Shopping for Ribbon in Toronto

*** UPDATE : Mokuba has moved to 3146 Dundas Street West, Toronto. ***

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I wanted a small length of ribbon for a project I have planned, so on Monday I set out to an area that I knew had the shops I wanted to look in. Though all along, in the back of my mind I was thinking about the place I knew would have exactly what I was looking for. It’s a shop called Mokuba, located at 575 Queen Street West, and it is a ribbon boutique .. an entire store dedicated to it!

I had been there before to buy the ribbon for my hand-tied wedding bouquet, so I knew they were ribbon nirvana, however I was in the mood for a walk so I thought I’d shop around in the garment-district on Queen Street West, west of Spadina. And the 5 stores I checked out did in deed have nice ribbons, but they just were not exactly what I wanted. I was looking for something black and very soft to the touch, that would tie into a nice bow and would not wrinkle too much.

Each store was filled to the rafters with glorious textiles and trims. In one shop I saw a clothing designer discussing weights of fabric for a certain project, and in another, a girl wearing a bear costume, shopping for materials to make a second costume. Note that it is the month of March and not near Halloween, so I guess she wore the costume rather than carry it. In one place the clerks behind the desk didn’t stop their conversation for a moment, while I browsed the isles and racks of interesting things they had for sale. At one shop I overheard the vendor negotiating the price of fabrics with a couple of fashion students, encouraging them to get the large piece and splitting it in two, for a very good price. They went for the deal. I saw the agreement for a new set of drapes being struck, and a woman buying cotton to make her grand-kids dresses. So much creativity going on around me left me very inspired indeed.

Back to the ribbon … I had left Mokubo for last because, as mentioned, I knew they’d have what I needed, so I didn’t have to worry about going home empty handed. And I found what I had in my mind’s eye, plus I got to look around at the most gorgeous selection of fabulous ribbons! They even had a rack of pure silk ones, in a wide range of colours and widths.

Mokubo is the place to go for quality ribbons, but I should add that their prices do reflect that. Their selection is exquisite so if you need something special, that’s the place to go.