Blackbird Vintage Finds, Toronto

Nestled in the heart of Toronto's Distillery District, Blackbird Vintage Finds is an eclectic, uniquely curated gift shop featuring an impressive assortment of vintage trophies, forgotten signage, books, accessories, jewelry, house wares and plenty of other similar stuff that make gift giving rather simple. In fact, it is somewhat difficult to classify precisely what kind of a store Blackbird Vintage really is — not exactly a furniture store, nor an antique or curio shop, but rather all wrapped into one.

Here, you can find anything, from 1940s globes to replica turn-of-the-century toothbrushes to books by Edgar Allan Poe, plus a wide range of furniture, scientific instruments, pharmacy bottles, old kitchen scales, railway silver, century-old typewriters, objets d'arts, small paintings, restaurant ware, a fabulous selection of heavenly scented candles, deluxe beauty products, quirky cards, chemistry beakers, 20th-century apothecary jars and taxidermy animals, and many other magical, unique and unusual items from the bygone eras. All these antique and nostalgic goods are displayed in old general store and medical cabinets, representing a veritable feast for the senses.

The owner, Paula DiRenzo, closed her previous store at Avenue Road, while hoping to open something special. And she did exactly that by starting the Blackbird Vintage Finds once her beloved Building 57, featuring a rectangular room with worn brick walls and an impressively high ceiling, became available in January 2011. When asked as to what the focus of Blackbird Vintage is, DiRenzo explained that she wanted to sell things that aid in keeping people’s memories. Simple as that.

The collection changes often, so hurry to check things out while they last.