So, we’re well on our way into a new year by now. Vancouver has got it’s first (and likely...hopefully) only snowfall and I’ve finally found time to sit down and update the blog. First off, I want to let everyone know that as of yesterday, Salvagestyle.net has a Facebook page, so please check it out. Be one of the first to “Like” it and post a note. Let me know if you’re looking for something cool that I can find for you, or tell me what you think of something I’ve got for sale on my site.

I’m also excited to be joining a select group of vendors at the Beggar’s Banquet. A fashion-oriented retro sale taking place in the heart of Vancouver’s hip Gastown. It’s an evening show on Friday night and then again during the day on Saturday. The location has a bar, which should lend itself to a great time. Come down and sip a cocktail and browse for some treasures. I’m going to be debuting my new line of greeting cards as well as some fabulous vintage Valentines Day cards, retro dishes, some awesome vintage purple curtains and much, much more! I’ll post some pics on Facebook next week.

Every day my Ebay store is filling up with lots of great vintage treasures. I’ve listed a huge number of vintage dishes, collectibles, and other treasures. My favourite things right now are the awesome 1970’s T-shirt transfers, including Rolling Stones, Allman Bros, Dylan and many more. These are old store stock, original from the ’70’s and look great on T-shirts today. I wear one of mine at least once a week.


I recently listed some really wonderful old maps, from the 1920-1940’s. Beautiful rare pictorial maps that are illustrated with symbols, stories, figures and landmarks. The illustrations are so beautifully done, these maps are works of art. Most of them have sold, but there’s still a few in my store, so check them out.

Next up is my Etsy store, which will be coming soon. I’m working on some cool surprises... so keep checking back. In the meantime, if the snow is still coming down in your part of the world, drive safe, and happy treasure hunting!

So, the renovations continue on my house by the beach. Slowly, but surely we getting closer to finishing. In the meantime, here’s a few pics of some vintage elements I’ve used in the renovations. The purple sidelight is one of two matching with great hand carved detail and awesome old paint. The oxidized copper chandelier part was reinvented as a ceiling mount for a new deco-look chandelier. The old barn door from my last property has been reinvented as a closet door. The beautiful etched glass will be framed and hung in the master bathroom window to catch the morning light! Just a few cool ways I’ve found to use salvaged vintage pieces in my own home. My next goal is to finish the house so I can get back to work, and start letting my customers share in the spoils. I’ve saved lots of great finds for my store... so check back soon or sign up for our newsletter for more updates.

The Summer has once again slid away from us like the ocean tide. Hope you didn’t miss out on the best moments because you were too busy working. I feel like I almost did. I’d better find myself a spot near the beach for at least one more warm day. Maybe dig out my old Jimmy Buffet records for a spin or two this week! My flip flop tan line still has a few good days left so I will try to soak up some sun! Around Vancouver, September is usually the best month of the year.


I’ve got my own big plans for the fall season, including - finally - getting my store back online. Apologies for the delay. I’ve been renovating a house so things got a little sidetracked. I’ll post some pictures of the renos when we’re done. I found out today that the house dates back to about 1932 when this part of White Rock, BC was a holiday community for rich Vancouverites and down the hill from my house was one of the first saw mills in the area. We don’t know who the original owner was, but it was likely a summer vacation home. When we pulled up the laminate flooring a recent owner had installed, we found some lovely old 2” fir flooring in the dining room. I don’t know if we can save it, but it was fun to find. I’m trying to incorporate as many recycled and repurposed items as possible in the new house plans, including several lovely vintage doors, some classic old light fixtures, stained glass, and also some reclaimed barn wood from my own old barn! Very cool. I will be working with Scott Landon to create some of the projects... so check out his website for inspiration.

Good morning, it’s starting (slowly) to feel a bit like summer but the rain just won’t go away for good! Good thing I’m stuck inside working all day. This site should be relaunched within a few weeks with lots of great new merchandise. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes... finishing this new website and replenishing my inventory, and creating several lines of art, cards, hangtags and giftware, a small sample of which you can see on this page. I’m also planning on moving to a new house (closer to the beach) so I’m juggling a lot of different projects right now!

