Antiquing on Mt. Pleasant

I haven’t ever shopped the antique shops on Mount Pleasant Road, but I hear some have gone the way of the dodo bird in recent months.

A sad thing, in this shopping gal’s opinion: if ever there was a time to reduce, reuse and recycle, that time is now, what with post-holiday bills and general economic malaise.

My peek at some shops on the strip yields some neat finds.

In Akladios Antiques, antique furniture and iron-work pieces mix with every variation of lighting one could hope to find: chandeliers, lanterns, and wall sconces.

But the lumieres here outshine others I’ve seen elsewhere in the uniqueness department, and most seem to have an Art Deco style to them I find trés stylish.

A pair of Art Deco wall sconces with clusters of icicle-like green glass pieces dripping from them is unusual and beautiful — they must be rare as they’re $800 and marked down half price for what must be a January sale, eep.

The owner, a kindly gent, tells me can customize this particular item with different coloured drippy things as he has enough of a stash in different hues to do so.

I’m on a tight budget so I content myself with a rummage in a basket containing individual glass bits from old chandeliers, $3-6 each.

I find a red piece of glass in an interesting shape. A red chandelier bit such as this is rare, I’m told. I plan to string a velvet ribbon
through the little hole and make a statement piece necklace. It would catch the light in a pretty way if I affixed it to the window
somehow.

558 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-544-1960 [url]www.akladiosantiques.com[/url]

Speaking of windows, if you’re a dime store decorator with a diva design sensibility, check out the recently opened Redrawn.

It’s not an antique shop but owners Janet Abraham and Martha MacKenzie sell gently used draperies and other soft furnishings like pillows, blankets and even rugs that they have bought on a consignment basis.

Some of the curtains are quite swish, obviously custom-made and hailing from midtown’s swankier homes. A pair of soft grey silk drapes, lined with a heavy cotton fabric and edged in colourful fabric, is $595.

The budget decorator in me homes in on a pair of steely grey organza sheers for $160. Meanwhile some cute butterfly sheers I can see in my niece’s room are $85.

Purple pillow shams are $40 for two, and a cute retro 1940s pillow is under $30.

616 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-487-1030 [url]www.redrawn.ca[/url]

Inside Whimsy Antiques I feel more at ease than I’ve ever felt in an antiques shop. That’s ‘cause the vibe is homey and there doesn’t appear to be a ton of breakable stuff piled up in precarious mounds of stuff.

The shop specializes in 19th century Canadian pine furniture, according to the card, and there are a lot of wood pieces scattered throughout.

In the back room, a rocking chair and other rustic wood pieces mix with gas lamps and other folksy tchotchkas — the look is definitely Canadiana cabin chic.

I’m goovin’ on a mini set of drawers that stands about two feet high, with enchanting clear drawer pulls, $275. It could sit on top of a dresser and hold jewellery and other treasures.

War figurines that are so old they’re made with lead could party in a doll’s house perched on a shelf that I’m told was made by the owner’s son.

In the front case a 1960s domed ring by D’Orlan looks like a mood ring but doesn’t change from it’s grey colour. But for $10 I vow to come back for it.

597 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-488-0770