1 Post + Beam Reclamation, 2869 Dundas W. 416-913-4243. www.pandb.ca.
HOURS: To July 1: Wed-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun noon-5pm. (Closed Sundays July 1-Sept. 1.)
WHAT: Specializing in reclaimed architectural material, owner Doug Killaly scours aged structures from as far as England, South America and the US Rust Belt. Killaly attributes the store’s success to customers who understand that vintage housewares are of higher quality than the kind mass-produced today. “Principal residences are one of the few tax shelters that exist today,” he adds, “so people want to invest in their homes.”
HOW LONG: Two and a half years.
LOOK FOR: Spanish granite millstone table ($395), Victorian pressed-glass doorknob set ($45) and a vintage ceramic dentist basin (pictured, $350) that’s perfect as a birdbath.
BEST DEAL: Late-19th-century iron registers ($45-$600), rare finds dug up in Pittsburgh.
2 Forever Interiors, 2903 Dundas W. 416-291-2001.
HOURS: Tue-Fri noon-7pm; Sat 11am-7pm; Sun noon-5pm.
WHAT: Creative director Martin Scott constructs new furnishings from old materials, often within a 5km radius. “I don’t have a truck or vehicle, so I’m not going far,” Scott says.
HOW LONG: “Two years and 35 weeks.”
LOOK FOR: Old door-panel bench ($199), four-hook coat racks on reclaimed wood ($69 and up) and a radiator-cover bookshelf ($599) that Scott says actress Rachel McAdams was eyeing.
BEST DEAL: Small bowling alley tabletop with 1950s reclaimed metal base (pictured, $599).
3 SMASH (interior pictured), 2880 Dundas W. 416-762-3113. www.smash.to.
HOURS: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun noon-5pm.
WHAT: The former bargain store is now a 4,500-square-foot haven to a “weird fulcrum of creativity,” says owner Paul Mercer (a former Post + Beam co-owner). A collective-driven space — artists Jon Todd and Jerome Jenner help curate — SMASH has quirky architectural antiques, furniture and found art.
HOW LONG: The official opening isn’t scheduled until early June, but SMASH’s Jerome Jenner Gallery opened this month with the Contact Festival photo exhibit “Tattooed.”
LOOK FOR: Eastern European wood-carved trophy antlers ($150); 1940s tattoo parlour watercolour painting ($275); books selected by Kensington Market’s design, art and technology shop Function13 (www.function13.ca).
BEST DEAL: Not a deal per se, but we’d die for the large-scale 1960s Chairman Mao propaganda silkscreen tapestry ($2,200).