Vintage, Anyone?

Sorry about the lag in posting. My back has been in bad shape from the accident I had on the TTC stairwell, and I've barely been able to get through work, dinner, and showering each day. I haven't been out and about much, mainly because I can't stand for longer than a minute and it hurts to walk around. I'm pretty frustrated and in a lot of pain, so I'm hoping this clears up soon.

Anyway, on my lunch today, I was roaming around Craigslist for no reason whatsoever and I found myself in the furniture section. My apartment's somewhat bare and in serious need of some end tables and bookshelves, and I think I found a post on some old cabinet or other from a shop called Eclectisaurus on Gerrard, near Jarvis. I jumped to their web site, and saw some interesting furniture and glass pieces. I've always sort of liked vintage things but never gave it much thought. However, I fell in love with a pair of donut lamps that had unfortunately been sold. There were a few other things that interested me, and right before I clicked off I decided to check out the appliances section - suddenly, one of my long-time dreams came true.

I found something I've always wanted, but have never seen anywhere - a vintage 1940's stand mixer in perfect working condition. It reminds me of being in my great-grandmother's house as a child and playing with all her vintage appliances. I've had a fascination with finding things just like them for a long time, and I got so very excited when I found this mixer. I've wanted a stand mixer like this for a long long LONG time, and this one is incredible! I had been debating whether or not to buy one of those overpriced, mass-produced Kitchen-Aid stand mixers that everybody has, but for me it's just not the same as what I remember. This was nearly identical. It even came with the original two Pyrex glass bowls! They just don't make things like this anymore.


Hot stuff.

Walking through Eclectisaurus brought back a flood of childhood memories and the owner was gracious enough to let me pick through every nook, cranny and display case to entertain my curiosity and recall my great-grandmother's kitchen. There were also vintage juicers and coffee sets and storage canisters and all sorts of other things that I wanted, but I'll have to save it for another trip... after I get paid.

For those of you interested in the strange, the vintage, and the antique, check out Eclectisaurus at 249 Gerrard Street, just east of Jarvis. You won't be disappointed. Besides the stand mixer, I also got an original costume sketch for Domina's character from a 1980 production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" in Toronto (Toronto Arts Productions). It's signed and one of a kind. I'll post a picture as soon as I have a moment. There are so many neat things in the shop, particularly lamps, art and art deco pieces, vintage furniture and appliances, and hard-to-find kitchen sets. Everything seems to be in great condition and the shop itself is very clean and bright and well-lit. It's very easy to fall in love with the rare and hard-to-find items that line every inch of the shop in a very tasteful way. A fraction of the items are posted on their web site at www.eclectisaurus.com. Eclectisaurus is open Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.