Women of WaterShoppe

Moving!

2009-03-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are moving! Time to find another space, and leave 337 Danforth Ave! We have had a blowout sale for 3 days, and moved tons of inventory for $5,10, 15, 20! Good on ya, for those that came down! And for that man who took everything off the bench outside the store within 30 seconds-God is watching, and YOU my friend, are in trouble...
Changes are a comin, so we have to work remote for a month. If you need gift baskets/delivery/stuff we can fill your orders. Eyes are on an Avenue Road space, have to wait!
We are still there for you, so keep on contacting us for your immediate needs. The plus side to not having a physical retail space for the next month-week-ends off!! woo hoo!
Oh, guess what? We got a $250 ticket from the "Danforth scumbags" parking authority. While it was soo obvious at 8am this morning that a moving truck was just doing their job, the blond crap ass ticket sleeze slapped one on their truck. Thanks for the memories! YOU my dear are a loser. "Just doing your job" doesn't cut it with me. I know you could have given a warning, but I guess you had to fill your quota. Another wanna be cop strikes again!
SO life is moving along at warp speed, and we are getting in so many orders for gift baskets it is awesome! Thank you Proud FM and EZ Rock!

SALE!

2009-03-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hi! We are having a big SALE-O-RAMA!
If it has a red dot, you get it for half price! Time to get some movement. This year in retail has started off with a bang! I mean, a slight tap. And since we are not Galen "I wear the same clothes in every commercial to make me look frugal" Weston, we need some sales. That guy just needs a kick in the face. Oooh, look at me, I'm so wealthy I could buy your entire neighbourhood, but I'm nice, so instead I'll give you a 3 cent discount on bananas. Make that 2 cents, I need a pay for a new plane. He is as bad as Stephen Harper putting on his weird shark face smile and looking into the camera to tell us he "feels our pain". WTF? Howz about I take you Mister Harper, for a little week-end getaway to the housing projects on River Street. Guess whats for dinner Mister Harper? Mister Noodle and a cup of yellow tap water! Don't get me started...
Anyhoo, this year is an exciting challenge! It's forcing us to cut back on things we no longer need (exclusions-denim with 2% stretch, small make-up purchases, really good cheese) and to reuse what we already have. I love it! Not only are we clearing out stock at our cost, we are finding new ways to serve up great drinks for cheap! And I recommend buying some good naturally sourced waters to bring home, to "do it yourself" after you try one of the WaterShoppes hot chocolates or fresh herb recipes!
Take care y'all, and come to the store for great deals!!
p.s-George likes Bling because it tastes good and the crystals match his eyes.

VALENTINES, PROUD FM, EZ ROCK, OH YEAHHHHH

2009-02-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hello there! Listen to Proud FM, and EZ Rock to hear about us! How very cool to be sitting in the car, and listening to a promo about us! And call in to Proud FM this Friday Feb 13th to win your very own WaterShoppe gift basket!
Hey, we know times are tough, but grab a little gift, buy a single flower instead of a dozen roses, and make a yummy dinner for your sweetie! Nothing is going to change overnight so we might as well enjoy the little things. Or buy a big fat diamond. Up to you.
And now like my home girl Oprah, here is a list of the 10 things I cannot live without!
1) Taste of the Silk Roads rice/veggie/pork dish, made with love by owner Miss Margaret
2) A good cup of green tea from Harney & Sons. Keeps the pipes moving.
3) a smart ass customer who knows more about water than I do. Gets me going every time!
4) access to chocolate truffles 24/7. For those moments of freakout-a-sitis. Yeah, it's a medical term. What, you know better?
5) Denim with 2% stretch. FACT: I have split the arse out of 4 pairs of jeans in the last month.
6) Denim with 2%, oh wait, I said that already. Other peoples children! I love kids, they make me feel big and smart! And they laugh at my jokes.
7) Naps. Ahhhh, naps. I love a good one, where I wake up and have no idea if it's still Tuesday.
8) Foundation. I wake up and look like Lyle Lovett. A little foundation, Russell Peters!
9) My hat. No need explain the love of a good hat.
10) my laptop. Seriously, I begin to perspire just thinking about being without it. Not. good..
Come to the store, buy some Harney Tea, or a red terry cloth lip shaped bath pillow. We even have 3D glasses to view the world in hearts! The WaterShoppe is the best in T.O!
Oh, you MUST MUST see the movie Coraline in 3D. UN-BE-LIEVABLE. It is an assault of beauty and creativity you will not believe. My eyes were blessed.

Jimi Hendrix tastes great!

2009-01-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm a rhodesian ridgeback, and I love the taste of Jimi Hendrix liquid experience! My humans think that when it goes missing from the fridge, they must have just drank it. I may not have opposable thumbs, but I have a nose that can open an envelope!
I typically enjoy the Liquid Experience right before I go for my walks. One sip and I feel like a puppy. Ohhh, to be two years old again.This energy drink allows me to run faster than all the other dogs at the park! As a known lion tracker back in my native South Africa, I can safely say that 3 out of 4 rhodesians choose Jimi Hendrix liquid experience for a quick boost!
Find it at the WaterShoppe. Oh, they also let us dogs come in the store in cold weather, so the owners must be incredibly nice and generous humans!

Valentine's gift baskets! New Arrivals! Oh, Happy New year

2009-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hello there 2009! Hope you treat us better than your older brother 2008. WHAT an a-hole.
So we have put together the most amazing gift baskets for our next lovey dovey day. And they are not filled with nonsense like bad chocolates, cheap cheese N crackers, or knockoff jewelry! Shower caps, mineral waters, great tea, journals to write your plans for the new year, vitamin drinks and loads of other cool things! Why get fat, when you can get dead sexy?
Breaking news: We had a new arrival in December! Baby Chloe!! She was a healthy 9 pound baby girl, who belongs to the proud parents Christine & Miguel Vargas. Perfect addition to the WaterShoppe work force in a few years! Whaaat? It's not child labour when it includes bottomless sodas and sno cones. Don't give the little ones ideas, they might start a union.
Look, I included one of our happy employees on break. That is Alix, and she insists on having an elders knee to rest upon while on break. And a tiara. Jeesh, what a princess! Good thing she got back to working the sno crusher unsupervised after that photo. Little hands fit into the blades when they get clogged sooo much better than mine!
Anyway, new year, new vibe, better times ahead. Hope y'all had a great holiday, and look after yourselves. Now leave me alone, Team Canada is playing for gold tonight!!
Goooooooo Canada! Although I worry that Sweden might win the gold. Sorry, sorry, bad thoughts..

BEST NEW GIFT BASKETS IN TORONTO!!

2008-12-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

As voted by us!!
Sweet and sour chicken balls, are The WaterShoppe eau cadeau's hot! Even in these days of slow holiday sales, I am pleased to say the orders are a-comin! Here are three great reasons to use our company for your gift needs:
1) Quality PLUS quantity. We fill them to the brim with the best waters/chocolates/useful stuff and pretty things.
2) The level of customer service is the best in Toronto. Cat lover? Red wine drinker? Water snob? Collector? Belgium chocolate expert? Rubber duck addict? we are the shiz.
3) You can trust us. We will talk to you, find out what you want to spend, and do everything to make your gift the best! No shiz.
This goes out to Murielle, who called because her daughter is a huge fan of water, and wanted to make her a special gift-You are a fabulous mother, and a very cool lady!
For Rosemary in Woodbridge, who entertains and wanted to provide her guests with a great selection of waters-It was a complete pleasure dealing with you, thank you for the orders!
For Arlene in Cambridge, who wants to surprise her husband with Glenlivet water to drink with his scotch during the holidays-Thanks for the order, and I hope he doesn't read this!
To Avner for placing his trust in our hands, to make a large gift basket order for a special client-You aren't a ball breaker, I was kidding!
To Mario for driving in, and buying two bottles of Bling for his co-workers to make them happy-"Ahhhh, you are sooo nice".
To Tina from Simon Says for placing orders, and trusting us to make her baskets fabulous-Thank you! Your retail store for kids is the best in the city! www.simonsayskids.ca
To Kevin, owner of Bling water in LA-you are as cute as a button, and yes I'm old enough to say that! www.blingh2o.com
To Fieldstone school for using our service to send a special basket to Ken Kostick as a thank you-what a great way to return a favour! See you next year at your auction!
For Nancy who had us deliver a basket site unseen to a Markham hotel, hope he loves it!
For Jane Gowing for ordering lots of Voss-good on you for being a woman in charge of her own business, contracting, no less!
And for Ricky at Sirius radio for using us to make your gift basket, thank you Santa!
Feeling the love, keep it coming, and use us! Unlike our government, we have our ship running smooth and clean!!
p.s-For those readers who are not in Canada- "ha ha, jokes on you!" This whole coalition thing is a gag! We are TO-TALLY together here, and everything is just fine!

Bling water in Toronto!!

2008-12-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

Holy Dinah! The Bling H2O order has arrived, and it is crazy. These collectible bottles come adorned with swarovski crystals of every colour! We have gold, red, blue, pink, and we even have a limited Christmas Bling bottle with red and green crystals!
What a gorgeous addition to a bar. Who needs a stainless water bottle, when you can sip your water from sexy reusable glass bottles like these!
Don't forget to place your basket orders with us-fresh and yummy hand made truffles, LafCo House and home candles, a bottle of Bling, some spring water ice cubes, a picture frame with your selected image, we can do whatever your heart desires. And we can add some booze too!
Here is a couple of good jokes:
Two friends are playing golf, when a long funeral procession goes along the road. The one guy stops mid-swing, removes his cap and bows his head. The other guy says "wow, that was very touching. You really are a kind man".
The guy replies "Yeah, well we were married for 35 years".
Buh Dun DAH!
A woman gets on a bus, and the driver says "my God, that is the ugliest baby I have ever seen!". She heads to the back of the bus furious, and sits down beside a passenger. "That bus driver just insulted me" she says. The man says "Go up there and tell him off!" "Don't worry, I'll hold your monkey".
Buh Dun DAH!
I'm takin it on the road!!

