Opened in June of 2006, Good Catch General Store in Parkdale is a smorgasbord of a shop mixing everyday staples such as bread and milk with vintage clothing, work by local artists and baby toys. They even sell guitars and old vinyl records. I think the store has it all covered, especially considering you can have your keys cut while you shop.

Although one stop shopping is not a new concept these days what with massive box stores, it's refreshing to see it done in such a tight space, not having to walk all the way down to the end of isle 14 to get the peanut butter. Instead, it's conveniently next to the stuffed toys you were looking at for your nephew.

A healthy portion of the shop is for food items with an emphasis on organic food. A fridge in the back carries items such as soy, milk and eggs and the shelves surrounding have

fair trade coffee

, tea, soups, jams, pasta, fresh local bread and anything else you could think of. When I walked in a young lady was buying hummus. I was surprised she didn't get any of the chocolate, it looked fantastic. Customer service was that perfect balance between being ignored and being followed with every step. I got a nice description of where items came from and how they were selected when I was interested. There is a lot of local artists work on consignment in the shop which adds to the charm of the place.

In fact, you get a good local feel from the moment you step in the shop thanks in large part to this huge bulletin board with events and information about local business that you can tell is used frequently.

The website advertises what days of the week the store receives fresh deliveries on local goods such as vegan treats, organic dairy products and bakery items.

Located right beside popular watering hole Mitzi's Sister , Good Catch is the kind of place I had walked by a dozen times with no idea what treasures were buried inside. Now I'll be stopping by whenever I'm in the area.