After living in Ontario for almost 20 years, Susie Ward returned to Montreal with her family, searching for community. She found it in the West Island, and as the newest merchant in Valois Village, she’s creating it too.

Espace Rêverie is a gathering place, a boutique, and a place to move, reflect, and be creative. Inspired by her late father’s belief that you can be both a dreamer and a doer, Susie took over the lease from Studio Foliage and made the environment her own: a space for everyone to come and move, make and explore.

I wandered into Espace Rêverie in February in search of a new, nearby yoga studio. Then I realized I already had a connection to this place from bath bombs I’d bought at a Holiday Fair back in December. I looked around at the well-lit, cozy store, saw many things that attracted my attention, and knew that this was going to become a favourite refuge. 

Like many of us during the pandemic, Susie found herself looking inward and seeking activities that made her feel more grounded, such as yoga and crafting, while embracing a more minimalist lifestyle. Being grounded means being completely aware and conscious in the present moment and being aware of the choices we are making and their impact.

While initially seeking a space where she could teach yoga and hold workshops, Susie realized that in taking over the large space she could also offer a unique retail experience. A big proponent of reduce, reuse, and recycle, she restores precious items she has found in her travels and turns them into treasured gift items. Those gems include: a vintage skirt from Germany, handmade pottery from British Columbia, and restored jewellery from Chicago. All of these sit alongside natural and eco-conscious home and personal items from local artisans, and makes for a very unique shopping experience. “Not only do we have handmade items made by local artisans, but even the pots I sell my plants in are restored and one-of-a-kind,” said Susie.

What strikes me as different about this store is that its homey, boho vibe is not pretending to be vintage and shabby-chic like many big city boutiques. Those stores feel pretentious to me, offer the promise of uniqueness but are all factory-made items, and I cannot afford most of them anyway. At Espace Rêverie I see individually crafted goods or carefully selected and polished items that are beautiful, stylish, and actually affordable. Whether it’s pretty vases for home, handmade local pottery or the latest novels (second-hand of course), these are fabulous finds at a great price.

Susie is mom to a young daughter, and one of the goals of opening Espace Rêverie was to provide the opportunity for community members to feel welcome along with their children and to be able to do family-oriented activities based on their own creativity. She is pleased to be meeting Pointe-Claire neighbours of all ages who are coming to the space to partake in workshops that include paint pouring, bath bomb making, and beginner’s crocheting, to name just a few. People are invited to take a yoga or meditation class and to browse pre-owned clothing and other curated gifts for someone special.

Shopping, self-care, and spoiling a loved one with a special gift can be satisfying, even more so if they do not contribute to our disposable, throw-away society. “I want to change the way we think about second hand items,” Susie told me. The fact that something is pre-owned does not remove its value; in many ways, a unique object can hold much more value than a factory made item. And items that are preloved, restored, upcycled, renewed, or vintage also reduce the impact on our environment.

I love to receive a handmade birthday card or a jar of homemade preserves, and not only because these are the products of creativity; gifts such as these connect us to the earth and to each other. Plus, they offer an added cachet because a friend’s hands brought them into existence. 

I can’t wait to go back to Espace Rêverie to create a special gift for a friend. And if my creativity fails me, I know I will still find plenty of unique options for gift-giving. 

Espace Rêverie is located at 49A Donegani Ave. https://www.espace-reverie.ca/