Camellia Bake Shop
I had to put this one first. Camellia Bake Shop is a small woman-owned and run café located slightly outside Uptown Waterloo (only a ten-minute drive away). It has the coziest vibes and yummy drinks. They’ve been open for almost two years now and I’ve been a proud supporter ever since! They’re open from 9 A.M to –4 P.M Wednesday through Sunday and have a selection of different baked goods every day with their classic breakfast and lunch menus. My personal favourite is the Breakfast Brioche with bacon and egg, along with their lavender matcha in the winter or a field berry lemonade in the summer. If you can manage to go on a day, they’re selling almond croissants–you have to try one!
Luster & Oak
This is one of my favourite vintage/thrift stores, although it’s a little bit on the pricier side. The atmosphere of the entire store is so nice to be in and it’s only a short walk from campus. They’re a smaller store but there’s always a great selection of clothing and/or jewelry and it’s always in super great condition. As I mentioned, they aren’t your typical Value Village prices but for the pristine quality it’s totally worth it. Lastly, their staff are always so helpful and kind and not too eager like typical retail store employees can be.
Four All Ice Cream
This has been one of my favourite ice cream shops to go to for the past few years. They’re also in Uptown Waterloo, only about a ten-minute walk from campus. They always have a bunch of flavour options–some changing seasonally and others that stay year-round. My fall favourite this year was “Spice Girls” which was a brown sugar and cinnamon flavoured vanilla ice cream. There are also rotating flavours of their soft serve–my favourite is the pineapple in the summer! Vegan options are always available and changing too. Enjoy a short walk and a sweet treat after class all year round.
Pro Music
I will admit I may be a little biased as I do work here, but if you’ve been looking to start learning an instrument, we’re the place to go! Pro Music is located just outside of Laurier’s Waterloo campus (a 15-minute walk away) and we have everything: piano, guitar, drums and vocal lessons! Maybe you don’t want to fully commit to a forever instrument? We have a six-week trial program where you can have six lessons for a total cost of $129 and then you get to decide whether or not you’d like to continue taking lessons! Either way, check us out. And if you were born and raised in Waterloo, maybe see if you have family or siblings who’d like to join our children’s music lesson programs!
Enjoy exploring Waterloo and its small businesses while you live here, even if it’s only temporarily for school. You’ll feel so much more comfortable in this city if you know it better and the only way to do that is by getting out and seeing what’s out there.