New Stock Arrives Daily

I feel as though I’ve written this update before, but here we go again. For those who are unaware, all nonessential businesses in Ontario are closed for instore shopping, and yes that includes The Barn. We are still open for curbside pickup and delivery.

There are lots of photos on our Reproductions page, if you want to shop from home. Plus, we have full walkthrough tour videos of The Barn on YouTube. There are links to the videos on our Antiques page.

If you would like more information about one or several of the items, you see in the videos just send us an email. Please describe the piece and state the time of the video. Or just send us a screenshot. Since posting the videos we have received several emails with vague descriptions of items, it can be difficult to figure out which piece is of interest, so please be specific.

If there is something you would like to purchase, please email us your phone number and we will give you a call to arrange payment and delivery or a curbside pickup time. When we are closed to instore shopping, we can only take payment by Visa or Mastercard over the phone.

We will continue to post weekly updates on this page every Monday. During the first two stay at home orders several customers reached out to let us know that they enjoyed the stories from The Barn that we posted. Your feedback was much apricated. So, we will bring back the quarantine series with more stories from The Barn. We aren’t out of stories yet.

The photos we post on this page will continue to be of new arrivals. As usual there is lots of items already en route that will arrive during lockdown. Plus, we will bring in new antique pieces from storage as we have space.

During lockdown we do not keep regular store hours, so if you would like to get in touch, email is best.

I know I said this last time like a lot of people, but hopefully this will be the last lockdown and we will be able to get back to something approaching normal soon. Stay safe everyone.

This past week we received a shipment of large stained glass Tiffany style lamps. The fun smaller butterfly lamps also showed up. As did a fresh batch of large Art Glass vases and bowls. There are a couple of photos below.

More new outdoor arrivals included: cast iron benches, cast iron 3piece bistro sets, plant stands, and garden gnomes.

New antique furniture arrivals included: unusual carved teak coffee table-a photo is below, 3piece iron patio set[table & 2 chairs], outdoor plant table, inlaid jewelry table, early pine tool chest, child’s rocker, iron & wicker circular planter, oval bevelled mahogany mirror, walnut double bed, vintage walnut dresser, oak swivel bar stool, mahogany wine table, pair of Georgian dining room chairs, child’s chair, iron magazine stand, small yellow bookcase, a nice set of Empire chairs-a photo is below, and more.

The non-furniture antique new arrivals included: 6foot cedar plank, a collection of pine boards, assorted planters & urns, large carboy, Labatt’s mirror sign, assorted odd table leaves, collection of china creamers, copper & delf coal bucket and stick stand, 2 miter boxes, 3 antique water pumps, metal garden rooster, goose neck adjustable brass floor lamp, rare cast iron 1930 tire bead for model A’s by Snap on Tools, Honda generator, pair of Asian lamps, collection of printer’s blocks, large selection of silver plate holloware including 3 tea sets, Argentinian canteen, 2 ceiling light fixtures, large cast iron farm bell on 6foot stand, 54inch high cast iron candle stand, rare grape picking metal basket, 9 candle copper candelabra, assorted crystal pieces-a photo is below, large crockery planter, 2 part blue flower holder, 2 flower carriers, and more.

We also got in a bunch of sets of dishes this week. Most of them are still boxed, but the three that we’ve got out are: 54pieces green white and gold Paragon set, 44pieces Royal Albert petit point set, and 19piece Royal Crown Derby Mikado set. The Paragon set will probably be sold before this even gets posted, it seems everyone wants Paragon these days.

The much talked about, custom ordered, large replica metal signs have all finally arrived! I didn’t include any photos because there is a ”Large Replica Metal Signs” section on our Reproductions page with lots of photos. Plus, they just arrived, we haven’t finished unpacking them yet. All the signs in the “Large Replica Metal Signs” section are now in stock. There are even more large sign options available instore. We are pretty excited about these, I first mentioned designing some larger signs two years ago to one of our suppliers. After a lot of design and manufacturing details were worked out, and several rounds of samples, and of course covid related shipping delays, they are finally here!

