Yesterday I shared Part One of my tribute to the beautiful town of Elora, Ontario – showing some of the sights we saw during our brief visit to the town on our camping trip last month. Today I’m excited to share my favourite shops that we visited. If you ever make the trip to Elora, I hope that you pop in to see them for yourself. If I’d known that this town existed before, I would have come sooner! We’re already planning a trip there this fall to check out the leaves when they change.
There were so many awesome stores and I really could go on about them all day, but I’m just going highlight the three that we both loved the most.
Sweet Distractions
The second that I saw this sweets shop with it’s cute patio set and dark wood exterior, I knew we had to go in for a peek.
The inside was just as beautifully styled as I’d hoped it would be. Between the vintage posters and the bins of goodies, there was just as much eye candy as there was real candy
This rusty metal ball chandelier was a nice contrast to the white walls and bright candies.
Little baggies of these bon bons would be perfect for a wedding as favours or to fill vases at a candy bar.
The display counter showcases some adorable decorated cupcakes. A little box of the four flavours would be a nice surprise gift to drop off to a friend (or for yourself)…who doesn’t love cupcakes?!?
They also have a selection of delicious gelatos and sorbets. I would have loved to try the mocha on the right, with the chocolate drizzled over top. Yum!
I was so excited to see Boylan Bottleworks was sold there. Their seltzers and diet root beer are the best around, but they are hard to come by.
We grabbed a couple of bottles to enjoy while we walked along window shopping.
As you continue down the street, you come up to a bright pink shop on a street of limestone buildings.
Jammed Lovely
This small gift shop may not look big from the street, but once you get inside, it’s full of treasures.
I found that I couldn’t stop looking at one thing to the next. It is a great place to find a gift for someone as they have something for everyone – from quirky cookbooks and festive lights to creme brulee scented cedar balls for the linen closet. I ended up picking up quite a few things for Christmas gifts here.
Colourful scarfs galore – and a great idea on how to store them! Take a small ladder and tie them on to the rungs for a fun way to display them in your bedroom.
There were a variety of styles here, from modern and eclectic to shabby chic and traditional.
How adorable are these birds? They would make a lovely wall display for a girl’s room or nursery.
A cute little VW lamp.
Mermaid in Elora
The highlight of our shopping adventures was the Mermaid in Elora. Part shop part antique store, there was so much to admire, it was almost overwhelming.
There is a cute little garden along the side of the building, continuing into what looks like a courtyard around back.
I’ve got a soft spot for vintage-like painted store signs like this one.
It spans across three storefronts with more hand carved signs hanging from the eaves. You can also spot a mermaid weather vane on the roof (and sold in the shop).
There are so many styles throughout the building, but the main theme seems to be travel and treasures from around the world (or from right there in Elora).
It’s rare to be in a gift shop where you can find cool things for men, but they really did have some awesome gift ideas here – classic pieces like these stop watches, nautical designs, fun car displays, old maps and even some apparel and bags from the Elora Motorcycle Club (a fun idea that they developed with a local artist).
Tucked away in one corner of the series of shops is a library of old books. If we’d had more time, I would have loved to go through them and find some fun titles to add to our collection.
The star of the show is their room full of door knockers inspired by locations they have visited around the world. It’s the largest collection of door knockers in Canada! I can guarantee you that once we get our first house, I’ll will be making a trip out here to pick one out.
The acorn knocker (left) with the green patina was one of my favourites.
They also have a great collection of cast iron locks, latches, bells and signs. We ended up grabbing the “Beware of Dog” sign as a little souvenir to take back to Whiskey. It seemed like an appropriate gift for an 11lb chihuahua mix who thinks he is a doberman.
Another fun treasure that I was tempted to bring home was one of these fun locks. They have an incredible selection with different designs – turtles, dogs, Budda, fish, anything you can think of.
If you’re looking for a fun and beautiful town to visit, check out Elora and the neighbouring town of Fergus. I’m not a big shopper and I had a blast finding unique things to pick up as gifts (and a couple of things for myself too).
loooove the door knockers!