There is something to be said for convenience. You see a coffee table online, click “add to cart” and a few days later, it arrives at your door. But there is also a downside to decorating a home entirely from places where thousands of other people are shopping for the same things.
Your home should tell your story, and sometimes the pieces that give it the most personality aren’t the ones currently trending on social media. They’re the things you stumble across unexpectedly like an unusual piece of art, a vintage crystal decanter, a beautifully made chair or a table you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.
That’s part of the appeal of shopping consignment and part of what struck me when I recently visited Toronto’s …of Things Past located at 185 Bridgeland Avenue in Toronto, Ontario (approximately five minutes from Yorkdale Shopping Centre). It is known as the most eclectic store in Toronto for high quality furniture and home décor and it lived up to that promise.
There is a lot to take in. Furniture is arranged in vignettes alongside artwork, lighting and accessories, and there isn’t one particular era or aesthetic dominating the space. Antiques sit alongside mid-century finds and contemporary pieces. Look a little closer and there are smaller treasures tucked throughout. More importantly, what you see on one visit may not be there the next.
New pieces arrive every day, and the store has evolved considerably during its 30-year history. While antiques remain part of the mix, …of Things Past has added more modern, transitional and contemporary pieces as customers’ tastes have changed. The store also receives showroom models from furniture retailers when they’re changing their displays. These pieces have only been on a showroom floor, making them virtually new. That was unexpected.
So, how do you make the most of shopping somewhere where you never quite know what you’re going to find?
Start With an Open Mind
You may walk through the door looking for a dining table and leave thinking about a piece of art instead. That’s part of the fun. Unlike traditional retail, where you can usually order another version of whatever you’re looking at, consignment inventory is determined by what comes through the door. That encourages you to look beyond your shopping list and consider things you might never have thought of searching for online.
You should still come prepared. Know the approximate dimensions of your rooms and the furniture you already own. Keep photos and measurements on your phone, particularly if you’re looking for a substantial piece. But leave yourself some room to be surprised.
The showroom is large. I recommend walking around the perimeter first. You will see a lot of “smalls” items like bone china, figurines and other décor pieces. You will also find unique pieces of furniture and it gives you a place to start. Then, if you are looking for furniture, you can concentrate on the middle aisle.
You Really Don’t Know What You’ll Find
This was probably my favourite part of visiting …of Things Past. Among the artwork I saw were limited-edition John Lennon pieces authorized by his estate and Yoko Ono. Produced in 1988, one of the editions was limited to just 3,000 worldwide.
Nearby were limited Picasso reproductions authorized and signed by his granddaughter, Marina Picasso. These weren’t mass-produced posters. They were produced in limited runs on high-quality paper, with attention paid to maintaining the size and colour of the original works. I certainly wasn’t expecting to encounter Lennon and Picasso when I walked in. There were also unique pieces from other well-known artists.
That’s exactly the point. Those are particularly noteworthy examples, but they demonstrate what makes shopping at …of Things Past so different. You can’t predict what someone else is going to part with or what might arrive at the store tomorrow. Art, in fact, has become a popular category at …of Things Past, particularly older works that shoppers simply can’t find elsewhere. Mid-century furniture is also very popular.
Don’t Overlook the Smaller Finds
You don’t need to buy a sofa or dining table to make consignment shopping worthwhile. One of the things I noticed walking through the store was just how many smaller pieces there were to discover. Glassware, pottery, serving pieces, silver and artwork can all add character to a home without requiring you to redecorate an entire room.
Crystal decanters are particularly popular right now, according to Roma Maksymec, General Manager, …of Things Past. Customers are buying several different styles and grouping them together to create home bars. Scotch glasses are so popular that Maksymec says they are difficult to keep in stock. Crystal glasses and serving pieces are also finding new audiences, particularly among people who entertain.
Mix Old With New
Shopping consignment doesn’t mean your home needs to look like an antique store. In fact, some of the most interesting rooms are the ones that aren’t tied rigidly to one period. A contemporary sofa can work with a vintage coffee table. Older art can add warmth to a modern room. Crystal can bring a little glamour to a streamlined bar.
…of Things Past has experienced that shift firsthand. As customers began looking for more modern and contemporary furnishings, the store started accepting more of them while deliberately retaining antiques as part of its assortment. The result is a mix that feels much closer to the way many of us actually decorate our homes: gradually, rather than buying an entire room at once.
Visit Often
This may be the most important rule of consignment shopping. The store you visit today isn’t necessarily the store you’ll see a month, or even a week, from now. …of Things Past receives shipments every day. Incoming pieces are processed and priced, and the store’s designer then works them into vignettes throughout the space.
That means not finding what you’re looking for on your first visit isn’t necessarily a reason to give up. It’s a reason to come back. Most of the store’s inventory is also available on its website, making it easier to keep an eye on new arrivals between visits.
Know When to Wait and When to Buy
This is where shopping …of Things Past becomes a bit of a game.
Items are initially consigned for six months, and the price drops by 10 per cent each month. Even better, the price tag shows the scheduled reductions, so you can see what something will cost if you wait.
Find a coffee table you love but aren’t quite ready to pay the current price? You can wait. Customers sometimes photograph pieces they’re considering and call later to see whether they’re still available. Others see something online, arrive at the store ready to buy it and discover that someone else got there first.
That’s the trade-off. Wait another month and you may get a better price. Wait another month and you may lose it entirely. With a mass-produced piece, that’s not necessarily a problem. You can order another one. With consignment, there may not be another one, but you also never know if something else will appear that you love even more.
Upcycling Gives Great Pieces Another Life
Finding something unique may be the fun part, but shopping consignment is also a form of upcycling.
A table doesn’t stop being useful because its original owner is moving. Artwork doesn’t become less beautiful because someone is redecorating. And a crystal decanter that’s spent years sitting untouched in someone’s cabinet may be exactly what another person has been searching for. Instead of automatically replacing those pieces with something newly manufactured, consignment keeps them in circulation.
At …of Things Past, furniture that reaches the end of its consignment period without selling may be donated to Furniture Bank or another charity, although the store says most of its furniture does find a buyer.
The Thrill Is in the Hunt
After visiting …of Things Past, I think ultimately the biggest difference between consignment shopping and conventional retail is the thrill of the hunt and finding something special for you or for someone that you love. You can go online knowing exactly what you want, find it and have it delivered. But there’s also something much more satisfying about walking into a store without knowing what’s waiting for you. Maybe it’s the coffee table you came for. Maybe it’s a crystal decanter that inspires you to finally put together that home bar. Maybe it’s a unique coffee-table book you haven’t seen anywhere else.
Or maybe, as happened to me, you turn a corner and suddenly find yourself looking at limited-edition artwork by John Lennon.
You just never know.
Follow …of Things Past on Instagram @ofthingspast
In partnership with …of Things Past.
