Christie Antique Show

For the first time this past Saturday, I ventured out to the Christie Antique Show with my mama.  It is one of the biggest and best antique shows in Ontario and it is held twice a year at Christie Lake Conservation Area.  The show hosts hundreds of Canada’s top antique dealers and collectors displaying their many treasures. You will find things such as furniture, architectural antiques, stoneware, folk art, rugs, jewelry, sports memorabilia, textiles, cut glass and much more.  This show has been featured on Style at Home and it’s definitely not rare to bump into local interior design celebs wondering around with their camera crews.

When we arrived, I could not believe my eyes.  There were thousands of people everywhere.  I’ve never seen so many full parking lots in my life and at 11:00 a.m. (a little later than we expected due to an unplanned detour) we were lucky enough to find a parking spot at the very back of Christie Lake.  As we were getting shuttled to the front entrance, our driver said there were line ups before the gates opened.  I guess the best treasures and not to mention the best parking spots are found first thing in the A.M.!

As we entered, we paid our $10 admission and I was eager to get started!  There were aisles and aisles of vendors (10 acres to be exact) with unique pieces and items that dated way pass my time.  There were things that my mom remembered from her childhood and vintage things I can only recall ever seeing from movies like “Back to the Future”.  I was thrilled to visit each booth and at the same time, overwhelmed that I could not take in all the details due to the crowds of people.  My mom on the other hand, couldn’t understand what the hype was all about.  She was convinced that she could open a booth and make good money from all the old “junk” laying around in her house.  Let’s just say mom prefers the brand spanking new items that are finished and ready to put up.  I must admit, although she doesn’t share my love for vintage things, it was funny to watch her spot out old items that she still had in her house.  Her facial expressions and comments were priceless.

We wondered around for a couple hours and I came across these barrels that I loved.  One of the barrels consisted of two halves.  They would have been perfect to convert into side tables for my outdoor patio but they were already sold.  Again mom didn’t understand.  She told me to take a barrel from my grandmother’s backyard and cut it in-half….hehehe she got me thinking, diy project?!

Side note: to mom and those who can’t visualize barrels used as side tables, this is what I had in mind.  Love the rustic charm!!

photo credit: Centsational Girl

I also came across some unique wooden tables but at the moment, I just didn’t have a use for them.  Unfortunately, I came home with nothing but I did take a ton of pictures.

Here are a few things that caught my eye at the Christie Antique Show.

Vintage boxes from historic companies

Shell sign from 1955

There was even a booth dedicated to vintage purses!

The colours on these phonographs would make for beautiful decor in any home!

Great item for the man cave ($375 for Richardson Root Beer)

Pink chair ($125)

Looking for a male mannequin ($250) or apothecary glass bottles (ranging from $45-65 per bottle)

The Good Year sign at the bottom right has a hefty price tag of $7,850

Interesting vintage photos.  London Soccer team (1912) $135, Zion Senior Church League Basketball Champions (1924) $125, Scarboro Rugby Team (1932) $125, RCA Toronto (1942) $135, Air Force Camp (1943) $150

Life-size Magic Tree…who would of thought!

Nylon dispenser ($100) and Hamilton Beach milk-shaker ($340), I wonder if they still work?

If you missed this show and are interested in catching the next one, mark your calendars for Saturday, September 7, 2013.  You can find more details here.