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One Of A Kind Show And Sale
Categories: Shopping Arts & Crafts Arts & Entertainment Festivals Local Flavour Arts & Crafts, Festivals, Local Flavour [Edit]
Direct Energy CtrExhibition Place
100 Princes' Blvd
Toronto, ON M6K
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for One Of A Kind Show And Sale
9 reviews in English
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Review from Kat K.
12/8/2011
This year was my first show and I brought the BF here and surprisingly he wasn't bored or complaining during the entire outing, so that tells me a few things - there is something here for everyone and for every budget.
I managed to pick up stuff for the women on my Christmas list this year, plus eyed some prospectives for the guys.
The most crowded areas are the food section, which I think is due to the sampling that are being offered.
I would probably recommend that you go earlier rather than later, since there are some artisans that are not local, so if they run out of stock - you might be out of luck.
Crowd wise - I thought it was going to be a logjam, but it wasn't
My picks for Favourite booths -
Lilliput hats - I've known they've had a retail store around College and Spadina, but it's hard for me to get to their store. Finally replaced my lost Enfield cap that I lost 5 years ago at an office Christmas party and my new one is identical to the one I lost. Plus found some other hats that I might purchase at a later date.
Tresnormal - for the BF, but they didn't have the size I wanted; which is what I meant about going closer to the show start rather than the end - because they ran out of sizes in the design I wanted. -
Review from Lee O.
Toronto, ON
12/7/2011
Visited the Christmas show on Friday November 25, 2011. It took us 2.5 hours to see the entire show. The admission cost to adults is $14.00. for one day.
Type Of Merchandise:
The majority of the shops were women's clothing, the sorts of things you'd find at Winners. Lots of children's shops. One entire aisle devoted to food, mostly jams and sauces and nuts, sort of like what you'd expect to see at outdoor fairs.
Originality of Shops & Merchandise:
Most of the shops had merchandise that was popular 5 or 10 years ago. There was very little innovative or new merchandise. There were some vendors that sold merchandise that was obviously not original or even made in Canada or not even remotely hand made.
Price of Merchandise:
Fair to overpriced. Most vendors were between 5-10 dollars too expensive.
Type of Shoppers:
Mostly female, lots of strollers and mostly out-of-towners, and lots of the blue rinse crowd.
Booth Rentals:
A vendor told me she paid $3500. for her small booth rental space only. It didn't include her display stands and lighting which she estimated cost her another $1000.
Overall I think the show organizers are the ones making the money here. I got a free ticket to get in and would never pay the $14.00 they are asking. Overall I think the show is a bust. -
Review from Ayesha A.
12/6/2011
Very cute, and worth going to once to see what the hype is about.
But BY GOD it is so so so expensive.
The fair was enormous and took hours to walk around, and I was tired by the end, but I felt I had to see it all since we had to pay to get in.
The food and drinks were ridiculously priced, as well.
Some really cute and creative stuff, definitely, but outside the fair, would sell for half the prices.
Again, cute, and worth seeing, but I won't go again. -
Review from Patrick M.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2011
The One of a Kind Show is a vast celebration of unique ideas, talent, and imagination, the kind of event that reaffirms my faith in humanity despite an age of box malls and conformity. If you love shopping at Wal*Mart or Target or the like, please, stay away from One of a Kind... you probably won't get it, and you definitely aren't deserving.
Ranging from quaint, sentimental throw-backs (crochet, handmade christmas ornaments, etc) to cutting-edge graphic design (laser-cut steel wall hangings), there's really something here for anyone who appreciates craft and artistry. And while I would guess I was indifferent towards roughly 75% of the shops on hand, 20% were exceedingly interesting and 5% blew me away. The great part is that these percentages will differ for everyone, and the content thereof will differ too. I may not care for hand-carved tree-faces, but maybe you'll find them delightful!
