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.
Where to find cheap, close and creative clothing
By Katie van Kampen, Contributor
Learning to become a more sustainable shopper is not always easy. Although there are lots of thrift shops in Hamilton, many pieces might not be the right match for you. To help you along your journey, we’ve compiled a list of thrifting spots— each unique in their own right. Using the categories below, you may just find your perfect match. Happy shopping!
Out of the Past (308 Ottawa St. North)
Price: $$
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As you walk into Out of the Past, there is a smiling cat in the window to welcome you. That same cat is stamped on the sale tags. Yet, underneath the grinning feline is the word “Woof”. You see, Out of the Past is a paradox. The store has very specific alternative, punk and grunge vibe supported by a curated playlist of new wave, late 70s music. Somehow, there is something for everyone here.
The walls are covered with different clothing articles, ranging from a Halloween section to a rack of black band shirts and a cabinet dedicated to steam-punk inspired goggles. The owner handpicks the store’s clothing from used clothing factories. All of the pieces contribute to a unique aesthetic within the store through both its décor and the items offered.
New Horizons Thrift Shop (520 James St. North)
Price: $
While unassuming from the outside, New Horizons has a variety of clothing for men and women at very reasonable prices. I saw multiple Danier Leather jackets priced below $30, which can retail for well over that price.
New Horizons is a thrift shop that reinvests its revenue back into the program and services of Welcome Inn Community Centre, such as in their after school and senior programs. All donated clothing is and unsuitable clothing is donated back to the Diabetes Canada Association. If you want to shop on a budget and support a charity while you’re at it, this is the thrift shop for you.
The Thrifty Designer (203 King St. East)
Price: $$$
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From the outside, this looks like a trendy boutique clothing store with a dark minimalistic exterior and impeccably dressed mannequins. However, inside there is something more unique waiting. Owner Leslie Smith-Aragon upcycles clothing, giving the clothes a new chance at life. She also picks out forgotten and previously loved items such as scarves, sweaters and other fabrics to create entirely new and individual pieces.
There is a large selection of formal wear such as blazers, vests and dresses at reasonable prices considering their quality. For example, a blazer was priced at $60 and looked like new. If you are in the market for more formal attire, this is a perfect option as you will be purchasing something unique and sustainable from The Thrifty Designer.
Hamilton Antique Mall (233 Ottawa St. North)
Prices: $$
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Walking past this building, you wouldn’t know that there are three floors of antique clothing, furniture, toys and other items waiting to find a new home. The Hamilton Antique Mall is a collection of booths — all rented to various collectives. You’ll have to search around to find the clothing booths, but that in itself is an adventure that could fill an otherwise uneventful day.
Much of the clothing you will find here has a vintage style but are all previously worn pieces. Each booth is unique with a specific theme in mind. I found one booth with darker pieces reminiscent of the 90s grunge era, but also a more cheerful booth with pastels and clothing reminiscent of the 50s. Hamilton Antique Mall is a perfect way to spend an afternoon trip on Ottawa Street, hitting up the many restaurants along the way and having a browse through the many booths you can encounter — you’ll be sure to find something!
Deju Vu New and Used (262 King St. West)
Prices: $
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Deja Vu New and Used has been operating in the heart of downtown for the past 36 years. Walking in, you can immediately appreciate the diversity of the store — with an entire rack of sunglasses, leather jackets and jeans. The store is well-organized with every item having its own home. The walls are aligned with notable pieces from an astronaut Halloween costume to handbags and sweaters.
Clothing is sourced from multiple places, mostly Toronto suppliers, but all are picked with diversity in mind. For a wide selection of used clothing via a fifteen-minute bus ride from campus, this is the best place to go if you want to get out of that Westdale bubble but have to make it back in time for your next midterm!
By: Ana Qarri
Much to our dismay, not everyone has the voice of Adele, or the musicality of Joni Mitchell. (This is probably for the best, as I can’t imagine much would get done if we never stopped singing, playing guitar, and composing tear-jerking melodies about Manhattan hotels.)
This means that when it comes to serenading our significant others, and even our friends, we have to rely on other people’s voices and strumming fingertips.
However, (and don’t let that one musically talented friend tell you otherwise) making playlists is an art of its own.
It all started with the mixtape. The mixtape wasn’t a technological masterpiece. As my parents found out the hard way, its contents could be easily destroyed in the hands of a curious 5 year old. But it wasn’t the design or the structural ingenuity that gave each mixtape meaning.
In the hands of love-struck teenagers, the mixtape was the perfect paper for their very first love letter. Between pressing Record/Play/Stop and leaving too many seconds of silence between songs, they started feeling the first pangs of what they thought was love.
Handed nervously on the 61st day of a relationship, the mixtape was the perfect gold to engrave the promise of another 61.
Some say that the beauty of playlists vanished along with mixtapes.
While dragging songs on iTunes doesn’t seem as romantic as spending hours recording a tape, the drawbacks of the technology weren’t the artist’s real hardships. Making a playlist is about spending hours deciding which song to begin with, or deferring this crucial decision until the end of the process. You don’t want to overwhelm them right away, but you do want to let them know that overwhelming is what you’re aiming for.
Making a playlist is about deciding when you want to feel the bass kicking in. Is the fourth song too soon? Do you want the vibrations of your heart beat to resonate across their sound system or does this make you feel too vulnerable? Will you throw in some James Blake or Frank Ocean to let them know what their absence feels like, or will the silence suffice? Will it reflect all you’ve ever felt for them, or will you focus on that one night when all you really wanted to do was sit next to them?
When you’ve placed them next to each other, arranged the breaks in between to give someone time to think and time to breathe, these sounds become yours.
So, if you lack musical skills, don’t despair. There are millions of songs out there, all waiting to be added to a playlist, all waiting for you to give them meaning.
