Who said you had to be dating to celebrate Valentine's Day and give gifts?
By: Samreen Maqsood
A COVID-19 and conversation candy hearts Valentine’s card (Via Etsy Canada)
The COVID-19 virus still may be in the air, but so is love! CanCulture rounded up some of the best gifts for our Valentine’s Day gift guide, but with a twist. This year, we wanted to emphasize self-love and romanticize platonic relationships, while featuring local Toronto businesses you can support.
Gifts for Yourself
Likely General
Likely General is a Toronto-based shop and community space. In late 2014, they opened up Likely General Gallery, a community-minded gallery that showcases new exhibits once a month. They offer everything from clothes and accessories to art and puzzles. Their jewelry ranges from $14 to $625. Treat yourself to a pair of Anishinaabe hand-beaded earrings that come in a range of colours and styles!
How much love can you candle?
2022 is the year of self-care and what better way to relax than with some aromatherapy candles? Logan and Finley is an eco-friendly Toronto shop that offers both an online and in-person shopping experience. Their products are sustainable, useful and pretty to look at! Along with personal care, home supplies and specialty food, they offer aromatherapy candles for $14 in five different scents: lavender and eucalyptus, bergamot and bay, peppermint, fir balsam and cedar and lavender.
Gifts for friends and family
Good Neighbour
You can never go wrong with a cute and cheesy Valentine’s Day greeting card. Good Neighbour is a local Leslieville fashion curator, offering clothes, jewelry, footwear, magic beans and potions. They offer a wide variety of greeting cards perfect for a day of love and sharing, ranging from $6.99 for a single card to $35 for a set of six. Put a smile on a friend or family member’s face with their assorted pun-related cards!
“You’re worth the wait” Valentine’s Day greeting card. (Via goodnbr.com)
Brodawka & Friends
Brodawka & Friends is a Toronto-based gift shop that specializes in Mexican and Portuguese footwear. Founded by a couple who graduated from OCAD University in industrial design, the shop also offers accessories, kitchen supplies and baby goods. They offer cute jewelry holders and trinket dishes ranging from $18 to $24 — the perfect gift for anyone who loves jewelry and needs more storage space!
Mango wood bowl mini solstice trinket dish. (Via brodawkaandfriends.com)
Gifts for a Special Someone
Slow Poke Soap
Slow Poke Soap offers handmade cold process soaps in different shapes and scents. Their Valentine’s Day gift offerings include a one soap gift box for $12 or a two soap gift box for $22 — and you can even add in a cute towel for $8. You can customize your soap bars in the shape of a heart envelope or XOXO!
Northside of the Map (NSOTM)
Valentine’s Day gifts for that special guy can seem hard. But we got you covered with NSOTM. This Toronto-based streetwear and lifestyle company founded in 2012 centres their mascot, Nanuk, a polar bear found only in the Northern regions of the world. They offer a wide range of clothes; hoodies, shirts, beanies, socks and more! Treat your partner to one of their waffle knit hats for $28 — they come in 14 different colours.