My three complaints are relatively minor, but I think they bear mentioning:
1) There is a distinct lack of comfortable seating in the venue itself. This place is vast -- I spent 7 hours there -- and being able to sit and take a load off in the venue itself would be most welcome. Especially if, like me, you've had knee surgery 5 days prior.
2) The food court is pretty crap, and Pizza Pizza dominates. This is the One of a Kind Show... offer me some One of a Kind food, please!
3) Also on food, it seemed that a lot of the people selling their homemade sauces/vinegars/whatever were not particularly knowledgeable about ingredients or source. I was turned off quite a few such vendors when they couldn't tell me where their ingredients came from, whether they were organic, etc. I just don't trust your spicy vinegar if you don't know the age or origin of your balsamic, let alone exactly what type of hot pepper your'e using. This may be more a staffing issue than anything.
I'll leave you with some highlights:
The Peppermaster http://www.pepperfire.ca/
This man makes some of the best hot sauces I've ever tried, maintaining flavour while offering some killer heat. His hottest sauce, made with the famed Butch T Scorpion pepper (one of, if not THE, hottest peppers on the planet) is killer good. He's also a genuinely very nice guy.
Getz Glass http://alyssagetz.com and http://tommycudmore.com
Some seriously inspired glass work. I particularly love Tommy's "steam walkers", robot-ish walkers with huge, creepy glass eyeballs.
Charlevoix Pure Laine Wool http://charlevoixpurel...
Simple, well-crafted 100% wool outerwear and socks. Charlevoix is trying to re-ignite the wool industry in Quebec after it died decades ago. Currently, the vast majority of quebec wool ends up in landfill. Thankfully, I can now wear some of it on my head.
Gosia http://gosia.ca/
Gosia is a gifted illustrator who also incorporates clay and 3d elements into some of her art. At times melancholy, often whimsical, I just plain loved her work.
Muma Fine Woodworking http://muma.ca
Made from wind-fallen and salvaged wood, Wayne Muma's furniture is stunning. He had a cabinet he built from an applewood tree that had fallen on his property; he air-dried it for three years. That's dedication to craft!
NicoNico http://www.niconico.ca
Nico has devised unique, hand-made wooden parlour games the likes of which I've never seen. His website is under construction, but if you're reading this review post January 2012, check the link. His betting/racing game, Hadz, is brilliant.
That just scratches the surface...
One of a Kind Show. Get there. Next one's in Spring 2012... don't miss it! -
Review from Leslie-anne W.
Toronto, ON
12/7/2010 1 Check-in Here
One of a Kind Craft Show and Sale is overwhelming. A friend of mine gets her ticket stamped for re-entry and goes all week. This is a great idea. One afternoon is not enough at the show, but was just about all my wallet could handle. The Show is expensive but for the most part worth the money that ends up flying out of your wallet. I like to walk around and say 'I could make that', but that isn't the point is it - I haven't made it and am not selling it - and I would never make it even if I can. I just need to buy the pretty things and stop deluding myself into some sort of craft room grandeur.
The holiday season Show is a great place to pick up unique presents at every price point. -
Review from jocelyn l.
4/3/2011
I was invited by new friends to check out the One-of-a-Kind Craft show.
I'm not usually a huge fan of too many people checking out an exhibition of small stores since it's usually over-hyped and disappointing...but i have to say this show was very different.
The stores were unique (in a GOOD way) and there were lots of really fun, cute, ecletic, beautiful and tasty items...from modern contemporary and clean jewelry to yummy macarons and shortbread and pretty much everything under the sun. There were lots of cute baby and toddler clothes too.
The exhibit hall is huge but NOT centrally located and the streetcars decided NOT to work yesterday from Union Stn, so it was an ordeal to get there. They need better public transportation to that convention center. -
Review from Laura C.
Toronto, ON
4/22/2010
I love this semi-annual show and sale. I only realized that it's meant to be a 'craft' show, with original artisans with their products and most of them are useful and decorative 'art'. But yet, it's so much more than that.