It seems like every spring we amass enough outdoor metal birds to build an aviary, and this spring is no exception. More birds showed up this past week including: peacocks, blue jays that hang from the ceiling, two types of egrets, yellow goldfinches, and roosters that hang on the wall.

A few more new outdoor items included; Ferris wheel planters and bicycle planters.

A bunch of fun new home décor items showed up, including: moose & deer head resin sculptures, replica vintage wall fire extinguishers, wall décor, accent tables, wooden crates, vintage replica model tractors, motorcycles, and Volkswagens.

New antique furniture arrivals included: red leather wing chair, two door maple bookcase, Art Deco chest of drawers, plant stands, 54” round mahogany table with 4 leaves, set of 5 mahogany dining chairs, set of 4 colonial chairs painted yellow, pair of press back chairs-also painted yellow, Louis XV style night stand, birch bookcase, large Victorian mantle mirror, oval Victorian parlour table, oval marble top carved lamp table, and more.

Non furniture antique arrivals from this past week included: small early mantle clock, Lladro figurine, 2 wooden ladders, 2 signed and numbered decoys, assorted china platters, miscellaneous figurines & Limoges pieces, wicker baskets & trays, pair of unusual wicker candle holders, 3 different 2feet high Asian influenced vases, and more. 

This past week we received an enormous and long overdue shipment of reclaimed wood furniture. Lots of items we normally stock, plus lots of special factory ordered pieces. First the special orders, the large and small Cintra sideboards are back in the Rustic Acorn finish. In the Settler line we now have the complete bedroom collection in the African Dusk colour: queen beds, chests of drawers, dressers, night stands, and blanket boxes. We also got in the Irish Coast sofa tables in African Dusk. A few photos are below. Please note that these were all special orders and when we run out, we may not be able to restock them again. PGT reclaimed furniture is getting progressively harder to get due to the tremendous demand and long wait times.

As for the regular stocking items, the lifestyle three drawer file cabinets have been restocked. From our Irish Coast African dusk line, we’ve restocked: ladder back chairs, small coffee tables, three drawer night stands, writing tables, and large benches.

We also got in two new styles of firepits this past week, just in time for outdoor season! One looks like a beehive and the other is a bird in a tree. And the metal scarecrows are back!

And because we seem to get in replica vintage signs every week now, the large “Farm Fresh Eggs” signs arrived. The eggs signs originally arrived in February, but they sold out in less than a month. I guess folks really like eggs.

Antique furniture new arrivals included: a terrific late Victorian walnut double bed-a photo is below, pair of wing chairs, square oak parlour table, fold out sewing cabinet, coin cabinet[specially designed for displaying coins], a nice mahogany server, Windsor rocking chair, primitive bentwood rocker, mahogany leather top lamp table, rectangular pine mirror, refinished maple school desk, primitive pine bench, Victorian side chair, Sheraton wash basin stand circa 1790, and more.

We also got in a six-piece parlour set, a photo is below. We will break up the set, it is very difficult to find someone who wants to buy full parlour sets these days. But when we break them up, the pieces sell quickly. We’ve only brought in a pair of chairs for now, but if you want the full set before we start selling off the pieces, just ask.

More antique new arrivals included: large silver plate ice bucket, miscellaneous small china pieces, 20” figurine by Santini, stop and no parking signs, exceptional oak spinning wheel[a photo is below], desk globe, collection of marked crocks[Halifax, Eagon & sons, McConnell Toronto, etc.], castle jewelry box, large decorative milk can, copper boiler, copper ash can, assorted crystal bowls, 2 Royal Doulton figurines, four canes, and more.

Well, that was different, after 15 weeks closed to instore shopping, we had customers in the store this past week. After so long in lockdown we got used to being closed. It occurred to me that this was the longest period of time The Barn has been closed since 1969. Things are still far from back to normal, as we are operating with a maximum capacity of 10 customers at a time. But, it’s a step in the right direction.

