halifax commoner - Archived Student Publications from the

HALIFAX
PAGE EDITOR: JOHN GILLIS
We take you shopping downtown
Holiday Gift Guide
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
COMMONER
Published by the University of King’s College School of Journalism
Funky furniture
finds: 4, 5
Retro home
decor: 14,15
Candies and
fine foods: 6, 7
FREE
“Stuff you
can’t get a t
S e a r s ” : 11
Harry Potter
alternatives: 8, 9
Christine Kay / The Commoner
Sarah Young, 9 (left), and Anna Story, 9, eye candies in the front window of Freak Lunchbox at 1723 Barrington St.
PAGE 2
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2001
Deer droppings make
tasty stocking stuffers
By Jennifer Vardy
price from $3 and $20. “I’ve never known a
woman not to love candles,” Chapman
says. “It’s something lovely for any room of
Is there someone naughty on your your house, and a treat that they will never
Christmas list this year? Give him a lump of buy for themselves.”
For the wine lover,
coal. Candy coal, that is.
The Unicorn carries
You can get it at The
wooden and wire wine
Unicorn for just $3.60.
bottle holders. A woodAccording to Sophie
en case holding a single
Chapman, owner of The
bottle is $39, while a
Unicorn, the big gift for
case for a double bottle
women this Christmas
is $49.
will be the fur boa and
Chapman recomcuffs. It can be worn with
mends a selection of
a suit or over a coat or
powdered hot chocolate
jacket. They’re made of
for stocking-stuffers. It
braided rabbit fur or
comes in cappuccino,
Mongolian lamb, and
banana, Irish Cream
cost between $40 and $60.
and other flavours, and
Chapman says jewelis only $1 a packet. The
ry is also popular.
Unicorn also carries boxes
“Especially rhinestone,”
of Deer Droppings —
she says. “Sparkle and
chocolate covered peanuts
more sparkle. We’re
— for just $4.
even seeing that in belts
If you’re tired of the
this Christmas.” Prices
ordinary gift wrap you
for jewellrey range
see
in
department
between $50 and $150
stores, The Unicron has
for earrings, bracelets
wrapping kits for under
and necklaces.
$10. The fabrics can be
If you’re looking for
used on any shaped parsomething for that hardcel.
to-buy for woman on
your list, candles are
Christine Kay/The Commoner ◆ The Unicorn,
1579 Grafton St.
your best bet, ranging in
The Commoner
Cherub $95 (real feather wings)
Christine Kay/The Commoner
Sophie Chapman admires Christmas geese. Males sell for $95, females for $45.
Books, bob-skates and camel-hair coats
I met a romantic man at Dalhousie’s Killam Library one afternoon.
He was in the first year of his degree; I
was in graduate school. He asked me for
help with a jammed photocopier, then invited me for coffee in the library café. I accepted and he told me stories about his life. It
took a while — he was 83 years old.
After years in business and a career in the
navy, he had come back to school for his
business degree.
The best story was the way he met his
wife 60 years ago. It was 1936 and she’d
been hurrying along Barrington Street to her
job at the phone company. She was wearing
an above-the-knee camel-hair coat and
stumbled as she ran. He helped her to her
feet. She thanked him and rushed off before
he could get her name. He was on Christmas
shore leave from the navy and never expected to see her again.
A year later, he did. Back in Halifax,
he recognized her arriving at a party in
her camel-hair coat — from Mills Brothers Department Store, he later learned.
After a short courtship, he proposed.
He promised she would always have a
camel-hair coat from Mills Brothers if
she would agree to marry him. He confessed to asking her years later if she
wouldn’t prefer a coat from the Sears
catalogue instead, but apparently that
didn’t go over well.
Mills Brothers is still in business and
they still sell camel-hair coats. Inside this
issue of The Commoner, you’ll join Michael
JANICE MACDONALD
MANAGING EDITOR
viewPOINT
Ganley on a visit to the old store, and you’ll
find objects of interest from other stores in
downtown Halifax.
From dried cranberries drenched in
white chocolate at project 9, to antique bobskates at The Urban Cottage, to your
favourite Alex Colville painting in poster
form at Annabelle’s, we’ve filled this issue
with gift ideas for the holiday season. We’ve
found items for all age groups over a wide
price range.
We couldn’t cover all the stores in
metro, so we selected a representative few
from the downtown area with unusual or
interesting gifts . While you’re downtown,
check out some of the other stores too. If
you’re lucky enough to find a parking spot,
you may as well stay a while.
Better yet, hop on a bus, or walk. You
might also want to catch some of the stores
on Young Street’s Hydrostone Market, the
new Wheatons in Sackville, or some of the
shops in Bedford and Dartmouth — HRM
has no shortage of specialty stores and boutiques.
With little time and less cash, I have to
confess to spending little time shopping in
stores like these over the past few college
years. When I do, it’s usually time spent fer-
reting out books in one of this city’s great
used book shops like my favourites, John W.
Doull’s and Schooner’s Books. But in
exploring the stores and stories in this issue
of The Commoner, I’m reminded of childhood trips to Halifax from Cape Breton, and
meeting friends for dinner and a night of
holiday shopping downtown when I first
moved here five years ago.
In my immediate family, we’ve started a
tradition of exchanging names for Christmas gifts. The caveat is, you have to make
the present by hand. We’d been worried
about having too much “stuff” and about
the commercialism of the season getting in
the way of its meaning. By making the
gifts, we spend time, not money, on the
recipient.
Of course it’s a bit easier for my family
members. My father sculpts with steel, and
builds with wood. My mother is a painter
and chef. My sisters sew or craft. Those
genes must have skipped me — my gift
recipients are never sure what they’re
going to get, but they know it will definitely look homemade.
Still, I shop for gifts for my niece and
nephews, and friends and other family
members. So this year, I’ll take this guide
and spend a December evening exploring
some downtown shops.
This is the last issue of our newspaper
for the term. We here at The Commoner
wish you peace in the coming holiday season.
THE HALIFAX COMMONER
Vol. 4
No. 5
The Halifax Commoner
is written and edited in the
Newspaper Workshop at
the School of Journalism
University of King’s College
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3H 2A1
(902) 422-1271 ext. 150
Fax: (902) 425-8183
Managing Editor:
Janice Frances MacDonald
[email protected]
Assignment Editor:
John Gillis
Photo and Street Level editors:
Christine Kay
Leah Fitzgerald
Thomas Edelson
Faculty advisers
and instructors:
Michael Cobden ([email protected])
Michael Creagen
Eugene Meese
Blair Purdy
Joan Westen
PAGE EDITOR: JASMINE BUDAK
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 3
Leopard, giraffe and zebra teapots — oh my!
Mills Brothers has been
selling stylish clothing and
accessories for 82 years.
By Michael Ganley
The Commoner
Snow White and the seven dwarfs are
already in window 7, watching the passersby on Spring Garden Road. The shelves
inside are stocked with silver-tipped badger
hair shaving brushes ($140), something
called “Fireplace in a Box” ($14.95), and
novelty Christmas sweaters sporting teddybears on skates ($145).
The Christmas season has begun at Mills
Brothers. The Harry Potter doll ($40) has
already sold out, but Ron Weasley ($40) is
still up for grabs, and hopefully more of
Harry will be in before the big day.
The staff is busy stocking shelves, dealing with customers and placing orders.
“You should speak with Janet, she’ll show
you the things that are moving well,” said
the young woman who greeted me at the
door. “And the things that aren’t,” she
added in a touching bit of honesty.
Janet Stern manages the giftshop, which
occupies one small corner of this surprisingly large store. “Everything has to go through
Mr. MacLellan,” she says. Ian MacLellan is
the president of Mills Brothers.
I make my way through cosmetics (collectible compacts, $35 - $90), accessories
(cashmere-lined Isotoner gloves, $68), sportswear (puff-jacket by Tommy Hilfiger, $295),
and head upstairs to the business office.
Michael Ganley / The Commoner
Sandra Little tidies clothing in the sportswear section. The nutcracker doll on the rack is a popular gift; it comes in different sizes priced between $3.95 and $28.
Mr. MacLellan, well-dressed, ushers me
into a small board room. Pictures of the store
as it was when it began in 1919 adorn the
walls, along with framed letters of congratulation from dignitaries and retail groups,
and a photo of Miss Canada 1948, who
worked at Mills Brothers.
“You should really speak with Heather,
who does most of our buying” says Mr.
MacLellan. Heather MacLellan is his daughter, and the store’s creative director. She’s
out and won’t be back for half an hour. I tell
him I’ll go across the street for a cup of coffee and come back. “You’re assuming that
she’ll be able to fit you in,” he cautions.
While waiting, I browse through the
small men’s clothing section (manicure set,
$34), which has its own entrance off Birmingham Street, as if running the gauntlet of
giftshop (premium Japanese green tea,
$10.95), cosmetics (Estee Lauder blockbuster
set, $300 value for $59.50 with purchase of
$30 of Estee Lauder product) and sportswear (PBJ cotton turtlenecks in a variety of
colours including camel, the colour this
year, $39.95) is too much for male shoppers.
“Older gentlemen like hankies” (three
cotton hankies, $19.50, one linen, $18.95)
says Stella Athanasiou in men’s wear. “They
make great stocking stuffers.”
“Could you drop off a copy of your publication and your business card,” asks
Heather MacLellan when she gets back. “I’ll
give you a call. Today and tomorrow are too
busy, so I’ll call you Wednesday.” I explain I
have a deadline and just need to talk to a
few staffers about what’s hot this season.
“I know, that’s great,” says Ms MacLellan. “Publicity’s publicity, but I’m not familiar with your publication.” Publicity, apparently, is not publicity.
After reviewing the most recent edition
of this august newspaper, Ms MacLellan
instructs staff in various departments to
share their insights with me. She apologizes
for being so busy, saying things are hectic as
they prepare for their invitation-only customer appreciation wine and cheese party
the following night.
“Vests ($85 to $500) are big this year,”
says Sandra Little in sportswear.
“We sell out of the Mason-Pearson hairbrushes for men or women ($46 to $135),”
says Brenda Dauphinee in cosmetics.
“They’re handmade in England and not
easy to get.”
“The safari look is in,” says Janet Stern in
the giftshop. “We have leopard, giraffe and
zebra print teapots for $78.”
And the Fireplace in a Box? Well, it’s a
video and there are two options. The original provides the crackling sights and sounds
of a fireplace for your television. The fire
burns down, and after an hour only the sizzling embers are left. The more recent version provides popular Christmas tunes
along with the cozy blaze.
◆ Mills Brothers, 5486 Spring Garden Rd.
Hostess gifts galore at Jennifer’s of Nova Scotia
By Leah Fitzgerald
The Commoner
Leah Fitzgerald / The Commoner
This Christmas tree displays an assortment of
wooden ornaments ($5).
