Thrift update

Some new thrift stores to report on.

Buy By The Pound is in the space vacated by the Bissell thrift store on 34th Ave. As the name suggests, they sell merchandise by weight (clothing anyway – housewares and such are individually priced). From their website:

“Buy by the Pound offers gently used household items. As with other thrift stores we carry all that our donors provide and more. We sell most everything by the pound being 1.99/lb for clothing, shoes and purses which you just can’t beat anywhere. You can get shirts for under a dollar, jeans for about 2.00 and household glass and china for .65/lb. Books galore for .25 for paperback and .50 for hardback – no matter what book it may be. Goods are laid out meaning you have to dig to find…. a true treasure hunt!”

Proceeds go to funding an orphanage in Burundi. And I see that the have, or are planning, another 3 locations in town. Website.

I met with some former co-workers for lunch yesterday and discovered a new thrift store run by the Hope Mission.

The Hope Bargain Shoppe is in a bleak, charmless industrial park in South Edmonton. Being as how it’s in an area of new subdivisions, the stuff is a lot newer than I’m usually looking for in my thrifting.

I do recommend the restaurant we ate at, though.

The very swanky Zaika Indian Bistro Bar has one of the better Indian lunch buffets I’ve tried ($12.00). There’s also an Indian food market next door.

And finally, the Strathcona Antique Mall has reopened on Gateway Boulevard, in the adjacent building that formerly housed Scona Cycle (in fact, the antique mall and Scona Cycle swapped locations).

The penny farthing atop the building is still appropriate.

The interior is large, bright and inviting.

Wilf Carter display in the foyer.

For some reason, there were lots and lots of beautiful vintage Christmas tree ornaments for sale at many of the booths. As promised, here’s some pictures of my new fake tree all decorated.

It’s looking a little sparse. I could use those ornaments I haven’t been able to find.

And now I’m off to shovel snow.

Trash, art & thrift with Mike C.

My friends Michael & Marlena are retiring to Newfoundland next year (I’m choked about it) and they’re starting to divest themselves of possessions they don’t want to haul across the country – especially Michael who is an unrepentant crap-hound.

Michael C.

This weekend Michael had a sale in his gallery in the Ortona Armoury. Among the priceless treasures on offer were pieces from his Trash Art and paint-by-numbers shows. (The items that radiate sunbeams are the things I bought).

Moose.

Lenticular 3D Little Red Riding Hood scene.

Paint-by-numbers.

The needlework Jesus on the right has come full circle – I gave it to Michael some years ago and now I have it back, along with the same scene depicted in paint-by-numbers.

Also had to have this Jesus bust (no, honestly, I don’t have a Jesus fetish).

I snuck next door into Michael’s studio to document the stuff there – which wasn’t on sale (this time – there will be more sales).

Downstairs there was another large room filled with fine objets for sale.

Behind the ghastly glare are two lovely Hawaiian lithos that emulate black velvet paintings, by an artist called Cross (who I have had no success googling).

Blanket coats.

Six plates from the King Eddy Hotel, 1904-1982.

Very swank.

Book Report

Astronautical Multilingual Dictionary

A fascinating read if you’re an Italian rocket scientist presenting a paper to your colleagues in the Mexican space program (say) and you need to know the Spanish equivalents of the terms “megaparsec” or  “strap-on booster.” Others may find this book less useful. You have to already know what this stuff means because there are no definitions, just translations (English, Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Czech). Published by the House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1970. A Goodwill find.

My Saturday

Breakfast: pancakes with real maple syrup, sausage, two eggs sunny side up and endless cups of the most wonderful smelling and tasting coffee.

What the heck? The Emergency Relief thrift store was open on Good Friday but not today?

The new art gallery under construction. It seems you either hate it or hate it. I think I like it. Right now it looks like something collapsed – this is what it’s supposed to look like when it’s finished:

webcam

Bought my ticket to see this dude.

To the library for cds and dvds

but my membership had lapsed and I didn’t want to wait in line to renew and risk a parking ticket.

Made the thrift rounds in the northeast part of town which I don’t get to very often.

…because it sucks. No thrift finds. I also trolled a couple of Giant Tiger stores I hadn’t been to before for remaindered dvds.

Score.

Late lunch at Sunterra market on the south side. Delicious soup (more like a stew) chock full of chicken chunks in spicy coconut milk broth. Then grocery shopping at Spinelli’s for pizza fixin’s.

Homemade pizza with bocconcini, feta and olives.

Enjoy your Easter.

All is calm…

Not finished your Christmas shopping? Stressed out by crowds at the mall? I have the answer.

Thrift stores. Where I live they’re absolutely dead this time of year (Hallowe’en is their Christmas, if you know what I mean). I’m doing all my last minute shopping there. Here’s what my loved ones can look forward to under the tree this year:

fondue plates

power adaptors for obsolete gadgets

classic tv shows on vhs

inspirational art

decorative souvenir beer steins

and naked barbies by the bagful.

