There are a tonne of bead supply stores in downtown Toronto but 90% of them are located on Queen West, in the fashion district. In mid town your options are limited to the infamous Sassy Bead company, with great selection and absolutely outrageous prices and Mary Maxim (with the crappiest bead supply ever).
Thanks to Bead Girl's owner Arlene Perlas, Yonge & Eglinton finally has a local bead shop with great selection, great prices and vey friendly staff. Though very sweet, none of the employees are as knowledgable as Arlene is when it comes to advanced techniques and findings and components talk so if you're looking for something very specific, call ahead.
The store is very tidy and not cluttered with beads to overwhelm you, rather neatly organized and easy to shop. You can even fit a stroller or wheelchair around the whole store comfortably.
The selection at Bead Girl is good, they don't have a tonne od any one thing but do offer a wide variety from semi precious stones and swarovski crystal to nice glass and resin beads. There is always something on sale which you cannot always say about a bead shop. There is also a table in the back for making jewellery in the shop, where the employees work on repairs and also offer workshops.
Hours:
Mon. - Fri. 11-7
Sat. 10-6
Sun. 11-6
email: info@beadgirl.ca
One great perk of shopping at Bead Girl is that they give you a customer appreciation card where they record your purchases and after you've spent $150 (which doesn't take long buying bead supplies), you become a permanent Bead Girl member and recieve 10% off every purchase.
Highly recommend.