So, I apologize for the delays but in the meantime, you can sign up for my newsletter so I can let you know when the new site is ready.

I also want to send out a cheer to the gals at www.ivoryvintage.com for the very cool Ivory Vintage Market in White Rock last weekend. It’s a great event showcasing local artisans with a wonderful, whimsical recycle-art slant. Really inspiring. Can’t wait for the next show.

Also, a shout out to Scott Landon for the launch of his fabulous new website design. I recommend everyone check out his site and if you want a treat, visit his showroom in Vancouver or his workshop in Cloverdale. It’s a little slice of heaven!

Firstly I have to say a big thank you to Frankie at The Beat Merchant in Steveston, BC for having such a great record shop. I finally found myself a LP copy of the Ramones. Along with a great double live Led Zeppelin, Chilliwack, The Doors and some great old rockabilly! I look forward to many hours of happy listening while I put the final touches on this website so I can launch my new store in the next few weeks. Check out his blog on the links page of my website.

I’ve been doing a comprehensive inventory on all the cool stuff I have ready to put online and it’s brought back memories of some of the coolest items I’ve sold over the years. The fun part of my work is the element of surprise. I never really know what to expect on a daily basis. I get surprised by the things I find buried in the bottom of a box of “junque” and I also get surprised by the prices some items fetch online and the great stories my customers tell me!

This fantastic creature is known as The Great Garloo and he was a battery operated remote control monster toy created by Marx in 1961. If you search his name online you can find a video of the original black and white TV commercial. He will smash buildings... or have tea with you!

When I found him in a box with some other toys for $10.00 at a local antique auction, he was in several pieces and very dusty but with a little gentle coaxing, he roared back to life and ended up selling on Ebay for over $250.00! The coolest (and most bizarre) part of the story was the fact that Garloo was bought as a birthday present for the designer of the Pee Wee’s Playhouse TV show who lives in New York! He’d played with this toy as a boy and had looked for one for years and his good friend bought it from me to give to him at his 50th Birthday party.

Another of my favorite Ebay stories was the time I was able to reunite a family in Philadelphia with their original 1880’s era family photo album. The album was gorgeous. It was one of the really special antique albums that families used to treasure and hand down with care over generations. It was covered in red flocked velvet with gold metal buckles and was full of cabinet photos of a prominent family of Philadelphia doctors, lawyers and their wives and children. A few of the photos had names on the back, so with a little time on the internet, I was able to figure out a little bit of the family history. Usually these albums are anonymous. It’s hard to believe, but family members did not always write their names in the albums or on the back of the photos. It’s even harder to believe but I find these types of family albums all the time at auctions and estate sales. People just don’t treasure their family photos as much as they used to. But in this case, I decided to try to find the original owners of the album, not simply put it on Ebay and make money off it.

I called several historical societies, emailed people with the same last name and contacted museums in Philadelphia... but no one was able to help me find the right family. In the end I decided to put it on Ebay after all. I had exhausted all my ideas and thought that maybe someone in Philadelphia would buy it online and at least it would be closer to home!

To my great pleasure and surprise, the very next day a person from the family contacted me after seeing the listing online and asked me if I’d consider ending the listing early so that he could have the album shipped to him on time to take it to his family reunion in a few days! It was a happy ending... and over the years I’ve reunited several people with family members photos through Ebay. I even found a mystery for my own family. In one of the albums I found a photo dating from the 1800’s of a woman who is a dead ringer for my great grandmother from Scotland. And the woman in the photo has the same name! But her photo was in another family’s album. No one seems to be able to explain this mystery and so her photo remains on my desk and hopefully she will find a way to talk to me someday and tell me who she really is and perhaps reveal if my great grandmother lived a mysterious double life!