We’ve had a lot of frustrated customers over the last few months, who were not pleased with not being allowed in the store to shop. We are located in Peel, but are close to Halton so many customers told us that we should be open during lockdown. Stores just a few blocks away in Halton were allowed to open. Unfortunately, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and we were not permitted to open, but we are now.

We are booking appointments for Mondays and Tuesdays, closed on Wednesdays, and open 10am to 5pm, Thursday through Sunday. Amazingly, we received our first request for an appointment ten minutes after premier Ford announced a date for Peel’s return to the grey zone. We would like to thank our many customers who have waited patiently for the stay at home order to be lifted.

We would also like to return to normal weekly updates on new arrivals on this page. So, to get started in that direction, here is an update on some recent arrivals.

Antique new arrivals included: lots of lamps in various styles, 2 cast iron lanterns, wooden ladder, 2 oak whisky barrels[3’high, 22”round top], hall tree, nice vintage wooden floor lamp, dough box on stand[would make a great outdoor planter], box of 50 LP’s, iron base marble top hall table, pair of oak folding bookcases, bicycle planter, mid-century metal chair, iron & wicker plantstand, 6 cups & saucers, 10piece Limoges tea set, pine suitcase, 2 box planters, vintage walnut lamp table, marron leather swivel desk chair, period rectangular marble top coffee table, 2 tier leather top lamp table, half-moon wicker hall table, 3 foot round kitchen table with cast iron base, and more.

And of course, yet another batch of replica tin signs arrived.

We will post a full update on new arrivals next week!

The Blue Jays are playing spring training games and the snow is melting, so we’ve decided it’s time for spring! Around this time of year is normally when we start receiving new outdoor items. But given the commonality of shipping delays during the pandemic we planned ahead, and lots of new outdoor items have already arrived. Plus, there are still lots more fun new and returning outdoor items due to arrive throughout the spring. 

Below there is three photos of new items from a recent shipment. If you would like to see them in person, we put samples in the windows at The Barn, if you happen to be out for a walk in the neighbourhood. The popular large crane is the only returning item from last year, from this shipment that is, the rest are all brand new items. My favorite is the 52 inch tall rooster. Yes, you read that right, 52 inch tall rooster. Because who doesn’t need a giant rooster in their backyard?

There are fun bees and butterflies that hang on the wall or fence, stoplight bird feeders, feathered blue jays & cardinals, praying mantis, woodpeckers, lots of penguins, and of course pink flamingos. We now have four different sizes of pink flamingos in stock.

There are three additional photos below of outdoor items that came in earlier during the lockdown. You may have noticed some of those items if you watched one of The Barn tour videos. 

I definitely buried the lead on this one, but after 15 weeks in lockdown we are opening up for instore shopping again, with a low-capacity limit. We have decided to allow a maximum of 10 customers in the store at a time. This is well below the government mandated capacity limit. We will be taking reopening slowly. When the covid numbers improve we will increase our capacity limit.

We will be open on Monday and Tuesday by appointment or chance, closed on Wednesdays, and open 10am to 5pm, Thursday through Sunday, on a first come first serve basis. No appointments will be taken for Thursday through Sunday. These are the same hours we have had since early on in the pandemic. When we weren’t closed for instore shopping of course. These hours allow us to book appointments two days a week for customers who would rather shop by appointment. They also allow us greater flexibility with our schedule, which we’ve needed to deal with covid related challenges. Just about everything we do related to our business takes longer these days because of covid safety precautions we have to take. 

