Apricot Tarts' Best Bead Stores in Toronto pt. 2: Soo Ling Beads

As promised, I recently ventured further away from the downtown core - Dundas St. West and Ossignton Ave. to be exact - in search of unique and unusual beads, and stumbled upon Soo Ling Beads & Beading Co. Ltd. (what a mouthful)!

Getting There
Located at 1162 Dundas St. West
Take the 505 Dundas streetcar to Ossington Ave. or the 63 Ossington bus to Dundas St.

The Store
Soo Ling Beads is crammed with beads. They come in jars, in baggies, on strings and on boards. If you're looking for unusual and vintage (or vintage-looking) beads, this is the place to go. Soo Ling Beads stocks Peruvian hand painted beads, Czech glass beads, Indian carved bone beads, sequins, Venetian glass pendants and much, much more (as you can tell from the photos and the many jars). Many of the beads are displayed on boards, so ask the owner to take a look at the stock stored behind the counter.

I recently nabbed these beauties: vintage ceramic floral beads and carved bone moons. Watch out for them in my Etsy shop.

In the Neighbourhood
Little Portugal is the neighbourhood. Walk a bit west to Nova Era Bakery for some Portuguese custard tarts (and some squash tarts if you're feeling adventurous). Or, take a walk down Ossington Ave. towards Queen St. for your daily dose of the hip and happening.

See the first installment of Apricot Tarts' Best Bead Stores in Toronto.