Marlene’s Just Babies

The clock is ticking until doomsday, and there was one major purchase still looming: the stroller. We’d narrowed it down, we’d sussed it all out and in the end we had the below criteria we wanted filled:
+As lightweight as possible
+Easily collapsable
+Large tires for winter
+Ample storage
In the end, this led us to the UPPAbaby Vista. The darn thing came to $ 1,327 with tax. But, if your baby is going to be in it all the damn time, as is often the case with city living, you just sort of have to grin and pass over the plastic.
There are a few retailers of these strollers in Toronto, but Marlene’s was a touch more affordable and they had it onsite. We just had to go in one time, give it one last test drive and leave with it in our hot little hands. The staff was helpful, the stroller is ours, nothing but good things to say (aside from when it comes to the price of parenting).

Looks cute from the outside! If only they opened up the doors at 10 like the sign says. Waited 30 minutes until I decided to leave.
Wouldn’t come back to a store that can’t open on time, imagine ordering something and arranging pick up!
I’ll just try another baby store, tons around the city!

I really wanted to like Marlene’s Just Babies. I live nearby and I like shopping locally and I have a baby. But I had two bad experiences. When I was pregnant, I bought a Britax car seat from Marlene’s and she told me it was compatible with my Britax stroller. Turns out — it was not. So they had to order in a special adaptor, called me to pick it up and when I arrived at the store — they had no idea what I was talking about. Had to return another day, adaptor didn’t work. Time was passing, baby was coming… Also, I was so focused on getting it to work with my stroller, that I didn’t realize the carseat was expiring in 1 year! So, there was no way that I would be able to use it for future children. They kept promising me that they would fix it and I felt like they were trying to «run out the clock», at 9 months pregnant, I had had enough and demanded (and received) my money back.
I went back a few months later to buy some baby shoes and they were clearly defective. The store said I should contact the manufacturer of the shoes (a well known brand) and the manufacturer said I should speak to the store. Eventually, I ended up just tossing them in the trash.
So, if you buy from Marlenes, check what you are buying very thoroughly to make sure that it is in good condition before you pay!

This store is PACKED full of baby stuff. I seriously mean PACKED. It’s floor to ceiling baby pandemonium in this store. They have books, toys, more toys, and some toys, along with rocking chairs, clothing, car seats, bibs, strollers, and more strollers. Did I mention they have strollers? They’re all lined up side-​by-​side for your viewing pleasure.
I don’t have a baby to buy for but I had passed by so many times I thought I would pop in to check out this place that’s only a couple blocks from home. There were three staff which all offered assistance, but as I wasn’t really in to buy anything I didn’t waste their time.
If you’re looking for something for a baby, this is a place you’re going to want to check out.
April Challenge ⁹⁄₃₀

Marelene’s carries a lot of stuff. A lot of fun, hip, trendy stuff. A lot of well priced on-​sale toy items too.
If you’re looking for clothes… they have some.
If you’re looking for cribs and furniture… they actually have a surprising amount of variety.
Toys? Lots of stuff… lots on sale all the time too.
Strollers? Lots of ‘em. This is their strength. They really have a lot ‘em. Bugaboo, Firstwheels, Mountain Buggy, Icoo, Maclaren, Uppa Baby, Phil & Teds, the list goes on.
Some stores cram tonnes of displayed product in a small space. Marlene’s jams more. This is a cramped store. You can’t pass 2 people side-​by-​side in an aisle. This means it’s hard to bring an existing stroller in her with loaded kid to look for something.
The tradeoff is, that what you are looking for, will likely be found here.
Strollers, cribs, furniture, car seats, etc are double or even triple parked which means you often have to play a bit of «Rush Hour» to get what you want out for gander.
Prices? Fair. They do have stuff on sale, and this means OCCASIONALLY, the stroller you want MIGHT be found on sale (not a Bugaboo though…).
Car seats? Yup… they have them, AND, they will install them for you. This might not be a big thing, but given that 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly, it’s good to know that they can do it for you, as trained PROPERLY by St. John’s Ambulance.
I’m a pretty strong guy, and I’ve traditionally had all my car seats installed by the Toronto Police or Fire Department with at least 2 of us grunting and groaning for 30 – 60 minutes to get them installed PROPERLY. If you are an average mom, and/​or your husband does not total the solid muscle mass of ~400 lbs, odds are good you could use a proper seat installing service.