PAGE EDITOR: DAN SCHNARE
For the hostess on your list, Jennifer’s of
Nova Scotia has plates by New Brunswick
potter Flo Greig with either an earth-toned
or blue apple pattern ($40). There are also
dip trays from Clayworks, the Halifax potters, in pastel colours with either an apple or
pear bowl in the centre ($46) and a recipe for
ginger lime fruit dip. Village Pottery, from
PEI, makes green and beige metallic glazed
dip trays ($36), as well as other pieces ($20
to $40).
For the family gardener, or any resident
of HRM, there’s a compost pot ($59.50). It’s
by Flo Greig, and it comes in either the
earth-tone or blue apple pattern. The squat
pot has a cover that fits tightly to keep the
fruit flies out and the smells in. It’s a lot
more attractive than the city-provided
kitchen green bins.
Jennifer’s has wool hats and mittens
($35.50). They’re hand knit, with a fuzzy lining made of tufts of sheep’s wool knit,
which make up the dotted pattern on the
outside of the mitten. They come in green,
red, blue, and beige.
Jennifer’s also has a wide assortment of
jewelry and ornaments. The shop has a wide
selection of earrings by Desiderata, a New
Brunswick jeweller, from small dangling
goldstone spheres ($10.50) to hammered
copper teapots and abstract shapes ($20.50).
Leah Fitzgerald / The Commoner
Cotton ball snowman tree ornament ($4.75)
Black Celtic knots pained on beige clay
backings set as necklaces, pins and earrings
(Touchs Time Pottery, Antigonish, $14 to
$18) are nice accompanied by A Primer of
Celtic Art Symbols ($4), a short guide to the
meanings and origins of common Celtic
knots.
Manager Kurt Bulger says the guaranteed hot seller is Amos Pewter’s new ornament for this year ($14.95), a gazebo surrounded by flying birds. Bulger says the
Mahone Bay company has a devoted following. The delicate pewter birds, dolphins,
and doves ($14.95 to $15.95) would make a
nice hostess gift or token for a friend. For
package toppers to tie on with bows, wooden snowmen or Santa Clauses ($5) would be
perfect, and would be great, too, on a Christmas tree.
Jennifer’s also has a small collection of
Seagull Pewter angels ($14), with detailed
wings and gowns. Roberta Originals folk art
angels are mounted as pins or for hanging
($12). The clay figures come with different
colours of hair and dresses and each face is
slightly different. Large snowman mugs by
Clayton Dickson Studio ($17) have dishes
that match in blue or white. The heartshaped plates ($36) would make great
Christmas cookie serving platters.
For kids, a large wool hand knit Christmas stocking ($39.80) would be nice filled
with little treats, like the hand knit chicken
and pig finger puppets ($2), or the fuzzy
dinosaur finger puppets ($2.25). Reindeer
heads, made of yarn covered plastic, reveal
a kiss, a chocolate one of course, when
squeezed open ($2).
For Dad, there are double-sided cotton
ties by Flax Blue ($25), in bright prints, usually with a conservative print on one side
and a wild print on the other. Christmas
prints are also available.
◆ Jennifer’s of Nova Scotia, 5635 Spring Garden Rd.
PAGE 4
THE COMMONER
streetLEVEL
What’s the best
gift you’ve given
or received?
“
Project 9’s fashion designs
Funky furniture,
plastic kitchenware,
hip clothes, coffee
and bagels.
by Eliza Barlow
Our son Matthew gave us a clay
handprint last year
for Christmas. It’s
these sentimental
gifts you remember
most I think. “
Jane MacPherson
Physiotherapist
was a bottle
“ The best gift I everofgotCanadian
Club
whiskey.”
Cory Weston
Panhandler
of
“ My brother gave mea boya littleandfigurine
girl. The
Darlene Kyte
Youth counsellor
girl was like the big
sister and she had
her hand on the
boy’s head. It
made me cry. I
think I might start
crying now.”
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
The Commoner
If you’re looking for an adventurous gift for your sweetheart,
head down to project 9 in downtown Halifax and pick up some
Belgian chocolate body paint in a
sultry cobalt blue bottle ($14). The
sign above it says, “Yes, it’s chocolate. Yes, it’s Belgian. Yes, it’s body
paint. Use your imagination.”
Julie Lacroix, an employee at
project 9, shows her favourite
stocking stuffer, a “funny little
deck of oval-shaped cards” in a
plastic oval case, for $6.
Owner Geoff McLean describes
project 9 as a mini-department
store featuring urban contemporary furniture and accessories, as
well as clothing and shoes. Urban
contemporary, he says, is a style
that’s geared towards an urban
style of living: for apartment
buildings and smaller spaces.
Much of project 9’s floor space
is devoted to furniture. There’s a
red-and-brown “flamenco” chair,
which has a swirl in its shape (the
back is curved downward) and
turns on its base, for $649. There’s
a bright red upholstered sofa bed,
designed by Montreal designer
Lucy Au, that sells for $1,399. It
looks like a regular sofa at first
glance, but it folds down on its
metal frame into a bed. A luxurious beige chaise lounge by the
window is $949.
One of the unusual pieces of
furniture in the store is a white
leather chaise lounge. The seat is
circular, and the back of the chair
tropical daiquiri, lime salt,
cocoa/coffee specialty and bloody
mary/caesar.
Near the café on a wooden
shelving unit is an assortment of
gourmet cooking condiments and
other interesting foods. There’s a
row of tall glass bottles of “bread
dipper sauce,” which café
employee Lacey Corkum says is
an olive-oil based sauce for dipping baguette bread into. A can of
dried cranberries “drenched in
white chocolate” is $11.50.
Project 9 sells bathroom accessories such as shower curtains and
towel bars, which cost around $25
each, and mini-trash cans in blue,
orange and light green for $5 each.
A freestanding chrome soap dispenser is $38. Little clocks on sucLeah Fitzgerald/The Commoner tion cups sell for $16 each.
The selection of clothing,
You can sit and spin in style on the project 9 flamenco swivel chair for $649.
which McLean says is “for hiprotates 360 degrees around the for our market, we’re finding sters,” is at the back of the store.
seat. This funky item sells for we’re the first people they go to He says the men’s clothing is
snowboard, surfer and casual
$2,699. “It has sort of an Austin when they’re starting out.”
McLean says some of the most apparel, while the women’s clothPowers look to it,” he says. “It
attracts a lot of attention.” One popular items he stocks are vari- ing is more fashion-oriented.
McLean says project 9 is a good
woman, McLean says, bought a ous “storage solutions,” such as
chaise like this in chartreuse green square plastic mesh storage bas- place to come if you’re looking for
kets. They come in pink, black, a store that’s more on the cutting
leather.
McLean says project 9 appeals orange, blue, white and green and edge than larger department
to new homeowners and people cost $12 each. People buy them to stores. “The product we have is so
who are beginning to buy “keep- make gift baskets. “Because wick- different than what you’ll get in a
chain store,” he says. “We just
er” furniture. Though he said the er is so over,” he says.
Project 9 sells unusual lamps, have a better selection of different
furniture is geared toward smallspace living, people who live in like a “’30s-inspired modern” and modern items.”
In one corner of project 9 is a
apartments aren’t his only cus- large glass sphere that looks something like a fortune teller’s crystal small café serving coffee, cappuctomers.
“We had one fellow we deliv- ball and sells for $59. There’s a cino, espresso, bagels and muffins.
ered a chair to last week,” he says. pair of lamps with leopard-print The furniture in the café looks like
“He’d just built a huge, magnifi- shades, and a “lumirama” lamp, a merchandise; you can sit on metal
cent house in the back of Cole tall metal floor lamp with three chairs with purple or red upholstered seat covers at the round
Harbour. The chair was one of our saucer-shaped lights, for $169.
If you like margaritas, project 9 glass tables, while you sip an
“Lola” chairs [around $665],
which is a very structured, square is the place to go for your acces- espresso and try to take in all the
chair with metal legs. He got it in sories. There are several different stuff in the store. It takes well over
styles of margarita shakers that an hour to see everything here.
a cosmic orange fabric.
“We delivered it to him and it sell for $38 to $40 each. There are
was his first piece of furniture. His also round, flat tins of margarita ◆ project 9,
huge house was totally empty. So glass dippers in flavours such as 5525 Artillery Pl.
ula, salad tongs, pie server ($14 to $20)
• Plastic photo album in bright orange,
electric blue, lime green or white ($16.00)
$20 - $50
• “Ecospa” soap and bubble bath set in
“thalasse” ($28)
“
When I was 16, my mom gave me
my grandmother’s
wedding ring. She
got it from her
grandmother who
got it from her
grandmother.
I
don’t wear it all the
Melanie Glaverson
time. I’m afraid to
School nurse
lose it.”
• Eight gallon chrome-and-black trash can
($69)
• Hexagonal wooden laundry hamper ($79)
$100 +
• “Lumirama” lamp (floor lamp with three
saucer-shaped lights) ($169)
• Metal wall clock by umbra ($32)
Flavoured margarita glass dippers.
• “Sq.ware” serving dishes with handles,
set of two for ($35)
Under $20
• Fish-shaped plastic soap dish ($3.50)
• Oval-shaped deck of cards in oval case
($6)
• Assorted coloured cooking accessories
by Paderno: wire whisk, egg beater, spat-
• Margarita shakers, assorted styles ($38 $40)
$50 - $100
• “Alice An” tea kettles in yellow, blue and
chrome ($65)
Salt & pepper shakers at $18 per set.
PAGE EDITOR: THOMAS EDELSON
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 5
Get cool for Christmas at Attica
From flower lamps
to dog dishes,
gifts for the hipster
on your list.
By Jake Kennedy
The Commoner
A slightly curving back, graceful arms and delicate yet simple
lines — when Harriet Ross first
saw the Zen sofa in the newly
opened showroom of Attica, it
was love at first sight.
“I saw it, and I loved it,” she
says. Ross is the manager of Attica, a home furnishing store on
Granville Street. And she’s a selfdescribed minimalist, preferring
clean simple lines over an ornate
and complex design.
The sofa in the showroom sold
quickly, so Ross wasn’t able to
take it home with her. She spent
two-and-a-half years looking at
different designs, but still couldn’t
find a design she liked better than
the Zen. A couple of weeks ago,
she decided to place an order
through Attica’s catalogue service
for the couch.
“I upgraded it a bit,” she says.
“As with anything, you get what
you pay for.”
She paid $2,300.
“You can buy a sofa that is
going to look terrible in eight
years, or you can buy a sofa that
will last you a lifetime,” she says.
“It’s an investment.”
Any customer can flip through
the catalogues at Attica to try to
find a sofa like Ross’s. The store
does a great deal of business
through this service. But it also
offers a number of other home furnishings.
The main theme is hip, young
and urban. You won’t find many
straight lines in the designs, and
most of the companies have
numerous vowels in their names
(even the occasional umlaut). It’s
Jake Kennedy / The Commoner
Leo Toner flips through one of the 15 catalogues of furnishings available at
the store. Attica sells furniture and accessories for the modern urban home.
the type of store that has business
cards for all its salespeople next to
the cash register.