Everything is or should be one of a kind. their criteria is that you can't find it anywhere else within a certian radius of the city. In addition, you can sample food from all over the country, there are clothes, baby gifts, things for your house. I found the show especially usefull when I just moved out and I needed to spice up the place with some original artwork/chairs/mugs.
It's also a great mother/sister/girlfriend bonding experience.
i also love the soy bean ladies :)
Anf for fellow yelpers that like to reveiw and give opinions, OOAK has a circle one group that changes every year, which lets your meet and convene and discuss feedback and suggestions for the show. AND you get incredible perks like 4 free tickets to each show, $100 to spend at each show, free parking, $25 for food and other things!
They'll probably be looking for a new panel next year for the spring show, so get on it!Listed in: Gifts, Presents, Trinkets and…
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Review from Emily T.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 12/3/2008
I went to the One of a Kind Show yesterday and wanted to provide an update for the reader's about this year's exhibit. Firstly, if you have the chance, or the day off, to go during the week, I highly recommend it!
During the week you will have much more breathing room and less elbowing to do as you make your way through the alphabet-labeled aisles. Mind you, it took me and a group of friends 4 hours to get from Z to R, and A to H. All very good aisles, but I can't report on I to Q. There is just way too much to look through!
The ideal way to peruse through this very large show is to have a game plan. Go on their website and download one of the show maps. It outlines all of the exhibitors and artisans and where they are on the floor. If you want fashion, stick to the fashion section. If you crave paintings, photography or mixed media, go with the visual arts section. If you are hungry, check out the bistro section; the samples alone will fill you up!
This Christmas One of a Kind Sale had plenty of holiday ornaments and decor to purchase, which sets it apart from the show they have in the spring. Many artists have returned from last years show, but there are a number of new ones I found and enjoyed (or missed last year). My favourite was the Old Stamp Company which sold hundreds upon hundreds of ink stamps (not the ones you put on envelopes for mail).
The stamps come in all different shapes and sizes and there is neat demo that shows you how to make truly unique gift cards, tags or bookmarks-a great gift for a kid or any artist! There were a lot of fun kid-friendly toys and games being sold as well, and you'll find hordes of holiday gift ideas.
The One of a Kind Show is on until Sunday this week!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/19/2008 First to Review
Twice a year, the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place is booked up with a ten day event called… Read more »
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Review from Shari M.
Toronto, ON
11/28/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Dear One of a Kind,
I love thee. You are a reliable, energizing, and inspiring event. You visit me not only before the holidays, but in the spring too! I always visit your isles in perfect alphabetical order - A to Z. I sample the yummy food in the Flavours neighbourhood, spend time in the Rising Stars neighbourhood and always have lemonade from Lemon Heaven - http://www.lemonheaven.../
This year I have some artists/vendors that I would like to throw some kudos out to.
- Soshana Farber (artist and goldsmith). The sparkling beauties at this booth caught my eye. The Little Boxes rings had me drooling - http://showshdesigns.com/
- Rudy Kehkla (wire sculpture). I always love checking out Rudy's booth. The artistic genius that comes through his masterpieces (am a fan of his Beatles tributes) are amazing - http://rudykehkla.com/...
- Millicent Vee (knits). While hunting for a light hat/toque for this coming winter season, I found exactly what I was looking for in a grey gem at Millicent Vee's booth. I am also thrilled that she is from Toronto! http://millicentvee.com/
- Tansy & Co. (photographer and designer). What this woman does with my favourite architectural piece - the Eiffel Tower - makes me want to buy every single lamp and clock she had in the booth! http://tansy.ca/
- Tracy's Wine Jellies (food!!!). I bought the Cranberry Raspberry Merlot Jelly. I had a super happy mouth when I sampled this dark red beauty on a lil cracker. Sigh...my crackers will now have a beautiful topping!
All in all (aside of the child who coughed in my face and the adults who did not cover their mouth when they coughed) another wonderful show. I look forward to catching up in the spring.
Lots of love,
Shari
