New Atomic Ranch is here!

The summer 2011 issue of Atomic Ranch just arrived, and as usual, it's filled with so much mid century goodness that we think we may put off remerchandising the back room in order to read it cover to cover!

Featuring stories on butterfly roofs, travel trailers (oh how we love the gleam of a vintage airstream sailing down the highway!), landscaping ideas and of course, lots of great ads for great stuff.

We also have one copy of the spring 2011 issue so if you've missed that one, pick it up.

See you at the store!

Rock Stars at Ethel

Ethel likes to surround herself with smart, creative people as she believes you are judged by the company you keep.

One of those creative types is our friend Dustin Rabin. Dustin is a photographer, who's portfolio features everyone from Sir Richard Branson to Dita Von Teese, to the Beastie Boys, Billy Talent and the Foo Fighters. He's even been known to shoot a wedding or two, if the couple are really good friends of his!

When Dustin wanted to use the store for a photoshoot a few weeks ago, we didn't hesitate to say yes. He needed a retro living room environment and since we have lots of groovy living room furniture here, it was a perfect backdrop.

His subject was a band called White Wives, and while we've never heard their music, Ethel was sure they were nice polite boys who would treat the store with respect.

Here are a few of the band's favourite shots.

Don't they look like they're having fun, playing records on the vintage turntable, playing checkers and reading Fortune Magazine?

For more of Dustin's work, please check out the link below. We've also added his site to our blog roll on the right as well.
http://www.dustinrabin.com/
For more info on White Wives, here's a link to their site.
http://www.wearewhitewives.com/

You can let us know if Ethel would like their music!
See you at the store!

Victoria Day weekend sale

We're gearing up for our second annual Victoria Day long weekend sidewalk sale here at the store, and we're hoping all you Ethel fans come out and take some vintage goodies home with you!

We've got some vintage 70's patio furniture, vintage kitchenware, Plastic Pop lighting, lounge chairs, and whatever else will fit on the sidewalk in front of the store! We're clearing out to make room for some store changes (all good!) so come by the shop this weekend and check it out.

The sidewalk sale starts Saturday at noon, and will finish Monday at 5.

See you at the store!

New Whigby!

It's no secret that Ethel loves Whigby, and we're doubly excited about their new card line as we think it suits Ethel to a T.

Don't these ladies look like they're on their way to meet Ethel for lunch?


Who doesn't love a good grilled cheese sandwich?


Owls are ALWAYS popular!


And of course, our favourite party invites are back in.
We'd be scared to say no to this party!

So drop by the store to check out the rest of the Whigby line.
See you at the store!

I want to live at Ann Margarets house!

Just a quick note for all you Saturday Night Live fans out there. If you watched the Ed Helms hosted episode on Saturday May 14th, you hopefully stayed up through the whole episode to catch the last sketch. It was brilliant! Here's a link if you haven't seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re5nivclhQA

(you have to cut and paste into your browser as Ethel hasn't figured out html yet!)

Who doesn't love Kristen Wiggs Ann Margaret? And who doesn't love that set!

Anyway, theres a hallway portion on the right side of that set that has a pair of vintage harlequin musician plaques in turquoise and orange (Ethel's favourite colours). We have a pair almost identical to them at the store!
The ones on TV were rectangular, however ours are diamond shaped, and are priced at $30 for the pair.

Drop by and check them out, and maybe we'll be playing a little Ann Margaret to set the mood.

See you at the store!

Ethel goes International!

Sometimes we fantasize about all the great trips Ethel gets to take while we're running the store for her.
We can imagine her lounging at the beach getting some sun, ordering the cabana boys around.


(Vintage teak folding deck chair $95)

UPDATE: deck chair has sold!

Or riding horses in Arizona, wearing her best Calamity Jane costume, ordering the cowboys around.


(Vintage souvenir ashtray - $15)

or Oklahoma, where she'll be wearing her best Annie Oakley costume, ordering the cowgirls around!


(original cast soundtrack on vinyl - prop rental only)

Or perhaps she's strolling the boulevards and back alleys of Gay Paree, looking for romance, ordering the snooty french waiters around.


(Vintage Paris street scene print - $45)

Or in sunny Spain, taking pictures of the bullfights with her handy Brownie Fiesta, ordering the matadors around.


(Vintage Brownie Fiesta camera w/ original box - $22)

UPDATE: Brownie Fiesta camera has sold!

Perhaps she's swimming in the ocean with the help of a pair of vintage flippers, ordering the fish around.


(Vintage multicoloured rubber diving flippers - $40)

Well, wherever she is, we hope she's having the time of her life!


(Vintage Snider ball clock - $45)

UPDATE: Snider clock has sold!

Here in Leslieville, however, it's coffee time!


(vintage Made in Japan ceramic coffee pot - $20)

See you at the store!

Rockford Styles

While Ethel has always been about mid century design, sometimes she lets it slip about her love for the 70's too, especially big masculine leading men like James Garner, star of TV's The Rockford Files.

In fact, we've often referenced the Rockford Files in the store, to describe big masculine furniture.

Take this gorgeous sideboard we just got in.
With the chunky pedestal leg supports,
inlaid tile top

(we can't make out the signature on the tile but we're guessing Danish!)

and parquet style doors, we think this piece is totally Jim Rockford's style.
So if you're a little teak-ed out and are craving a little bit of 70's manliness, then come by the store and check it out. It's priced at $1395.

See you at the store!

Weird Wednesday - what is it?

It's the middle of the week which means another instalment of Weird Wednesday.

Today, we have this.

At first glance, this looks like a chic International style office building, maybe one that Don Draper would work in.
Here's another view.
If you can read the writing, it is indeed a vintage electric can opener!

Judging by the design, we'd peg this General Electric beauty at being from the late 60's. Wouldn't it be perfect in your modern kitchen? It can go home with you for $12.
See you at the store!