What's the solution to the trauma of box store and Mall anxiety? It's the quality and affordability of fabulous vintage and antique, one-of-a-kind finds. The things that you use every day don't need to be the latest, trendy, upscale-and-expensive designer-coloured widget from the Big City; nor do they need to be the poorly manufactured junk that you find at the big store whose name starts with the big letter "W". Somewhere in-between there lies a balance, and we think that we have it right here.
Real linen table cloths and napkins, Vitrified Diner-ware, vintage Tea Service, glassware, and utensils. Some of it is old, some of it isn't. Mostly from the 40's, 50's, 60's and, yes, the 70's. Some items are even new enough to have the original price tag on it, but we won't hold that against them. They're just showing off.
And who wouldn't? You don't have to be old or expensive to be cool...it's the attention to detail that matters, the little details...one fresh flower in a small table vase placed between the two of you while you dine...two or three candles to set the mood...putting the plates in the oven just before you bring them to the table so that they are nice and warm...you'll have to purchase the plates and flowers (or grow yourself, or fire yourself), but the ideas and the spirit behind them are free, absolutely free.
What we want you to take home with you, more than anything else, are ideas. Yes, we have lots of things that we'd like to sell to you, but in the end, if you won't use what you buy from us we'd rather you'd leave it here for somebody who will. There's great joy in actually eating from fine china or simple "diner" ware, serving tea in porcelain cups, and covering the table with real linen. And it can be done less expensively than buying the disposable version at Big "W". Simply buy it, take it home, and USE it...
It is about limiting ourselves, or not limiting ourselves. Limiting ourselves to the basics; what fun is that? Furniture made of compressed sawdust; what's that all about? It's like reading the classic comic version of War and Peace and thinking you know the story (or getting all of your news from the TV and feeling that you know enough about who to vote for). Now-a-days everyone keeps stuff in plastic boxes. Living with the niceties of life is a thing of the past; it's now all made of something synthetic from some sub-standard third world factory.
THIS is what it is really about: finding something that you won't find anywhere else. Something that will never be made again, anywhere. Something that says a little bit about who you are, or what you want to be. Throw in an elevated Funk Factor and you can even mix it up, pick and choose your favourite eras and trowel it all together. Who says that the past can't be future-dated?
Sure, there's the other side of the coin; the Martha Stewart/Country Living syndrome; where everything made before 1970 is highly collectable and therefore expensive. Not at our store; if we can't resell it to you at a reasonable price we simply won't buy it. If "The Innocent Rose'' were in Toronto we could double our prices and still would be sold out in a week. But instead we are in Bear River. Happy You!
Be prepared to spend a little time...DON'T BE IN A HURRY. Browse through the great selection of books, we have a lot of classics and non-fiction. Enjoy the whimsy of the 40's and 50's decor pieces: the french poodle do-dads and tacky flamingo lamps. Try on some vintage hats or dresses, or something funky with sequins. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a fab wool sweater when you can get one here for less than $25? The ebb and flow of merchandise never ceases, there is always something "new" to look at.
And leave some time for just sitting and enjoying the garden for a while...smell the roses. Maybe one of the cats will come and join you.
Oddacity Designs Inn Out of the Fog
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