We have had some confusion in the past about our hours and procedures, so I would like to explain further. Thursday through Sunday we will let a maximum of 10 customers in the store. After that the door will be locked. As customers leave, we will allow new customers in the building to a total of 10. If the door is locked that means we are at capacity. We will also place a sign outside the door explaining the situation. You can book an appointment for Mondays and Tuesdays, so you know you will be allowed in, or you can just chance it. Appointments are especially useful for customers who would like certainty that they will be able to get into the store. “By chance” simply means if we are available and have capacity, we will let you in to shop. Please understand that just because we are in the building, we are not always available to receive customers. We need time to get sold pieces out, bring new items in, and for cleaning and sanitizing. We will do our best to accommodate customers when we can. Hopefully this explanation will clear up any confusion around our hours and procedures.

We are asking that everyone come alone or with one other person. Groups larger than two will not be allowed in The Barn. Masks must be worn at all times. Please keep a minimum of two meters from anyone you didn’t come with. If you are experiencing flu like symptoms, do not enter the building. Hand sanitizer is available inside the front door and on the counter at The Barn.

Hopefully there will not be a third lockdown and we can gradually return to more normal operations. But for now, we will be open on this limited scale for everyone’s safety. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

This week let’s update new arrivals! We received even more replica tin signs, if you can believe it. A photo of some of the new ones is below. 

A shipment from our Nature Form line arrived. It included two large totem poles, lots of animal head canes, blown glass stump vases, decorative barrel table, wooden figures[turtles, hippos, motorcycles, etc.], bran new and surprisingly complicated elephant puzzle boxes and lots of the very popular superhero and villain puppets. Why not put on a puppet show for your dog or cat? It’s not the strangest way to pass time during lockdown that I’ve heard of.

We acquired a garage full of wicker back in the fall. Most of it never found its way into The Barn. We figured spring is coming, so recently we brought it all in a bit at a time, sorted and priced everything. I grabbed a photo of some of what we had in one of our aisles while we were sorting it, the photo is below. New items are coming in faster during lockdown then they are leaving, so we left some wicker in, filled up a huge armoire with some smaller pieces, and put the rest into storage. Once we reopen the rest should come in over the first few weeks as we have space. There was some wicker furniture but it was mostly smaller items: window planters, baskets, stools, serving trays, large & small planters, etc.. 

We’ve been asked a bunch of times during lockdown for old windows, mostly by film production buyers. We’ve had to tell everyone that we didn’t have any. Now that nobody is asking for them, we just got in a big batch in all kinds of different sizes. We left less than a dozen in The Barn, so if you need a pile, just ask.

A few more antique and vintage new arrivals included: 2 chainsaws, cast iron plant stand, gut seat bar stool, 2 pairs of snow shoes, vintage sleigh, extra thick orchard ladder[We attached a photo because we have never seen one that thick.], 2 large gold framed prints, drop front maple desk with chest on the bottom, pair of cast iron outdoor chairs, whale oil burner, and a wicker bistro table.

We thought we would be talking about reopening plans and procedures this week, but the government of Ontario has extended the stay at home order for Peel until at least March 8th. What a difference one week makes.

I’ve had several email and phone conversations this past week where I was asked, “What’s it like to be open again?”, or something similar. There seems to be a great deal of confusion about who is open and who is not. The Barn is located in Peel, and thus subject to the mandatory closure of all nonessential businesses. Rest assured, as soon as we are allowed to reopen, we will reopen.

In the meantime if you want a tour of The Barn we have you covered. Below you will find two walkthrough tour videos of The Barn. They are the same tour, but one is 12 minutes, and the other is 5 minutes. We thought the speeded up version would be useful for someone who has never been to The Barn and wanted a quick tour. The videos are also permanently on our Antiques page.

If you would like information on something you spotted in the video, just email us the time of the video and a description of the piece. As well as what info you would like: price, dimensions, wood, age, if you would like a photo of the item, if there are other colour options, etc.. We will get back to you promptly.

Last week, we promised photos of a few of the newly arrived vintage metal signs, here they are. There is also a new section on our Reproductions page for Large replica metal signs. Some of the signs in that section are currently in stock. The rest are en route and should be here before the end of March.

