Brand Standards – Page 14

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Games Night—Stay Latte!

January 11, 2017David Lipton Comment

Several weeks ago, as the weather turned colder, my family introduced me to great place for food and fun, located in downtown Toronto.

Snakes and Lattes (S&L) is Toronto’s original board game café where you can dine and play games for as little or as much time as you would like. With over 1,000 games to choose from, there truly is something for everyone! S&L now has two downtown locations. The original location first opened on Bloor Street in 2010, and after much success, they opened their second location on College Street in 2015.

Both locations offer guests a dining experience, however, Bloor Street is more of a cafe, while the College Street location has more food and beverage options. Of course, the food is almost secondary, to the main reason for going to Snakes and Lattes…..to play games. In fact, if you enjoy any of the games that you play, they also have an area of the store where you can purchase games (I believe they are the only place in the city to buy the popular game, Cards Against Humanity).

The staff are well educated and can suggest age appropriate games for your group and give you details on how to play each game. This is pretty impressive given the number of games S&L offers. The games are divided into zones like card games, strategy, fantasy and more. Some of the games are ones you have probably never heard of but they do indeed exist!

Snakes and Lattes does not take reservations so it is good to get there early, but if there is a wait, they will take down your number and text you when a table is available. Even if you have to wait, it is definitely worth it! S&L provides a fun evening out where you and your friends or family can partake in something a bit different than just going out for dinner or drinks. It’s an especially enjoyable place to go during the cold winter months.

Don’t be surprised if you get hit by the bug and end up buying a game you played that night….it’s happened to us more than once. Alternatively, you can also purchase games from their website.

Now back to Monopoly……

Snakes and Latte’s
647-342-9229
www.snakesandlattes.com

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Brrrr—Thank you Len!

January 4, 2017David Lipton Comment

Last week, around 9 pm I noticed that it was a little chilly inside my house and realized that my furnace had turned off. Being the handy fellow that I am, I poked and prodded at the furnace to try and get it working, but had no such luck, and had to find a quick solution, as it was getting colder by the minute.

Since it was already late, I immediately went on Facebook and asked my neighborhood’s Facebook group if anyone knows a reliable person who deals with heating and furnaces. Within five minutes, three different people sent me messages with the contact information for Len Minuk, owner of Temp▪A▪Sure.

Temp▪A▪Sure operates 24/7 and helps customers fix issues related to heating, cooling, hot water, gas lines, fireplaces and standby power generator equipment within the GTA. Regrettably, I was unable to reach Len that evening since he was already asleep (it was after 11 pm), but I heard from him early the next morning and he indicated he would take care of my issue as soon as possible. Even though Len was extremely busy, he said he would stop by in the morning to at least take a look at the furnace, and if it was a small repair he would do it immediately, or he would return in the afternoon if it required more work.

Fortunately the problem was minor and Len was able to fix it as soon as he arrived at our house. In fact, Len diagnosed the problem within a couple of minutes of arriving, and had our furnace working soon after. As the house began to warm up, Len stayed with us for an additional 15 minutes to ensure the job was complete and the problem was completely solved. Len also noticed we were using the wrong size filter and offered to get me one that was the correct size, as it apparently makes a huge difference.

While a lot of people in the home comfort industry “talk” about service, it is clear Len provides it. Len cares about his customers and his profession, and takes pride in his workmanship. He even called me to follow up, later in the day, and normally would call the following day as well, but since this was minor, I told him not to worry about it.

I am so glad Len took time out of his busy schedule to fix our furnace on one of the coldest days of the year, when we needed it the most. We are very fortunate to have found him and are very glad we did. We will definitely use him again if we ever need any of his services.

Thankfully I can now put away the extra blankets and give back all the space heaters I borrowed.

Temp▪A▪Sure
416-806-6111
www.tempasure.com

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Losing the Pillow Fight!

December 28, 2016David Lipton Comment

This week’s blog is a little different than the normal ones I write about, as I’m going to vent about a new pillow trend that is getting on my nerves… and resulted in me losing my last pillow fight!