The store is split into three
rooms. When you walk in, you’re
greeted by a display of bath salts
($6.50) and foaming bath gels
($24.80) by The Thymes. Also
available in the area are brass
doorknobs shaped like a knife,
fork and spoon ($10 to $17), along
with various kitchen utensils like
green plastic bottle openers by
Aless ($36).
If you head off to the left, you
are greeted with the furniture
show room. This is where the
store offers 15 different catalogues, and hundreds of fabric
swatches, of sofas and chairs. Be
prepared to open up the wallet,
though. This furniture is hip —
and hip comes at a price.
A six-drawer chest, coming up
to around shoulder height, in a
deep chocolate stain retails for
about $2,250. Nearby is a Queensized hazel bedframe with a European chic feel to it ($1,770). Right
when you walk in, though, your
eye is caught by a light beechcoloured dining room set and
chairs ($2,310). The table has an
aqua-green frosted glass top, and
the chairs have covered cushions
in metallic blue.
The most interesting part of
Attica, though, is in the room off
to your right when you first walk
in. If you want to impress your
friends with a worldly young
urban professional air, then this is
the room for you. Catching your
eye are plastic dog and cat dishes
by Koziol ($19.95 for dog dish;
$15.95 for cat dish), simple dishes
topped with plastic figures of the
respective animal. Also by Koziol
are the curvacious Swing CD
boxes, retailing for $24.96.
Towards the back is a wonderful glass flower rising out of a
flower pot. When you get a little
closer to it, you realize it’s actually a table lamp by Dansk ($90).
Other interesting items nearby are
the corkscrew which doubles as a
wine stopper by Tommy Larsen
($93), and metal business card
cases which range in price from
$10 to $19.
If you’ve been trying to get the
attention of some young lady for
the past few months, and had no
success, an assortment of pillows
with cutesy, romantic messages on
them might help. For about $35,
you can pick up a satin pillow
with “I can’t concentrate anymore” or “Tell me how I can possibly resist you?” scrawled across
it.
No more hiding those boxes of
Trojans in a drawer within reach of
your bed. Say you’re young, say
you’re hip and say you’re having
sex and damn proud of it with a
condom holder by Aless. The plastic version comes in a couple of
colours for $14, or you can spend
the big bucks on a stainless steel
holder for $63. They’re not exactly
discreet — they look exactly like a
condom package, complete with
the embarrassing O-shaped ring
that shows through the back pocket of your pants — but do you really want to spend your time trying
to get a box open?
• Attica, 1652 Granville Street
streetLEVEL
What is the best
gift you’ve given
or received?
I went out and
“bought
myself a
vibrator this year
for an early Christmas present. I
highly recommend
it.”
Carla Sturge
Massage therapy
student
Northumberland
College
best friend Chris is obsessed with
“crispyMythings,
so I made him the ‘Crispy
Chris’s Christmas Candy Carton.’ I filled
the box with crispy
M&Ms and Crispy
Crunch bars and
Play Dough. It’s not
crispy, but he loves
Play Dough.”
Shannon Kehoe
Student
Auburn High
“gaveMymeex-girlfriend
a trip to
England a
years ago.”
few
Dean Cook
Call centre
employee
Natural fibres make natural gifts at P’lovers
By Michael Ayyash
The Commoner
P’lovers, from the outside, looks like a regular store in Park Lane mall. Until you notice
the reduce, reuse, recycle on the wall behind
the cashier’s counter, you don’t realize that
everything here is made of hemp or recycled
material.
That’s when you start looking at items in a
different way. Ordinary looking products suddenly seem extraordinary.
Take the black front door mats, for example
($26.95). They are actually made of old tires
that were destined for landfill. The jewelry
hanging off the rack is old silver cutlery twisted into rings and bracelets ($29.95). Even the
hand-turned pens are made out of reclaimed
PAGE EDITOR: LEAH FITZGERALD
wood ($22.95).
“P’lovers was created to help people live
more sensitively with the earth,” reads the
store’s mission statement.
Books of various types, all relating to
healthy environmental living, fill the wooden
shelves. Vegetarian cook books and clean planet books are part of the variety.
There are pocket-sized books full of quotes
and advice on happiness, well-being and inner
peace ($6.95).
“They tell people about mindful living,”
says store manager Karin Clegg.
There is also a collection of Feng Shui books
($6.95 to $50), a Chinese approach to arranging
things in certain patterns to enhance luck and
well-being. Followers of Feng Shui believe
changing the environment of the room can
change a person’s life and destiny.
Candle lovers also have something to look
for at P’lovers. Beeswax candles are available
in different sizes and colours. The candles are
in the $30 range. Clegg says they’re non-toxic
and actually clean the air while they burn.
They last between 250 and 300 hours, she says.
Other beeswax products, like soaps and lip
balms, are also available.
If it’s clothes you’re looking for, hemp can
serve you there as well. The store has natural
and organic baby clothes ($7.95 for shirts) and a
selection of hemp bath robes for adults ($89.95).
Clegg says natural clothes are made of cleaner
material than regular ones, and last longer.
• P’lover’s, Park Lane
year I sent my parents a huge
“box One
as a stocking. It came with a huge
card and the box was filled with small
stocking stuffer
gifts. We wanted
the present to be
big and fun ‘cause
my parents were
alone that year.”
Barbara Birch
Government
employee
PAGE 6
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
Bravo! dishes out Bertie Bott’s Beans
Dresden Row food store
offers French truffles
and real caviar
By Michael Ganley
The Commoner
Real truffles. From France. The ones
you’ve only read about. The size of chestnuts. Dark brown rough texture, earthmusty smell.
“They’re a fabulous thing,” says Robert
Chan, owner and operator of Bravo! International Fine Foods, showing off a small bag
of the delicacies. “They can’t cultivate them
to save their souls. They’ve tried seeding
them and all kinds of things.”
And so truffle hunters train dogs to sniff
them out where they grow, six inches underground near old growth oak trees in France
and Italy.
“They used to train pigs but they always
wanted to eat them,” Chan says. “So they’d
be fighting a 300-lb pig for the truffles. Dogs
are just as happy with a dog treat.”
Chan doesn’t stock truffles ($2 each), at
least not the mushroom kind. The market
isn’t big enough. But this week he received a
special order from da Maurizio’s, which is
putting together a meal for a regular. Chan
had the truffles delivered from Toronto by
overnight courier.
Chan will also special-order fresh caviar
($4,500 for 500g). “Honest to goodness real
caviar only comes from sturgeon from the
Caspian or Black sea,” says Chan. “We have
sturgeon in the St. Lawrence, but nobody is
actively harvesting them.”
But don’t make the mistake of thinking
that Bravo! is only about the high- end stuff.
The front window on Dresden Row has a
large, simple sign in it: “Bertie Bott’s Beans.”
For the uninitiated, Bertie Bott’s Every
Flavour Beans ($8.70/bag) are a Harry Potter tie-in. They taste like dirt, grass, mud,
slugs, sardines, frogs and more.
“Kids take them to school and offer them
to their friends,” says regular customer
Sharon Ing. She spends 20 minutes in the
small, crowded store, poring over bottles
and jars of condiments and sauces.
“I love this place!” she says. “You can get
stuff here that you can’t get anywhere else.”
The “stuff” includes Godiva chocolates
($9/100g or $80 for the 1.5 lb limited edition
collector’s tin), Moravia lemon cookies ($4),
Chef Dan Fearing’s smokey bacon BBQ
sauce ($14.15), Vermont Gold chocolate
raspberry syrup ($9.75), Stonewall Kitchen
cranberry horseradish sauce ($11.75) and
Cocoa Barry cocoa ($20/kg).
“Fry’s cocoa is crap,” says Sharon Ing,
cradling her bag of Cocoa Barry.
Allison Rubarth moves enthusiastically
around the store. She grabs Dahlia’s Chinese
exotic flavour paste ($14.25). “This is: ‘wow,
I’ve just landed in China,’” she says. “And
I’ve been there. You can take a regular stir fry
and make it special.”
Rubarth also picks up the Consorzio
roasted garlic flavour olive oil ($10.95). “Just
mix a little in with your mashed potatoes.”
Then the Minasso olive spread ($6.95).
“Spread a little on a cracker. It’s amazing.”
And finally the Spice Hunter pine nuts
($8.45). “Fry them up and add them and
some cranberries to your turkey dressing.”
Chan only stocks the things he likes. “It’s
hard to say ‘yah, that’s delicious’ if I don’t
like it,” he says.
One thing he clearly likes is Rao’s homemade marinara sauce ($14.95). “Rao’s is a
restaurant in New York City unlike any
other,” he says. “People have permanent
tables there so they have to go every few
weeks or find someone else to eat at their
table.” Frank Sinatra was a regular at Rao’s,
says Chan, and Woody Allen currently has a
table. The label on the bottle says the waittime for a table is four to six months.
Chan says many people first come in for
the Godiva chocolates. “Then they start to
look around and say ‘Hey, there’s interesting stuff here,’” he says.
Chan recommends an Italian Panettone
cake ($35 to $40 for a 2.2 lb cake) for Christmas. “You slice it, toast it, put a little butter
on. It’s manna from heaven.”
He says the classic Panettone is delicately flavoured with extract of grapefruit,
orange, lemon and vanilla. But there are all
kinds, including his favourite, Panettone
with candied pineapple ($40).
◆ Bravo! International Fine Foods,
1587 Dresden Row
Michael Ganley/ The Commoner
Robert Chan says “honest-to-goodness real caviar” only comes from the Black and Caspian seas.
CD addict suffers relapse on discovery of Taz Records
I’m the first to admit I have a problem.
For years now, I’ve had a virtual inability to
walk out of a record store empty handed.
It’s a major strain on my finances. I’ve been
known to go on binges, ending up with
more CDs than I can listen to in a week.
Sometimes, I’ll justify my purchases by
thinking of them as presents to myself. “I
worked so hard at that paper — I deserve
this,” I’ll think, and boy am I a pushover.
When I decided to come to school in Halifax, my first thought was, “How the hell
will I be able to get all my CDs out there?”
Eventually, I accepted that I could not. I
found the biggest carrying case I could and
resigned myself to living through the year
with only 200 to choose from.
The best way to combat my addiction is
avoidance. But there are so many darn
record stores. Whenever I’m dragged to a
mall, I find myself seeking comfort amidst
JOHN
GILLIS
viewPOINT
shelves full of shiny compact discs.
I rarely buy any of those — I like to be in
the presence of the discs themselves, but I’m
not going to pick up even one of the hundreds of copies of the latest Britney Spears
or Creed albums in these mall chains.
Where’s the Handsome Family section?
How many copies of the new Death Cab for
Cutie album do they have?
And what about the character of the
place? I’ve been in HMVs around Canada,
in Edinburgh, even in Tokyo. Once you’re
out of sight of the street, you wouldn’t know
the difference between them.
My addiction was taking over my whole
being before I left my home in Winnipeg.