This week we will be updating Reproduction new arrivals. For those unaware, there is currently tremendous demand for consumer goods which is causing equipment shortages, port congestion, and shortages for sailing capacity for imported goods. Which is causing delays. The made in Canada products we carry are being delayed as well, because the factories just can’t keep up with demand. What all this means is that when we run out of something it is taking significantly longer to restock. It is also taking longer to receive new items. This will continue for some time to come. Even if things went back to normal tomorrow, it would take months to catch up on the backlog. So plan well ahead if there is a particular item you want.

The good news is that we do plan well ahead, so we have lots of new arrivals, and lots more on the way. We are already planning new arrivals for the Christmas season.

At The Barn we often say everything happens at once, and that will be the case in March. Many shipments that have been delayed will be arriving in March. Plus shipments we intentionally delayed due to the stay at home order will arrive. As well, lots of outdoor items for spring are due to arrive. Plus some regularly scheduled shipments are coming. We will update those arrivals at a later date, now let’s talk about what’s arrived since we last updated Reproduction new arrivals in December.

One of our biggest sellers, the Blue Jays and Cardinals are back! Lots more outdoor metal birds are on the way, but we special ordered a ton of Blue Jays and cardinals last summer and they finally arrived.

We also got in a batch of another one of our best sellers, the large bobblehead garden gnomes.

More outdoor arrivals included a white butterfly bench, a porch rocking bench, and a horse bench. Also, some fun new planters, and a plant stand arrived. I think the water tower planters are pretty cool, a photo is attached.

Something a little different for us: Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Blue Jays, flasks and wall mounted bottle openers.

Reclaimed wood furniture arrivals from our Provence line included: coffee tables, sideboards, and chest of drawers. From our Irish Coast African Dusk line, new arrivals included: dinning tables, media units, and nest of tables. We also got in the large Lifestyle bookcase in sundried, a photo is attached.

More new arrivals include two very heavy large open bookcases. A photo of one is attached. I’ve often seen them put together and used as a room divider. They were an end of line, so there won’t be anymore after the two we have are sold.

We keep getting asked for large dinning tables. So we’ve brought back the Renaissance dinning table that is 8 feet long. A photo is attached.

To our great surprise one of our best sellers during lockdown has been large Tiffany style lamps. Which is just about the last thing we thought would have sold during lockdown. Regardless, we got in a fresh batch a few weeks ago. Some have sold already, but I’ve attached photos of the peacock lamp and a pair of dragonfly lamps that we still have. We also got in the smaller lighthouse lamps.

A shipment of replica vintage tin signs that was supposed to arrive in December and got held up for inspection in Vancouver is in. We have tons of new replica tin signs, in a wide range of sizes. We have been working with the factory designing some new larger vintage signs. The first dozen large signs have arrived. The next batch of large replica tin signs will be arriving in March. We also designed a sign of The Barn. Photos of the some of the new signs are coming next week.

Also next week we will update our reopening plans in detail. As of the writing of this update, it looks like we will be allowed to reopen with a 25% capacity limit on the 22nd. And something totally new next week, video tours of The Barn!

This week we will be providing an update on some antique new arrivals. I was looking back at some of the photos I’ve taken during lockdown and realized the quantity of new items we’ve brought in recently. Also, we haven’t provide an update on antique new arrivals since December so its quite a long list. Here are some of the highlights.

Let’s start with new antique furniture arrivals: small two door maple bookcase, school desk, pump organ circa 1920’s, wood & brass magazine holder, a bunch of assorted mirrors including a large gilt buffet mirror, 2 different marble top lamp tables, walnut double roped bed, apartment sized upright Heintzman piano, square oak parlour table, round oak parlour table, set of 4 mahogany dinette chairs, set of 4 early primitive kitchen chairs, 3 arrow back chairs, quarter cut oak mission style 3′ round games table, small outdoor iron table, sewing table, small red corner shelf, steamer trunk, walnut Hammond organ and bench electric, hanging wall corner curio cabinet, and 4 assorted Louis XIV marble top commodes. A photo of two of the commodes is attached. 

