Side Street Studio — Local services in Oak Bay

Side Street Studio (SSS) holds an important function by offering artists & crafters a place to sell their creations while giving those who are seeking out one-of-a-kind items a place at which to buy them. I was looking for something unique for my grandchildren for Hanukkah/Christmas & came across the great pieces made by master crafter, Reece of Wolfwood , when I got chatting to him when he was visiting Ucluelet, the ocean village in which I live & which is just 26 miles north of where he lives in Tofino. He sent me pics of his work as well as a link to his website & there I saw his dealers. SSS was one of them. I called in & staffer, Karen, helped me. She was great, SSS is now 40 years old since being set up in 1984. It has had a number of owners & its current one is taking it to new...

Disappointed in this store. I purchased a soap dish and a bar of soap. The dish had a sticker price of 16.98 on the back, the soap a sticker price of 5.50. At checkout I was charged 29.69 I was charged 8.50 for the soap and charged 18.00 for the soap dish. Upon leaving the store I realized this when I went to check the price sticker the young lady at the checkout counter had removed the stickers. Seems really shady to me. Leaving a very bad review because I believe it's deserved. Adding 4.00 extra dollars into my order when the price was clearly visible on the sticker then removing the sticker at checkout is very very dishonest. They were never asked to remove pricing stickers why do that? 4.00 may not seem like lots of money but it is too some & besides its...

When visiting Oak Bay this summer my husband and I discovered Side Street Studio. The shop has an amazing collection of goods made by local artisans. We purchased a couple of items one of which was a silver bangle. Inadvertently, the larger size I tried was packed which I only realized when I returned home to Vancouver. I called the studio and the owner was very understanding and helpful in exchanging the bangle for the correct size. Jill went above and beyond, in every essence of the term, to ensure that I received the bangle safely and I couldn’t be happier with the entire experience and would highly recommend the shop if anyone is looking for unique gifts and support...