Massive supermarkets selling everything from flowers to furniture abound, and yet little fruit & vegetable markets are sprinkled about our city like toppings on a pizza, adding colour and flavour to our shopping experience. Despite the competition, these minature markets manage to thrive, and that's a good thing.

Bloor West Village owes much of its vibrance to these stores, with their colourful contents spilling out onto the sidewalk, propped up by boxes and crates. But, as usual, not all of the shops are created equal - and a careful shopper must evaluate price, quality and consistency when determining the preferred choice.

For me, that choice is Green Thumb.

Although the nearby No Frills occasionally beats out Green Thumb pricewise, most of the time they offer great bargains on above-average produce. The best bets are the deals you can count on daily: big bags of fresh mesclun mix for $1.99; big bags of baby arugula for $2.99; giant bunches of fresh basil for $1-2. You can often find beautiful bunches of asparagus for $2.50 and I've been known to pick up three large, colourful sweet peppers for just $1. Prices like these make the St. Lawrence market look like Whole Foods.

Bloor West Village simply exudes character and charm, and its shops - including its many produce purveyors - are an important part of that. Make the rounds from Bloor Village Flowers to Sunglow to Green Thumb to Max's Market, and you'll have enjoy a shopping experience that could only happen here - in a little village in a big city.