Early this year, a fantastic record store
opened within walking distance of my
house. The kind of place where, when you
excitedly handed a fistful of cash to a clerk
for the Sigur Ros album you’d been scouring the earth for, she’d go, “Cool! This is a
fabulous album.”
Here, the fire has died down. It’s not that
I don’t deserve the gifts. The main reason —
I’m once again a poor, starving student.
Okay, I’m exaggerating. But I don’t have a
lot of cash to blow. The other reason is, I
haven’t found my record store.
I spend a lot of time in downtown Halifax. I walk or bus past that HMV on Spring
Garden Road at least twice a day. I’ll admit,
I’ve gone inside. I also enjoy the Sam’s on
Barrington. I love that they have a whole
floor of folk and traditional music. But it
looks pretty much like every other record
store.
I might be in trouble, though.
One afternoon last week, I wandered into
Taz Records on Argyle. The proprietor was
deeply engrossed in a discussion of the
evolving setlists of some obscure artist. A
music lover selling music — how novel. I
don’t think he even noticed I was there. Old
Johnny Cash LPs were mounted on the wall
with pride. There were rare boxed sets and a
dazzling array of vinyl.
Then I found the Dylan section. Three
full rows of assorted bootlegs! I dashed out
the door before I could find out whether
they had the 1969 Nashville Skyline sessions, or the March 30, 2000 show in Fargo,
North Dakota. All those times I’ve neglected
to shower myself with rewards — this could
bankrupt me.
PAGE EDITOR: ELIZA BARLOW
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 7
Bon-bon boutique tickles
more than your tastebuds
By Eliza Barlow
The Commoner
Leah Fitzgerald / The Commoner
Emma Reardon scoops red and green jelly beans.
Under $20
• Tempting truffles in brandy, vanilla,
Irish cream and others ($1.95 each)
• Jelly Belly gourmet jelly beans ($2.50
per 100 grams)
• Ice cream puzzle in ice cream container
($18.50)
• Tequila-filled chocolates ($8 per box)
$20 - $50
The most unusual candies at Sweet Jane’s candy store
are chocolate-covered potato chips. “We sell a gazillion of
them,” says sales associate Donna Thompson. A small bag
costs $4.
If it’s more chocolate you want at the shop marked by
the blue cloud-shaped sign outside, Sweet Jane’s offers an
appealing selection. Try the truffles: brandy, vanilla, Irish
cream, rum, champagne and macadamia nut ($1.95 each).
Over the Moon Belgian chocolates cost $20. For adult tastes,
try a carton of tequila-filled chocolates ($8.25).
Sixty dollars will buy you nostalgia: Blast from the Past
Groovy Candies, for example — a box of hard-to-find
sweets from the 60s, like Chuckles, wax lips, pumpkin
seeds, jujubes, Nik l’ Nip, Blow Pops, Lemonheads and
Clark’s Teaberry Gum.
Piñatas shaped like pirates, jack-in-the-boxes and kittens
are $18. Add to that the cost of candy to fill them.
You can fill your piñata with Jelly Belly gourmet jelly
beans, in pineapple, lemon, passion fruit, buttered popcorn,
• Boxed set of 20 notecards and
envelopes featuring art from the Museum of Modern Art in NYC ($21.75)
• Gumball machine ($22)
• Goodnight Moon baby journal ($33)
• Set of three round nesting
Christmas tins ($40)
$50 - $100
• Box of Groovy candies: hard-to-find
candies from the 60s ($60)
• Countdown to Christmas calendar by
Mary Engelbreit ($20.95)
Leah Fitzgerald / The Commoner
Pyjama party fun in a jar
ginger or strawberry cheesecake for $2.50 per 100 grams.
Sweet Jane’s thick gingerbread cookies, shaped like
houses, Christmas trees, and women, cost $6.50 per cookie.
One wall of the store is devoted to Christmas foodstuffs
from Gourmet Village. Glass bottles of coloured corn kernels are $6.50. Bags of caramel corn are $3.50. White hotchocolate mix in a glass snowman-shaped canister costs $8
for 6.3 ounces, or $20 for one pound.
Sweet Jane’s also sells inedible treats. A boxed set of 20
notecards and envelopes from the Museum of Modern Art
in New York retails for $21.75. Writing paper in red, yellow,
orange, blue, green or pink sells for 35 cents per sheet.
Matching tissue-lined envelopes cost 45 cents each.
Cult Images square greeting cards are not your standard
Hallmarks. They feature black and white photos of movie
stars such as Twiggy, Mick Jagger, Bob Marley, Grace Kelly,
Elvis Presley and Audrey Hepburn ($3.50 each).
Preteens will love the Sleepover Survival Kit ($35). It
includes a pyjama-party kit, a hair-wrap kit, microwave
popcorn, a friendship-pins kit and a pillowcase with a
marker for decorating.
They sell puzzles, too. A puzzle of Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the
Hat costs $27. Green Eggs and Ham sells for $32. An icecream puzzle in an ice-cream container costs $18.50.
Superheroes appear on several items. A metal Superman
trash can costs $24, and a Spiderman lunch box costs $20.
Sweet Jane’s has an assortment of items based on SaintExupery’s Le Petit Prince. A wall-mounting blue and yellow coat hook costs $65, a small suitcase costs $22 and metal
glasses sell for $15.
They also sell photo albums and journals. A coiled book
of plain paper with a wedding dress on the front costs
$28.50. A Goodnight Moon baby journal records baby’s first
laugh, step and haircut ($33). A ‘My Handprint’ stamp tin
for babies’ handprints and footprints costs $14.
“People come in here because they’re doing something
nice for themselves or someone else,” says Thompson. “It’s
really on the ‘treat’ side of things.”
◆ Sweet Jane’s, 5431 Doyle St.
Hunker down with a hobby this holiday season
By Jennifer Vardy
The Commoner
Under $20
• Fish windsock kite ($18)
• Speed Baron Offshore remote-controlled boat ($16.50)
• Canada’s Fast Eddy McDonald’s
The Looper yo-yo ($7.50)
$20 - $50
• The Dude Flying Rocket ($45.99)
• Sculpey III 10-pack clay ($26.99)
• The All-Canadian Trivia Board
Game ($34.99)
$50 - $100
• Rail Master basic train kit ($59.99)
• King George V model British
battleship ($89.99)
$100 +
• LGB starter train set ($489.99)
• SCX Imoda F-1 race car kit ($275)
• Stadium Thunder race car ($299.99)
PAGE EDITOR: STEPHANIE ROBERTS
Looking for ‘the’ gift for someone who
has everything under the moon? Try The
Dude — the gift with the potential to sail
over the moon.
“We were all fascinated when The Dude
came in,” says Michael Larisey, co-owner of
Maritime Hobbies and Crafts. “We took it
out and blew it up with a drinking straw,
and the air tube seals itself.”
Children can launch this seven-foot high
model rocket for just $45.99. The body of the
silver rocket is inflatable and comes with an
attached parachute attached so it will float
back to earth.
Maritime Hobbies and Crafts also sells
models of cars, boats and trains. “To us,
they’re not toys,” says Larisey, gesturing to
the samples on display. “They’re hobbies,
meant for relaxation.”
Gary Anderson agrees. Retired, he
works at the store part-time in the model
train section. He says he became interested
in model trains several years ago, as a way
to relieve stress. “Trains teach you
patience,” he says.
Train sets range from $60 for basic models, to $1,000 for advanced models. They sell
every kind of accessory a model railroad
enthusiast could imagine. Not only do they
have whistles and engineer’s hats, but they
have scenery, too — miniature used-car
dealerships, scaled-down trees and tiny
chainsaws for tiny lumberjacks.
Model cars are popular, too, says Larisey.
“People come in and buy their dream car,”
he says. They stock everything from a ’67
Oldsmobile to the most recent models.
Miniature board game keychains make
great stocking stuffers. If your kids are fans
of Mr. Potato Head, Monopoly or Barrel of
Monkeys, for $4 to $6 they can carry them
anywhere.
Brightly coloured kites hang from the
ceiling. Basic ones cost $18. Advanced, twohanded, kites can cost more than $100. “It’s
an outside activity, but people are outside in
the winter, too,” says Larisey. “They can still
fly them — they’ll just wear gloves while
doing it.”
They sell jigsaw puzzles, too. A Three
Stooges puzzle costs $3.49. A puzzle of
paintings by Thomas Kinkade cost $20.
Larisey says they like to offer different
things than what people would find in
department stores.
◆ Maritime Hobbies and Crafts,
1521 Grafton St.
Christine Kay / The Commoner
The Dude can take you to the moon and back
PAGE 8
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
Books and toys for child
Woozles offers
modern kids
the old-time
gift of reading
dering minds attentive.
What seems like a good id
little boy doesn’t always seem
to his parents. The Salamande
($9.50), by Anne Mazer, is just
tale. The young boy wants a
orange salamander as a pet.
mother has a few questions: w
the salamander eat? Where
sleep? What will it do when it
its friends? The boy imagine
tions to each challenge until he
imagines his room without a
let the rain in. The story has lus
trations and subtly teaches a
about responsibility.
Every child seems to h
favourite blanket. It’s a friend
sorely missed when it b
threadbare and has to be “r
Something From Nothing ($6
Phoebe Gilman, tells about a
boy named Joseph who’s gran
gives him a blanket. When Jo
too old to use the blanket, his
father tailors the blanket into a
As Joseph grows, the original
goes through several transform
until it is nothing but a special
Then the button is lost. There
ing left for grandfather to mak
thing out of. But Joseph is
make something out of nothin
story is loosely based on a tra
Jewish folk tale.
The modern child doesn’t seem to
have time for anything that isn’t
plugged in. Kids spend their time in
front of TVs, computers or some other
electronic gadget that can’t be up to
anything good. Books are a thing of
the past, right?
Woozles Children’s Bookstore
proves there’s still some fight left in
the written word.
Lisa Doucet works there and seems
to have read every book and played
with every toy in the place. Here’s a
sample of her expertise.
Picture Books for Younger Children
We all remember the classics. SamI-Am, the Grinch and Yertle the Turtle
frolic on the bright covers of Dr. Seuss
classics. The Man with the Yellow Hat
tries to keep that silly monkey, Curious George, out of trouble. Maybe the
Man with the Yellow Hat should take
a trip to the White House. Pooh,
Piglet, Eeyore, Owl and T-I-doubleGa-Er bounce through the HundredAcre Wood with their friend Christopher Robin. But Doucet also has some
new, soon-to-be classics.
Auntie Claus ($25.50), by Elise
Primavera, is about a spoiled girl
named Sophie who wonders why her
Auntie Claus disappears every
Christmas. Sophie decides to solve
the mystery and stows away in her
aunt’s luggage. Sophie’s plans take
an unexpected turn when she steps
out of her box and Mr. Pudding, a
head elf, assumes she is a newly
recruited elf and immediately puts
her to work in Santa’s toyshop.
