Shop Local, Spend Local: Grey Goose Marché 🛒

Last Friday, I was invited to check out the Grey Goose Marché at Queen and University. It was a two-day event that not only promoted Grey Goose, but also allowed guests to sip, shop and savour some of the best the city of Toronto has to offer. Besides the fact that I was in heaven because absolutely everything was blue (which is my favourite colour just in case you couldn't tell from the photo above), I got the opportunity to meet so many amazing local vendors. So, I thought I'd share a few of them with you because you can never have too many go-to pastry and flower shops, right?! 

Delysées

If you follow me on Instagram, it should come as no surprise that I 100% fell into the macaron-craze that started a few years ago. They're now my go-to sweet treat, so I couldn't resist walking up to Delysées' booth first. Delysées is an amazing macaron shop located at 780 King St West that makes the type of macarons that are quite literally too pretty to eat. For the event, they made a bunch of custom flavours all centred around, and made with, Grey Goose.

I was able to talk to two incredible women who work there who explained the entire process of coming up with the flavours based on what would pair best with Grey Goose. It was stunning because to be honest, I had never thought about the art that goes into macarons - I mostly focus on eating them.

I swear you can taste the amount of hard work that goes into making such creative, and yummy, flavour combinations. If you're a fan of alcohol-infused macarons, it turns out they actually sell a box collection DEDICATED to their champagne-based flavours. Plus, they have a bailey's creme flavour to boot. All in all, if you're looking for a macaron that will get you more bang for you buck (a.k.a. that comes in a flavour that isn't just plain old lavender, vanilla bean, pistachio etc.) then Delysées is the first place you need to visit.

The Delicate Flower 

On Friday, I discovered that the only thing better than a food truck is a flower truck (in my opinion anyway). The Delicate Flower is quite literally a Flower Truck. Well, it's a vintage Volkswagen bus-type vehicle to be a tad more specific, a.k.a. the Posy Wagon. While they have no physical location, they tend to frequent community markets, and are pros when it comes to events. Don't fret - they have a calendar on their website so you know exactly when they'll be at a market near you. They also rent the Posy Wagon out separately, just in case you aren't into the whole flower aspect.

First of all, I love this entire concept. I think it's incredibly unique (especially in the GTA) and adds to the good vibes of flower shopping. In terms of the actual flowers, I took home a single rose and I've been beyond impressed. It's still thriving almost a week later, and I've had multiple people ask me if it's fake. Not in a bad way, but in a this-rose-is-way-too-perfect kind of way. 

I still had the rose on me when I went to see Amal Clooney speak later in the evening, and someone asked me if I was planning on giving it to her. If it was good enough to hypothetically hand to Amal Clooney, it's good enough for me.

Thobors Café Gourmand

If you have a sweet tooth and want to indulge but have no idea what you have a craving for, Thobors is the place to go. I've passed by their locations numerous times but I just never had a reason to go in. I genuinely think I tried everything they had available at their booth (which is why I only have one photo), and it was so hard to pull myself away. Their croissant was the best croissant I've ever had in my life, so it's safe to say that I'm super keen to finally go into one of their restaurants. 

I always love posts like this because they remind me of how many amazing places there are right here in Toronto. I feel like I tend to stick to what I'm used to and stay within my comfort zone when it comes to shopping and eating, so it's always nice to have a reminder to try something new. Whether you've heard of all of these shops before, you're currently planning your trip to visit them as you read this, or you didn't have your interest piqued whatsoever, I hope you take advantage of the summer weather that's finally here and check out all of the amazing places the GTA has to offer!