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Giant Tiger coming to GTA soon
Feb. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
Giant Tiger plans to open stores in Mississauga and Brampton this spring.
In Mississauga, a 26,000-square-foot store is set to open March 18 at 3200 Erin Mills Parkway in a former Food Basics location. In Brampton, a 38,000-square-foot store is to open April 1 in the Kingspoint Plaza at 370 Main St. N. (Highway 10) in a former A&P grocery store.
Jeff York, the president of Ottawa-based Giant Tiger Stores Ltd., says the company has had good response to its new stores in Ajax, Newmarket, Bradford, Bolton and Acton. "We have had numerous requests from customers to open more stores in the area," he says.
Giant Tiger, a privately held Canadian company, was established in 1961 in Ottawa's Byward Market and now has 159 locations throughout Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick. There are 99 stores in Ontario.
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Giant Tiger store has me purring
Feb. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
MARION KANE
My daughter Ruthie was a mere pup — about 6 years old, as I recall — when her dad returned from a shopping spree in search of a party dress with this burning question: "Where did she learn how to shop?"
Apparently, he was astounded to watch my offspring walk into the first store, immediately approach a rack of clothes and begin effortlessly flicking the hangers with one hand — a well-known selection technique — as if this were second nature.
"Guilty on all counts," was my reply, knowing full well that Ruthie had learned the art and wondrous pleasures of shopping under the tutelage of a skilled expert — yours truly.
Many of my well-honed purchasing pointers were gleaned from my mother. Among them: always eat lunch, not dinner, in a posh restaurant; visit high-end stores (the likes of Holt Renfrew and, in her case, Liberty of London) only during sale season and always thoroughly scour the reduced rack for expensive lingerie.
This canny plan has given me a magpie eye (I can spot a designer vintage coat at a Goodwill store from across the room) and a passion for bargain-hunting.
All of which leads to today's topic: the wondrously eclectic retail emporium that's a famous landmark in my new home of Stratford: Giant Tiger.
I'd been here only a couple of weeks when news of its many attractions reached my ears — and my mouth.
At a jolly wine and dessert gathering in late summer, a guest brought a delicious lattice-crowned cherry pie made at the well-known eatery Anna Mae's in nearby Millbank. The pie's source, she freely confessed, was Giant Tiger, where they get daily deliveries of Dutch apple, lemon meringue, raspberry custard and other tasty versions priced at less than $7 a pop.
Soon, I became a regular at this clean, brightly lit store, spurred on by friends' tales of $5 terry cloth bathrobes from a defunct cruise line, brand-name bathing suits for $15 and delectably creamy fudge made in Quebec by Ste. Julie and priced at under $3 for 240 grams.
Seated on a swivel chair in Giant Tiger's second-floor office, where we have a bird's eye view of the entire store, I chat with owners Jack and Pauline Book.
With many years in the retail biz, they bought this outlet as a franchise in 1996 and quickly doubled the space to comprise its current 20,000 square feet.
Giant Tiger is a family-owned Canadian chain with 159 stores located mostly in Ontario and Quebec but expanding rapidly into other provinces. It began with its three-storey landmark outlet in downtown Ottawa 40 years ago and quickly spread, mainly to rural areas. This spring, the GTA will get outlets in Mississauga and Brampton with plans for more.
"We try to have Canadian products," Jack explains, "but not everything we sell is Canadian." Main attractions are fashion and food. "We constantly have new arrivals," he continues, noting there are customers who come daily. "People are on the hunt for treasures," adds Pauline. "You may come in and find we've got a popular item at a very good price."
Yes, I have the spectacular velvet skirt, black beaded top, small leopard suitcase, frozen shrimp and chicken breasts, microfibre cleaning cloths, Mortimer's tourtiere, pear-flavoured white tea, Melitta coffee and crunchy Vlasic dill pickles to prove she's right.
"We cater to a large German and Dutch population," Jack explains as we cruise an aisle rife with Spekulaas cookies, Dr. Oetker pudding mixes and Zwieback rusks. Cadbury's chocolate fingers made in the U.K. and terrific Waterbridge jams from Denmark are other top-notch imports.
Seeking a sugar fix, I recently picked up a package of King Dons made by Hostess. Surprisingly, they are yummy: small dark chocolate mini-cakes covered in dark chocolate with white "cream" oozing from the middle.