Sophie starts to get really nervous
when Santa sends her to the coal
mine with the B-B-and-G List (Bad
Boy and Girl List), thinking that she
may be on it. The happy ending eventually comes and Auntie Claus is able
to teach her about the importance of
hard work and a few other things.
“There would be a revolt if we didn’t carry this book,” says Doucet as
she reaches for The Polar Express
($29.95), by Chris Van Allsburg.
In The Polar Express, Allsburg, the
author behind the hit movie Jumanji,
transports a young boy to the North
Pole via the Polar Express. At the top
of the world, Santa gives the young
boy the honour of being the first to
receive a Christmas gift. He asks for a
sleigh bell from one of Santa’s famous
reindeer. He gets the bell, but sadly
loses it. This bell, however, has some
Learning to Read
Lisa Doucet looks through one of many books available for children at Woozles bookstore.
magical properties and creates a
happy ending for true believers in the
Christmas spirit.
Doucet says the next book she
pulls off the shelf is destined to establish new Christmas family traditions.
The House of Wooden Santas
($29.95), by Canadian author Kevin
Major, is written in a semi-connected
short story style with a new section
for each day of Advent. Jesse, the
main character, has to leave hockey
and his best friends in the city when
he moves with his mother to a small
seaside village where she can sell her
woodcarvings. Boredom and being
the new kid in school makes Jesse
wonder what kind of a Christmas
he’ll have. But as the 25th creeps closer, Jesse is surprised each day as his
mother brings home a new, beautifully carved Santa. A photograph of each
unique Santa carving matches the
daily stories in the book.
Not since Wilbur, the prize-winning swine in Charlotte’s Web, has a
pig risen to such prominence in children’s literature.
“This pig captivates the world,”
says Doucet as she reaches for Olivia
Saves the Circus ($24.50), by Ian Falconer. In this story, the porky protagonist is asked to share her vacation
memories with her classmates at
school. She is all too willing,
because, as she remembers it, she
went to the circus. All of the circus
Stories and photos
by Todd MacKay
folk were sick and couldn’t perform,
but luckily Olivia was able to fill in
for everything from lion taming to
the trapeze. Her teacher is skeptical
and asks if the story is all true. “Pretty all true,” replies Olivia. Obviously, Olivia would make a sensational
journalist.
Respect for nature and the environment are important themes in The
Water Hole ( $27.95), by Graeme Base.
Intricately illustrated pages show rhinos, pandas, toucans and 100 other
animals coming to a small pool to
drink. Eventually the pool goes dry.
But the water hole returns as the season changes and the rain comes.
Pictures in Paperback
The Gruffalo ($10.95), by Julia
Donaldson, is the story of a mouse
whose quick wit and imagination
keep predators at bay. As animals
threaten to eat him, the mouse warns
them that he is on his way to see his
friend the Gruffalo. The mouse won-
ders why none of the other animals
seem to realize that the terrifying
Gruffalo is a creature of the mouse’s
imagination. But at the end of the tale
it’s the mouse’s turn for a scare when
he actually meets a real, live Gruffalo.
Donaldson’s story has an excellent
rhyme and rhythm that makes it fun
to read aloud.
Sometimes punishments don’t
work out as planned. At least not
where a little boy in a wolf suit named
Max is concerned. Where the Wild
Things Are ($11.95), by Maurice
Sendak, is the story of a boy who is
sent to bed without supper. But in his
imagination, Max sails a ship to a place
where the wild things are. Rather than
being scared of the comical monsters,
Max uses his wolf suit and all of the
ferocity a little boy can muster to scare
the wild things. The wild things are
impressed and make Max their king.
Unfortunately for his loyal subjects,
Max eventually decides to sail his ship
home where he finds his mother, and
his supper, waiting for him.
With neon colours and action
packed pages, Who Hops ($9.50), by
Katie Davis, is like a game show for
the really little ones. The game goes
something like this: who hops? A
bunny hops. A kangaroo hops. A cow
hops. Nooo, a cow doesn’t hop, that
would never work! The rhythms and
colours will keep even the most wan-
At some point the glossy
and bright pictures lose their
and kids between the ages of
nine start to read chapter book
are a few Doucet suggests.
Two of the books in this c
take place right here in Nova
Terror In the Harbour ($7.
Sharon E. McKay, revisits the
explosion of 1917. A Migh
Imagining ($7.99), by Lynn K
describes the experiences of
slaves who escaped from the
can South to Nova Scotia
underground railway.
The Magic Treehouse series
popular for early chapter book
ment. Mary Pope Osborne’s
offering, Christmas in C
($17.95), helps children learn
the time and culture of the m
King Arthur. Short research gu
available to accompany the
Treehouse novels and encoura
dren to learn more about the hi
background.
Middle Readers
If you’re wondering who
category, check the line-ups in
movie theatres today. Harry
fans will be out in droves to
young sorcerer and his friends
début film. But before the film
the immensely popular books
Rowlings: Harry Potter an
Philosopher’s Stone ($9.95),
Potter and the Chamber of
PAGE EDITOR: MICHAEL AYYASH
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 9
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($10.95), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ($11.95), and Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire (only
available in hard cover, $35).
Harry Potter is a 10-year-old boy
who has grown up with his uncle,
aunt and fat cousin Dudley. Harry is
shocked to discover that his parents
were wizards and were killed by an
evil sorcerer when he was a baby. He
discovers he is a wizard too. Soon he
finds himself at Hogwart’s, a boarding school for magical children. There
he makes friends with other students
and they have exciting adventures.
They battle Lord Voldemort, the evil
sorcerer who killed Harry’s parents.
In The Secret of Platform 13 ($6.99),
by Eva Ibbotson, brings the world of
fantasy home. A gump [door between
worlds] opens under platform 13 at
King’s Cross Station in London and
several magical creatures come into our
world to find their prince. But the
prince is a spoiled brat who is quite
determined not to be rescued.
Not everything in this category is
magical, however.
Because of Winn-Dixie ($8.99), by
Kate DiCamillo, chronicles the relationship between 10-year-old Opal
Buloni and the stray dog she
befriends, Winn-Dixie.
Set in small-town Illinois during
the 1930’s, A Long Way from Chicago
($8.99), by Richard Peck, is a series of
connected short stories as Joey and
Mary Alice recount their annual, twoweek visits with their grandmother.
Grandmother is sometimes aweinspiring and intimidating, but
always fascinating. One moment she’s
threatening a nasty neighbour with a
gun, the next she’s catching the sheriff
in his underwear.
Young Adults
Set in Newfoundland, Charlie
Wilcox ($9.95), by Sharon E. McKay, is
a historical fiction. The title character
has a club-foot and is unable to join
his father on the sealing boats. One
night his father is bragging that Charlie will be the first in the family to go
to university, but Charlie only hears
his father say that will never be able to
go sealing. Anxious to prove himself,
Charlie hides on a boat, but later realizes that it’s not a sealer, but a ship
carrying troops to the First World War.
Soon Charlie finds himself in the middle of the fighting.
While Bridget Jones’s Diary captivated adult audiences, Angus,
Thongs and Full-Frontal Snoggings
($9.95) has gained a similar following
in a younger crowd. Written in diary
form, the book is a hilarious story
about 14-year-old Georgia Nicolson as
she grows up in a house with her
three-year-old sister, annoying parents and wildcat Angus.
◆ Woozles, 1533 Birmingham St.
Train sets and
wiggly giggly
balls; Woozles
has toys, too
One half of Woozles Children’s Bookstore is packed with books. The other half
with toys. Lisa Doucet highlights some of
the popular picks for this holiday season.
The two train sets on display in Woozles
are always busy. Kids play with them while
their parents shop. The Brio Beginner Railway Expansion Set ($39.99) is enough for kids
to play conductor at home. Smaller pieces and
expansions can be added over time.
Spy Toys, by Wild Planet, can keep kids
entertained for hours. The Spy Camera
($30.99) is a pair of sunglasses with a small
camera mounted on the side. Complete with
film and a remote, the camera is a fun way
for kids to take pictures. The XP-4 Spy Pen
($19.99) is much more than a pen. A snap-on
scope allows long distance spying, or closeup magnifying. A small light makes writing
in the dark easy, or can it become a flashlight. There’s even a light sensor alarm.
Groovy Girls ($13.99) will likely be the
dolls for the season. Made completely of soft
cloth, the dolls don’t have buttons or loose
parts that can come off and pose a threat to
infants. With bright outfits and hairstyles,
the dolls are fun for kids to play with.
They’re even becoming collectors’ items.
Playmobil is another type of toy that is
popular at Woozles. Similar to Lego character, Playmobil allows children to build imaginary lands and move characters around.
The sets cost from $3.99 for single characters
to $200 for larger sets. The pirate ship
($129.99) is the most popular set at the store.
The Wiggly Giggly Ball ($12.99) is a
great gift for infants. Its bright colours and
easy grips make it irresistible for babies. But
the real drawing point of this toy is that it
wiggles and giggles when kids move it.
Two-year-old Ben Czenze plays with a train set at Woozles as he waits for his parents.
Don’t forget children’s classics — from used bookstores
When buying books, remember that
many old classics can be bought with pocket change at used bookstores. Kids have
loved some of these for generations.
Readers around the world love Lucy
Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green
Gables. The adventures of P.E.I.’s favourite
redhead are exciting to each new generation. With nine books in the series, there’s
enough reading to keep kids busy for some
time.
The Little House on the Prairies series, by
Laura Ingalls Wilder, is another classic that
records the joys and sorrows of settlers in
the American West. There are nine books in
this series as well.
Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach
and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are
vividly imaginative and have movie versions that can put pictures to the words.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Lord of
the Rings trilogy are fantasy masterpieces
that have taken readers on exciting adventures with dwarves and hobbits, ogres and
dragons. Tolkien will only become more
popular when the Lord of the Rings movie
comes out in December.
The Chronicles of Narnia, by Tolkien’s
long time friend, C.S. Lewis, are among the
best-loved children’s books of all time. In
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the
most famous of the series, four children are
transported from wartime England to the
land of Narnia. There they meet Mr. Tumnus, a confused little fawn, some talking
beavers and many other amazing characters
as they fight the White Witch to end the perpetual winter that grips the land.
The few coins invested in some of these
priceless treasures will pay dividends. Used
bookstores have some of the best bargains in
the world.
PAGE 10
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
Words worth wrapping for Christmas
By Stephanie Roberts
The Commoner
Pondering why dogs are better than men, how to punish
your lover for his or her cheating heart, or how to maintain
your dwarf fruit orchard? Know somebody who is? Look no
further than The Book Room for answers bound between
hard and soft covers.
Why Dogs Are Better Than Men offers this insight: “Men
don’t eat cat turds on the sly.” Try to put a price on that gem.
Try $13.80.
The Love Voodoo Kit lets you poke pins into a hot pink
doll according to individual needs for revenge. Is he quick
to the trigger? Go for the jugular. Sick of her halitosis? Give
her a heart attack. Curious? Shell out $14.95.