CORPORATE GIFT BASKETS WITH SPEYSIDE WATER

2008-11-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Good evening all! A few days have gone by, and yet my foul mood lingers on. I need to play with some puppies or something to get out of this. I know! I should eat a candy apple while walking through leaves, on a sunny afternoon with a bunch of cash in my pocket in a pair of new jeans that lift my butt and lengthen my gams.
Soooo, we are having a sale on SPEYSIDE GLENLIVET WATER! Play James Bond, and get some. Totally unique stocking stuffer, no?
Great boyfriend or boss gift-A bottle of Glenlivet scotch, some spring water ice cube trays, and a 500ml of Glenlivet water. The ultimate pure scotch experience!
$38 for 24 bottles. You definitely can't find it cheaper in Canada. Have you noticed how sales-y and matter of fact my last few blogs have been? Tough. We need the google search key words, so if ya want some ha ha's, you'll have to wait until we get some sales on our targeted items!
Speaking of the JEAN PAUL GAULTIER limited bottle, we have them. And yes, there was a deer crossing Bayview avenue carrying the BEST CORPORATE GIFT BASKET IN TORONTO yesterday. I asked him in deer speak how he found out about our baskets, and he responded "I also love the EDIBLE WILD HIBISCUS FLOWERS too! To summarize this blog, The store has the BEST HOT CHOCOLATE IN TORONTO when you need something warm, we can fill a STAINLESS STEEL FLASK with it to go, and put an ARCHIPELAGO ROOM DIFFUSER aside for your next trip to The WaterShoppe! What's that? Of course we carry ORE SHOWER CAPS!! Silly...

Jean Paul Gaultier bottle/Best Toronto Gift Baskets/Harney Teas!

2008-11-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so are we all happy Obama won? Good. Now lets move along.
I happen to be in a particularly sour mood tonight, so I will skip the usual chit chat about getting taxed to death by the city, my dislike of teeny dogs, bad quality sushi, that super annoying Best Buy commercial with the parents looking for the 'Oh my GOD I LOVE it' gift, and the repairs taking place on every road I need to take to get home!
IMPORTANT PLACES TO SHOP:
The WaterShoppe. For What: Harney Tea collection/LafCo candles/Archipelago diffusers/Evian 2009 Gaultier bottle/Built NY.
Simon Says. For What: No Slippy Hair Clippy/ Inky Dink Tees/Camper shoes for kids plus a ton more cool stuff for the little ones.
Michael Francis Photography. For What: A meaningful family portrait/a head shot while you still look great/to cover that special event.
Canopy Blue. For What: great denim for women/Toms shoes/great casual evening wear for women who like to be social.
Ciao!

Scary!!

2008-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Set the scene:
Have a dinner party. Serve alcohol. Pick a target. Make sure that if you have two washrooms, that your target thinks only one is working. Take out any lightbulbs, so that if they try to turn on any lights, no luck. Have a small friend hide in the tub with the Psycho shower scene creepy stabbing sounds ready.
When your tipsy guest reaches in and turns on the light, hit play, and listen to them scream like a little girl!
Awesome....
Yes, we are selling these Psycho shower curtains at the store!

Ultimate tea gift!

2008-10-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

We have a special on our tea gift baskets in the store right now, that you can stash away until the holidays! 20% off the regular price means you can get the great selection now, save some money, and not have to panic and last minute shop. We can even make delivery arrangements right to your door, so that you save that darn gas money too!
Baskets start at $35.
And now onto something completely unrelated where I like to sing "The-e-se are a few of my favorite thing-s-s-s!"
1) perfect spaghetti carbonara
2) a full tank of gas
3) evenly matched hockey fights
4) houses with too many Christmas decorations
5) high ceilings and radiators
6) videos of monkeys that steal tourists food
7) the smell of baked bread
8) Lisbon at night
9) drunk Octoberfest dancers
10)scary movies

Try some of our teas!

Best Gift Baskets! And the current economic quagmire

2008-10-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

So here is your reality check concerning our alleged recession in my fabulous opinion:
The worst thing to do in this pending situation is to freak out and stop shopping. I'm not saying you need to play the stock market like russian roulette or purchase a home the size of Casa Loma, but land sakes people, keep the economy moving a little! No shoppy, no manufacturing, no service no travel no jobbies. And you know what really grabs my butt? WalMart will get even busier!! And as we all sit back and watch the USA wait for their next president to decide if our economy will go in the poopers further, let's keep in motion. Our election was a waste of time and money, and although I am a liberal at heart, I actually agree with Harper (read: evil man) when he says we are doing okay.
Think of things like a 4 year old-We are Canada. Nobody hates us! We are invited into every playground. We have lumber (a 4 year old would say "lots of trees"), we have oil, we have clean water, we have plenty of fish, and vegetables. We have free health care, we have education for our kids, we have the best cows (besides Argentina, and I'm sure they force feed their cows aged casket whiskey to make their steaks so good), we have tourism, we have car manufacturing, we have some of the best medical R&D, we have diamonds, we have freedom of speech,we have high taxes-hey! How did that get in there!! We have a thriving wine industry, we have world glass golf courses, we have whales, we have moose, we can go camping in any province, we are multicultural, and any 4 year old would agree that if we put up a fence around the entire country, we could easily survive without any importing, because WE HAVE HOCKEY. Okay, we might drill a small hole in that fence to allow Florida oranges to be hand passed, but thats it!
So if things get very very bad in your personal finances, please take this little piece of advice-Negotiate. And negotiate some more. Collectively, we have power. If you can't pay that bill-tell the huge company that has made multi-millions off of us when things were good that you have to do a partial payment. If you lost your job-there will be another one, and in the meantime just take a job and get less pay. Drop the ego.You will feel better asap. If you are down and a friend is up, ask for help. These are not times to have pride. One day you will return the favour. If you think you are going to lose your home/apartment due to lack of funds, talk to someone about it instead of staying quiet. You never know what can become of it. And really give hell to your local MP's about things that are driving you mad, because they need to hear about it !!! It's their job! Back to the barter system for the time being is sound advise. If you can trade stuff, do it.
And so this blog was to showcase our great gift baskets, for everyone that will support The WaterShoppe!! We work like hell to make a living, so please shop with us instead of a big box store. We even have gift certificates!

I'm verklempt, for all my yiddish peeps..

2008-09-25T18:01:00.001-07:00

Seems to me that most of y'all need a touch of class added to your home (I'm not talking about a t-shirt with a rose and sparkly bits on it-AGE ALERT! AGE ALERT!) and we have just the ticket. Feast your eyes on these soy candles minions! Yeah yeah, they are "green", they were shipped here on a puffy cloud, they help young corn niblets growing in organic fields, they capture rain water from your roof, and they work on your compost while you sleep. Ok? The new line of LafCo N.Y is in!!! Once you stick your sniffer into a tester at The WaterShoppe, you will never be the same. And no, I'm not exaggerating. You will need nothing else in your life to find happiness. Well, nothing more than a clean refreshing bottle of Evian water (SPONSOR ALERT! SPONSOR ALERT!).
Before I go further, is it just me or is Perez Hilton now more popular than Louis Pasteur? The world gets crazier by the minute. I mean one man discovered a way to provide children with milk to help grow healthy bones and teeth, and the other gives us by the second updates on the PussyCat Dolls??
Oops, getting sidetracked. Sorry Amanda.
Speaking of Bill Clinton, did anyone see Larry King last night? Man, the guy is smooth.
So the store is ready to be beautiful once again, and the focus is back on great waters. Here is a water fact you might find interesting- Georgians (not the peach luvin state, the country that Russia was attacking) once every 3 months would drink two bottles of their home mineral water Borjomi which we carry at the store (PRODUCT WHORING ALERT!), not eat food for 10+ hours, and lie down on their right side (to affect the right kidney), and place a hot water bottle on their right waist. They stay in this position for 2 hours. This was a home remedy cleanse. I cannot wait to try it out.
Another water fact-Doctors in certain hospitals spread across Italy would give patients who were experiencing kidney stone problems Fiuggi water for both recovery and preventative matters. This is a natural diuretic to break down fat and wash out toxins.
Another cool item about water- Mixing pure pink himalayan sea salt and fiji water creates something called "sole". Many health food stores will tell you that this is a great source of getting 80+ ionic minerals into your body for proper functioning. Fiji is compatible due to it's high PH level. You can cook with it, or just take a teaspoon each morning, which aids your body in absorbing water.
Oh, another water fact-there are a small group of people who believe in solar water . This means that you need to get a dark blue glass bottle, fill it with spring water (NOT TAP), and place a natural fabric like cotton over the lid to keep out the critters while it sits in the direct sunlight for an hour. This practice originated due to beliefs in the power of the sun, and it's effect on waters composition and energy.
Did you also know that if you store bottled water in clear glass bottles out of the sun and in a cool place, the expiry date means nothing? Yes, the FDA had to come up with a way to date water because it became a "food item", and yet Lisa, Sarah, Craig, Rob, myself, and the Water Man himself Michael Mascha drank bottled Perrier from 1959 and it was absolutely fine!
YEAH, 1959. Again, 1959. Um, hey Lisa, Sarah, Craig, Rob, and Michael, drop me a line. I haven't heard from you since that night. Kidding! I'm such a kidder.
Yet ANOTHER water story! - Contrex water from France has been a part of french womens lives for ages, because it has enough calcium and magnesium to not have to swallow that horse pill to get your daily supplement?/ I know, I know, I'm going nuts with facts!!
In conclusion, I would like to say that we should all refrain from believing everything the media reports on bottled water , since the United Kingdom (and other MASSIVE countries we all know well) have privately owned municipal tap water, so they need to keep the attack going in order to promote their own "products". Yup, look it up. If you want tap, drink up. If you want bottled water buy it. Make your own choice. As long as you are drinking lots of H2O, we are happy!!!
p.s-If anyone knows who stole our trees from outside our storefront, please drop a line. It would give me great pleasure to take them back, and steal their sleeping newborn and their new puppie. I'm kidding! I'm such a kidder.

