Fave Shop: Continuum Modern Vintage

Continuum Modern Vintage is one of my absolute fave vintage type shops. (It's where the shoes from yesterday's post came from). Owner Daina Liepa is celebrating a year in biz and I just came back from her anniversary fete.

Daina has such a great eye. She roams estate sales and antique auctions and finds the most beautiful and distinctive items in impeccable condition: a vintage porcelain Tiffany's box; white Limoges china; a gorgeous retro teak hutch.

What isn't in perfect shape gets a makeover - like this old coffee table she painted white and added a glass top to. There's also custom upholstery services available for furniture, headboards, you name it ....

... or you could buy it right off the shelf, so to speak. Walk into the shop and you could find a gorgeous Anthropologie-esque sofa, or a lush contemporary headboard with pillows, numerous custom-made throws and scarves.

I took this baby home: vintage velvet patterned fabric, dyed over with purple, to which a fringe, also dyed purple, was added, with brown velvet fabric on the other side. The most gorgeous thing I've seen in my life, and when I wear it, people practically stop me in the street.

Prices are really good, too, way better than the overinflated prices you see for the 'vintage' stuff they sell in uber trendy parts of town.

With vintage jewellery, luscious new candles, carefully selected vintage glasswear and accessories, this is a gift-givers paradise, a haven for those who love beautiful pieces and just an overall lovely store to browse in!

707 Pape Ave., 416-778-1200

For a review of Continuum and other shops just off the beaten path of the Danforth, see my January 2010 shopping column in the Town Crier newspapers

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Pop Up Shop on Queen East until December 31

It's not listed, there's no phone number, and nata a website. But I CAN tell you the shop is called craisy's; it's located at 888 Queen St. East, just where Leslieville meets Riverside in Toronto; and it's open until December 31.

The shop carries mostly fair trade imports from Peru, Mexico and so on. The wool and jewellery rocks, though you can pick up sea salts, kid's stuff and other accessories.

This wool Al Paca beret: a mere $15.

The real oak leaf dipped in some sort of metal (there were maple leaf variations dipped in sterling too): $25.

This gorgeous purple Al Paca sweater would have cost $150-200 in other stores, I'm guessing, but here it was $57. After my beret and my pendant I was broke, so my hunny bought it for me, the sweetheart that he is. I've been wearing the sweater in this damp weather - today I donned it with leggings and but a big belt at the waist - and it's been keeping me warm, and reminding me of my man.

The hat, meanwhile, is impossibly chic and has already turned into a staple. See how la-di-da it looks with some retro 1970s shades, and my hunky mannie?

See my recent review of Craisy's and some other new Leslieville area shops in my "Shopping" column in the Town Crier newspapers

P.S. Leslieville's "Wanderlust" evening shop hop is this Thursday, November 18! Many shops will be having specials and events and will be open late - I hear some will be open til 11pm. A family and stoller-friendly event too, I hear.

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Movie star moment & thrifty scarves on St. Clair West

So I had a Grunge Queen Movie Star Moment yesterday when doing a shopping column along St. Clair Ave. West (pictured here, what used to be my headshot for this blog, my lovely logo, if you will, designed by my lovely artist sis).

There I was, sauntering along (in a thrifted outfit), when I hear "Kelly!." I look and see a lady I don't know. She tells me I don't know her. Then she introduces herself as, well let's just say "M." M and I have corresponded via email about our thrifty chic designer finds. She's a closet thrifter and visits good 'ole Grunge Queen almost every day, she says.

Well, I couldn't have been more proud or flattered, or more delighted to meet a reader. Sometimes blogging feels lonely as I post so faithfully and often don't get comments and don't always interact with readers - then I hear through friends, family, and even strangers that they check in every day. So M, thank you, you gave me a reality check, and it was truly great to meet you!!

Back to the thrifty news. When I shop St. Clair West in Toronto, I always hit the Goodwill there, which totally rocks (the Sally Ann nearby,  not so great). But I heard there's a new thrift shop just a few doors over from Goodwill called Advantage Thrift. So natch I checked it out after my column.