Over the last year and a half, I have spent a fair bit of time traveling across Canada and the United States. To my surprise, the motels and inns I have been staying at have updated (or should I say, downgraded) their traditional rectangular pillows with the small square accent pillows you would typically find on a couch (as the decor).

I personally find this somewhat frustrating, if not ridiculous, as these “new” pillows are very uncomfortable and make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. And if that’s not enough, these pillows create an added dilemma, as one square pillow on its own is too flat and two layered on top of each other are way too high.

How am I supposed to sleep?

I know, I know….perhaps I can travel with my own pillow like Linus who went everywhere with his blanket… but my wife always encourages me to pack light…. so what is a man to do??

While I am not going anywhere over the holiday season, I warn those of you who are to beware of these fluffy, little troublemakers.

Have you experienced this at any hotels over the last year? Is this a new trend? Am I going crazy and just imagining this? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

On that note, to all of SQM’s readers and followers, have a safe enjoyable holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.

Sleep well!

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Flexing my Blogging and Retail Muscles…..Cheryl is Taking Over the Blog to Tell you About Arc’teryx

December 21, 2016Cheryl Krangle Comment

When I joined SQM and heard about David’s blog, I asked if I could write about some of the amazing experiences I have had. As a Yelp Elite Blogger, I thought this was a no-brainer, so the verdict is in and I am taking over the blog for the week.

As a deal hunting, fashionista, I love to shop and flex my retail muscles during a great session of retail therapy. I’m always on the lookout for the next best thing, including those hidden treasures that all of your friends ask you about.

Recently I struck gold at the Grand Opening of Arc’teryx at Yorkdale Mall. Arc’teryx is a premium clothing and sporting goods company that provides customers with gear to perform in extreme weather conditions.

Traditionally, when you line up for a grand opening, the store makes you stand in line like cattle, until the very last minute, when they officially open their doors, but Arc’teryx’s event was done in a much better way. My friends and I arrived at 4:30 am for this well promoted event, yes you read that correctly….4:30 am! Upon arrival, we added our names to the list being held by the Arc’teryx organizer.

Around 6:00 am we were brought into the mall where we were given water bottles, cupcakes, cookies, custom Nespresso beverages, and gluten / dairy free granola bars. The fun didn’t stop here, though, with the promoters throwing Arc’teryx t-shirts into the line to excite us while we waited. About an hour later Breakfast Television began filming their segment on the new stores within Yorkdale Mall and they gave us all $50.00 gift cards for being the first people in the new section of the mall.

Finally, Arc’teryx had gifts for everyone who attended their grand opening. Everyone went home with an orange goretex lunch box and the first 50 people in line received even more. The first ten people in line received an $800 shell jacket, while the next ten guests received a $300 insulated jacket (I was in this group) and the remaining thirty guests received backpacks filled with gifts like hats, trail mix, flasks and note books.

Arc’teryx knows the keys to retail success! I highly recommend Arc’teryx and can vouch for their high quality product, and amazing customer service.

Arc’teryx
1-866-458-2473
www.arcteryx.com

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Leaside Volleyball Serves Up the Best League in the City

December 14, 2016David Lipton Comment

Last year my daughter started playing volleyball at the Leaside Volleyball Club. The league was recommended to me by the Ontario Volleyball Association, so I figured it had to be a good place to start learning about the game. I was so impressed by the league that I wrote a blog about my experience and wanted to share an update with all of you today.

As my daughter continues to progress in the sport, I realize what a great team of coaches she has access to! John Child, who played in three Olympic games and won an Olympic bronze medal in 2006, founded Leaside in 2010. Since then, John has put together a great team of coaches composed of professional volleyball players such as Olympic, Pan Am, and varsity athletes. In fact, one such Olympian who frequents the club is Heather Bansley, who competed in the 2016 Olympics in the women’s beach volleyball category.

Over the last year my daughter has improved significantly! Today she is much better at serving, passing the ball, communicating with her team, and bumping the ball over the net to score a point for the team. I believe my daughter and her teammates’ successes are due to the extraordinary coaches working at Leaside. Without the extraordinary coaches, my daughter’s skills level would not be where it is today.