Fall is Special. And we have a fall special!

2008-09-12T02:53:00.000-07:00

Hey hey hey!
You know it's fall when you go to sleep with the windows open and it feels great. And then you wake up at 4am with icicles hanging from your nose. No wonder the cat sleeps on the laundry. He would probably get stuck to the tile floor.
We just got in a product that is super exciting, and perfect for the weather-Muskoka Ginger ale. Not only is this a drink that has been made for 100 years, it has nothing artificial, and it's fantastic! Have it on it's own, or make a yummy apple ginger cocktail-shot of vodka, shot of sour apple liqueur,fresh lemon juice, and Muskoka ale. Yum!!
And parents, stir up a gallon of this mixture for when you take the kids out trick or treating. It will make the evening so much more fun! Heck, why not throw on your old Spiderman costume! Come on, you can squeeze into it.
The leaves will be changing soon, and that is my favorite time of the year. Taking a drive to Kitchener is the best. Anyone want to come with?
Know what really irks me? Getting sent notifications from the "social utility" Facebook telling me "Tracey, play bouncing balls today and win double the cash!!". I don't want to play bouncing balls! I don't want to see how much I'm worth if I were for sale, and I don't want to receive hugs and giggles and cupcakes and whatever other stupid things those Facebook kids come up with when they are high!
Another thing that irks me is the excessive coverage of the US presidential election I am subjected to every minute. Oy already. Okay McCain, we all know you were a prisoner of war. Yep, Obama you are one helluva public speaker. Let's make this interesting, shall we? I say we take a page from the 80's and make them run for their lives, like the movie Running Man. Did you see that movie? Classic. Richard Dawson (former creepy hand-up-your-skirt lick your face host of The Family Feud) is the announcer of a game show set in the future, where the contestants are convicts and have to survive while be hunted live on tv. Who do you think would win? I think McCain. Although he can't lift his arms over his head, he wouldn't panic, and would paint his face with mud and hide in some elephant poop for days. Obama would try and reason with his hunters, and convince them "we are the people to form a more perfect union". Blammo.
Anyway, the Muskoka Ginger ale is $12.50 for a 6 pack, and you will love it. See you soon!

REELWORLD TIFF

2008-09-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

So we got all gussied up and went to the ReelWorld film festival party last night! Good times. We arrived, and had our photo taken just like celebrities. It was kind of fun. Really fun. And then we schmoozed. And then we (read: me) had two big glasses of white wine and felt tipsy. And then the high heels we were wearing became quite difficult. So we left.
Brian was my guest, and it was up to him to work the crowd, get Watershoppe business cards into hands, and talk about how fabulous 10BC glacial water is. Job well done! It was my duty to talk to other guests about the store, and our waters. I'd give myself a B minus. I will however, give myself a big pat on the back for parking three blocks away in a green P on Wellesley Street. Finding parking in Yorkville on a Saturday night is bad enough, but during the Film Fest, it is easier to find another Hope diamond than a good parking space!
There was a great vibe at the party, it was friendly and not pretentious. And we ran into a man who worked at Bell Canada years ago, and is now starring in feature films. From Bell Canada customer service to successful acting career. Boy, I bet he misses ill-fitting head phones and shift work.
Had a great time, and wish I would have been more of a camera whore and snapped some photos. Oh well, next time.
Tah tah...

Heyyyyyyy

2008-09-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've updated the blog, so here is what happened at Taste Of The Danforth: rain. pouring rain. wind. more wind. thunder. lightening. rain. the end.
Yes, our annual big deal sucked the big one.
C'est dommage, considering we had 11 volunteers show up to help us, 96 litres of sticky syrup, 100 bottles of italian soda flavours, 1600 sno cone cups, jazzy new watershoppe t's, we even had a frickin soundtrack!
Mother nature, YOU are one mean mutha....
The good news?
Hang on, it will come to me..
Oh, nobody was injured, and the we all got free calamari!
Oy, vat a veek-endk....

Anyone for a Water Tasting? Or an apron?

2008-06-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Not sure if anyone watched Breakfast Television on Friday, but Mitchell "waterboy" Buck made his debut! This kid is going to Hollywood. Not only did he get to work behind the scenes with the camera man, he also introduced the band with Dina! Although Mitch didn't actually speak, his presence was strong. I'm thinking the next McCauley Culkin- without the drugs, alcohol problem, odd relationship with Michael Jackson and stupid face smacking thing.
Our next water tasting will be July 15th 5:30 to 7:30. Take a trip to Europe without leaving our store! We got Italy, we got France, we got Germany, so via down to la magasin and drink some wasser!
Quick message for the lady who sits on the bench directly in front of The WaterShoppe who curses and screams at everyone who walks by: move. I'm not going to phone the police the next time, I will take you for a "fun road trip" to northern Ontario and leave you there.
Sooo, starting this week, the first 100 people to spend over $30 in our store will receive a vintage apron! How cool is that? I spent 3 years collecting these, and now I need to move them.
They are one of a kind, and funky as hell. And since the summer heat has hit, why not make dinner naked, and sport a sexy l'il apron?
Something to ponder about the Danforth- why is it that I received over $560 in tickets for turning right onto the street between the hours of 4-6 pm and for having an "illegal" bag of garbage, when it seems to be perfectly fine to get so hammered that you urinate on the sidewalk? Hmm.. I know, I know, I'm overly sensitive.
So they year 2008 is flying by, and the next thing you know, Taste of the Danforth will be here. We are going to serve up the tastiest sno cones and italian sodas in the city, and have a stockpile of water weapons to splash those of you willing to get wet!
have a lovely Canada Day, and see you soon!

Ain't summer grand?

2008-06-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!
Please excuse the delay, we have been busier than a dog chasing his tail. Since we last updated: We played a charity hockey tourney that kicked the sh*!t out of us. At one point, we were down to 8 players, sweating like mules, and for the record: I have a black toenail waiting to fall off, Lisa has a wrist that looks like it came from Tales From The Crypt, and everyone that played for Team WaterShoppe needed oxygen tents after game one. Yeah. We sucked. Shout out to Rob for his gallant effort of playing every shift while puking, big ups to James for playing the entire tourney without a break (I have never seen sweat drip like a faucet from a chin like that) huge thank you for Team Mann (Nicole & Ryan the Dream Team) and also to Glen, who I thought would vomit but showed his true colours and only collapsed once! Next year we kill!
We also hosted a water tasting event that was quite fabulous, which will become a habit. Yes, we now host PRIVATE water tastings!
I am too darn tired to post a witty e-mail tonight, since I have become addicted to EuroCup 2008.
This is a post to let Glenda Fordham know that she is loved and appreciated for helping us out in making our dreams come true!
P.S-we are having a promotional sale on Glenlivet water!! $43 per case of 24 bottles. Insane!!!

Water Tasting Mon May 12th

2008-05-17T04:51:00.001-07:00

It was great! Michael Mascha is a fine water expert, and a gentleman! What a pleasure having him come to Toronto to speak. We received some great tips and information, discussed the future plans of the WaterShoppe, and had a good laugh.
For all of you that attended, thank you!
Favorite moments-Scott saying the bottle of Perrier water from the 30's tasted like "aunt Dot smells", Nicole being forced to eat food she didn't want on camera for a "mingling" scene, Brian going home to change midway because "if ONE more guy walks in wearing a jacket and dress pants", the homeless gent who waved and gave us "thumbs up" from the street, the young couple I assumed Lisa invited, she assumed I invited, that stayed for the event, and the best-a couple visiting from Iceland who walked in during filming, didn't realize it was a private party, and got themselves interviewed by the Associated Press!
A special thank you to Steve Kriakis of Ioli water for saving the day! Everybody drink up some greek sparkling water!
Enjoy the long week-end, and don't complain Tuesday about how your fireworks were soggy, your camping trip sucked, and how you couldn't go to Canada's Wonderland with the kids. It's May 2-4, what else is new about cold and rainy???

Here he is!!

2008-05-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, feast your eyes on Monkey Teapot! Is that something? The new teapots are very cool. Come visit our tea room, buy some fabulous water, some great loose leaf tea, and a teapot shaped like a dragon. Wowzers.
Not sure if you saw it, but we paid a quick visit to DayTime Toronto yesterday, and showed off some of our fabulous waters!
And please stay tuned for a few pics after our Water Tasting event this Monday May 12th. This tasting is really going to be amazing. We need to get our picture taken with Michael Mascha and hang it in the store. Yeah, that's right-WE had the dude from the cover of Time Magazine visit us!

Too busy to type and gripe right now, but wait until next week! I'm sure that I'll have a little story or two about my trip in a frickin cargo van tomorrow to Tonawanda to pick up 50 cases of sparkling. Ohhhh boy, I am super excited to go through customs. Those folks at the border are so darn friendly! Is it possible to get detained for being saucy? -Mister customs agent-"Reason for your visit?" me-picking up 50 cases of sparkling water. Mister customs agent-"Don't you have access to bottled water in Canada m'am" me-Nope. Well, at least not like this kind filled with a mixture of vodka and ecstasy!". And there I sit for 17 hours while they take samples of every bottle and rip apart the rented cargo van. Crime AND being a joker doesn't pay.
Can you see it now? Me driving a cargo van with no windows, attempting to find a freight yard in the middle of nowhere, asking some homeys for directions. All thats missing is a huge sticker on my forehead that says LOST, CANADIAN, NAIVE, CARRYING CASH. I'll just spray everyone with mace that gets within 10 feet of the van. Safety first!