Maintaining Your Dwarf Fruit Orchard ($4.95) is one
booklet in a series by Storey Books. Did the rugrats next
door reap the labours of your vegetable patch too early?
First, make memo to self: rim garden with shards of metal in
spring. Then, despair not. Your vegetables will not rot, not if
you pick up a copy of 52 Great Green Tomato Recipes
($4.95).
Teenagers don’t realize that it is harder to buy books for
them than to be them. They don’t know angst like their
book-buying parents know angst. Declench those jaws and
don’t capitulate by stuffing their stockings with money and
candy. The Book Room’s selection of young adult fiction is
modest, but not barren. Red Dog ($24.95) is the recent novel
by French author Louis de Bernieres about Australia’s bestloved dog. Linda Sawler, who rearranges books in the store,
recommends Martin the Warrior ($8.99), the first in the Redwall series about a mouse who wants to take over the world.
If you cannot resist the Tolkien trend snag The Hobbitt
($9.99).
If you are lucky enough to have a friend with a sense of
humour, he or she deserves this book: How To Be A Canadian, Even If You Are Already One ($19.95) by brothers Will
and Ian Ferguson. It’s a gut-chortling romp through hills
and dips of all things Canadian.
Looking for something simultaneously attractive and
repellent? Look no further than Lady Cottington’s Pressed
Fairy Book ($14). It is exactly what it sounds like: desiccated
winged fairies flattened like last autumn’s lawn compost
between pages. Erin Duke, who shops at The Book Room,
calls it “weird.”
Duke would prefer to receive Hateship, Friendship,
Stephanie Roberts / The Commoner
Linda Sawler, who works at The Book Room, prepares to wrap books for a customer — a service provided free of charge.
Courtship, Loveship, Marriage ($34.99), the latest literary
excursion by Alice Munro.
Stumped still? Let your senses guide you. Beguiling titles
beckon from the shelves: Dolce Agonis (Nancy Huston,
$29.95); Dave Loves Sophie to Death (Robb Forman Dew,
$19.95); Portrait in Sepia (Isabel Allende, $31.80); and How
Escape with a good book this winter
Birthday Letters, by Ted Hughes: A collection of poems
from Hughes to his wife, Sylvia Plath. Stunning in their
raw poignancy. Enduring in their effect.
Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science,
Faith and Love, by Dava Sobel: Sobel unwraps a story
set in 17th century Italy, between Sister Marie Celeste
and her father, Galileo, the founder of modern science.
Letters reveal the emotional connection they shared, and
provide a touching glimpse into Galileo’s historical
struggle.
Atonement, by Ian McEwan: Breathstopping.
All Over But The Shoutin’, by Rick Bragg: Bragg
recounts, pitilessly, the horror of a life lived with a harddrinking, then absent, father, mud poor, in white-trash
town, Alabama. Underlying all is his love for his mother,
and trying to atone for the cruelties of life she endured
to protect him.
Canadian Oxford Dictionary, by Katharine Barber: The
perfect partner, with a glass of port, on a long winter’s
night. Since the first edition of 1998, 150 words have
been added.
French Laundry Cookbook, by Thomas Keller: Art or
food? You decide.
Through the Looking
Glass and What Alice Saw
There, by Lewis Carroll:
Irresistible tale, where
everything happens backwards, of what curiosity
can do to a little girl. Yes,
she is that Alice. This is the
story of what happened
before she and Dinah fell into the rabbit’s hole.
STEPHANIE
ROBERTS
bookIDEAS
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette, by Judith Thurman: Thurman chose the title for her biography of the
French writer from a letter Andre Gide wrote after
Colette published Cherie. Gide praised Colette’s insight
into the “least admitted secrets of the flesh.” Unabashedly sensual, Colette created the modern French woman.
Pilates on the Ball, by Colleen Craig: It’s fun. Promise.
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy: Tolstoy was compelled
to write this book after a neighbour’s spurned mistress
flung herself in front of a train. Anna and Count Vronsky: passion, empathy, betrayal and death mark the relationship of the modern era’s quintessential lovers, challenged in status only by Pasternak’s Lara and Dr.
Zhivago.
to be Good (Nick Hornby, $35.99). Any of these is sure to
please a discerning reader.
For the corporate type, pick up something more appropriate. Jack: Straight from the Gut ($42.95) is an inspirational
look at how one man reached the apex of his business career.
Yearning to bare your soul to your loved one by presenting her with a book of poetry that reveals your true, infinitely more appealing, self? You are out of luck. The Book
Room does have a poetry section, but there’s nothing on the
four sparsely decorated shelves worth looking at, except
Lives of the Poets ($50). At least you can read about your
favourite poets.
For geeks on a literary bender, Riddle of the Compass:
The Invention that Changed the World ($37), is a fascinating
foray into the history and science of the compass.
For anyone that loves pretty pictures, The Canadian
Landscape ($37.95) will take you on a journey across our
home and native land. Even Greyhound can’t carry you
from here to Vancouver for that price. Also visually stunning, Steel Wheels Rolling ($60) pays photographic homage
to that shuttling beast of sexual imagery, the train.
The mystery buff of the family will appreciate any of Sue
Grafton’s escapist, yet still believable, tomes. P for Peril,
($38.99), is the latest. Others — from A to O — are available
in paperback ($9.99). Also recommended, Robert Crais’s La
Requiem ($9.99), one in a series featuring detective Elvis
Cole. “It took me a book or two to get over the Elvis bit,”
says Bernice Leeson, who works at the store, “but once I did,
I got right into it.”
Other picks by Leeson include Longitude ($16.99), the
story of the development of the chronometer, and The Fiery
Cross ($39.95), a monolith of a historical novel, perfect for
those who think big is better.
Long to escape the mind-numbingness of the festive season? Venture to another land with Africa: An Artist’s Journal
($58) a stunning pictorial at the most mysterious of continents. If that’s too far from home, lace up those Timberlands
and away you go with Hiking Nova Scotia’s Trails ($14.95).
Take a book.
◆ The Book Room, 1546 Barrington St.
PAGE EDITOR: JAKE KENNEDY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 11
Dragons take flight at Black Market
By Dan Schnare
The Commoner
One of the first things you see in the
Black Market is a skull-topped walking
stick hanging by the door. More wooden
skulls, as well as little coffins, line a back
shelf.
The store also carries hemp clothing and
accessories, large masks, and tongue studs.
In other words, you can find a lot of stuff
here that Sears doesn’t carry.
You can also buy incense, candles, and
jewelry at the small Grafton Street store. But
you can’t get “smoking” paraphernalia;
that’s next door at Mary Jane’s. It’s a common mistake: when someone mentions the
Black Market, people ask, “Can I get a bong
there?” Sorry, but no.
Stefanie Bruce who’s been working at the
Black Market for seven months, says jewelry is a popular item. She mentions a woman
who bought “$1,000 worth of rocks” from
her.
“Like nine rings, 10 pendants, and
maybe five necklaces,” she says.
The counter is full of rings (for fingers
and toes) and body jewelry, such as tongue
studs and nose rings.
The wall opposite is covered with necklaces and chokers made from beads and
hemp. Baskets full of bracelets are scattered
around the store.
When you enter, a wave of perfumed air
hits you. It’s from the large incense display
near the back. The Black Market seems to
have every scent imaginable, as well as
accessories such as wooden holders. The
scent can be a bit overwhelming, but it’s
easy to get used to.
A good gift idea would be a flying dragon (some $14, some $18). These are hanging wooden dragons with moving wings.
The dragons cover the ceiling of the store;
some even have tails that hang low enough
to brush people’s heads as they walk
around.
Most of what the Black Market sells is
available in more than one price range.
Bedsheets, some embroidered, some made
from imported linen, for example, range
from $20 to over $100, and things such as
wooden masks and mirrors have similar
price spreads depending on size and detail
of carving.
There is one thing you won’ t be able to
find at the Black Market, though. “We had
a request for a funky tie clip,” Bruce says.
“I thought that was pretty weird. We were
fresh out, though.”
Her most unusual request was more sinister.
“I had a girl having demons haunt her
once,” she says. “She needed things to get
rid of her demons.” Bruce didn’t say if she
could help the girl.
◆ The Black Market,
Dan Schnare / The Commoner
Siobhan Murphy hangs out behind the bracelets at the Black Market.
Under $20
• Toe rings ($9, $11, and $12)
• Flying dragons ($14)
• Hemp wallets ($9.50)
$20 - $50
• Round mirror with carved wooden
frame ($49)
• Skull walking stick ($27)
• Body jewelry (about $40 for a tongue
stud)
Hockey playing Santa scores big at Annabelle’s
By Nathan Sager
The Commoner
Flipping through the poster display at
Annabelle’s Framing & Collectibles Ltd.,
you stop abruptly when a particular image
catches the eye.
It’s an enlarged black-and-white of a
publicity photo: A young boxer stands over
four young musicians lying flat on their
backs, as if all had been kayoed by the
same punch, but are grinning nevertheless.
There’s a story behind this picture: It was
1964, and Cassius Clay was in Miami training to fight Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title. The Beatles were playing a gig
in town during their first U.S. tour, and it
occurred to someone that the Fab Four and
the future Muhammad Ali together would
make a good photo for the wire services,
never mind a poster selling for $38 some 30
years later.
Annabelle’s has about 1,500 prints, by
store manager Debbie Williams’s estimate.
They range from the reprints of works by
artists such as Monet and Munch, to the
usual suspects from American pop culture:
Bogie, Elvis, JFK, and Marilyn.
“People will come in with all kinds of
requests,” she says. “We have people come
in asking if we have a print of the Monet
that’s down at the art gallery. Or someone
will come in and ask about something they
saw in a movie or on TV.”
Williams says she keeps such requests on
file, and has approximately 25 to 30 catalogues on hand she can make special orders
from. Usually this means prints of lesser
known paintings, or posters from 1940s
films.
PAGE EDITOR: CHRISTINE KAY
Moving around the small shop, there
seem to be a lot of different things being
sold. The poster display occupies quite a bit
of floor space, but there are plenty of ornaments, cards, and trinkets for sale. Some of
the cards include movie stills. A display
behind the counter shows some of the
colours and types of frames available,
apparently just a fraction of what
Annabelle’s has in stock.
The price range is quite broad — from
$1.99 for tree ornaments with Santa playing
soccer or wearing a lumberjack’s mackinaw,
to prints for over $500.
Those tree ornaments are part of a large
Christmas display: there’s a “nautical”
Santa collection, including one of Saint Nick
in a fisherman’s yellow rain slicker ($2.49
and up). Williams says people often buy
these for family members who have moved
out of the region. Even if it’s highly hoaky,
it’s hard not to chuckle at a nativity scene
with snowmen ($54.95).
Near the cash register, are patchwork
glass ornaments which sell for $17.95 to
$39.95. The artist puts together three-quarters of the frame, then slides odd-shaped,
colourful pieces of glass between the panes
before closing them in. These are a little
more elaborate than the blown glass ornaments near the door ($12.95), the type you
hang in a window to reflect light, and make
it change colour.
