Need to top up your holiday shopping list? Let Concordia alumni-owned small businesses inspire you with gift ideas and treats for everyone on your list, available online and in stores.
Get your holiday must-haves with our #CUalumni gift guide
Support fellow grads by shopping at their small businesses
Distillerie Fove
Corinne Cluis, PhD 14, owner and distiller
For the cocktail connoisseur, check out Distillerie Fove, founded by Corinne Cluis in 2017. The biology PhD’s distinctive acerum captures the pure essence of maple syrup in fine complex flavours. Fove’s elegantly bottled white and amber acerum and rum are available online and in-store at Quebec’s SAQ.
- Fove Acerum Blanc (500 ml), $48.75
BEDI Studios
Inder Bedi, BComm 96, founder and owner
Great Concordian Inder Bedi, founder of Matt & Nat, launched a new fashion brand in 2019. Offering made-in-Canada products created from upcycled materials, BEDI Studios is credited as one of the most sustainably advanced brands in the world. Shop online, at their Montreal store or at select retailers, including Holt Renfrew and Simons.
b.cycle spin and barre studios
Bijan Bolouri, BEng 08, owner and co-founder
Offer your favourite fitness enthusiast a wide variety of classes from spinning to barre to sculpting and more at b.cycle, founded by industrial engineering grad Bijan Bolouri. With four Montreal locations — downtown, Old Port, Westmount and Rockland — the studio also offers live and on-demand classes online.
- Five-class package, $135
The Detailed Diva
Cristina Servello, BA 11, owner
For the Swiftie in your life, browse The Detailed Diva, which offers products and designs curated by Cristina Servello, a passionate fan of all things related to Taylor Swift and Bravo TV. Available online and for pickup at Boutique Rock in Montreal.
Espace Nomad spa
Julie Mercier, BSc 05, founder and owner
Give the gift of self-care. Espace Nomad, located in Montreal’s Mile-End neighbourhood, provides a full menu of services, including massage, acupuncture, facial and body treatments and a range of giftable food, home and beauty products.
- Montreal Beauty package (massage, organic herb and flower exfoliant and facial), $265
Telegramme Prints and Custom Framing
Ian Gillies, BA 91, founder and owner
Established in 2006, Telegramme Prints and Custom Framing specializes in signed, numbered and limited-edition prints and posters not for sale elsewhere in Canada. The company also offers a wide range of custom framing services. Shop online or at the retail store in Toronto.
Bak’d by Mona Cookies Inc.
Mona Segal, BComm 90, owner and baker
A lifelong baker, Mona Segal left her career in sales and marketing to focus on her passion, launching Bak’d by Mona in 2017. Crafted with high-quality ingredients, Segal’s gourmet cookies are perfect for entertaining, gifting or treating yourself! Vegan options are also available.
- Assorted holiday caramel CRAC'K cookies, $21 per dozen
Large Dog
Carolyn Frail, BA 96, owner
Toronto-based Large Dog offers unique apparel, collars, leashes, footwear, toys and more, and caters to canine friends of all sizes, with a wide selection for larger dogs. Gifts ship worldwide.
- Harbour Slicker by Chilly Dogs, $104.95
Sharelli Jewellery
Hindi Fisher, BA 94, co-founder
Hindi Fisher’s passion for jewellery making began in her teens, watching her grandfather in his shop. Co-founded with her sister Randee Fisher, Sharelli Jewellery offers a selection of modern and traditional pieces crafted from sterling silver, gold and platinum.
- Compass necklace, $195
Have Baby. Must Sleep.
Andria Gordon, BComm 00, founder and owner
New parents on your list? Give the gift of sleep. Mother of two Andria Gordon and her sleep-training consultants at Have Baby. Must Sleep help parents of little ones up to age five, providing a custom sleep-coaching experience centred around their family and lifestyle. Gift certificates are available.
- Sleep coaching package (evaluation, custom plan and support), starting at $695
Flintstitch Beadwork
Ananda X. Suddath, BFA 17, owner and artist
Music grad and Flintstitch Beadwork owner Ananda Suddath creates original artworks and jewellery inspired by traditional Indigenous beadwork, using seed beads and mother-of-pearl. She also produces commissioned works.
Mega Bedding Outlet/Mega Clothing Outlet
Brahm Oppen, BA 95, owner
Find cozy comforters, quilts, sheets and towels at online discounter Mega Bedding Outlet, owned by political science grad Brahm Oppen. In addition to bedding, the retail location in Whitby, Ont. also features a Mega Clothing Outlet with gear for the whole family.
- Buffalo Plaid Comforter set, from $49
Papeterie & Café Nueva Era
Nicole Schetter, BA 14, co-owner
For the wordsmith on your list, you’ll find a selection of writing instruments, notebooks, cards and stickers at unique stationery shop Nueva Era in the Montreal neighbourhood of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. While you’re there, treat yourself to one of their coffees and vegan pastries!
Words & Music, fall 2024
Recent books by Concordia alumni
Choose from novels, poetry, photo collections and other new works by Concordia graduates featured in the Words and Music section of the latest Concordia University Magazine.
- The Cat Looked Back (Signature Editions) by Louise Carson, BFA 79, $19.95
Art Volt Collection
Artworks by graduates of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts
Concordia’s Art Volt Collection is a juried sales and rental marketplace for recent alumni of Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts. Choose from hundreds of paintings, sculptures, photographs and more in this year’s online gallery. Need help? Advisors offer recommendations according to your preferences, space and budget.
- Study for Herbarium (Composition 01), 2023, Alexey Lazarev, BFA 19, $250