Tea Makes You Strong like Godzilla

2008-04-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

We have turned the back room into a tea oasis! Since a pot of tea is only as great as the water you make it with, we figured it was a great fit!We have a selection of black,green,white,rooibos,russian caravan,darjeeling,scottish breakfast, and something that smells like poop but tastes great called mate! And now that I have researched tea for two weeks, I consider myself an expert. Yes, it's that simple. You too can call yourself an expert in any field within two weeks with access to the internet. Of course this doesn't mean that I can answer the tougher questions, like-"what tea has antioxidants?" What the hell are you asking me for? But I CAN tell you what has the prettiest package, and what tea smells like caramels! The WaterShoppe is also carrying a line of purple clay YiXing teapots which are quite amazing. Some are even shaped like monkeys! How fun is it to have a monkey pour you tea? Well, it is a little Dr Moreau, but so what?

We are ready to sell our sno cones again! Perfect timing, since it has quickly turned to minus 7!

Oh! Before I forget, we have a carbonated water which if boiled, turns into a natural laxative. Not quite sure why that was breaking news....

Top 10 Reasons to Visit the WaterShoppe:

#1 It smells good

#2 It looks really nice

#3 We sell rubber ducks that look like aging rock stars

#4 We carry 57 brands of water

#5 We let everyone play with stuff as long as they want

#6 We don't get mad with your children for grabbing things off the bottom shelves, we encourage it

#7 We make incredible baskets (Mothers Day is very soon)

#8 We don't carry bisphenol A bottles, so we aren't hurting your baby

#9 The staff is so sweet your teeth will hurt

#10 We are the first place in Canada to be visited by FineWaters author and water expert Michael Mascha!!! Now THAT is fabulous!!!

Spring has sprung! In Amsterdam....

2008-03-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick mention about this little winter we are having. ENOUGH ALREADY! I have parked on the side of a mountain of snow so many times, I just assume it's normal to open the drivers door, and fall on the ground. Seriously, the parking situation is so plain stupid, that I'm thinking about driving the car into the store. We can merchandise on the hood. And my favorite way to start the day at the WaterShoppe-driving through mucky dirty shitty coloured snow, spinning my tires every time I have to come to a stop, and then driving through an ice obstacle course to find a car in our paid for parking space! Fabulous.
A big thank you to the 2008 Audi that blesses our spot. Ooops, sorry about the $40 ticket the other day. Is it possible that you forgot to move your car for 9 hours? Nope. OPA!
We recently attended the Canadian Food & Beverage show, and it was quite crap. Although if we were looking for pre-packaged pre-cooked low quality food items, it was awesome! Oh, and if we needed a 20 foot barbeque trailer capable of cooking 3,000 pounds of meat, awesome again!
Makes me wonder why we don't buy a meat cookin truck and park on the side of the 401 every long week-end to catch all the cottage people stuck in traffic for hours. Wouldn't it cheer you up if somebody knocked on your window holding a plate of ribs and slaw?
Has anyone been watching the Leafs? Why can't they just die and get on with a better pick in the lottery? Noooo, it's like watching the fu@#cking Terminator. Whoaaaaa he just got run over by an 18 wheeler. Nope, not dead yet. Whooaaa, he just got blown up with 50,000 pounds of explosives. Um, there he is again. Stop it! Stop.
A super cute woman came in yesterday with her poodle, and bought some waters, asked about the store, discussed her upcoming birthday party, and then her dog farted so bad, it made me gag. No joke, the entire store smelled of rotting garbage and eggs. She felt obligated to purchase some products. Hey, we'll take it!
Please visit the store and give us feedback. We are featured in Dolce magazine, had a write up in SNAP, and we are going to be on DayTime Toronto April 7th.
We need your support, so get your behinds to the store, and no more excuses! The WaterShoppe is going to be huge, so come and lend a hand! We need volunteers for the Beaches Jazz Fest, and the Taste of the Danforth.
Let's get it on!

What the Deuce??? Simryn Chocolates arrive!

2008-02-09T23:53:00.000-08:00

It was just the other day, when I was pondering the big questions of life: Does God really know every thought I have? Have I succeeded as a human being in making the world better in small ways? Can miracles really happen? How can I make my arse fatter? And then just as though she was reading my mind, Noni came walking into the WaterShoppe to ask if we were interested in carrying her exquisite line of belgium chocolate truffles. Fate is real kids.
Yes, we have a beautiful selection of truffles. Check out the lineup of flavours-chambord-(so far my arse likes this one the best) apricot brandy, mocha, raspberry, cognac, java, blueberry, mimosa (another arse pick), champagne, strawberry, chili, baileys, oohh and the list goes on!!
And so I pose this question to all people who enjoy chocolate-why settle for second rate bon bons, when the best truffles in the city are a mere two dollars??
Simryn chocolates have been a Danforth favorite for 8 years, and we would like to help make it another 8. So come down to the shop, and treat yourself to these wee works of art. Oh, and if you need guidance on which truffles are best, I can help. If I am hiding under the counter with my face and hands covered in chocolate, call the tv show Intervention. These truffles really are the shiznit. What? Who just winced? So I'm 38 and I used shiznit??? Yo, stop trippin, if y'all are haters then call the po po on me! Hmmm, I better do a google search to ensure that was correct slang.

Happy Valentines!

2008-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't fall down a well. It has been a long time since the last entry, but December at the WaterShoppe was so busy it knocked us out. By the time December 25th rolled around, if I had to hear another Michael Buble Christmas song, I was ready to pull a Britney.
We are so happy the decorations are put away until next year!
And now we have moved on to the subject of LOVE. Yes, fabulous, amazing, tingles in the toes, LOVE! We make the prettiest darn Valentine baskets you have ever seen! And the store is filled with hearts and chocolates and everything mushy!
Wouldn't it be lovely to come to our store, purchase a stainless steel flask, and have it filled with delicious homemade hot chocolate for your honey? If a man did that for me, I would think he was a keeper. Another sweet idea is to ask us to fill a little red suitcase with all of her favorite things-sweets, smelly candles, diamond picture frames, bubble bath, and rubber ducks covered in hugs and kisses!
Hope to see you all very soon!

Happy Everything!

2007-11-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS- Santa was just flying over the Danforth, and noticed that the WaterShoppe has made their window look just the way he likes it! Santa also noticed that not too many other businesses have put in the effort to cheer people up with festive windows, and to them he says "Naughty". To the WaterShoppe he says "Big Ups!"
We are attempting to build a landing pad for Santa and his reindeer on the roof of our building, but we might have trouble with the city, so you'll have to come on down to the store and leave a message in our Santa Wish List journal for him. We will then upload the information and forward it to Mrs Claus on her blackberry. Behind every strong man.....
Oh! Santa also mentioned that he loves the rubber ducks we have, and that instead of leaving him milk and cookies, we should all buy him a duck because his doctor said the his body mass index is unhealthy, and he has particular concern with his cholesterol level. We don't want to kill Santa, do we? Rudolph (being the self absorbed reindeer that he is) would like a "grow your own Rudolph" instead of carrots. I'm not making this stuff up, he really loves himself!
What's that? more BREAKING NEWS- Elf Union Local North Pole 62 has gone on strike!
Uh oh, you better not wait for them to make presents for all the kiddies, thank goodness we are fully stocked with wonderful gifts! Those elves are attempting to shut down production in North America as a way to really screw up George Bush and his family Christmas! I always knew they were democrats!
We have silver Christmas trees, big beautiful decorations, a choo choo train in the window, loads of gift baskets, and a bunch of candles that will make your nose happy!
Have a great great great week-end!
p.s-Santa also mentioned that he does not like cross border shopping, so don't piss him off and sneak to Buffalo. Remember, he sees you when your sleeping, he knows when your awake, and he knows what model car you drive!

The Holidays are nipping at our nose.....

2007-11-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are filled with cheer, and goodwill t'ward men, and all that. It certainly looks like Christmas has exploded all over the place. We have snowman candles, and Santa grow heads (remember "Cha Cha Cha Chia!) well we have the new slammin version which grows Santa some groovy grass hair. We have room diffusers that smell like sweet pea and wisteria, we have fabulous blue and green reindeer tree ornaments (don't mind the rather large hole in the anal area. We assume and hope that is just a production result), we have chocolates packaged like fire crackers, we have glass vases that are shaped like sno globes and fish, we have place cards which are little glass gift boxes, we even have the technology to instruct you how to build your very own Christmas tree out of exclusive Christian LaCroix glass water bottles! And if that isn't enough, we carry bright red umbrellas with a white furry trim to make your holiday walking in the frickin rain while you last minute shop fun! So WHY IN THE NAME OF PETE WOULD YOU NEED TO SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE?? What do we have to do, walk in front of your place of work wearing a sandwich board stating the obvious? Oh, don't think we wont. Lisa can take uptown, and I'll head downtown. Need incentive? I will show up at your company function dressed like the ghost of Christmas past, and scare you senseless. I'm also not beneath breaking into your car and hiding the the backseat with a Scrooge costume on, waiting for you to look in the rear view mirror. Remember, the holidays are not about spending time with family and loved ones, that is SO yesterday. The holidays are about commerce! Don't be afraid to admit you want lots of gifts! Rejoice in the fact that if you spend "X", your receiver will be obligated to match that amount due to feelings of obligation! Secret Santa? Increase the kitty buy spending twice as much as the allocated limit! You know everybody finds out anyway. Remember the movie Christmas vacation? How upsetting was it that aunt Bethany wrapped up her cat as a gift? Don't be aunt Bethany. Spend, have no regrets, enjoy the passing of money, and always keep in mind that what I have just posted is a load of crap! BUT if you do need to buy a few stocking stuffers, then visit the WaterShoppe and we will look after you. PLUS we do free gift wrapping with any purchases over 25 clams. Now THAT is a way to relieve some of the stress of holiday gift giving!
If anyone is interested in attempting to improve their health, please come down and ask for the "secret water", as well as picking up a package of self test PH strips. This stuff seriously makes you feel better.
have a great week!

