Boxing up Christmas

It's the day after Boxing day, and that means it's time to clear out Christmas. We're not at all insinuating that you take down your twinkle lights, dismantle your tree and stow away your decorations till next year (that's done on New Years Day in our house, accompanied by a larger than normal hangover and larger than normal cups of coffee). Instead, it means Ethel is putting all Christmas decorations (vintage and new) on sale, so WE don't have to box them up and stow them away till next year. So if you didn't pick up any Whigby ornaments and cards, or vintage baubles and satin lustres, now's your chance. All Christmas merchandise is 50% off, so stock up for next year!

See you at the store!

Holiday Ethel

Well, it's Christmas Eve and we're busy helping all those last minute shoppers find vintage goodies for their loved ones. Whether it's a set of vintage cocktail glasses, handpainted ornaments (like the ones your Grandparents had!) or a pair of groovy 70's lucite candlesticks, giving vintage means you've put thought and love into your gift and we know the receivers will appreciate it!

We'll be closing early today so we can go home to enjoy some holiday cheer while we wrap our last minute gifts. We'll be closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day and back in the shop on Tuesday December 27th. Next week, we'll be open from the 27th to the 30th and closed on New Years Eve, New Years Day and January 2nd.

We wish you and your family lots of love, wonder and joy this Christmas and and much health and prosperity in 2012!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from your friends at Ethel!

Canadian Pickers in the house!

We got a phonecall from History Television last week, asking if we were interested in having the Canadian Pickers, Scott Cozens (left) & Sheldon Smithens (right), come by on Monday to film an interview with Rogers Television in our store. Of course we were interested! We love this show as these two are not only funny but they really get into the history of their picks and do a lot to educate people about the vintage and antique marketplace. It's all about getting your hands dirty and putting in loooong hours if you really want to find the good stuff, something we know too well here at the shop!

Anyway, they were here this past Monday morning and were not only charming but also very interested in how I got into this game, and we swapped a few stories about some of the great stuff we've found over the years (and since have sold.)

The new season debuts January 9th at 10pm, on History Television.

http://www.canadianpickers.com/

New Modernism Magazine is here!

We just got the Winter 2011-2012 issue of Modernism Magazine in, just in time for Christmas!

Featuring a cover story on a funky "Lautner-esque" concrete shell house in Japan, there's also lots of great features inside, including a collectors guide to Charley Harper art, a profile of a Cliff May house, and a story on the British textile company, Edinburgh Weavers. Also in there are their regular listings of upcoming art and design shows. We also have a few Fall 2011 issues left so get them before they're all gone.

See you at the store!

Furniture under the tree

We try not to buy too much furniture going into the Christmas season as we find most people aren't going to put a danish teak dining table under the tree for their sweetie, but sometimes we just can't resist.

We just got in a near mint condition bedroom set in solid walnut. The headboard & matching footboard is a double (and comes complete with rails), and would be perfect for a smaller room.

Bedframe is priced at $195.

The dresser is 6 1/2 feet long and is in pristine condition.

Dresser is $495

UPDATE: Dresser has sold!

UPDATE: Dresser is back in store

(it wouldn't fit up the stairs in the home of the person who bought it!)

UPDATE: Dresser has sold (again) and DID fit up the stairs of it's new home so it's not coming back this time!

There are two matching nightstands (not shown) with some sun fading on the top surface, but otherwise in great shape. They're priced at $85 each or $150 for the pair.

UPDATE: nightstands have sold!

The matching desk is perfect for a small space. You can see the mirror for over the dresser on the right side of the desk. It weighs a ton (solid wood backing!) so we thought it would be safer not to hang it in the store.

Desk is $350, desk chair is $75. Mirror for dresser is $95.

UPDATE: Mirror has sold!

UPDATE: Desk has sold!

If you've got room for all 7 pieces (bedframe, large dresser, mirror, 2 night stands, and desk & desk chair), we'll sell it all for $1200.

We also got in this darling little vintage 50's chair that was re-upholstered in the 80's in this unfortunate fabric.
We would love to reinvent it with the help of Princess Perfect, but we'll sell it "As-Is" for $75.

Lastly, we got in this late 60's kitchen dinette set.
We normally don't go for the kitschy kitchen chrome dinettes, but we thought there was something elegant about this one, with the black tapered legs, brass details and highbacked chairs. Right now the table has the leaves out so it has a small round top, but with the leaves in, it sits 6. We're just waiting for the rest of the chairs to come in tomorrow.

Dinette set w/ 6 chair is $195.

UPDATE: Dinette has sold!

So if you love furniture as much as we do, and have room under your tree for a teak dresser or two, come by and check it all out.

See you at the store!

New Atomic Ranch is here!

We just got the Winter 2011 issue of Atomic Ranch in, and as usual, it's chock full 0' mid-century goodness! We're even quoted on page 68, in their Ranch Dressing section. We help a reader from Vancouver identify what turns out to be an Adrian Pearsall chair.

Other features include a story on Tucson's Indian Ridge neighborhood being named to the National Register of Historic Places (lets see if we can do the same for Don Mills here in Toronto!), and a profile of Hans Wegner, the designer of the Wishbone chair and PapaBear chair.

UPDATE: This issue is all sold out!

So come by the shop and pick up your copy. We also have a few copies left of the fall Modernism Issue!

See you at the store!