Despite all efforts to shop locally, sometimes the sartorial solution just cannot be found in one’s backyard. In these situations, I retire to my favourite wireless hotspot, cozy up to my laptop and let the world of Internet shopping unfold before me.
Just as not all shopping excursions are created equal, the choice of hotspot largely depends on the type of shopping desired. Happily, Guelph has a variety of locales to satisfy a range of online “outings.”
A comfortable café serving hot espresso—like the warm and richly decorated Red Brick Café (8 Douglas St., 519-836-1126, redbrickcafe.ca), or the friendly and bustling Capistrano Caffe Bar (42 Wyndham St. N., 519-763-8905)—is the perfect place for online ‘window shopping.’
Watching the hockey game at the historic Albion Hotel (shown, 49 Norfolk St., 519-821-7125, thealbionhotel.ca) may give you the competitive edge needed in a particularly brutal eBay bidding war.
And a downtown martini bar, like The Bookshelf’s eBar (41 Quebec St., 519-821-3311, bookshelf.ca) with its extensive martini list and art exhibitions, may inspire you to spice up your wardrobe and seek out new raiment.
However, let this serve as a cautionary tale: one eBar gin martini plus one eBay bidding war can, in rare cases, equal the ill-advised purchase of a used trumpet – it may be a valiant win, but you would be better off spending your money on a pair of dhoti pants instead. Even they are likely to get more use in the end.
I graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in philosophy. I am currently enrolled in Sheridan College’s Journalism – New Media post-grad program. My childhood attempt at fashion consisted of pairing a faded 49ers T-shirt with, well, pretty much anything. Since then my closet has evolved into a sea of black and grey clothing, ballet flats and riding boots. If I had the confidence (and salary!) to wear whatever clothing I wanted, I would stock my closet with Dries Van Noten and Bottega Veneta.
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