Was I right, or was I right?

2007-11-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Are these possibly the cutest things you've ever seen? Imagine getting a gorgeous green velvet gift box, with classic gold ribbon, and then opening it to see NO, not a pair of diamond cuff links, but a Mister T rubber duck! The classic "F.U" joke. Yes, I do stay awake at night thinking of these things.
Have a cranky girlfriend? We've got a PMS duck. Want to inspire your child to become a famous writer? We've got Shakespeare. Need to remember when times were less complicated an more fun? We've got the Blues Brothers. Have a boss who behaves like royalty? We've got Queen Elizabeth.
Enough about the ducks, how about our crazy selection of "Grow your own" stuff-Grow a new husband. Yep. You put a wee little man in a jug of water, and he gets big, and yet stays quiet, and never leaves the toilet seat up. Still hooked on the Sopranos? Grow your very own mobster. Need professional help but can't afford it? Grow a shrink. That way whatever mental nonsense you tell him, the secret is safe.
Would you like to smooch some corporate arse in the hopes of moving up the ladder without actually working hard? We have fabulous gift baskets to make you look like a real hitter.
Want to pretend that you are in a foreign land without leaving your depressing basement apartment? Get one of our sexy Havana candles, and smell your way to showgirls and cigars. Need to one up a certain person this year with the most unique gift? Get a bottle of Bling water and mention that it was "just one of the bottles in my case, thought you might like it".
Starved for attention? Walk down the street in one of our pink flamingo shower caps during rush hour, belting out SPLISH SPLASH I WAS TAKIN A BATH!
Feeling the urge to mess with a stranger while on a long flight? Buy one of our fake hermit crabs, and place it on the seat next to you, as if you'd purchased it a ticket.
Need to gross out an uptight co-worker? Cough really loud, turn your back to them, and then pretend to bring up one of our nasty yet very popular blob frogs. Follow up by saying "I just KNEW I shouldn't have swallowed that".
Or maybe you would simply like to enjoy a civilized visit to our store, sip a decadent hot chocolate, and look around at all the pretty bottles of water.
Oh! We have a great new member to Team WaterShoppe-Her name is Kim St Clair, and she is super. Don't give her a hard time, we really want Kim to stick around!
Have a great week-end doing whatever makes you happy!
See you at the store soon!

BOO!! Well BOO! tomorrow night!

2007-10-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that we still have some black fanged rubber duckies in stock! What, has the world gone crazy? Everyone needs a black fanged rubber duck for Halloween! PLUS we have 5 graveyard herb growing cemeteries too! Scare the neighbours with creepy goulish----CORIANDER!! Geesh. Here is what we were trying to avoid-Little Timmy says to his mom after a big night of trick or treating with sad puppy eyes-"Mommy, how come nobody gave me what I wanted?" Mommy-"what's that sad little Timmy?" Timmy-"a black fanged rubber ducky". Sniff. And then sad little Timmy turns into a crackhead, with many regrets.....
This CAN be avoided if you rush down to the WaterShoppe and purchase some spooky rubber ducks! We've got em in red, we got em with flames, we got em with horns! We got purple, we got striped, we got scarrrrry yellow!!! Think of little Timmy!
We have some very very clever ideas up our sleeve at the W.S. and we are going to pull out the big guns within the next week.
Oh, I also have to mention something very important. We have been contacted by Gilda's House to donate gift baskets, and we need more people to support the cause. If you are not familiar with Gilda's House, please google it and see what a beautiful, emotional, supportive foundation this is. Help!!
Have a spooky safe night tomorrow, and eat lots of candy!!

WARNING: Explicit content and yet no harm to animals

2007-10-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

For the love of Pete, when is this weather going to get stable? One day hot chocolate samples, the next day sno cones. One day a parka, the next day flip flops and a sweat mustache! It's unsettling, unsettling.
So we attended our first Business Improvement meeting for the Danforth. I actually enjoyed the meet and greet, and the first hour. Then, the information about proposed spending budgets began, and there I was picking at my shirt like a kid, and thinking "If I go over to the appetizer table and fill my plate again, will they think I'm a swine?" One gal in particular was really into raising her hand and adding comments, which made me fantasize of jumping across the table and throwing a flying knee into her chest, and then taking her down with an arm bar. I bet nobody would have stopped the action. UFC is alive and well in my heart.
What is great about the BIA is they really care an awful lot about our street, and we are thankful for the folks that take time out of their busy lives to do what most of us won't. Cheers to you!
So did you know that it's possible to fit 10 large heavy cases of bottled water into a jetta? And if you really press it, you can get from 337 Danforth to the Sheraton Center on Queen Street within 13 minutes. Of course, you make a few enemies along the way, like pedestrians, TTC, fellow drivers, and insignificant red lights. Good thing I put some underpants over the licence plate! In your FACE surveillance cameras! I was also clever enough to wear a ski mask and a trench.... sooo incognito on a hot day......
Our website is in the final stages, we are going to be interviewed on the radio next week, and Toronto Life is doing a write up about our store, and a fine water from France you NEED to try. Remember how Lisa has been quoted a few times saying "anyone who says water is just water is mistaken?". Well mes amies, she is talking about WattWiller. This water is sweet, smooth, and almost thick. And it has zero nitrates, which is basically tiny traces of poop. So drink up!
A shout out to Mr Case, for being very friendly, and getting us whatever we need in a pinch. Thank you Marc! And a big thank you to Aqua Maestro for providing us with help, friendly advice, and great waters from all over the world! The other companies that are also being very attentive to us are going to be seen all over the city! Yes-The first WaterShoppe vehicle will be wrapped and getting attention very soon! Imagine a sexy mini cooper with an entire cityscape of beautiful Toronto made from images of bottled waters. How cool is that? Come off... And NO, we don't have a bottle shaped like the Rogers Center, don't be an ass....Geesh, you would think I just got out of prison and haven't talked to anyone on the outside for a year? Sorry for being so yacky. I'm done. As always, come to the WaterShoppe and have a great time!

Guess who is coming???

2007-10-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

So can you even believe the guests we are receiving next week? Steve Yzerman, Mister T, Bill Clinton, Dan Ackroyd, Gene Simmons, just to name a few. Yup, we are also going to have the Pope, John Belushi, Elvis, Bethoven, James Brown, and Shakespeare! Sure, you might be thinking right now, some of them are deceased. But are they?????
We are getting a whole lotta celebrity rubber ducks! I cannot imagine how fun it is going to be having a bath with James Brown! "I feel good! Like I knew that I would!" Watch the wings, James...
Before I forget, need to tell you about the elderly woman who came in dressed in a purple nightgown and a pink felt hat, asking what water had the most energy. She pulled out a crystal on a rope, and began swinging it over all the waters. Dog gonnit, but didn't she strike gold with 10,000 BC water! She was so happy, that she pulled out her mastercard and bought 4 bottles. I fail to mention that she also believes that due to the delay in her credit card being authorized, it was meant to be that she was "introduced" to a water from Portugal. Her bag became "lighter" once she placed the bottles in it. Um, yeah. 84 years old, carrying a fabric bag with about 27 pounds of water became "lighter". God bless the disillusioned. A true nutter came in Saturday, grabbed his crotch, and said "Whoaaaa, what do you mean, what am I waiting the f@ck for!!". I have since seen him saying the same thing in a variety store. The Danforth is amazing! We have also had a little blond girl rush the store, and attempt to put three water toys in her pocket, and run back out. No need to worry, I handled it like anyone else would with a three year old. I grabbed her by the hair, slammed her to the pavement and told her if she ever did it again, I would use a shank on her. Hey, a little discipline goes a long way. Her parents will thank me after the law suit.
On a more appropriate note, we are going to be attending the Berkley Springs water tasting competition. How fabulous! This is an event where all the best waters come together, to be judged by their peers, and receive awards. Lisa and myself will be scoping out the next great waters to carry, and also promoting our business.
We have recently been lucky enough to have an article printed in the National Post on our store, which has generated a lot of traffic, as well as a plug from Arthur Von Weisenberger on US STREAM worldwide news, which was fantastic. Our store also provides the red glass bottles of Ty Nant which we were credited for in the November issue of Canada's Style At Home.
Things are tickedy-boo, and we are going to become the best place in Toronto for hot chocolate, so please visit the store!

STOP THINKING AND VISIT OUR BOUTIQUE!

2007-09-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

IF YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG, YOU ARE GOOD LOOKING AND SMART AS A WHIP.
Hi! So the WaterShoppe is ready to move into fall/winter mode. The staff will now be dressed as Bon Homme, and Lisa and myself will wear Elf costumes. And every afternoon at 2pm we will have a virtual snow storm take place inside the store.
* everything in above mentioned paragraph is based on fiction, and will only occur inside my head every day at 2pm.
So could things be any better? Go on, ask. Not only have we been listed on websites, had great print articles done, received enough attention to grab a fabulous Yorkville client (name to be withheld, since we don't like bragging, ummm much), had 3 of the 5 star hotels in Toronto contact us, affiliated ourselves with Earth Dance, and a mention in Style At Home magazine. Not bad for two months, huh? A big thank you to Tina at SIMON SAYS on Mount Pleasant for sending the Toronto Life editor over yesterday. Remember I had mentioned SIMON SAYS in a previous blog? Well now they give out FREE honda civics if you mention this entry!
*again, this will only occur in my head. So congrats for your imaginary gift!

