So I was out in the Junction today and discovered a store that just opened this very day!
Russet & Empire ("Purveyor of Fine Goods from this Great Nation and Abroad", the tagline says - don't you love it?) carries vintage/retro and new decorative accessories, and is run my a design-savvy gal named Micah Lenahan.
Micah is still setting the store up and the official opening isn't until September 2, so it'll be interesting to see what develops. Clearly, Micah has a love for design, which shows in the carefully curated white-walled space.
Everything from candle holders to stacking totem pole stacking and bud vases from Sweden preside on the wood shelving built by Micah's husband, a furniture designer who works around the corner at architectural salvage shop and gallery space, Smash.
As you can see here, Micah carries Mor candles, soaps and lip balm, which she tells me are carried only at Holt Renfrew in Toronto.
Right now there are quite a few items from Sweden, like mason jars with crown insignia on them for about $15 a pop, darling bulbous bud vases and such.
Unfortunately this dude isn't for sale, but there's a great story behind it: there was a pair of these at an auction around the corner, and Micah and her Dad bid on them but lost. Turns out her Dad approached the winner in the parking lot and offered to buy 'em ... now one is in Micah's shop, and the other with her Dad. Cute eh?
Prices aren't thrift, but they're good: the bud vase from Sweden that you see here is $19; a pair of ceramic 'twin' head vases, $22.
I really like the feel of this place; it's gallery-like without being pretentious, and Micah's enthusiasm is infectious.
There are also new gift cards and a few books. The perfect place to pick up a hostess gift or a little pick-me-up.
390 Keele St., just north of Keele and Dundas St. West
416-649-0042
www.russetandempire.com
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