Right next to this are some gargoyle figurines, one of which has a sword that when
unsheathed turns out to be letter opener
($15.95). It’s the type of gift that might wow
a Harry Potter or a Lord of the Rings fan.
At the back of the store is a large card display. Probably the most eye-catching are the
$50 - $100
• Singing Bowl — brass bowl played by
rubbing a stick along its rim (3 sizes at
$65, $85, and $95)
• Large wooden casket box ($56)
• Wooden skeleton CD holder ($59)
$100 +
• Large Nepalese carved wood mask used
for spiritual protection ($120)
• Gold embroidered bedsheets for a double bed ($132)
Under $20
• Nautical Christmas ornaments —
ceramic minatures of Santa ($1.99 to
$2.49)
• Birthstone diaries with a lock and a
person's birthstone ($9.95)
• Blown glass ornaments ($12.95 and
up)
$20 - $50
• Christmas Teddy Bear ($26.99)
• Decorative sprinkler heads: Even
with snow, keep the gardener on your
list in mind ($24.95)
Nathan Sager / The Commoner
Santa tree ornaments, $1.99 and up.
Thistledance cards ($2.75), which are created by local artists, including Susan Aikins
and Geoff Butler. The cards are glossy, with
rich colours, and inside allow you to write a
more personal message than relying on
Hallmark.
Williams says the store does try to support local artists; there are quite a few prints
hanging on one wall, including several by
Maurice Crosby for $61. To a newcomer to
the region, Crosby’s prints would be idyllic
depictions of Atlantic Canada: dorries tied
to a dock, a small fishing village, the
Bluenose II at full mast.
For $2 per gift, Annabelle’s offers gift
wrapping — “men seem to appreciate that,”
Williams says.
◆ Annabelle’s Framing & Collectibles Ltd.,
5475 Spring Garden Rd.
$50 - $100
• Nativity scene snowmen ($54.95)
• Maurice Crosby prints ($61)
$100 +
• Prints of paintings, up to $564.
PAGE 12
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 200
streetLEVEL
What’s the best
gift you’ve given
or received?
surprised me with a
“roomMyfullboyfriend
of balloons, about waist deep,
Amy Lamb
Mount Allison
student
and my friends
were all hiding
under them. I
thought it was just
a room full of
balloons. It’s our
3-year anniversary
next week.”
this scarf
“ My best friend crocheted
for me out of
eyelash fabric last
year for Christmas.
It’s a pretty cool
scarf.”
Jen Levert
Hostess
me a whole suit.
“ My parents boughtI even
got shoes
Jayson Kilchie
Ikon Business
Solutions
and socks and a
green dotted tie to
go with it. It was
the most expensive
thing they ever
bought me. It’s
also been useful —
I’ve worn it a
couple of times.”
days before
“ I got married twoChristmas;
I would
say that’s a good
gift!”
Edwina Moore
Retired bookkeeper
For a really extravagant gift, this 85-point diamond is set in a 14-karat white gold ring. But you might have to sell your car because it costs $10,575.
Golden gifts
for the rich...
...and for everyone else
at FireWorks Gallery
If you’re afraid of spiders stay away from the jewelry
case on the far left-hand side of FireWorks Gallery on
downtown Barrington Street. But if you’re one of the many
people looking for a piece made by Halifax designer Lizzy
Bugs then it’s the place to go. A spider pin made of sterling
silver from this collection will cost you about $65.
If a spider won’t communicate the right message to that
special someone, how about a 14-karat white gold ring
with a sparkling 85-point diamond in the centre? Just
$10,575. Michelle Peppitas, the gallery’s studio manager,
says the more ornate the piece is,
the more expensive it is.
Story and Pictures
FireWorks, however, carries
pieces that suit almost anyone’s
By Christine Kay
aesthetics and budget. The least
The Commoner
expensive pieces include imported jewelry from Nepal and Bali made of amber, silver and
semi-precious gem stones. The earrings start around $15
and bracelets range between $30 and $35.
The store carries custom-made work you won’t find in
other stores. Chris Shute, another Halifax designer, is
renowned for his Celtic-inspired pieces. One is a silver
brooch with a shield-like shape. Instead of a regular pin,
the shield’s fastener is a miniature sword. It costs about
$165.
Another collection, made by a group of artists from
Manitoba called Silver Stone, stems from the new and rising trend of Feng Shui (a Chinese philosophy of design
which follows nature’s patterns). Each piece has a Chinese
character on it such as the symbol for “enlightment.”
FireWorks Gallery has a wide variety of pieces you
won’t see in bigger stores, and it also carries its own line.
The FireWorks line goes from very simple pieces, like a
keltic knot band in white gold for $500 to an intricate triangular gold pendant for $1,495. This pendant isn’t only
gold, it also has a large opal in the centre of it, a pearl and
12 small diamonds. FireWorks jewelry ranges from simple
to extravagant and from reasonable to wildly expensive.
With such a range in products, the gallery has a very
eclectic clientele. Singer-songwriter Sarah MacLachlan
comes in whenever she’s in town, says Peppitas. But then
so do people you’ve never heard of, and who’ve never
been in Frank magazine — or even the Halifax Herald.
Gina Morrison, a Halifax bartender, has been a Fireworks’ regular for the last two-and-a-half years, though
her boyfriend, Eric, goes in more often then she does.
Modern and fun is key at FireWorks. It even has two
budgies to the right of the entrance who help customers
break the ice. “If people are shy,” says Peppitas, “they can
start by talking to the birds.”
There are no five-for-$5 racks at the FireWorks Gallery
— there aren’t any racks at all — but there’s a huge selection. You can spend an hour in there “just looking, thank
you.” Whether the piece costs as much as a car or as little
as a dinner for two at McDonald’s, there’s no drive thru at
FireWorks — especially on Christmas Eve. So shop early!
◆ FireWorks Gallery, 1569 Barrington St.
Fireworks’s manager, Michelle Peppitas holds an oversized tree ornament ($45).
Halifax designer Chris Shut, is known for Celtic pieces like this broach ($165).
PAGE EDITOR: TODD MACKAY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 13
streetLEVEL
What’s the best
gift you’ve given
or received?
I was in India and my boyfriend
gave my brother a gift to bring with him
when he visited
me. It was a Star
Wars T-shirt, black
socks and a CD.”
“
Debbie Jorgensen
Second year
Dalhousie Law
Halifax’s Strange Adventures shop owner Calum Johnston (left) is immortalized in the Dec. ‘97 issue of DC’s Superman: The Man of Steel comic book.
Find super gifts for superhero lovers
at Strange Adventures Comic Bookstores
By Michael Ayyash
What happened on that bus, and how they
wound up in Illinois in the beginning of
Dogma, is told in the comic book Chasing
Dogma ($20).
Even scenes that weren’t filmed in Clerks,
another Kevin Smith movie featuring Jay and
Silent Bob, are available as the Clerks comic
book ($17.95).
“These kinds of comics are selling a lot
more now because of the movies,” says Johnston.
Not all comics are cheap, though. You
could spend an entire month’s salary on a single comic book. The first-ever issue of the
new X-Men, published in 1975, costs $800.
Strange Adventures has already sold two
copies. Other collector items are also available
for various prices.
The Commoner
You don’t have to go far to get the best
comic books in the world. Halifax’s Strange
Adventures Comic Bookshop was named the
world’s greatest comic shop in 1996 by Previews Magazine. The prize: to appear in the
comic book of their choice. Store owner
Calum Johnston chose Superman and
appeared in the Dec ’97 issue.
Comic book fans can expect to find almost
any comic book they’re looking for at Strange
Adventures, including the much-anticipated
Dec. 5 release of Frank Miller’s Dark Knight
Strikes Again ($12).
The three-issue series is a sequel to the
1986 groundbreaking Batman: The Dark
Knight Returns ($23.50), a success in both
the comic industry and the mainstream
media.
Not only comic books
Bringing people back in
“We’ve had a lot of people who aren’t
comics collectors coming in to reserve a copy
of this series,” says Johnston. “This issue
brought people back in.”
The Ultimate Spiderman trade paperback
($22) is another hot seller at the store. The collection includes the first seven issues of the
series and has been selling at a rate of three
volumes per week.
But comics aren’t all about superheroes
and villains.
Maus, for example, is a comic book about
the Holocaust ($54.50).
Ghost World ($13.95) is about two girls
who just graduated from high school. The
comic book, which was later made into a
movie, is about their summer before college.
From Hell, the newly-released movie about
Jack the Ripper, is also based on a comic book
with the same name ($54).
PAGE EDITOR: JENNIFER VARDY
A frame from the Dec. ‘97 issue of Superman
featuring Halifax business Strange Adventures.
Ever wonder what happened to Jay and
Silent Bob between the movies Chasing Amy
and Dogma? Well, there is a comic book by
creator Kevin Smith to tell that story.
Chasing Amy, a movie released in 1997,
ends with Jay and Silent Bob leaving on a bus.
They reappear in Dogma two years later.
Even people who do not like comics might
find themselves glued to the plot of Chasing
Dogma or Maus, or just checking out the old
action figures they loved as kids.
The store has a large selection of comicbased toys. Mage Knight is a miniature army
game, similar to toy soldiers. But the characters are all fantasy-based, ranging from small
knights ($1.75) to large chariots ($35). The
characters do battle according to the rulebook
provided in the starter kit ($25). Each character has powers that diminish every time it
loses a fight. The starter kit includes 10 or 15
painted miniatures, a rulebook and a measuring ruler that determines the distances each
fighter can move.
Other action figures, such as Transformers
($75) and Simpsons characters ($14.50) are
also available.
◆ Strange Adventures,
5262 Sackville St.
I got scuba diving lessons from my
“parents,
but I told them I wanted that. I
also got a kitten once. My mom used to
ask us every year
for a peaceful
Christmas — that
my brother and I
wouldn’t fight for
once. But we still
did.”
Kathryn Wallace
First year student
Dalhousie University
I was a kid, my parents bought
“me When
a wine-coloured bike that I never
asked for. A big bicycle. I still have it, to
this day. It’s at our
summer cottage.
The grandkids were
riding it up until a
few years ago.”
Barb MacIntosh
Retired
up an old graduation picture
“proofI blew
of my mother and gave her the
picture and a graduation ring. She had
me just two
months after she
graduated, so she
didn’t have any
money to get
pictures done.”
Jennifer Whaite
Northumberland
College student
PAGE 14
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
There’s more than turnips
and greens at the market
The Brewer y Market on Lower Water Street sells a variety of arts and
crafts as well as fruits and vegetables. It’s open Sat., 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Twigs, Plants and Gifts vendor Susan Trussoni sells handmade olive oil soaps
and creams. Items include a gift box ($9), bath salts ($2), and loofa sponges ($8).
Jorna Pottery Works’ Debbie Jorna
makes and sells smooth, glazed serving
dishes (small $42, large $68), chalices
($28), milk pans ($30 to $48), tumblers
and mugs ($16) out of stoneware clay. The
pottery glaze is safe for food. Dishes come
in light purple, turquoise, green and black.