Ebony and Ivor-reeeeee....

2007-09-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Zut alors!! The french are coming! And so are the germans, the dutch, the irish, the scots, and the frickin yankees! Our latest waters have been released from customs, and they are all living together in harmony at the store. However, each morning I notice that the english waters have jumped off the shelf and moved away from the french waters. Some things never change.
In case you live under a massive rock, you know the Toronto Film Festival in underway. George Clooney and Russell Crow came in yesterday and asked if it was possible to get in a photo with myself and Lisa. Hello, busy??? Man, are they annoying. What's next? Catherine Zeta asking for a free italian soda? Sorry sister, you have to get in line behind TomCat, just like everyone else.
Oh, baby Suri asked if she be our scientology water specialist. WHAT-ever.
We have been getting busier every week-end, and the word of mouth is fantastic. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting one of the San Benedetto family members in our store. Wouldn't it be nice to have a business card like hers that reads "Firenze, Italy". Damn the italians are arrogant with their sexy addresses. And what about the french? We have another business card from a soft spoken, scarf wearing frenchman, that says "Eau", Grenoble France. PUH-Leez. Check this out-"Lisa and Tracey" midtown GTA. Huh? Take that.
Lisa has gone above and beyond for our customers in buying fabulous products. Until you walk into the store and see it, you won't believe me. She managed to track down items like child-friendly chop sticks (what? sushi has seaweed???, it's water related!), tornado-in-a-can, shower caps with dancing hula girls, and even a rubber frog that you squeeze and the contents of his stomach blob outwards. That one kind of makes my lunch come back up, but so does a rat tail on a kid, so I'm coping. For anyone over 60 and under 30, a rat tail is a long skinny braid of greasy hair which drapes down the back of a neck, typically accompanied by a mullet. For those over 60 and under 30 a mullet is the hairstyle of Billy Ray Cyrus circa Achy Breaky Heart. For those that were not awake for the year 1992, Billy Ray Cyrus was bigger than Madonna and U2. And for those of us who still get that damn song stuck in our heads, pity.
The store is doing amazing, and our website will be up soon, and ready for online shopping! Another interesting addition to the WaterShoppe is the oldest case of Perrier in the world. Yup. Corked, and still bubbly. We can't sell it, so don't ask. Did you really think that we would put it on E-Bay?? Well, contractually we can't, NOT that we would have. I wonder what it would go for....
Just as every annoying motivational speaker says-Make it a great week!
p.s-Is it true that Brangelina is adopting myself and Lisa? Gawd, I wish we knew before the media shows up.

Hell isn't as hot as the WaterShoppe

2007-08-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Hey!
Have you ever been sitting in a sauna for so long, you start to get disoriented? Well, since we don't have proper a/c (I could breath on you, and it would be better), we are showing signs of stupidity and a heightened sense of anger. This morning, I couldn't get the gadget which you swipe credit cards thru to work. I slammed every key with my swollen fist, almost pulled it out of the wall, used every expletive known, yanked out a clump of sweaty hair, and freaked. I then collapsed on the floor with my face in front of the ice maker (which blows enough hot air to raise a f*@cking hot air balloon), and sucked my thumb. I found a nickel, a rubber band, and a blob of syrup.
Knowing this wasn't big girl behavior, I picked myself up and decided to start the day again. We look forward to fall. I'm certain by then, the a/c won't shut off, and we will need to pry our frost bitten hands off water bottles.
Our Eau Cadeau's (water gift baskets) are a huge hit! Lisa has been swimming in a sea of ribbons and buckets for days. Pretty soon, we will have to unchain her leg so she can sleep and eat.
When you see the incredible job Lisa has done creating these works of art, you will want one.
And finally, a big thank you to the people who have been chatting about the WaterShoppe on their websites! Even the trash talkers are great! Our favorite so far is -"This could be the greatest idea in history". Yup, we think so. The one that makes us laugh the most-"A new store for people with more money than brains". I e-mailed the author of that one, to let him know that our prices start at $1.25, and an average bottle would be $2.50. Response-"Oh. Didn't know that". Well Einstein do a little research before you open your big gate! We seriously love it all!
CBC wants to shoot a feature on the store for Living In Toronto next week. Ugh. Love the exposure, hate the being on tv thing. Hopefully Lisa N me won't get hit with a huge case of nerves, and start expelling gas. Actually, I would prefer tooting over the thought of being asked a question, and just vomiting everywhere. That would only be funny 25 years from now. We want to get the two young girls who work at the WaterShoppe (Danielle and Solana), to do the show, and pretend to be us. So if you see Lisa and she has brown hair and appears to be 17, it's Lisa. And if you see me, and I am 18 with dark skin, don't adjust your set. It's me Tracey!
have a superb week-end!

2007-08-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

Team WaterShoppe survived! And I never want to see another sno cone again. We ran out of syrups on Saturday night for them, so chef/scientist/resident genious Lisa created her very own syrups! If I told you the secret recipe, I'd have to kill you.
We worked our little derrieres off, but it was worth it. The event was a great success!
By the time Sunday came around, we were so dog tired that we sucked helium (just like I knew we would), and started hollering at the crowds in Oompa Loompa voices. Oh well, it entertained the hell out of us.
After that experience, we collapsed on the ground and dragged ourselves home by our front teeth. Things got a little rough on Broadview with the street car tracks. My bottom lip is sore.
Here are some photos of the event!

Now THAT is a hard workin crew...

2007-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

We did it!!! We received our own WaterShoppe water delivery, and carried 420 cases of bottled water by hand into our store. Can you imagine how fun that was? No loading dock, no problem! Sure it was about 117 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, but who the heck wouldn't want to heave 6,000 pounds of water for fun? The delivery man stayed and helped out the entire time. Hey, there are still decent people in this world! And Jared can keep eating those subs to lose weight, but the real deal was at the WaterShoppe. I'm guessing as a group, we lost about 54 pounds in sweat. They say when you are suffering sunstroke and dehydration you "see" things. Well, I don't care what anyone says, it was really cool that Donnie Osmond rode a purple unicorn down the street and made it rain jellybeans.
Taste of the Danforth begins tomorrow, and it is going to be insane. We really need to do something special to attract the mad crowds. The big blue canopy that Lisa bought is amazing! It is a 7 minute set-up tent, and after 2 hours, we finally got it! And Lisa also rented a helium cannister, to fill up our 200 balloons! I'm thinking by the time everyone has a crack at sucking up the helium and doing the "follow the yellow brick road" munchkin voice, we will have enough left for 3 balloons. Why is sucking helium still so darn fun?
With all this WaterShoppe action happening, we look about as attractive as a chewed boot. So instead of seeing Lisa or myself and hanging your bottom lip on your chin in shock, lie to us and say "Darnit, if you gals don't get prettier by the minute!".
Our lovely neighbour Margaret goes through 1400 pounds of calamari in less than 3 days during the festival. Just think about that for a minute. And then wrap your mind around how busy we could be. This is going to be CRAZY!! Hey, we should get Mel Lastman down here to holler "WHO makes sno cones better than the WaterShoppe!!?".
Just a warning to anyone who might get in line, and not make a quick decision on what italian soda flavour your want: You will receive a hard slap across the face, and be instructed to "step aside please". We need speed, and we need cash! Don't mess with the flow!
And if it ain't nailed down, we are going to sell it! What's that, you like our hardwood flooring? Just hand me that crow bar and give me a minute to pop out a good 500 feet for ya.
Come on down to the Taste of the Danforth and buy our water!!

What Can Happen next??

2007-07-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

Hi! Wowzers, this water business moves fast! Did anyone see the 4.5 seconds on Global news? Nothing is scarier than pimples and a double chin in HDTV! Thank you to Annie for saying I looked good. Bless you. I had a global tv face only a mother could love.
The sneaky Global crew was setting up shop to do a blind test taste between Aquafina and Evian. Sure, pick the Danforth at lunchtime, to catch old greek men with tzaztiki breath who couldn't tell the difference between a cup of gasoline and lemon juice. AND they set up with the WaterShoppe in the background! Lisa and myself moved as quick as elks to get them away from our store and do damage control. Buggers. Now ask those same greek men to tell the difference between Du Maurier regular and Players light, then they would become connoisseurs.
Can I ask a question? Why is it that normal looking adults keep asking if they can drink from the fountain in the back room? It smells like bleach, it contains bleach, and it is most certainly a decorative fountain. Did we assume people would not want to take a sip? yes. However, it now seems to be worth investigating further.
Oh, a sweaty drunk man came in last night and said this:-"Blah blah zherba simmy blah blah". He continued to grab various bottles of water and stick them in his pockets. Then he came to the cash and said 'blah blah zherba simmy blah blah Ice Wine". I then realized the man assumed he was buying bottles of wine. When I told him they were all water, he stared for 3 minutes without blinking, and then walked backwards out of the store. I laughed for 7 hours.
Or how about the woman who asked "do you carry that water that Jennifer Anniston drinks, and is it true you don't have to exercise if you take it?". Yeah, you just melt off the pounds, get super tanned and thin, and your hair gets silky PLUS your eyes turn green.
Did she think that if we had the recipe to that magic water we would be open until 10pm???
Have a GREAT week, and the WaterShoppe will see you soon!

One Big Love Fest!