All the photos attached to updates during the lockdown have been of new arrivals. I’ve attached more than usual this week, because during lockdown there is a little more time for photos. 

Lockdown has also provided us with some time to catch up on a few projects. We made some table tops, so that we could make treadle tables-a photo is attached. Also, we always seem to have lots of iron and wicker pieces that need painting. A photo of a few of the painted iron pieces is attached.

New antique smalls arrivals include: Jars of buttons, opera glasses, assorted vintage camera equipment, kaleidoscope with cards, 3 corporation seals, metal & wood figure displays, assorted china[19piece Roslyn luncheon set, 30piece Royal Albert luncheon set, Wedgwood, lots of cups and saucer, and more], cigar boxes, large sterling fruit bowl, vintage tins, decoys, assorted brass, copper, & pewter pieces, carved wooden figures, super creepy clown figure, metal toy car, small wooden boxes, china decorative masks, repro microphone, pocket watch Jessie James 1874, binoculars, vintage coke bottles, miniature skateboard, decanters, quantity of assorted silver plate holloware and some flatware, selection of crystal pieces, and sets of crystal glasses.

Even more new antique arrivals include: 2 buoys, iron log holder, large Asian fish bowl and stand, Tiffany style 1930’s hanging light fixture, rustic mini suitcase, large red gas can by Eagle, Santa’s sled, 3 vintage tennis rackets, 2 vintage baseball bats, vintage black rotary phone, 31” signed 4 candle bronze-a photo is attached, 7 assorted 1960’s table lamps, 1950’s table top hockey game, hanging converted gas light fixture, Victrola with outside horn that plays cylinder records, 1941 manual typewriter, 1 & 1/2 gallon crock, mini salesman sample trunk, 1950’s mood light, 1940’s cast iron lamp, 2 working motion lights[1930’s & 1956], vintage Troxel tricycle, streamliner sleigh, Ski Flyer sleigh, Torpedo toboggan, CCM bike wagon, cutlery tray, collection of 16 brass and copper planters, double sided advertising sign 12” x 6′[Loam & Sod], heavy duty metal pulley, doll high chair, 1960’s pottery lamp, large heavy glass blue vases, fireplace poker set, 1950’s Munro hockey game with original box, portable pool table, Milwaukee tool box, assorted framed paintings & prints, red bird feeder, crystal chandelier, Spanish bronze and crystal chandelier, 2 large wicker baskets, planters painted red, mini travelling Victrola[not working], and a pair of lanterns.

We also sorted out and brought in lots of books during lockdown. Including lots of coffee table books, a set of encyclopedias, set of 40 Reader’s Digest, History of France set, and just lots of hard cover books.

Next week we will will update Reproduction new arrivals, or we may talk about reopening plans if there is an announcement from the government.

Quarantine Series: Recycled Repurposed Reused

At The Barn we like to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We posted an article about the Springwater Woodcraft products we carry. How everything is made of white pine from sustainably managed forests. And how they only use water based paints and stains. More recently we posted an article on the reclaimed wood furniture we carry and how all the wood used has been recycled. But we thought it was time to write about the most environmentally friendly thing we do, antiques!

If you want to help out the planet, figure out a way to get people to stop buying disposable furniture at Ikea and get them to buy antiques instead. Style is the enemy of the environment, not price or quality. Most people want the “in” style, and most new furniture stores carry what’s in style at the moment. The problem is that what’s in style is always changing, and so furniture becomes disposable.

Truth be told, I’ve only been inside an Ikea twice in my life. Just out of curiosity I googled Ikea chairs. What came up was a page of chairs made of plastic and tube metal ranging in price from $69 to $129. These chairs obviously won’t last, they are not built to last. At The Barn over 80% of the chairs we sell are under $100. Most of our dinning chairs sell for $45 to $65 per chair. They are solid wood and most will be around long after we are all gone. Why anyone buys plastic from Ikea when they can buy solid wood for a lower price is beyond me.

