A tour of Toronto art supply stores (if there was such a thing) wouldn't be complete without a stop at Gwartzman's. Located on Spadina on the edges of Chinatown , it's about as fun a place to shop for art supplies in the city as there is.

The long, narrow store, which has been around forever, oozes character with its worn, hardwood floors and its cluttered walls. At the back of the store is the raison d'etre for coming here - huge slabs and rolls of primed and un-primed canvas. They've got primed and ready sizes here that simply won't be found elsewhere in the city. In fact, some stores in Toronto actually buy their canvas directly from Gwartzman's.

What else is here? There is the usual assortment of paints, pastels, and sketch books, all at discount prices, but the selection doesn't rival what can be found at places like Aboveground and Wolfitt's . But for UofT students it's a short walk and better alternative than College Street's Toose .