Happy holidays!

Birthday Week Day 5

A break from the rich food and power thrifting. Just two more stops and my task of visiting every thrift store in town is complete.

Kara-lot:

Nothing.

Salvation Army:

Too funny.

Birthday Week Day 4

Homemade sausage from Old Country Meat & Deli.

Homemade bannock (with lots of currants) from my kitchen. Before.

After. Not as good as the bannock at Fort Edmonton Park this summer. Something to do with lard and a campfire no doubt.

Breakfast.

Thrifting:

Sally Ann. Nothin’.

Value Village. Nothin’. The Lebanese bakery/restaurant next door is now called this:

which is a pity, because it used to be called this:

which was the best name ever.

This is where I wanted to go for my birthday.

This can’t be good.

Drinks before dinner. I finally cracked the bottle of Pisco (the one shaped like an Easter Island Moai) that I’ve been saving for a special occasion.

Rob samples a Pisco Sour. I used the recipe provided with the bottle (substituting lime juice for lemon):

3 parts Pisco
1 part lemon juice
Sugar to taste
Add ice and shake in a cocktail mixer

thasss one damn fine cocktail…

I can’t remember where I found this recipe, but I’m going to try it next:

Leche de Monja

One or more whole eggs WITH shells

Lime juice or lemon-lime juice to cover eggs

Sugar (to taste)

Pisco (to taste)

Place whole eggs, in shell, in a jar. Cover with lemon/lime juice. Seal the jar and refrigerate. Leave the eggs to marinate for 2-3 weeks. The shells should become soft. Place the eggs and juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain to remove egg membranes. Add sugar and pisco to taste.

So with the apparent demise of Churros King (damn, I was looking forward to sopaipillas, humitas, and torta mil hojas – and churros of course), my second choice was Tropika – delicious Malaysian food and Trader Vic’s style exotic drinks.

Brandon & Natasha share a Scorpion in a Moai bowl.

Cindy & Don suck on a Passion Punch.

Singapore Sling.

Tropika Sour.

Passion Punch.

Bahia.

Rob & Jill.

I forgot to take pictures of the food until it was almost gone.

My favourite cards have money in them (and play disco tunes).

Birthday Week Day 3

Breakfast at Wild Earth Cafe.

Great, I’m probably going to get a ticket.

VV: Nothing.

Cement Moai outside artists’ studio building.

Sally Ann Collectibles: Nothing.

Goodwill: Nothing.

Beacon: Nothing.

Sally Ann: Nothing. I’m starting to get weary and cranky.

Humbug.

Another Goodwill.

Something! At last! I’ve been looking for this soundtrack for awhile. I’ll have more to say about it on Saturday.

VV 2. Back to suckage. And have you noticed how early it gets dark these days?

Birthday Week Day 2

Heuvos rancheros for breakfast

Today’s thrifting was a total bust.

Emergency Relief:

Nothing.

Bissell:

Nothing.

Value Village:

Nothing.

BFM:

Nothing.

MCC:

Nothing.

Goodwill:

Nothing.

Another Value Village:

Nothing.

Crappy thrift store next to Value Village:

Nothing.

Birthday Week Day 1

I was going to start my week of birthday goofing off yesterday but some unexpected work came up so I was forced to delay until today. I don’t work again until Monday, so I can relax and indulge in my favorite pastimes, namely thrifting and eating. I’m celebrating my birthday week by visiting every thrift store in town and having at least one novel eating experience per day.

The only interesting thing at the Goodwill on 51st Avenue today was a purse made from an armadillo -  priced at $59.99 which is far too much for something that’s made from roadkill.

For lunch I headed to the university campus to discover that Roots Organic, a natural food store with a restaurant, has been replaced by a Sobey’s grocery store. An upscale, new generation Sobey’s mind you. This one doesn’t have an oyster bar like their new store downtown, but it has many of the same features including a fantastic deli/bistro. I had a panini with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella and a Dry soda. I’ve never heard of this brand before but I was intrigued by the unique flavors. I tried the lavender and it was perfect – sweet without being cloying, refreshing, subtle, and not at all like drinking handsoap or sachet. I also tried the lemongrass flavor which I though was a little too subtle and I was disappointed it didn’t have any heat. I see on their website they also have juniper flavour which I certainly would have tried if they had it in the store.

For supper, Marlena joined me at Langano Skies, an Ethiopian restaurant that I’ve only been to once, even though it’s only two blocks from my door.

On the last Tuesday of the month they have a vegetarian buffet.

Gomen Wot (spinach), Ater Kik Aletcha Wot (split peas with curry), Atekilt Aletcha Wot (carrots, potatoes and cabbage), Ater Kik Wot (split peas with Berbere), Shiro Wot (ground roasted peas, Yemisir Kik Wot (split red lentils), and an endless supply of Injera, a spongy sourdough crepe to scoop everything up with.

Deeelish! (the plates look they were left by the last tenant – the North China Cafe).