Pickings: not so great: I always shop high on the food chain when I thrift and look for leather, cashmere, wool, good designer labels etc, and there wasn't much of that there. This large mohair wool scarf, though, was only $2.99. I've always wanted one. In fact when I was in Ottawa for Thanksgiving I saw a purple scarf like this at the Third World Bazaar for $40, too steep for my purse at the time. This one looks brand new and not a stain on it.

I also found this oblong brownish scarf for a mere $1.99. I'm really into brown these days so I bagged it. It's a soft wool and I liked the flecks of reddish orange.

Even better, the label says Farhat Hosiery. Now I thought the name sounded kind of exotic, like it was Egyptian or something. Well a quick question to the Google Gods reveals that Farhat Hoisery is in Bolton, Lancashire, England - and I have been there! When I went to England in September my man and I went to a place I've written about called Bygone Times. Well, that's in Bolton - go figure huh? And my Brit mannie just happens to have flown in yesterday, so I think it's pretty serendipitous that I find a thrifted scarf from a place so close to where he lives in the UK! I call that thrift Karma!

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Diana and vintage bling

Today I did a shopping column with my vintage pal Diana from A Touch of Vintage, who is looking very cool in her Preloved tunic bought and made locally in Toronto from vintage fabric relics. I also love her elasticized harness made by Montreal's I Heart Norwegian Wood. Very neat look with the leggings, vintage shades, and amazing shoes from Toronto shop Balisi.

An obvious style maven and vintage lover herself, Diana has not only a good style eye, but she also has this great talent for picking items out for others that completely suit their style personality.

As I discovered today.

While we were in the midst of our shopping sojourns, Diana presented me with this lovely 1970s burnished silver-tone pendant and chain by AVON.

She found it at a clothing swap and thought of me, the sweetie.

Needless to say, I love it. It is very MOI.

I don't know much about AVON bling, except to say that some pieces that were designed by the stars (Liz Taylor being one) are quite valuable.


After Diana and I had finished our shop, we parted ways and I was off to Leaside for an interview, again for the newspaper I work for, the Town Crier in Toronto.

When my interview was done, I was was sooo close to the Goodwill off Laird Drive that, well, I just had to pop in on my way home (don't tell me editor).

It was hotter than Hades in there, but, with bling on the brain, I did an intensive rummage in the bins splayed all over the counter in the shop.

I found this rather industrial looking pendant and chain for $2.99 (cheap for Goodwill these days, I have to say). I got it for a steal as the chain is broken, but that can be easily repaired. I like the rough-and-tumble look to it - it totally suits the rock n' roll persona I'm playing out these days.

I also found this stamped Sarah Coventry pin for less than a twoonie, made in Canada.

Beam me up, Scottie!!

Seriously, do you think Star Trek was the inspiration for this baby?

Not sure if I'll ever wear it, but if it'll come in handy if I'm ever a Star Trek babe for Halloween

Sarah Coventry bling is pretty easy to find and collectible in one sense, but I'd warn you against spending too much on these pieces as they are pretty easy to dig up at garage sales and the like. I paid $15 for a SC cocktail ring at The Bead Goes On in Toronto - a good price - yet recently saw a SC pendant for $60 in a vintage shop - too pricey for the GQ and most collectors, I suspect.

Speaking of Sarah Coventry jewellery, I also found this filigree owl pendant that's a couple inches long, again signed Sarah Coventry.

Owls are very hot now; I'm seeing them all over Etsy and the motif seems to be inspiring designers as well.

It's not really my bag, but I couldn't leave it there.

Perhaps I'll give it to Diana, to keep or to sell.

Speaking of Goodwill it's 50% off day tomorrow, though if you go to the one I did today be prepared to bring your portable air conditioner.

And if you want to learn more of Diana's A Touch of Vintage Etsy shop and studio, check out my review on a new blog I'm developing (that is still in major Beta mode, so bear with me), She Shops Toronto.

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