Blast from the Past

Visiting Edmonton’s Antique Shops

By Diana Stabel

A great place to find a carefully chosen and not too overwhelming mix of antiques and collectibles is Mildred’s Collectibles & Antique Furniture, located not far from the popular Whyte Avenue shopping strip. Co-owners Mildred Towsey and Maureen Harper began the store back in 1993 and have built their business on referrals from existing customers. The store specializes in collectibles including Cherished Teddies, Royal Doulton, Disney and Hummel, as well as furniture and antiques from mostly, but by no means limited to, the 19th century and 20th century. One of the oddest items Mildred’s has sold was a frieze from a Roman lead sarcophagus (a coffin), circa 1st century AD, cast in relief with two panels framed by spiral Corinthian columns.

Learning about antiques can be overwhelming when one first starts out, but at the same time it can be extremely exciting. The emergence of reality antique television programs such as the Antiques Road Show has made people more aware and appreciative of items that they may have thought of before as trash. There are many reasons why people purchase antiques, a leading one being that it makes people nostalgic, discovering toys they used to play with as a child or items that remind them of their parents or grandparents. Another reason is the quality and craftsmanship of antiques — they have a timeless quality and are built to last for generations. Lastly, people purchase antiques because it satisfies their need to own something unique. So whether you are an antique newcomer, or an avid collector, here are some suggestions on where to find the finest and most unique antiques in Edmonton.

The store currently has for sale an Edison Fireside Phonograph (from approximately 1905) that is still in good condition with a fabulous sound. Perhaps what makes Mildred’s so unique, on top of the antiques of course, is that many friendships have formed around the coffee table dedicated to its customers. In fact, four collectible clubs meet regularly at Mildred’s, and some of the guests even have their own coffee mugs hanging on the wall. It is like an antique community, where customers get a chance to talk about their collections, have a home away from home, and perhaps even take a trip down memory lane remembering when they sat in their mother’s or grandmother’s kitchen.

For those who have a passion for jewelry accompanied by a desire to own something truly distinct, The Black Swan, located on the western edge of Whyte Avenue, carries thousands of exquisite and rare pieces of jewelry, each piece holding a unique story and heritage. Constantly reading up on her passion, the owner, Michèle Cohen, over the years has grown a knack for finding incredible pieces, many made from materials some people have never even heard of such as jet: a lightweight black or brownish-black material that is a variety of the coal family. Bakelite, the forerunner of all thermosetting plastics made from cast phenolic resins (a thermo-setting plastic) in 1907, has uses that range from the purely industrial to the colourfully decorative; and gutta-percha: a hard rubber material, discovered in the 1840s that today it is used in root canals, is made from the sap of a Malayan tree. Exceptionally pleasing to the eye is the fine selection of Italian mosaic and micro mosaic broaches, which are handmade from dozens of tiny tiles, often arranged in a colourful floral motif and set in brass.

Just across the street and south of the Old Strathcona Antique Mall is the Rocky Mountain Antique Mall. Spanning over 12,000 square feet, and with approximately 80 vendors, this antique mall carries a vast array of antique and vintage housewares and collectibles including fine china, porcelain, silver, pewter, glass, and art and furnishings for the home and garden. Rocky Mountain carries similar items as the neighbouring Old Strathcona Antique Mall, but it has more of a rustic feel. In fact, some of the customers refer to it as “a man’s antique store,” because of its broad range of antiques that have been salvaged from Alberta farms. Some of the most unique items that can currently be found are a pair of buffalo hide rugs, an oak mission style piano, and a pioneer era baker’s table.

Now that you’ve had your intimate introduction to antiques, it’s time to experience Western Canada’s largest antique mall, the Old Strathcona Antique Mall, spanning 22,000 square feet, and featuring the wares of over 150 antique and collectible dealers. With thousands of new items weekly, each visit is like the first time. The entire top floor is dedicated to antique furniture, while the bottom floor encompasses everything you could possibly imagine and more, such as thousands of records, along with an impressive selection of art deco crosses and other jewelry, depression glass, nostalgic children’s toys, magazines from the turn of the century, old tin signs, tobacco plug tins, pipes, baseball and hockey cards, belt buckles, and Canadian Blue Mountain pottery. There really is something for everyone and for all budgets. Perhaps one of the most unique items to be found is a horse that was salvaged from an antique carousel.

Also located on Whyte Avenue, Traveller Antiques, which shares a retail space with Howell Books, specializes in antiques, stained glass, artefacts and art from the East (such as ancient carvings made from antler and tortoiseshell), stacking bookcases and bookends, as well as unusual estate items. Many of the fabulous furniture pieces are from the Arts and Crafts movement, which took place in-between the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, from approximately 1880-1910. Arts and Crafts furniture is popular in North America because of its simple, straightforward yet beautiful designs, outstanding craftsmanship, and excellent quality of quarter-cut wood, meaning it is cut against the grain. One of the store’s most rare items at the moment is a piece of Luristan Bronze, an ancient bronze artifact from Persia circa 1000 B.C! In 1930 a large quantity of canonical Luristan bronze artifacts (such as weapons, ornaments, tolls, and ceremonial objects) appeared on the Iranian and European antiquities markets as a result of plundering of tombs in this region, and one of these pieces somehow made it to the Prairies!

If you desire something a bit more modern, offering a great selection of retro items, from furniture to pantyhose, from the 1940s to the 1970s, Swish is where vintage finds its sassy self! The owner Angela Larson holds a particular passion for textiles and a great deal of respect for women who were part of what she calls “the lost art” of women’s handicraft. Part of the impressive selection of textiles includes a carefully hand-woven tablecloth that took one woman over a year to create! A few of the other many unique items to be found at Swish is a box of chocolates that Queen Victoria sent to the troops during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), and what would make an amazing showpiece, a bridal kimono from Japan (most likely made with 14 karat gold thread), which is quite remarkable because of its craftsmanship — each thread has to be the same length!

While you’re in the mood for retro, another great retro store is the Junque Cellar, located on Whyte Avenue. Here one can find vintage furniture, kitsch, dinettes, appliances, clothing, accessories, and jewelry. In addition to the vintage selection, the Junque Cellar also carries an extensive selection of books, new and old, as well as modern imports from the Far East, including Nepalese lanterns and Balinese masks.

Without a doubt, one the most eclectic and unique stores in Edmonton is Tiffany’s Décor on Whyte. Perhaps the most impressive items are the hundreds of advertisements, rescued from old Edmonton streetcars, including ads for Ford, Edmonton Motors and Edmonton’s first newspaper The Edmonton Bulletin. Other unique items include old sports memorabilia and equipment, a large variety of Tiffany lamps (reproductions only, for the originals start from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars and are mostly only found in private collections and museums), rugs from Turkey and Iran, wrought iron from Egypt, neon signs, and possibly the oddest item in the store, a massive mounted hippopotamus head, not real of course!

So now that you know where to find the best antiques in Edmonton, start your treasure hunt, for you never know what you may find!