Holiday Gift Guide: Kids Secondhand and Consignment Shops in Toronto’s East End
Last Christmas, I set myself a quiet little challenge: every gift for my then-two-year-old daughter Maeve — except the one she requested from Santa — would be secondhand.
I wasn’t sure how it would go. Would I be able to find things she’d genuinely love? Would it feel like “enough”?
But as the weeks went on, I found myself discovering beautifully made toys, nearly-new books, and adorable clothes tucked away in our neighbourhood’s secondhand shops and Instagram drops. By the time I wrapped everything, I realized I’d spent less, gifted more thoughtfully, and felt better about the environmental impact of the whole season. And Maeve didn’t know any different.
That experience reminded me just how lucky we are in the East End to have a thriving, creative, and deeply community-rooted network of thrift, consignment, and preloved kids’ shops.
Our first holiday gift guide shines a light on those local gems: the places where you can shop sustainably, stretch your budget, and support small business owners and charities doing meaningful work right here in our neighbourhood.
Canopy Kids
946 Queen Street East in South Riverdale and online at canopykidsworld.com
Canopy Kids is thoughtfully curated: they carry secondhand items for babies and kids from newborn up to 10 years, and tweens and teens from 11-16 years, including clothing, shoes, books, toys, and accessories. New items are added to the website 3-4 times a week. They also have a small selection of adult clothing that is refreshed every Sunday. Their business model centres on sustainability. They cut down waste, offer reselling opportunities, and donate a portion of revenues to anti-oppression organizations.
East End perks: Free local delivery for orders over $20 or pickup in store
Retail store hours: Mon to Wed 10am-3pm, Thurs to Sun 10am-6pm
Stay up to date: They announce new drops on Instagram and Facebook
Community Fridge: Canopy Kids also hosts a Community Fridge out front where you can donate food and personal care items to your neighbours.
Fun fact: Canopy Kids (originally Lode Store) was my gateway to secondhand kids clothing shopping. I placed my very first online order in February 2022 when I was still pregnant with my daughter, who would be born in May of that year, and the rest is history!
Lil Cubs
Online shop at Lilcubs.ca
Lil Cubs offers pre-loved (and some new with tags) books and toys, and seasonally-approprite children’s apparel from newborn to 9 years with a minimalist, modern style. Their ethos is “re-wear means less textile waste” — beautifully aligning with seasonal gift-giving that’s also conscious. If you’re looking for higher-end brands but don’t want to pay high-end prices, Lil Cubs is a great place to shop.
East End perks: Pick-up in Riverside
Stay up to date: Get new items on your Instagram feed
Selling: It’s easy to sell to Lil Cubs because they pick up in Toronto, inspect, and pay out ~25-30% of resale value via e-transfer or store credit
Little One’s Closet
In-store at 1854 Danforth Avenue and Fridays on Instagram
Little One's Closet offers hand-selected new and gently used children’s clothing, footwear, toys, books, and accessories, primarily for newborn to about age 10. Their mission is explicitly about reducing carbon footprint by reusing outgrown items and keeping them in circulation.
Store hours: Tue to Sat 10am–5pm and Sun 11am–3pm
Shop from home: They hold an Instagram Friday drop every week at 11am on @littleonesclosettoronto with a curated selection of premium and seasonal items. Pick-up in store later.
Selling: Double check what they’re accepting on their website or Instagram, then drop off up to 2 bags/boxes on Thursdays and Saturdays. They offer store credit (15-20%) for accepted items. The rest is donated to charity.
Second Journey Thrift
In-store at 606 Gerrard Street East (Riverdale/Riverside)
Second Journey Thrift is not just a thrift shop. It’s a mission-driven charity store run by Journey Home Support. Proceeds from the shop support their free, compassionate services including end-of-life planning, death doula services, and bereavement support.
You’ll find a mix of clothing, shoes, accessories, housewares, small furniture, and more. Because it’s a charity shop, it’s tax free and shopping here allows you to give twice — once to your family, and again to those who benefit from Journey Home’s mission.
Retail store hours: Mon to Sat 11am–7pm and Sunday 12–5pm
Stay up to date: Follow @secondjourneythrift on Instagram and Facebook
Volunteer: If their mission speaks to you, you can also volunteer to help run the store and support the charity
Tetote Kidswear
Online only at tetote-canada.myshopify.com
Tetote Kidswear curates preloved, handmade, and brand new kids’ clothes and books. “Tetote” means “hand in hand” in Japanese, reflecting their mission to build community and sustainable practices. You can find a mix of affordable and high end brands on their web store, and occasionally come across a truly unique gem from international brands you can’t easily find in Canada. They aren’t afraid of bright colours and bold patterns. They also offer a rewards program where you can earn points to redeem for store credit.
East End perks: They offer local pickup near Victoria Park subway station, as well as local delivery on orders over $45
Stay up to date: Sign up for emails about new drops or follow on Instagram
Selling: You can sell your kids’ outgrown items to them (20-40% value in cash or store credit). They also offer a buy back guarantee on anything you’ve purchased from Tetote in the past, which is an amazing way to ensure you don’t get stuck with clothes that are difficult to sell later!
Thrift For Seven
Only on Instagram at @thriftforsevenconsignment
This is a “circular fashion” consignment Instagram shop that features pre-loved kids’ clothing for ages 0–8, and sometimes adult items. Ashley says the name Thrift For Seven comes from the ancient indigenous philosophy called The Seventh Generation Principle. “It is based in the idea that we need to respect the world as it is being borrowed from our children and that the decisions we make now will impact the world as far out as SEVEN generations into the future.”
How to shop: Turn on notifications and claim items from Thrift For Seven’s stories during or after a drop. You can also shop items by size/type in their highlights. Send funds by e-transfer once you’re done shopping the drop and choose which pick-up location you want your items to go to (or pay a little extra for delivery).
East End perks: Free pick-up at locations in the Beaches, Leslieville, and East York, as well as $5 delivery
Selling: You can consign with Thrift For Seven when they are accepting new drops. They offer 30% of the sale price or more if you promote your drop. Personally, I have found consignment with Thrift For Seven to be the easiest way to sell a lot of clothes at good prices.
More secondhand kids gift options
If you can’t find what you’re looking for at any of the thrift, secondhand, and consignment shops listed above, you still have options:
Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell groups
One of the few saving graces of Facebook is the vast quantity of secondhand items available both on Facebook Marketplace and in private buy/sell groups in the East End.
Facebook Marketplace tips
Set your location radius to a smaller distance: One of the perks of living in Toronto is that there are lots of people selling stuff everywhere. Facebook’s default location radius is 100km, which is much farther than most of us are willing or able to travel. I drive, so I set an 8km radius. If you only use the TTC, bike, or walk, you may want to set an even smaller radius.
Search, save, and react to train the algorithm: The more you use the search bar, save items you’re interested in, and “react” to listings (i.e., with a thumbs up, heart, etc.), the more useful the Facebook Marketplace recommendations will become.
Look for highly-rated sellers: One of the benefits of buying and selling on Facebook Marketplace is the reviews and ratings feature. If someone is highly rated, especially if they have dozens or even hundreds of reviews and ratings, they are less likely to scam you.
Don’t send money in advance: Even some legitimate, highly-rated sellers will request you send funds in advance to hold the item. We don’t recommend doing this unless you already have a trusted relationship with the seller.
East End buy/sell/free groups on Facebook
There are a number of buy/sell and free Facebook groups focused on selling kids items in the East End. Pay attention to the group’s boundaries and follow their rules when posting your own items.
