Urban cottage

Perfect for the Saturday afternoon meander, Urban Cottage Antiques and collectables (1819 Granville Street), is a favourite Halifax haunt for thrifters. What sets this eclectic antique shop apart is that it takes consignment and has a unique pricing strategy.

Make sure you check the price tag...you’ll see the price it is today....and if the piece doesn't get snatched up, what the price will be the following week.

Since the price decreases each week, you have to decide if you want to buy it then, or take your chances and hope it’s still available later.

'Urban Cottage' is a little overwhelming when you initially pop in, but take a few deep breaths and you'll start to become acclimatized to what some would refer to as 'old junk' and others would call 'antique collectables.'

It's not really an antique shop - more of a second-hand / vintage furniture and collectibles store, jam-packed with a strange mish-mash of vintage, crazy kitsch and hard-to-find everythings.

From large furniture pieces to figurines to...uh...well, any item that an interior designer would use in very small doses to add something interesting into the decor or stage a house.

Basically, I see it as an interior design shop for people who don't want a single piece to be found anywhere else.

As you can imagine, stock changes quickly, so it’s worthy of more frequent repeat visits.

Enjoy!

Join us at www.facebook.com/rougesuzanne where you’ll find links to weekly blog posts and design ideas, tips, random thoughts and photos.

For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com

Plan B

I checked out Plan B, a truly unique merchants’ cooperative, a couple of days ago.

Opened since October 2011, this shop is located at 2180 Gottingen Street and is open 7 days a week. (http://planbhfx.ca/
and www.facebook.com/PlanBHalifax)

Featuring more than 25 merchants and artisans, Plan B is the solution for super small entrepreneurs. Working together, they can now have a permanent, brick and mortar street level space at an affordable cost.

Basically, they added up the costs involved with leasing the space and expenses, and divided it by square foot to determine the rent. For example, a small cubby rents for $30 a month.


All the members pitch in and work in the store a day or two a week.


While there are other artisan co-ops, this is the only mercantile co-op in the city.

And what’s sold in the store is even more unique than the operation itself.


There’s lots of vintage here -- clothes, video games, vinyl, and so much more. Jewelry, electric cigar box guitars, fascinators, mid-century furniture and accessories, featured original artwork and even taxidermy. Yes, taxidermy. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

You really never know what you’ll find here and the stock changes all the time.

So plan to check it out more than once, plan to spend a lot of time there, and plan to always find something interesting.

Join us at www.facebook.com/rougesuzanne where you’ll find links to weekly blog posts and design ideas, tips, random thoughts and photos.


For more about rouge, visit www.littlered.ca or check out past blogs at www.justalittlerouge/blogspot.com