Here are two recipes made with items from Giant Tiger, my favourite new shopping venue.
Tuna Bean Salad
Inspired by a Tuscan salad of tuna, cannellini beans, tomatoes and onion, this makes a nutritious, tasty sandwich filling for pita pockets. Use President's Choice Organic Bean Medley but red or white kidney, black-eyed peas, cannellini beans or chick-peas are fine, too. Omit olives, dried tomatoes, if desired.
170g can chunk or solid white tuna, drained
19-oz (540-mL) can beans, drained, rinsed
1-1/2 cups halved cherry or whole grape tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted black olives, quartered
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, sliced
1/2 red onion, peeled, quartered, thinly sliced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
In serving bowl, break up tuna with fork. Add beans, tomatoes, olives, tomatoes and onion. Stir gently to combine.
In small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and mustard. Add to salad; stir gently to combine. Taste; add salt and/or pepper if necessary. Garnish with parsley.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Caramelized Pineapple
Inspired by a dessert prepared by students at Northwestern Secondary School right here in Stratford and their clever chef/teacher Paul Finkelstein. They used fresh pineapple served with panna cotta and coconut ice cream. Add a little coconut milk to sauce, if desired.
19-oz (540 mL) can sliced pineapple
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup golden or dark rum
2 tbsp reserved pineapple juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon juice to taste, optional
Drain pineapple well, reserving 2 tablespoons for sauce and remainder for fruit salad, smoothies, etc. Pat pineapple dry with paper towel.
Preheat oven broiler.
In large heavy skillet, melt butter and sugar over medium heat; stir in lemon juice and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Add pineapple in single layer; cook about 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once with tongs. Transfer to wire broiler rack in single layer.
Meanwhile, reduce heat under skillet to medium low; add rum, reserved pineapple juice and vanilla. Cook, stirring and scraping browned bits from skillet, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. If too sweet, add a little lemon juice.
Place pineapple under broiler; cook until browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Serve warm drizzled with a little of its sauce with ice cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Feb. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
Giant Tiger plans to open stores in Mississauga and Brampton this spring.
In Mississauga, a 26,000-square-foot store is set to open March 18 at 3200 Erin Mills Parkway in a former Food Basics location. In Brampton, a 38,000-square-foot store is to open April 1 in the Kingspoint Plaza at 370 Main St. N. (Highway 10) in a former A&P grocery store.
Jeff York, the president of Ottawa-based Giant Tiger Stores Ltd., says the company has had good response to its new stores in Ajax, Newmarket, Bradford, Bolton and Acton. "We have had numerous requests from customers to open more stores in the area," he says.
Giant Tiger, a privately held Canadian company, was established in 1961 in Ottawa's Byward Market and now has 159 locations throughout Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick. There are 99 stores in Ontario.
_________________________________
Giant Tiger store has me purring
Feb. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM
MARION KANE
My daughter Ruthie was a mere pup — about 6 years old, as I recall — when her dad returned from a shopping spree in search of a party dress with this burning question: "Where did she learn how to shop?"
Apparently, he was astounded to watch my offspring walk into the first store, immediately approach a rack of clothes and begin effortlessly flicking the hangers with one hand — a well-known selection technique — as if this were second nature.
"Guilty on all counts," was my reply, knowing full well that Ruthie had learned the art and wondrous pleasures of shopping under the tutelage of a skilled expert — yours truly.
Many of my well-honed purchasing pointers were gleaned from my mother. Among them: always eat lunch, not dinner, in a posh restaurant; visit high-end stores (the likes of Holt Renfrew and, in her case, Liberty of London) only during sale season and always thoroughly scour the reduced rack for expensive lingerie.
This canny plan has given me a magpie eye (I can spot a designer vintage coat at a Goodwill store from across the room) and a passion for bargain-hunting.
All of which leads to today's topic: the wondrously eclectic retail emporium that's a famous landmark in my new home of Stratford: Giant Tiger.
I'd been here only a couple of weeks when news of its many attractions reached my ears — and my mouth.