At Leaside, the winter season is less busy since some members pick up winter activities like skiing. This makes it the perfect time of year for beginners to join in on the fun so they can get a little more instruction time and improve their skills before the spring season. The winter session begins January 8^th and I believe the league has already opened online registration. In addition, they also have a New Years Skill Development clinic from January 2-5, 2017.

For anyone who’s son or daughter has expressed an interest in learning how to play volleyball, or for those that want to take their game to the next level, I highly recommend looking into Leaside Volleyball.

Leaside Volleyball Club
leasidevbc@gmail.com
www.Leasidevolleyball.com

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Samsung Just Pulled Me Into the 21st Century

December 7, 2016David Lipton Comment

Some people might have read in my previous blog posts that I am a big fan of Blackberry. Up to last spring, I was using a very old Blackberry device, and for the most part, while I was with Blackberry, they took really good care of me both with tech support and overall customer service. Unfortunately, Blackberry has changed over the last few years, and it more recent times it became evident that it was time to consider other devices.

During the last few years, I have also put up with a growing list of friends and family who were constantly making fun of my older Blackberry. In fact, my sister-in-law would even make fun of me for using my device because I still called it a phone and didn’t understand the power of what I could do with modern day technology.

A few months ago, after hemming, hawing and researching the subject to death, I finally took the plunge and moved to an android device. In particular, I ended up buying a Samsung Galaxy S7. I know Samsung has been having issues with their Galaxy Note 7 but my research showed me the Galaxy S7 would be a good investment. Within minutes of setting up my device (with the help of my sister-in-law), I realized she was absolutely right! Boy, was I missing out big time… there was a whole new world out there! Whether it’s getting news and sports updates, being able to quickly check the weather, making free long distance phone calls (using Skype and WhatsApp), navigating our congested roads, price matching or finding deals, there is an app for everything!

If my calculations are correct, the amount of money I have saved through price matching and free long distance calls has already more than aid for the phone. In addition to these benefits, the phone is constructed extremely well. It has an amazing camera that creates beautiful photos (who needs a $1000 camera anymore?), is great on speaker phone, looks nice and has an amazing charger that charges my phone quickly so I don’t have to sit there for hours to get my phone up to a 100% charge.

Despite the recent issues surrounding the Galaxy Note 7, I recommend a Samsung product if you are looking to update your phone. For full disclosure, I have done business with Samsung in the past but this had no impact on my decision to purchase the device, or share my experience.

Samsung
1-855-254-4747
www.samsung.com

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Where Should you go to Learn about the World Today?

November 23, 2016David Lipton Comment

In the 80’s and 90’s people subscribed to National Geographic Magazine to learn about the world and all the places they wouldn’t necessarily travel on a regular basis. The magazine was smaller than traditional magazines and looks more like a book with glossy pictures. It featured a yellow border around the cover page and is primarily purchased by families with children.

National Geographic Magazine was usually a child’s first look at foreign places across the globe. It was also super exciting for children to browse through when it arrived in the mail each month.

Since I always found the magazine to be interesting and informative, earlier this year, one of my employees said I might be interested in a speakers series at Roy Thomson Hall called National Geographic Live. Every few months, National Geographic Live has an event involving a speaker discussing a specific topic, somehow related to the world we live in. During the presentation, the speaker captivates the audience with stunning photos and video about the places they are speaking of, not to mention their personal experiences.

Roy Thomson Hall is an intimate theatre in the heart of Toronto that seats almost 3,000 guests. The theatre provides great acoustics, comfortable seating, and excellent service in all of their departments from the ushers, to the box office and the ticket takers.

Roy Thomson Hall is one of the few larger venues in Toronto that runs their own box office and they are always a pleasure to deal with.

For the National Geographic Live events, tickets aren’t necessarily expensive. The lower priced tickets start at $19.50 and if you buy in-person there is no service charge. These presentations are great for a nice afternoon or evening out.

The series is available Sunday afternoon or Monday and Tuesday evenings in January, March, and May 2017. This is a great way to hear some amazing stories, see sensational photography and learn about the world we live in.

National Geographic Live Speaker Series
416-872-4255
www.roythomson.com/natgeolive/

Roy Thompson Hall
416-593-4822
www.roythomson.com

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