Vintage findings and foodie fare
[attach]2201[/attach]I love it when a street transforms, seemingly overnight, and a hitherto non-retaily area suddenly becomes worthy of our shopping attention.
That’s exactly what’s happened on Keele Street just north of Dundas St. West in the Junction. Perhaps it’s the looming condos that are being built on the east side Keele near the intersection. But whatever the case, a trio of shops have cropped up that have enchanted the vintage buff in me.
Vintage vroom
A friendly lady greets me in Mr. Antico, an antiques shop that’s been open a short while, specializing in estate sale antiques, furniture and collectibles.
I’m tempted to ask whether Mr. Antico is an actual person — that would be too cute if the case — but I’m too busy rummaging around.
There’s a hodgepodge of items here, everything from Baroque-looking furniture and old, oil gilt-framed paintings to tchotchkas of all types.
We’re in the Junction, after all, so it’s fitting the place has industrial-looking pieces, like old irons and other iron tools.
Vintage typewriters, all the rage in the décor blogosphere these days, can be found in plenty here. A vintage Remington is $135 and a Simpsons one in a case, under $100, even comes with a retro instructions pamphlet.
I’m a jewellery junkie and leave with a pair of 1970s drop earrings; there’s a selection of bling from different eras under glass and most pieces go for $20–25.
384 Keele St., 416-822-5795
My radar has already picked it up, but the lady at Mr. Antico directs me across the street to a vintage store that’s been open only a week or so.
Inside, I’m delighted to see a woman who I’ve featured before in this column, Catherine of Mrs. Huizenga. Her Roncesvalles Avenue shop is still around. This, its sister store of the same name, has a rough-hewed look I love, with simple white walls and dim lighting that makes me think homey.
I call Catherine “the chair lady” as her Roncy shop has been known to sport many a lovely retro chair for a decent penny. She’s stayed true to her chair fame here: a pair of Maison Jenson brass 1940s babies that would sell for mega bucks at auction are only $8,000.
There’s beddings and linens, a rack of great vintage dresses from the 1960s and 70s (averaging $38 each), and some interesting novelty pieces like a pair of retro mint green Maidenform leg girdles, $26, that beat Spanx in the price department, if not the kitsch factor.
387 Keele St. 416-604-4286 [url=http://www.mrshuizenga.com]www.mrshuizenga.com[/url]
Catherine in turn directs me across the street, so I zigzag my way back where I started and into Russet & Empire. I’m thrilled to learn owner Micah Lenahan has just opened her doors this very day, so I snap some pics for my blog and revel in being the first one to scoop the store.
Micah’s a design hound who admits she can’t make a thing. So the next best thing was to open a shop specializing in nifty vintage, retro and new design-savvy decorative accessories.
The look of the place is very design-y too: simple white-washed walls pop against the rugged wood counter and display fixtures that Micah’s hubby (a custom furniture designer around the corner at SMASH) has built for her, the sweetheart.
There are retro bud vases from Sweden and Swedish mason jars with crown insignia on them — both products of the couple’s recent vacay there.
On the new side, you’ll find candles, lipgloss and soap by [url=http://www.morcosmetics.com]MOR[/url] (which apparently can only be found at Holt Renfrew, Micah says); and Lomography cameras for $125 — which apparently have a cult following.
CBC field bags and provincial tartan scarves by local company [url=http://www.redcanoebrands.com]Red Canoe[/url] are coming soon.
390 Keele St., 416-649-0042 [url=http://www.russetandempire.com]www.russetandempire.com[/url]
Roncy resto redo
Meanwhile over on the Roncy, the [url=http://roncylicious.com]Roncylicious[/url] food fest may be over, but that doesn’t mean there’s no juicy news to report.
Two gal pals who met through the food biz have recently reunited in a joint venture, the Blue Plate, which recently opened on the strip.
The resto sounds fateful: co-owners Julia Young and Melissa Fox-Revett used to work together in the bistro formerly occupying the same space, called Boho, which Melissa owned.
They stayed friends, and when they saw a For Sale sign in the window they went out for cocktails and hatched a plan to go into business.
Melissa dubs the place a sexy diner where you can get more upscale diner fare — don’t worry, there aren’t any red plastic booths.
Chef Julia is famous for her Eaton Mess dessert and handmade preserves and rubs, I hear.
392 Roncesvalles Ave. 416-538-7500 [url=http://www.blueplatetoronto.com]www.blueplatetoronto.com[/url]
The Booze is Back
If you’re not part of the Facebook group that rallied to get the LCBO back into the Roncy area, then you’ll be pleased to know you can buy your hooch locally now.
Apparently there hasn’t been an LCBO in the ’hood since the store in the Crossways Mall closed in 2003. The story goes the Roncy BIA has long been wanting it back and has been working with the LCBO powers that be to make it happen.
It took a while to find a suitable building with parking, but after extensive renovations at the former Zellers space on the Dundas West strip at Roncesvalles, the new space opened July 19 with much fanfare and, hopefully, quaffing of fizzy wine. I couldn’t make it, alas.
The new store is one of the largest neighbourhood LCBO stores, and boasts a Vintages section as well as a prominent Ontario VQA display. I just went on an LCBO Go Local wine tour in Prince Edward County and there are heaps of great wines in the province — celebrate Go Local month by trying something new made in province if you can. My new fave is vino from the [url=http://www.sandbankswinery.com]Sandbanks Winery[/url].
2290 Dundas St. West, 416-537-1500 [url=http://www.lcbo.com]www.lcbo.com[/url]