2007-07-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Well, we have survived the first two weeks of a new business, and oy is it easy!! Lisa and myself have been relaxing, getting pedicures, lunching in Yorkville, and sleeping like babies. Oh wait a minute, that's a big fat lie!
Reality-14 hour days, dark circles under our eyes like we play in the NFL, skin breakouts (like, Oh My Gawd, this is SOO high school), and feet that resemble Frodo's. As a matter of fact, I was mistaken for Gollum today. Must be the newly acquired hump on my back from carrying cases of water, and the bones protruding from not eating. Oh well, I think Gollum is charming. Lisa has been existing on a diet of italian sodas and chocolate for so long, she might be a candidate for scurvy soon. I'll worry when her chicklets start to fall out. Nuthin says healthy like missing front teeth!
Sooo, when you don't get any sleep for a couple of months, you seem to forget the little things. Example-driving to meet with Saul (owner of Korry's clothing), parking the car across the street, and then walking back to the store because we forgot we drove. Going to the police station to get a background check, and driving a truck with an expired plate. Walking to the bank, chatting to the teller, and then leaving without getting a float. Ya know, the little things.
So please listen to the almighty Q107 next week, and let us know if you hear our plug!
The store looks great, we are feeling the love, and a special thanks to all of you people who have been donating your time/help/money/advice/good will!!
The list is too long for this blog, but just you wait until we have time to properly thank everyone. And man, are we going to throw a great party at the store soon!

2007-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

So the store is open, and things are going great! We are getting some fabulous feedback, and are currently in the process of getting Michael Mascha ( cover of Time Magazine, author , creator of Fine Waters website) to visit us, and have a book signing/drink sampling night. Who woulda thunk it? And we also are selling big numbers of sno cones, so come down on a hot summer night and get one! They were meant to be for kids, but as it turns out, it's the over 40 crowd who are all over them. Come to think of it, kids don't really know what an old school sno cone is.... Remember those damn triangle ice popsicles that came in grape flavour? You would suck the life out of it within twenty seconds, and then be left with a chunk of ice. And then you would suck the life out of the chunk of ice, and cut your tongue doing it. Ohhh, back in the days of lead based paint, unsafe cribs, and unsafe popsicles....
We also are sporting a superb flat screen which showcases just about every water related movie. So if you can't afford Bell Express Vu, then come down and bring your comfie pillow, order an italian soda, and watch a flick!
Thank you to everyone that came to the opening Saturday!!!

short but SWEET

2007-06-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all!
I will let the pictures do the talkin....
Please visit us next week!!!

Running water is fun!!

2007-06-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah. Oh baby baby yeah. We have running water at the bar! Annie, this blog is for you!
Firstly, I would like to encourage my peeps to keep shopping for children's high class duds at SIMON SAYS on Mount Pleasant Road. This store (for the few gals I haven't sent there yet) is all about what YOU want. Imagine if you were 2 feet tall, weighed 28 pounds, and had your entire life ahead of you. You WOULD wear designer denim over your baby undies.
And for everyone who thinks they have the cutest baby in the world, get yourself over to MICHAEL FRANCIS photography at 3200 Yonge street. That way, you can stomp your competition with fabulous portraits of your infinitely beautiful child and get wallet sized proof.
So we just wrapped up our interview for the local papers (Riverdale, Beaches), and I am really hoping that the photographer doesn't actually put a photograph of the store with me in it. Let's all imagine this-A gorgeous all white boutique, with deep espresso fixtures, bottled waters from all over the globe backlit with soft white light, an antique clawfoot tub in the window display, a sexy curved bar, and oh, what's that? A filthy woman wearing a green undershirt and flabby hammock arms holding a water, with parsley in her teeth. Oh, and she looks as though someone is feeding her raw liver. Oh wait, she's smiling.
Oy, as we all know, Lisa is the good looking woman, with shiny hair and big eyes. Plus she always looks great, we know this. REMINDER-set appts and don't say "whenever is good for you".
We went through "training" this morning for our high tech ultra modern uber expensive computer system. Hm. We were asked if we wanted a coffee. We sat down at the same cubicles they have at Driver's Ed Centers. The walls were painted annoying yellow. We tried to have fun. Here is what actually happened, recorded by meeting minutes:
Trainer-(approx. 22 years of age, nose piercing, club clothes, likes to say "Cool man")
"So girls (see above mentioned age), let's get into the first segment, and open up a screen".
Lisa-"oops, I already went into ENTER, what is the code?".
Trainer-(again, 22 years of age, no sagging butt, face skin still tight) "Lisa, I TOLD you to not do anything, except look at the screen, and reference your manual". "Ugh, tsk, sheesh..."
Lisa-"Umm, okaaay, so how do I get back to the first screen?",
Trainer-"well, READ the bottom of the screen, it OBVIOUSLY directs you to the next step, reference your manual". (roll eyes, tsk, ugh, sheesh)
Tracey-"yeah, yeah, I get everything. Is this it?".
(two minute time lapse)
Trainer-(no bags under her young eyes, flat tummy, now I'm getting annoyed) "Okay GIRLS now we have a test". Enter two new items into the system, break up a case of water and link it to it's single equivalent".
Lisa-begins screen, remembers what key to press to save input, takes a while, but completes assignment.
Tracey "yeah yeah, I know everything"-stares at the screen, blanks, starts thinking about "did I lock the front door?", thinks"when did I feed the cat?", then looks at Lisa whizzing through the test, and then-Okay let's press every key and see what happens. Silence, followed by Page Up Page Down Duplicate End Save Enter Cost Price Return Escape Search 222222222 Code Split Case, and Voila! Not 10 minutes later, I didn't complete the assignment.
Trainer-"reference your manual"
"PRICE"-$20 in gas, and lack of sleep
"REASON"-to master our own domain
"COST"-$500
RESULT-"PRICELESS"-waking up, fighting traffic, getting abused, not learning anything, going to Markham, and laughing our asses off about the entire thing.
Annie this blog is for you!

Not that we didn't know that....

2007-06-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! It is June 15th, and we are getting ready to open the doors really soon! Guess what? Drum roll please..... I put the new black toilet seat on! Yes, you've been holding your breath, and it is here! It is black, and it is new. AND we have a locking door knob. We must insist that although the washroom is divine, there shall be no persons (with the exception of Mitchell after a big dinner) who will go "number two" without special authorization. This is a fancy schmancy tinkle toilet only. Last night while painting the baseboards for the third time (yeah, I tried to keep focus, but white on white seemed like an easy way to cheat and skip spots) I heard a woman holler to her friend "Connor, this WaterShoppe is totally your thing, but I can't afford this kind of luxury, so I get my water from Food Basics". ???? Question: If a gal can't afford an imported bottle of superior drinking water at $3, what exact luxury can she afford? Do they sell half bags of Doritos? I simply want to clear the air-EVERYONE can afford the luxury of great water, at every price range. Just as wine lovers get excited over earth composite, and variety of grapes, water lovers can choose between calcium content, regional minerals, sparkling vs still, source, etc. As a matter of fact, great water is the one luxury every woman/man/child can appreciate! Water won't make you grow love handles or be unhappy, it is your best friend on a hot day, it never takes away from a great meal, it helps to clean the chicklets when a toothbrush isn't available, nothing beats it right after a hard workout, no aftertaste, won't lead to impaired driving, and keeps the organs clean!
Hmmm, that sounded like a commercial. I should contact Hal and Joanne from "Bodybreak" to see if we can get listed under ParticipACTION. Dead giveaway to showing your age, if you remember those commercials!
Lisa is ordering some unbelievably fun merchandise (rubber ducky shower cap anyone?), so come by and take a peek! She also ordered some great summer party items, and all I will say is you will be the most popular guest in T.O if you bring along one of our gifts. PLUS we will wrap it up to make it seem like you spent waaaay more than you really did! Isn't that just the best?
Au Revoir!

Ooh La Laaaa

2007-06-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! The wall units arrived the other day, and they are gorgeous. Our back sitting area is going to be fantastic once the water fountain is installed, even the washroom is A-list!
Between Rob and myself we are sharing three brain cells. Having 7am to 2am days has caught up, and wow, does being exhausted make you stupid!-"Where is the pen?" -in your hand. "Have you seen the paint brush?"-it's in your other hand. "What day is this?" a full two minutes of silence, followed by "I truly have no idea, nothing".
I'm averaging three trips a day to Home Depot. The self checkout puts me in a fury. So I have to lug around my crap, AND check myself out now? For those of you that haven't experienced self checkout here is a sample-"Please scan items and place in bagging area". "An unknown object has been detected in the bagging area" (my purse, because I'm needing both hands to attempt scanning a 12 foot baseboard) "please remove item", "an unknown object has been detected in the bagging area" "Please remove item". 'And unknown "Yeah, I friggin know, my purse is in the "bad place", and I now have a pulled muscle in my stomach from picking up a 30kg container of plaster to get the barcode over the laser! Leave me alone or I will freak out and scan my foot nice and hard! And to top off the experience, they have cashiers standing beside the self checkout to "help you" follow the instructions.???? Is this Candid Camera?
I've also taken to falling asleep every time I sit down on anything. Of course my mouth is wide open, and I wake up feeling like I've dumped a bag of sawdust down my throat. And since the reno started I haven't had my hair coloured. I have 4 inch dark roots, and lots of silver that stands straight up from my head. The other day I walked to Tim Hortons in my painting clothes, and when I caught a glimpse of myself in a glass storefront, even I thought "Oh, look at that poor homeless woman". I should have drank my coffee and used the cup to beg for money.
There is a big sidewalk sale along the Danforth on June 23rd, if anyone is interested. And volunteers are welcome for the Taste of the Danforth festival!
Great to see Lisa's mother Annie today! She stopped for a visit and said the place is looking great.
Hope all is well with everyone, and eventually I will see you all soon!

DAMN that looks good!

