Ahead of the holiday season, antique shops are a great way to support local small businesses and find something one-of-a-kind for everyone on your list

Antique shops are always full of surprises and one-of-a-kind items. As you get started on your holiday shopping, be sure to swing by one of these shops to support local businesses and to go treasure hunting!

Antique Avenue - 329 Ottawa St. N

Despite only being a small business, they are Ontario’s largest destination for mid-century modern design and antiques as mentioned on their website. They sell a wide range of antique finds, such as vintage treasures, teak furniture, home decor, collectibles and vinyl records. Antique Avenue also specializes in prop rentals for the television and film industry. They occasionally do auctions for sought-after items on their Instagram. They currently temporarily closed their storefront for renovations, but you can still shop on their Instagram.

Artiques - 265 Ottawa St. N

Artiques was founded in 2012 and moved to a larger location in 2016. They are dedicated to selling affordable, rare and peculiar items. They are open to negotiation and are willing to price match if a competitor's prices are lower. Artiques used to sell wholesale rugs and hardware across the country and now their wholesale prices on individual items are also available to their customers. In addition to selling antiques and home decor, they also sell art, textiles, jewellery, furniture and other miscellaneous items.

Earls Court Gallery - 215 Ottawa St. N

Earls Court Gallery was established in 1973 and is a commercial gallery that specializes in contemporary and historical Canadian art. They also consign art (sell art from artists in the community), in addition to repairing and restoring historical art. Their gallery is always open for submissions from the general public.

JMS Treasure Chest Inc - 293 Ottawa St. N

JMS Treasure Chest Inc specializes in antique refurbishing, in addition to selling antique and vintage items. Some of the items they offer include furniture, electronics, comic books, memorabilia, model cars, glassware and china dishes. They also offer rentals of their furniture, clothing and decor, and they have rented to many television and film organizations. They also sell on Etsy and Ebay.

By: Paulina Prazmo

 

Who doesn’t like the idea of cheap clothes? How about the idea of trading in your used clothes and getting more clothes in return. That is exactly what Threadwork McMaster believes in. Using and reusing clothes in a sustainable matter is the motto that this group lives by. They focus on reducing waste and support the use of materials that are earth-friendly.

This OPIRG working group was founded in 2010 by a group of Mac students. Threadwork encourages other Mac students to “think critically about clothing and its implications on the environment, social justice, and the community.” Their latest project is the 5th annual clothing swap that will be taking place on Thursday, October 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the MUSC atrium. They will be collecting your used clothes on October 18, 19, 22, 23 and 24 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

A member from the group, Christina Vietinghoff said, “The main purpose of the swap is to give the McMaster community a chance to refresh their wardrobe for free without creating waste. A lot of second hand stores in Hamilton are not very accessible to McMaster students - so we're bringing the thrift store here!”

So how does this process really work? How do you get those free clothes you want? Bring in your old used clothes on the collecting days and in turn you will accumulate points that you will be able to spend on the actual clothing swap day. Threadwork will be accepting only clean, un-torn clothes, no undergarments or socks will be accepted. They are asking to wash your clothes before you drop them off, and are also accepting jewellery, accessories, shoes, bags and coats. Changerooms will be provided on the day of the swap to try on those newfound-free-treasures!

Vietinghoff said, “Our Threadwork clothing swaps promote reusing clothing and reducing waste. Our clothing swaps engage students and the McMaster community in changing the perception of second hand clothing and celebrating re-using and finding value in it. We plan to have an ‘Alteration Station’ to promote renewing clothing rather than contributing to waste at the upcoming swap.”

Shopping for second-hand clothes might not necessarily be your style, but if you think of the money you could be saving for a Friday night instead of that must-have bag, it suddenly starts making sense! Alice Cavanagh, another member of Threadwork added, “Despite the recent 'trendiness' of shopping second-hand, I've noticed that buying used clothing has a real stigma for a lot of people. At our swaps, we get participants who don't usually shop vintage or at Value Village. I really like the idea that our events make people feel more comfortable with the idea of wearing used clothing.”

In addition to Vietinghoff and Cavanagh, Clothing Swap's organizers include Isabelle Dobronyi, Sophie Roher, Alexandra Epp and Ariel Bader-Shamai.

So if you have some old clothes just sitting around in your closet, and want to be a part of something unique, mark your calendars and don’t forget: B.Y.O.C. (Bring Your Old Clothes).

By: Bahar Orang

 

I recently bought a pair of a high-wasted jean shorts from H&M that looked as though they had been worn by a car mechanic every day for at least a month. They were wrinkled, frayed, and faded. I picked them up and thought to myself, “these are perfect!” and proceeded towards the cash register. Later that week I accompanied a very stylish friend of mine to a local Goodwill, where he purchased a gigantic jean jacket of the same quality and took it home to hack off the sleeves. The store was filled with young, hip, student-types – with girls looking through the guy’s stuff and guys dressed in fairly expensive items, looking through racks and racks of used clothing. A couple of Google searches later, I discovered that the number of North American resale stores was increasing by about 7% every two years.

The Great Recession era is one obvious reason for why people (especially debt-heavy students!) are turning to cheaper alternatives. But I was especially intrigued by the phenomenon because not only are people buying more used clothing, but new clothes are also being designed to appear used! It seems that 90’s grunge fashion is back – with faded denim jackets, boyfriend T-shirts, flannels, beanies, and chunky lace-up shoes. And today’s thrift stores are filled with donated clothing from the 90’s. It’s hard to tell however, what exactly inspired this recent trend - it feels far too simplistic to owe it all to a struggling economy.

The 90’s fashion was “anti-fashion.” It was about an “I can’t be bothered attitude” that allowed each individual to have their own unique style, with effortless glam and sexuality.  The movement was born under Kurt Cobain’s “smells like teen spirit” anthem, with Kate Moss and Jonny Depp as its poster girl and boy. It was a way to detach from an uptight society and resist the status quo.

The style has been re-developing in downtown London for several years, and fashion designers are looking to street style for inspiration now more than ever. Thus, the difference between the 90’s and 2012 is that “grunge” can be seen in high fashion on the catwalks. Fortunately, it’s a style that’s about spending less and using personal creativity and individuality instead of money – which is why we’re turning to thrift stores. There’s often a twenty-year cycle that happens in fashion, and it appears that we’re in the midst of it – ripped panty hose, combat boots, maxi-floral dresses and all.