socks come in — many indoor play centres require that you and the kids are wearing them.

3. Do the unthinkable and call another dad. Take a deep breath. Ask your wife for the phone number of one of your friends/relatives who has kids. Call the other dad and see if he wants to do a, um, playdate, either at your house or his house, liberating the two moms for a few hours. Or, see if he wants to meet somewhere with the kids. Talk hockey, stocks, Star Trek or Star Wars while watching the kids.  May the force be with you.

4. Take the kids to the Biodome. The Biodome is a central, easy indoor outing for kids ages 18 months and up. Kids will get to see lots of animals, fish and birds (the penguins are the best part) and possibly even learn something new. Although children under age 5, with their teeny weeny attention spans, will probably whiz through everything in under an hour, you can stretch the visit by hitting the gift shop, which has lots of toys and books to look at, and the on-site Cafe Vienne.

5. Head for a bookstore. The children’s departments of Indigo bookstores are great places to hang out.  At the Indigo Pointe Claire and Brossard locations, there are Thomas the Train tables and other toys to play with, as well as areas for sitting and looking at books together. Both of these branches also have on-site Starbucks, so you can grab a latte and browse together for a while.

6. Hit IKEA. If there’s something you need for the house, it’s a good day to go to IKEA, which has all kinds of child-friendly stations throughout the store. The Boucherville location is bigger and more kid-oriented than the Cavendish one: there’s a slide in the children’s section, and an area where they can try all sorts of toys. Both branches have the drop-off children’s play area called Smaland. The Boucherville  location has a special arts and crafts activity on Mother’s Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. IKEA is also a great place to be at lunch time, because the cafeteria has a play area, highchairs and various kid-friendly food options (plain pasta, meatballs, baby food in jars).

7. Check out the Children’s Museum: Would you relax? It’s not a traditional museum. Here, kids get to try out different professional roles, including fisherman, police officer, astronaut, grocery store cashier, chef, construction worker and grocery store cashier. It takes about an hour for them to see all the environments. Heads up: There’s no food on the premises.

8. Visit Wonderland: Theatre group Geordie Productions is staging Through the Looking Glass, which was positively reviewed by the Gazette, at 1 and 3 p.m. at D.B. Clarke Theatre on de Maisonneuve Blvd.

9. Catch a flick: Some of the family-friendly movies on in town, in order of age range, are: Bolt, Monsters vs. Aliens, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Hotel for Dogs, U2 3-D.

10. Ride the bus/metro: Why do so many adults on public transit look suicidal? Clearly they’ve forgotten how cool buses and metros are. If you don’t normally take public transit, treat your kid to a ride. Plan a route using the STM website. This is not a good idea for kids still in strollers though – public transit isn’t that stroller-friendly.

11. Get some groceries: If you’ve completed any of the above missions and find yourself heading home in under two hours, slow down there, cowboy. Let the kids help pick out some grub or takeout for dinner. You never know … mom could be halfway to Mexico by now. And get some flowers while you’re at it.

No related posts.