2007-05-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

So as the reno continues, there is now light at the end of the WaterShoppe tunnel! The fun starts now. Not quite sure why every drunk person feels the need to walk into the store and give their expert opinion, but hey! One hefty grey haired beauty came in the other day and asked if WaterShoppe was a dance bar ???? And then began to sing CarWash while dancing for us. It was great! I of course invited her to come back (fingers crossed, sober) in two weeks. Oh, lesson learned. Don't leave your back door open when not IN the back. Sometimes a sketchy looking dude on a bicycle rides down the alley to see what is available.
When you feel the need for a delightful comforting soup, please visit Margaret at Silk Road restaurant to get a gigantic bowl of rice noodle soup with veggies. You won't be disapointed!
And men, if you need a great suit, you need to see Spiros next door who is our landlord. Possibly the hardest working man in Toronto. Might I recommend a navy pinstripe?
Lisa wrote up a great bio on the WaterShoppe which potential customers are already picking up as they walk by. Walk by and pick one up! Support us! I know life is hectic, but if each friend/family member/dentist/accountant/podiatrist/officer of the law/second cousin/funeral home owner/dog walker bought something, we would make big bucks!
Mention this add, and you will receive a complimentary smile and a drink at regular price!

Renovations

2007-05-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

I am so knackered. The renovations have been underway for a week now, and I feel like an old woman. It really is hard doing nothing for hours on end! I sit and watch Rob do all the work, and I hand him the tools. I can't wait until I get to paint and decorate, which should be Monday. It's amazing how many people walk right in and ask "what is the WaterShoppe anyway?". Gives me a chance to practice telling our story, so that when 60 Minutes runs the interview about how the WaterShoppe franchises have overtaken Starbucks globally, I'll be as smooth as silk. What?? It could happen!
On a scary note, there is a small fuzzy blue bunny in the basement, missing one eye and very dirty. I cannot imagine any child playing in the dirt floor basement, so it makes it all the more creepy. And I swear that when I go in the basement, mister bunny has moved positions. Somebody might find me standing in the corner facing the wall just like in Blair Witch Project.
have a great long week-end!

WaterShoppe and Mothers

2007-05-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, not that I worry, but it would be really great if our general handyman would make an appearance soon so that we can get the floor installed at 337 Danforth. No pressure, but "Al" resident of Barrie Ontario (last name and number soon to follow so some creepy person can lean on him) needs to call us.
Still happy as a clam, not showing any stress because this store is going to be fabulous. I'm talking fabulous, like when you wake up on a plane, and you are just touching down in a beautiful country, and your luggage is the first to come out of the shoot, AND your hair looks great.
Please make a point of treating your mothers like queens this week-end. If not for mama, you would have bad manners, and have stains on your shirt for picture day at school.
Tomorrow we go back to RR Woodwork to design a bar for the store. How cool is that??
I have included a photo of George, because he is the most handsome bloke in the cat world.
au revoir!

Big chandeliers and big price tags

2007-05-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

So today was a WaterShoppe decorating journey. Did you know that there are over 265 different options when it comes to hardwood/laminate/cork flooring? Oy. And did you know that without seeing prices on all the selections, you will always choose the most expensive one? Of course you did.
After flooring, there is lighting. Ahhhh pretty tinkly crystal dripping chandeliers. If you have a moment check out Royal Lighting to see the 63 pages of different designs. If you can navigate that site and make a selection of just one fixture, you can bend spoons with your mind power. I am spent.
Oh, and then paint colours. Who knew that white was 48 different shades? I think being spun around three times with a blindfold on is the way to go. We just want white. Not eggshell, not studio, not cloud, just white.
This is the week that we head down to get our licence to serve beverages and food items. Next week the application for a patio. Pray for us. I've heard that civil servants aren't the most accommodating folks in Toronto. Huge understatement.
On a positive note, the gentleman at dock#13 at the Victoria street passport office was fabulous. He got my passport done within 4 days, AND he smiled. Just watch out for the tiny jamaican woman who "greets" you at the main door. She will rip you apart if you don't keep the line moving. And if you have your cell phone on, well, your life.
We are going to attempt getting VEEN water into Canada from Finland. This water is something that could be exciting to drink and sell. So pure, and great bottle design.
Okay, that is all for now. Please check out Zack Braff's blog, just because the guy is funny. And I added the photo from Rome just because too.

What Not To Do In Rome

2007-05-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Back from Rome, and in need of some TLC. The trip was interesting. Here is a list of What Not To Do In Rome:
1)Do NOT rent a car with Sixt rental agency. You need an automatic? Tough, they only have standard, here are the keys, go kill yourself.
2)Do NOT expect italians to help you with directions. It's a sport for them to send desperate tourists in the wrong direction.
3)Do NOT drive above mentioned rental car in downtown Rome during a holiday. Unless you enjoy being screamed at, and being flipped off all day.
4a)Do NOT spend quality time walking around the train station in Rome. You will be mugged, spat on, rubbed against, or all three.
4b) While in train station, keep your purse closed, or you could be relieved of ohh, let's say 50 euro and 100 Canadian. Just guessing..
5)Do NOT visit Rome without practicing your smoking skills beforehand. If you are incapable of puffing 2 packs of filterless a day, you won't survive. Lisa is now in need of an oxygen tank and mask.
6)Do NOT go out for a nice dinner after a long day of visiting the sites. Trust me. Look down. See those two black shoes on your feet? Nope, you are wearing white flip flops, and you are filthy. And your face looks the same. Go back to the hotel and hose down.
7)Do NOT expect to find a gas station open on Sunday. It's Sunday, what, are you stupid??
8) Do NOT seperate from your travel partner at or around the Spanish Steps. You will never see each other again. Never.
9)Do NOT forget your adaptor. You will not be able to charge your cell and digital camera, and you will be forced to dry your hair with a beige vacuum hose that is harder to control than a stallion.
10) Do NOT assume you will have a normal sized american bathroom in your 4 star hotel. Ask questions. Otherwise you might have to fold yourself into an impossibly tiny bathtub, and contort your body to get your hair wet under the faucet. And do NOT pull the string hanging from the ceiling. It isn't a clothes line to hang wet towels, you will have your door kicked in and the ambulanza sirens blasting. Emergenza.
11) Do NOT stall your car in the middle of an insane round-about during evening rush hour. That could be your last memory.
12) Do NOT assume a friendly smile and a buena sera will get you in good favour at local restaurants. I can guarantee the entire village will be seated before you, and you will finally be placed right beside the swinging kitchen doors, head at elbow level. Bon Appetito!
Lastly, do NOT let anything stop you from having a good laugh at your misfortune. After all the drudgery, the weather was great, the Trevi fountain was beautiful, the pizzas and cappucinos were fabulous, the countryside was gorgeous, and life really is great!
We were knocked out by the retail in Rome. They really know how to make a space look gorgeous. Work on the WaterShoppe is taking place as I type this, so stay tuned for more updates!
ciao!

Opa!

2007-04-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

hello again!
This week went by so quickly, I can't believe it. Business numbers, applications, GST, registrations, blah blah blah.. The fun part is designing the store with Richard from RR Woodworks. Give that man a piece of paper and pencil and within 2 minutes he maps out your entire life! We are very excited to see the finished product. When we get back from Rome, my lovely friend Willem is hosting a focus group on the WaterShoppe, so that we can sit in as observers and listen to feedback. It's going to be difficult not being able to jump in and challenge something, but Lisa can give me a slap with a white glove across the face to get me quiet.
Oh, the next time you walk along the Danforth, well, visit the WaterShoppe (duh), and then have a meal at the Auld Spot pub. Really nice neighbours!
Also looking forward to the next tasting party with the lovely Brian, and having the lovely Jose renovate the store. Isn't it nice to have lovely friends?
The weather is gorgeous, so don't turn on your tv's, get outside and walk in the sun!

Holy cannoli!

2007-04-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! We have the keys to the store, and now the hard work begins! I must say that our new landlords are just lovely. Haroula and Spiros (good irish names) are salt of the earth people. Let's hope they stay kind, once the reno starts. Oh, if anyone happens to know a contact at City Hall, free water for a year! We really want to get a patio on the street.
Oh what's that? You want to know if I'm stupid enough to let my passport expire? Yup. That will be fun times on Monday. Nothing better than pulling number 546 and seeing "serving number 3" flashing in red. Lisa had a very good idea. We need to come up with a way to block out the storefront while we get it ready, and yet leave a wee wee peek-a-boo hole for snoopy customers. We welcome your input!

Holy update!

2007-04-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

We are off to Rome!!! Roma! Viva Italia! If I could calm down for a second.....
Latest breaking news:
My partner Lisa (have I told you how amazing she is?) is arranging a trip to Rome so that we can make some very important contacts with the water mafia.
This could be very very big for us. One never knows what can happen while in Rome....
We are checking on our overseas competition. I will be thinking of all of you as I sip my espresso, overlooking the Trevi fountain.
I'm thinking tomorrows entry won't be as exciting as this, but look anyway.
ciao bellas!

No sleep for WaterShoppe women

2007-04-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, if anyone has come across a great water, or a yummy mixed drink, then let us know so we can get ideas of what to consider for the drink menu.
There is an official sampling happening this Friday, so I will keep you posted on what gets thumbs up and what sucks.
Off to start the day with a few appts, speak to you later!

Making of the WaterShoppe

2007-04-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hello all!
Created this to make it easier for everyone to follow the progress of the coolest new store opening in Toronto this year. The WaterShoppe will be Canada's first Water/Hydration boutique located on the Danforth. If you don't know Toronto, then I should explain that the Danforth is known as Greek Town, which is host to amazing restaurants/bars/stores of every kind, and over a million people take to the streets in August for a 2 day festival. Why not come down? Free festivals are good, no? My name is Tracey, and my partner is Lisa. We get the keys to the space in a few days, and I am surprisingly not freaking out. We are opening the doors July 1st, so if you see future blogs that don't report good progress get on my back about working harder, since you know the deadline now! If you know us, then you are aware that we are obsessed with water, and get completely worked up over gorgeous bottles. The boutique will carry waters from around the globe, feature a sexy water bar with delicious mixed drinks, and sell amazing products. Okay, enough for now!
Exciting times!