Most of the antique pieces we sell are used as is, but many are repurposed. We have a customer who turns old trunks into coffee tables. We have another customer who buys old pieces of wood to make musical instruments. Customers buy pieces all the time to use as bathroom vanities, and they are a lot less expensive than particle board vanities bought at Home Depot. I don’t just pick on Ikea. We even have two customers who buy old flatware to make jewelry.

We sell lots of old wooden stumps that customers use as outdoor stools or for displays. We get the wood from local arborists who cutdown dead or damaged trees. That’s how we get the wood we burn in the fireplace at The Barn. We spit it ourselves behind The Barn. No trees are needlessly cut down for our firewood.

We try to keep everything out of landfill that we possibly can. We make regular trips to donation centers to drop off the items we acquire that we don’t want to or can’t sell. We give away pieces that aren’t particularly valuable, but are still useful all the time.

Our film and television production partners come in handy in this regard. We give them stuff all the time just to keep it out of landfill. This has become more common in recent years with all the post apocalyptic movies and tv shows. They will often take furniture that is missing parts, or bundles of old newspapers or magazines, or even old blankets. One of the Anne of Green Gables shows even took the ashes out of our fireplace.

When you buy something small at The Barn you will usually get it in a recycle plastic bag or cardboard box. The packing materials we use are recycled from recent shipments we’ve received. We don’t buy boxes or packing supplies, we just recycle them.

If you don’t like brown furniture, well it’s amazing what you can do with a can of paint. Or just take a piece apart and create something new. You can’t go to the lumber yard and buy the wood contained in many of the antique pieces we sell for the price we sell them for these days.

We get calls and emails all the time from people wanting to sell good quality items that don’t have a lot of resale value. After we tell them we are not interested in their items many of these people often say to us, “well I just didn’t want to throw it away”. Please don’t, there are lots of charitable organizations willing to take your donations. And that means more recycling and less waste.

Too many pieces that are out of style windup in landfill. It is a tremendous waste. In the 1980’s we couldn’t even donate mid-century modern furniture. Thrift stores wouldn’t take it, they couldn’t sell it. It was out of fashion, how times have changed. Much of it went to landfill back then, now its in high demand.

So if you are out of fashion, good for you. You are doing your part for the environment. Thank you!

During the first month or so of the lockdown we spent a lot of time working on smalls. Smalls in the antique world is just about anything that will fit in a china cabinet. Examples of smalls include: china, glass & crystal, silver, figurines, copper, brass, pewter, wood carvings, toys, cast iron, etc..

If you’ve ever been to The Barn you are aware that we have dozens of china cabinets, curio cabinets, and display cabinets, dedicated to smalls. Currently there are 41 cabinets full of smalls at The Barn. That number changes from time to time. We try to keep extra cabinets on hand, so we can just transfer the smalls when we sell a cabinet. But sometimes we over sell china cabinets and run out of room for smalls. That happened earlier this year, we had a run of a couple of months where it seemed like nearly everyday someone wanted to buy a china cabinet. But we’ve since acquired a supply of new cabinets and we are in good shape again.

We try and keep the cabinets full. We always have an extra supply of inventory. However, it take a great deal of time to sort through, and price, and often clean all the new arrivals. When we get busy for an extended period of time, smalls are the thing we tend to neglect. We were busy for such an extended period before the lockdown that we had lots of space in the cabinets. So, during lockdown we’ve been getting ahead of smalls. We started by filling up all our cabinets. Then when we ran out of space we started sorting, pricing, and repacking. This way we will have lots of replacements ready in advance of reopening.

We’ve been using the top of a Victorian dinning table to sort items. I would occasionally take a quick photo. I’ve attached three to this update.