Last week, while my family was vacationing at Blue Mountain, we popped in some of the surrounding antique shops in the Collingwood area. There is definitely no shortage of antique shops up there so we had plenty of options. This year we headed to Stayner’s East End Vendors Market. It was closed the day we drove there last year so I’m glad I had the chance to check it out this time.
The shop had a big selection but the shelf of cat figurines caught my attention above all else. I try to pick up an animal figurine each time I go antiquing and I’m building up a pretty steady collection now. The fact that there was a shelf dedicated to cats made me really happy since I’m a budding crazy cat lady.
I picked out a set of black cats; a mamma and three black kittens. I could tell that they didn’t actually go together because their faces, despite being mostly worn away, were painted with a different style and colour. After doing some research later on, I discovered that the kittens were part of a kitsch set made in Japan which included a mother cat with six kittens all held together with a gold chain. This set had green painted eyes, red ears and gold whiskers. The mother cat was also from Japan but made with red clay. Her eyes were painted yellow and her ears were painted red. I will probably end up painting in their eyes and whiskers at a later date.
I also bought another black cat figurine except this one was waving its paw and sitting next to a vase. I think the second figurine may have been made by the same company as the mamma cat from the first set because it is made from red clay in Japan and has a similar paint job.
Near the front of the shop there was a basket of vintage replica criminal photographs. As I sifted through them I came across a photo of a young woman pointing a rifle towards a man wearing a hat. I recognized the couple immediately as Bonnie and Clyde. There was only one photograph of the criminals’ iconic pose and I did not want to leave it behind!
During another day on our trip we walked along the shopfronts of Hurontario Street in downtown Collingwood. Treasure Tails was my most anticipated stop. It is a non-profit antique and thrift shop that sends its funds directly to the care of the Georgian Triangle Humane Society’s animals. If you ever find yourself in the Collingwood area I recommend popping into this little shop. There is lots to look at, the prices are fair and the volunteer staff are very friendly. I ended up getting two pre-loved treasures: a vintage photograph pin of a distinguished looking young man and tiny, dime sized bejeweled mouse pin.
Overall, it was a satisfying antique haul!
Trinketeer 