About

Welcome.  

My name is Annette and I retired in 2011 from a job as an Admin Assistant in Human Resources at the Ottawa Hospital. Now I am finally doing something I really enjoy and have passion for.

When I started collecting over 20 years ago, I never imagined that I would some day have a booth at an Antique Market selling mid century treasures.  My fascination with the era started with visits to auctions, estate sales and garage sales.  I was hooked on collecting mostly blue glass pieces that were pretty to look at and serviceable, like bowls, glasses, dishes etc.   As I acquired more pieces, I began to research what I had bought and found that much of what I had was from the 1940’s to 60’s.  I needed to learn a lot, having no clue  in the beginning of what I was buying aside from the fact that I really liked it.  Thus, my extensive library on glassware began.    I eventually sold most of the collection when I moved to a smaller place and kept only the best of the lot.   The idea of selling on a regular basis started after having a garage sale where every single piece of blue glassware I had for sale was bought by a local antique dealer.  I didn’t realize she was a dealer  until I went to a local antique store and saw many of my pieces of glass with price tags that were more than quadruple what I had sold them for at the garage sale.  A light bulb went on in my mind and I thought I could actually make some decent money at something I loved doing and it would give me a good excuse to go out and buy more.    It has now become my passion.  I can’t wait to get out there and see what other treasures I can find.

There is so much to collect from that time period. I concentrate on finding mid century kitchen gadgets, glassware, cookbooks, bakeware and utensils.   I have an extensive stock of older Pyrex, FireKing, Hazel Atlas and items from other glass manufacturers from that era.  FireKing Jadeite and Delphite from Jeannette Glass or Pyrex are my particular favourites and much harder to come by,  so the rewards are great when I stumble across a perfect piece for a good price.

I also sell a lot of vintage jewelry and buttons.  These areas of collecting are fascinating as the range of items is endless.  Nothing catches my eye more than a beautifully made piece of Sherman jewelery.  Some glass buttons are absolutely stunning in their own right and they fetch a good price on ebay.  I sold 3 gorgeous old ‘Gay Nineties’ buttons for $65 that I found at an estate sale in a box with vintage plastic earrings.

I will share my latest finds with you and give you as much information as I can about the pieces I find.  Sometimes many hours of research are needed to identify a particular item and sometimes I don’t find any information at all and must rely on past experience.   Now that I am retired I can devote a lot of time to learning about the lovely things that I do find.

I am located in the Almonte Antique  and Collectibles Market at 26 Mill Street, Almonte, ON, Canada.  The Market is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 5 pm all year long.  We only close for Christimas Day.   The market is home to over 50 antique and collectibles dealers with a wide range of items to suit any taste or collection.  It is housed in a lovely old heritage building right across from the old mill. Telephone number at the market is 613-256-1512.

We also do about a half dozen antique shows in the region throughout the year.  Carleton University Fieldhouse in the Spring and Fall,  the Crystal Palace in Picton Ont in the Spring and Fall, and also the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show at Carleton University  in the Spring and Fall shows and The Antique Show in Morrisburg Ontario in July.  Great events worth attending.

Thank you