C. Fredrick in Saskatoon

People send their iPods in from all over the world for these guys to fix them, and they are right here in Edmonton. When my daughter's iPhone broke, I looked around for a place to fix it. This store was ethical enough to tell me that some employees were out ill and that it would be a wait before they would get to my job. So I went to two different places thinking that I could get it done quicker. After having my time wasted by people who DIDN'T give me a heads up that they couldn't get the job done - excuse after excuse - no parts, nobody here does the work - yadda yadda yadda - enough time had passed that I figured the folks at this store must surely be well again. Took the phone over there and dropped it off, and had a nice conversation with the very friendly folks there. It was ready the next day. They did a remarkable job fixing the iPhone, even though the Apple guys told us it was beyond hope, shuddering and uttering the deadly words, "water damage." We have a little hidden treasure here in Edmonton, the world's best iPod Repair place. Gotta love these guys, and their most common words, "Sure. We can fix it."

Future Shop has some of the best electronic deals in town. Along with their sister company Bestbuy, this is a powerful duo in the big-box electronic market. If you find a deal at one of the stores, the other will match it right away. The selection here is very good. From dvds, video games, cds, computers, tvs, and appliances, they have you covered for all your electronic needs. The staff here are helpful, but they can be overwhelming at times. They are commission based, which can lead to someone asking you every 5 minutes whether you need help. Granted, when you do need something and don't agree with the price, they always seem to be able to throw in some deals for you (they want your business after all). The staff seem to know what they're talking about, at least for basic consumer needs. They don't really have any technical knowledge past the basics, and I found myself correcting the salesperson on the processor specs. I would not go to Future Shop looking for answers to my technical questions, but I would go there if I was looking for a deal.

This is a great place to go to if you are walking around on Whyte Ave! They have a huge selection of jewelry made form all kinds of stones (jade, amber etc). They have a really fantastic selection of rings, earrings, and necklaces. The store is pretty big and it's filled with amazing items. This is a great place to just walking around and explore and look for that piece of jewelry that you didn't even know you were looking for. Some of their items are pretty unique. They had these pieces of jewelry made form some kind of volcanic glass or something crazy cool like that. They were black stones placed in silver or sterling sliver ring, necklace or earrings. They were really nice! The rings were so nice and simple and they were about $38.00 each. They have really nice amber rings also. Well, all of their amber pieces were really nice. They carry a lot of items made from all these pretty stones that I've never heard of; they also come in great colors. They carry jewelry from Mexico, Asia, and from some tribes from some exotic place in the world. They carry more than just jewelry. They have a great selection of Asian teacups and dishes. I also saw this really interesting dish set made from some kind of rock; it was an array of different colors and each piece was a little different from the next. It was a very unique dish set. They also carry some great pieces of furniture, like these big fantastic wooden chests. They were pretty expensive but they looked great. Some of them had some nice carvings and they had that antique look to them. They also carry some items of clothing and blankets and other items to decorate your home, lots of great stuff. I noticed these large bug carvings! They were really neat looking. They staff (and maybe the owners) were super friendly. The guy who I saw when I came in was very helpful and he let me just wonder around and explore all I wanted. I really love this store; it's the place I'll come to in order to pick up some great pieces of jewelry. I'm really excited about this place and I hope if you check it out you will be as excited as I am.

There's something about an antique and vintage piece that makes it special from other mass-produced products these days. When you run your hands along an antique, you can feel it has been worn down over the years, perhaps centuries. And it's in the wear and tear -- slight, if you're lucky -- that its history lives. Every piece has its own story to tell. I love their old-world feel, and imagining what kind of life they had before ending up in the antiques shop, who they may have belonged to. Traveller Antiques carries antique pieces from all over the world, like China, Japan, Egypt, and England. You'll find beautifully restored antiques here dating back from the 19th and 20th centuries, possibly earlier. Among the items available are jewelry, ceramics, furniture, paintings, sculptures, windows, and sewing machines. They also have a joint bookstore here called Howell Books. Some books are upstairs with the antiques; these are mostly older too, and the majority on this floor cover militaria. There are more books downstairs, but that room is sometimes not open, depending on staff availability. The downstairs room contains all the sale antiques. These are real bargains, as they've been marked down but most of them still date way back to the 19th century. I was mesmerized by an old travelling chest, fully restored, that was probably from early 19th c. England, only $250. I HAD TO BUY IT!! So, I did! If you love collecting antiques, or if you simply appreciate old stuff like me, Traveller Antiques will offer something for the eye and imagination.

