There is nothing like leaving town for a few days to make you appreciate coming home. Last weekend, my family and I went to Edmonton for Labour Day weekend for a family reunion of sorts. We were staying at my family's acreage in Onaway which is about 45 minutes west of Edmonton. Because we were close to Edmonton, we took a day to go and do some shopping in Alberta's capital city.
One of the things that my husband and I miss about living in Victoria is the close proximity to exceptional shopping. There are stores in large urban centres that we don't have in Prince George. I don't want to have to spend my money outside of Prince George however, in some cases, it is absolutely necessary. Here are a few examples of places that we went to in Edmonton that I wish were in Prince George:
1. Thyme Maternity - I am seven weeks away from my due date and I am as big as a house. Why are there no maternity clothes in Prince George? As far as I have found, you can only find a select amount of maternity clothing at Walmart and Target that is picked through by every other pregnant women in town. There are a lot of pregnant ladies in town wearing each other's hand-me-down maternity rags when we'd drop hundreds of dollars to be comfortably well-dressed during these times
2. Eddie Bauer - This is one of the few stores that carry well-made clothing for my husband that will fit his shoulders. There used to be an Eddie Bauer in Prince George and now there isn't one. Where did it go and why can't it come back!
3. Ikea - No one likes putting together Ikea furniture but Ikea is a staple of students and young families. I'm sure we'll never get an Ikea in town but I love looking at the displays and picking up a few items along the way. My husband despises being led around like a rat in a maze but my mom and I love it.
4. Carter's - this is an excellent baby and child clothes store that we normally go to when we travel to Vancouver or Edmonton but this time the cranky toddler put a stop to shopping. Next time, I'm here.
As someone who is not sixteen or a size zero, I would appreciate a few more stores that cater to my age group in my own town. I am in my thirties, cheap, with a young family and I don't want to drive eight hours to get a good deal or to find a pair of pants that fit.