At a jolly wine and dessert gathering in late summer, a guest brought a delicious lattice-crowned cherry pie made at the well-known eatery Anna Mae's in nearby Millbank. The pie's source, she freely confessed, was Giant Tiger, where they get daily deliveries of Dutch apple, lemon meringue, raspberry custard and other tasty versions priced at less than $7 a pop.
Soon, I became a regular at this clean, brightly lit store, spurred on by friends' tales of $5 terry cloth bathrobes from a defunct cruise line, brand-name bathing suits for $15 and delectably creamy fudge made in Quebec by Ste. Julie and priced at under $3 for 240 grams.
Seated on a swivel chair in Giant Tiger's second-floor office, where we have a bird's eye view of the entire store, I chat with owners Jack and Pauline Book.
With many years in the retail biz, they bought this outlet as a franchise in 1996 and quickly doubled the space to comprise its current 20,000 square feet.
Giant Tiger is a family-owned Canadian chain with 159 stores located mostly in Ontario and Quebec but expanding rapidly into other provinces. It began with its three-storey landmark outlet in downtown Ottawa 40 years ago and quickly spread, mainly to rural areas. This spring, the GTA will get outlets in Mississauga and Brampton with plans for more.
"We try to have Canadian products," Jack explains, "but not everything we sell is Canadian." Main attractions are fashion and food. "We constantly have new arrivals," he continues, noting there are customers who come daily. "People are on the hunt for treasures," adds Pauline. "You may come in and find we've got a popular item at a very good price."
Yes, I have the spectacular velvet skirt, black beaded top, small leopard suitcase, frozen shrimp and chicken breasts, microfibre cleaning cloths, Mortimer's tourtiere, pear-flavoured white tea, Melitta coffee and crunchy Vlasic dill pickles to prove she's right.
"We cater to a large German and Dutch population," Jack explains as we cruise an aisle rife with Spekulaas cookies, Dr. Oetker pudding mixes and Zwieback rusks. Cadbury's chocolate fingers made in the U.K. and terrific Waterbridge jams from Denmark are other top-notch imports.
Seeking a sugar fix, I recently picked up a package of King Dons made by Hostess. Surprisingly, they are yummy: small dark chocolate mini-cakes covered in dark chocolate with white "cream" oozing from the middle.
Here are two recipes made with items from Giant Tiger, my favourite new shopping venue.
Tuna Bean Salad
Inspired by a Tuscan salad of tuna, cannellini beans, tomatoes and onion, this makes a nutritious, tasty sandwich filling for pita pockets. Use President's Choice Organic Bean Medley but red or white kidney, black-eyed peas, cannellini beans or chick-peas are fine, too. Omit olives, dried tomatoes, if desired.
170g can chunk or solid white tuna, drained
19-oz (540-mL) can beans, drained, rinsed
1-1/2 cups halved cherry or whole grape tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted black olives, quartered
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, sliced
1/2 red onion, peeled, quartered, thinly sliced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
In serving bowl, break up tuna with fork. Add beans, tomatoes, olives, tomatoes and onion. Stir gently to combine.
In small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and mustard. Add to salad; stir gently to combine. Taste; add salt and/or pepper if necessary. Garnish with parsley.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.
Caramelized Pineapple
Inspired by a dessert prepared by students at Northwestern Secondary School right here in Stratford and their clever chef/teacher Paul Finkelstein. They used fresh pineapple served with panna cotta and coconut ice cream. Add a little coconut milk to sauce, if desired.
19-oz (540 mL) can sliced pineapple
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup golden or dark rum
2 tbsp reserved pineapple juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon juice to taste, optional
Drain pineapple well, reserving 2 tablespoons for sauce and remainder for fruit salad, smoothies, etc. Pat pineapple dry with paper towel.
Preheat oven broiler.
In large heavy skillet, melt butter and sugar over medium heat; stir in lemon juice and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and beginning to caramelize. Add pineapple in single layer; cook about 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once with tongs. Transfer to wire broiler rack in single layer.
Meanwhile, reduce heat under skillet to medium low; add rum, reserved pineapple juice and vanilla. Cook, stirring and scraping browned bits from skillet, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. If too sweet, add a little lemon juice.
Place pineapple under broiler; cook until browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Serve warm drizzled with a little of its sauce with ice cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream.
Makes about 4 to 6 servings.