Splash Tub & Tile is a bathroom showcase store just of 127 street and 137 Avenue. It sells bathtubs, showers, toilets, sink, tile, flooring and finishing for bathrooms. Seeing how we are in the planning stage of our home renovation I stopped in to see options available to us. I was impressed with the selection of stock they had for being such a small store. Who knew there were so many options for stand-alone showers and tile options for bath tubs? Splash Tub & Tile also provides bathroom renovations so if you need to reno your bathroom and don't have the skill or labour to do it yourself, these guys can. I was greeted when I walked into the store and asked a number of questions about what I was looking for. The gentleman was certainly helpful. Great products! I wanted to spend more, but I'm on a budget!

Okay, I admit - I chose Chim-Chimney Ltd. from the list of Edmonton chimney sweeps online because of their cute name. Spending money to get your chimney cleaned is right up there with investing in a new sump pump. You gotta do it, although you'd rather spend your hard-earned money on something infinitely more exciting - or wearable - than soot elimination. When it comes to being a homeowner, however, getting fire insurance is up there on the new cover-your-ass list of things to do. After all, what is worse than your assets going up in flames? Your uninsured debt smoldering in a heap that leaves you broke, out in the cold and renting for the rest of your live-long life!! It cost $180 for a chimney clean and inspection. The serviceman, Charlie, was a sweet, knowledgeable guy who arrived early, cleaned, inspected and took extra time to explain the standards he measured against for the inspection. It turns out we have stove that was not installed to spec and deviates from requirements in many respects. Charlie gave us some good advice, referred us to the Wood & Energy Store and, although he could not approve our stove, he armed us with the information and report we needed to protect ourselves and our home. And I think that's just super-duper chim-chiminy chim chim cher-ee!

I always wondered how the smaller hardware stores like Home Hardware and Totem can keep up with the corporate juggernauts that are Rona, Home Depot, and now Lowe's. After shopping around for prices for some landscaping supplies, I understand now why Totem still exists after all this time. Some of their prices are comparable if not better than the bigger stores. What I was most impressed with was the depth of knowledge the staff has when it comes to projects around the home. Unlike the bigger stores, the staff was readily available to answer any questions especially with their giant service desk right in the middle. Speaking of prices, signing up for their card gives you an additional 10% off your purchase up to $250 in reduction. Their card allows some pretty attractive financing options such as don't pay for 3, 6, 10 months or equal payments as well. They even have free popcorn for those who have to bring in their kids! Don't be fooled by the notion you'll be getting better quality and service at the bigger stores. It's the personal conversations that you have with experts that makes the difference.

I was extremely, extremely impressed by The Furnace Company. I knew I needed to buy a new furnace and hot water tank, so I got a quote from a competitor of The Furnace Company. While that salesman did a decent job, he told me that my roof was too steep for his guys to climb, and proposed a different solution. Because of this I decided to call The Furnace Company. The Furnace Company (or TFC because I'm being lazy) was awesome from the moment Dave, the salesman walked through the door. He told me almost exactly how big my house was (he was off by 25 sq/f), and what capacity furnace I'd need (it took the other guy a few minutes looking at charts and using a calculator to figure this out). Dave knew I didn't know much about furnaces, so he spoke on my level, going into great detail when I asked him more about something. I asked him if he had any problem with the slope of my roof, and he looked at me like I was crazy. He referred to his installers as "little mice that can scamper anywhere," and said my slope (8/12) wouldn't be a problem for them. He also said that my installation wouldn't be easy, as they had to remove the existing chimney and vent out the top, as venting out the side would cause problems for me in the winter (this is what company #1 wanted to do). It was going to cost me a little bit more, but I wanted the job done right, and company #1 wasn't able to do that. Installation day came, and a 3-man crew showed up at 9am. They had been told it would be a difficult job, but they were ready for it. They worked throughout the day removing my old furnace and hot water tank, taking out the old chimney, putting a new smaller pipe in, and venting my new furnace. They left around 9pm (12 hours later!!), and said they'd be back the next day to finish up (don't worry, we had heat, and hot water). They worked half a day the next day. I was home the entire time, and I watched what they did. They never once complained about the job, even when I gave them ample opportunity to do so ("This is a horrible job, huh?" -"Not really, we get a tough one every week, and this is far from the worst we've had."). They ran dropsheets through the kitchen, and down into the basement so my carpets didn't get clean, and every time they went upstairs to the attic they took their shoes off. I find that's rare for tradespeople, as they like to keep their shoes on, but I watched every time - shoes off, up the stairs, shoes on. I was very impressed. A day after the install I heard a strange sound, so I called for a service. Within a couple of hours a tech was out to check out the furnace and he quickly cleaned the plugged hose used to drain the water, and all was good. Haven't had a problem since, and the furnace has been operating quietly and efficiently. TFC website boasts about their numerous awards for customer satisfaction, and after experiencing the service from their salesman, installers and tech, I'd have to agree, they're absolutely awesome!