How We Curate Our Collection

• Posted on 19 October 2023

Have you ever been curious about how we curate the furniture, decor, and home goods for the
store? Our mission each time we visit an auction or estate sale is to find high-quality pieces our
customers would be proud to include as part of their home.

A large component of what we do is sifting through the noise/junk to find treasures that are cool,
affordable and worth having, and over the years we’ve developed a system to help us filter out
the clutter.

Follow along to learn how we apply four S’s to help us separate the Good stuff from the fluff:

STYLE

Just as clothing and accessories have a season, so too do styles of furniture. The current trends
create demand that dictates to some extent what we choose to buy and curate for the shop. A
recent focus on sustainability and a desire to move away from mass market furniture has led to
a heightened interest in vintage and antique items. That has most recently manifested as an
increased demand for mid-century modern and Danish modern pieces, so when our team
comes across high-quailty items in these styles, we’re more likely to scoop them up.
We’re also influenced by our neighborhood and customers. The profile of our neighborhood has
changed over the years, as we’ve welcomed in more young professionals, so that also plays a
factor in the styles we select.

SHAPE (CONDITION)

Another huge driver for what we will and won’t bring into the store is the condition of the item in
question. As we’re not equipped to tackle project pieces that require restorative care such as
refinishing or reupholstery, we are very selective on what we will purchase.
It can be hard sometimes to let unique pieces go, but we pass by tempting treasures all the time
because they’re just in too rough of shape, and we want our customers to always be able to
trust that any items they purchase from us are in excellent condition.

SIZE

Size is another consideration when sorting through inventory at auctions or estate sales.
Sometimes we have to pass on prime pieces, because they’re just too large to be practical for
the average buyer. Also with the current state of the housing market, many customers are
looking to furnish apartments or townhouses in lieu of row houses or homes in the suburbs, so
ensuring furniture is accessible to our customers is a must.
We occasionally make concessions in this arena when looking for items for the store itself - we
have a vintage trophy case, for example, that we love and were thrilled to be able to repurpose
for display and storage in the shop.

STAPLES

We are passionate about curating some key staples we believe everyone should have in their
home, especially decor such as art, lighting and mirrors.

Art

When it comes to art, we try to strike a balance between things that are interesting, collectible
and affordable. We keep an eye out especially for vintage posters/prints, high-quality
reproductions, as well as signed, original artwork. But we don’t stop at framed art - we also look
for opportunities to bring in sculptures, wall hangings, textiles and more.

Lamps

Lighting is a hugely important area that people often tend to neglect in their homes, especially
rolling into the Fall/Winter seasons, when days are so much shorter and the opportunities to
soak up natural light is greatly diminished.
We are always on the lookout for cool, interesting lamps as they are an incredibly affordable
way to add atmosphere to a room, whether it’s a reading lamp next to a chair, a bedside lamp in
in your room, or task lamp for your desk - there is lighting to fit any space or occasion, and we
love them all.

Mirrors

We believe every home should have at least one mirror, but preferably more, and our customers
must agree, because we have trouble keeping them in stock. Not only are they are great way of
adding light to dark spaces, they also help make a room feel/appear larger and make great
additions to a gallery wall.

We hope that it’s apparent that we take great care and consideration in the curation of our
inventory so that our customers can trust that they are buying high-quality vintage and antique
items that are great condition for a fair price. Our selection is updated constantly, so we invite to
explore our latest collection, either in-person at our store, or online via our site (or Instagram
profile).