Pictures and story
by Jasmine Budak
Frances Grant-Feriancek Chocolatier makes six
homemade truffle flavours: Baily’s Irish Cream, Black
Raspberry, Grand Marnier, Hazlenut Centre, Mocha
Kahlua and Double Chocolate. A box of 12 costs $19,
a box of 6 costs $10 and a box of 4 costs $7.
Michelle Yorke makes glass-bead and semi-precious-stone jewelry. Items include
rings ($12), pins ($8), bracelets ($15), anklets ($20), and barrettes ($15).
For more market gifts, please see
BREWERY MARKET on page 15
The price keeps dropping at Urban Cottage
This second-hand and
antique store is ‘like a
continuous garage sale’
Jake Kennedy
The Commoner
For $143.10 you can take home a handcranked phonograph which is tucked away
in a corner of the Urban Cottage secondhand and antique store. Come back on Nov.
22, and if it’s still there it’ll cost you only
$135.15.
Urban Cottage works pricing in an interesting way. When a customer brings in an
item (all items are sold on consignment), a
price is agreed upon. Every two weeks, the
price goes down by 5 per cent. When the
price hits an agreed upon minimum, the
item sits in stock until someone takes it
home. So the pair of bob-skates that started
at $29 on July 16, dropped to $17.40 on Nov.
5, and the old tin lock box — which sold by
the time I walked out of the store — had
dropped to $7.20 on Oct. 8.
People bring in items that have been sitting in their basements for years. The store
takes 40 per cent of the sale price to get rid
of it. It’s like a continuous garage sale.
Simon Thibault, assistant manager of the
store, says 75 per cent of the items get sold.
He expects items like a ’50s style green
cloth chair, which started at $160 in May, to
eventually sell. It’s now $96. One day it will
appeal to someone who walks in.
“Some of the stuff that comes in here is
hideous,” Thibault says. “But that’s just my
opinion. Somebody else will come in and
think it’s the greatest thing ever, and that
Panda bear
cookie jar
May 28
June 11
June 25
July 9
July 23
Aug. 6
Aug. 20
Sept. 3
Sept. 17
$35
$33.25
$31.50
$29.75
$28
$26.25
$24.50
$22.75
$21
what I think is really cool is hideous.”
One item open to a debate over aesthetic
value is the orange glass pitcher that stands
about 2 feet tall. With its long, slender
curves and piercing orange colour, it’s a
throwback to the ’70s. The original price
Pig cookie jar
Dec. 28
Jan. 11
Jan. 25
Feb. 8
Feb. 22
March 8
March 22
$35
$33.25
$31.50
$29.75
$28
$26.25
$24.50
was $50, but will be down to $42.50 as of
Nov. 27.
Two other items grab your eye right
away in the cluttered store: the two cookie
jars displayed on a fuschia linoleum-topped
Please see LOW PRICE on page 15
PAGE EDITOR: MICHAEL GANLEY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
THE COMMONER
PAGE 15
BREWERY MARKET, continued from page 14.
(Left) Mark Kustudich makes bongo
drums ($100 to $350) in a range of
sizes. Wooden slats fit together to form
the base of the drum, while the drumming pad is leather, with or without
hair.
(Right) Lorna Rogers makes and
sells mirrors cased in old wooden window frames. Where the glass panes
once were, there are now shiny mirror
panels. Frames are sanded and
“antiqued” to retain their rustic quality.
Some frames are decorated with lightly
painted flowers. Mirrors range from
$135 to $175 depending on their size
and shape.
(Left) Tiffany Stapells’ handpainted glass-ware items include
tea-light holders ($13), salt & pepper shakers ($25) and refrigerator
magnets ($10). Designs include
lizards, dolphins, lighthouses and
cats.
(Left) Mark Grantham’s
prints are adaptations of his
original paintings. His subjects
include Halifax streets and dark
wintry scenes of snow-capped
trees and cars. Prints come in
clip-frames and range in price
from $40 to $60. They also
come in packs of eight Christmas cards ($20).
(Right) Barbara
Holzmark’s handmade custom leather
shoes, boots and sandals ($120 to $350).
They come in purple,
green, pink, tan and
brown.
The Urban Cottage is ‘all about democratizing beautiful’
LOW PRICE, continued from page 14.
kitchen table. The panda bear cookie jar has
been in stock for a while, having hit its low
price of $21 on Sept. 17. The other cookie jar
— although it’s not a companion piece, you
really can’t have one without the other — is
the pig-shaped cookie jar with “cookie”
written across its side. It hit its low price
way back in March. You can now pick it up
for only $24.50 (down from the original $35).
Whatever you’re looking for, chances are
Urban Cottage has three of them in stock. If
not, they do keep an eye out for specific
items for customers. The whole point of the
store is to make sure these items don’t get
boxed away forever.
“It’s all about democratizing beautiful,”
says Thibault. “Not only rich people should
have access to really cool and beautiful stuff.
We let everyone have a chance at it.”
◆ The Urban Cottage, 1819 Granville St.
PAGE EDITOR: MICHAEL GANLEY
(Right)
(Left)
Phonograph
Sled
Oct 11
Oct 25
Nov 8
Nov 22
Dec 6
Dec 20
Jan 3
Jan 17
Jan 31
Aug 17
Aug 31
Sep 14
Sep 28
Oct 12
Oct 26
Nov 9
Nov 23
Dec 7
$159
$151.05
$143.10
$135.15
$127.20
$119.25
$111.30
$103.35
$95.40
$75
$71.25
$67.50
$63.75
$60
$56.25
$52.50
$48.75
$45
“It appeals to everyone, from
students to tourists to business
people. It’s totally unpretentious.”
—SIMON THIBAULT
PAGE 16
THE COMMONER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2001
Halifax Folklore Centre strikes
a chord with music lovers
Downtown music store
has plenty of gifts for
the beginning and the
experienced musician
By Dan Schnare
The Commoner
The guitar hangs above the main counter, just waiting for someone to pick it up
and take it home. The light from a nearby
lamp bounces off the burnt orange finish,
still shiny almost 40 years after the guitar
was created.
It’s a 1962 Gretsch Model 6120, the same
kind of guitar that Chet Atkins used to
play. And it’s the kind of axe that guitar
fanatics dream of owning.
And how much does this beauty cost?
Halifax Folklore Centre salesman David
Bradshaw chuckles as he says “call us for
the price.” In other words, it’s expensive.
Store owner Tom Dorward says the guitar is in “110 per cent” condition, meaning
it’s actually in the same condition as when
it left the factory.
This model even has the original store
tags, which makes it even more valuable
and desirable. It’s on consignment at the
Folklore Centre, and Dorward says the
owner wants at least $4,700 for it.
Of course, there are many other guitars,
as well as violins, banjos, mandolins, and
basses in the store. You could go for
the second-hand no-name electric guitar
hanging in the corner ($139.99). It’s small,
simple, and has an early ’80s “Van Halen”
paint job (red finish crisscrossed with
white stripes). It would be great for a
beginner.
On the other side of the store, a row of
Martin guitars line the wall. Right now
they’re on sale. The first in the row is a lowerend DX-1 ($799.99). Further back is a D-28
($2,699.99), one of the most desired Martin
models (older D-28s can sell for tens of
Dan Schnare / The Commoner
This 1962 Gretsch Model 6120, at $4,700
plus, is too expensive for a beginner. Halifax
Folklore Centre has many guitars for novices.
thousands of dollars). Martins are perfect for
bluegrass players (many won’t play anything
else), but anyone looking for a high-quality
acoustic guitar would be delighted to find
one under the Christmas tree.
Again, for people who want to buy a
less expensive acoustic guitar, the Folklore
Centre has plenty from the LaSiDo
company, including Normans, Art &
Lutheries, and Seagulls. Made in Canada,
these guitars range from around $200 to
over $1,000. They’re a bit smaller than
most guitars, which makes them easier for
smaller people to play. As well, they have
a very warm and deep sound.
Another instrument is the Samick 12string acoustic ($199.99) near the back of
the store. Samick is infamous for making
cheap and inferior guitars, but sometimes
they produce something good, and this
model is decent. The workmanship is a bit
rough in places, but it plays well and
sounds fine. For under $200, it’s really not
bad.
The Folklore Centre also has quite a few
electric guitars. A black Gibson Les Paul
Custom ($2,999.99) hangs close to the
Gretsch above the counter, placed directly
above the cash register.
In the middle of the store sits a rack of
Jay Turser guitars ($249.99). These are
inexpensive copies of Fender and Gibson
designs, and they’re often sold as part of
“starter kits” that include the guitar, a
small amp, and accessories such as a case,
a strap, a tuner, and some picks. The kits
sell for around $300.
If a new guitar isn’t on your Christmas
list, the Folklore Centre also has books and
accessories. A popular gift is a penny
whistle that comes with an instructional
book ($20). The centre also has assorted
brands of guitar strings, such as the new
D’Addario EXP strings, which are specially coated to last longer ($17.99).
There are some guitars that aren’t for
sale. They’re behind the counter simply to
be eye candy. One is a 1956 Gibson Les
Paul Junior, which was originally intended
to be a beginner guitar. They were also
popular with punk musicians in the
’70s. Next to the Les Paul is an even older
Gibson acoustic.
Each is worth thousands of dollars, but
Tom Dorward isn’t selling them.
Holidays are more meaningful and more relaxing without the rush to buy presents
JASMINE
BUDAK
viewPOINT
years, but Christmas seems to spark a massive spending spree on objects that are void
of meaning. In their desperation, last
minute shoppers reach for the generic:
picture frames, star-shaped candles and
socks splattered with grinning Santa faces.
Gifts mean more when they’re carefully
Danelectro effects pedals ($69.99)
Under $20
• D’Addario EXP strings ($17.99)
• Levy’s M8 cotton guitar strap
($12.99)
• Vintage guitar calendar ($17.99)
$20 - $50
• Feadog penny whistle and book
($20)
• Reader’s Digest “Merry Christmas” songbook ($39.95)
• Seiko ST-747 chromatic tuner
($44.99)
$50 - $100
• Danelectro “Grilled Cheese”
distortion pedal ($69.99)
• Warwick 5-guitar stand ($69.99)
“Martin Guitars” book ($54.99)
$100 +
• Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic guitar
($659.99)
• Second-hand Fender American
Standard Stratocaster electric
guitar ($999.99)
• Yorkville Bass Master 100 bass
amp ($399.99)
◆ Halifax Folklore Centre,
1528 Brunswick St.
Discovering the joy of not giving
A few years ago, my family and some
close friends decided to stop exchanging
Christmas presents.
My knee-jerk reaction was to protest and
beg my parents for the winter boots I needed that year.
But then I remembered my jewelry box
full of hideous gold chains and trinkets and
my bureau, home to bottles of spicy perfumes. And don’t get me started about my
hoard of beeswax candles, incense and
fruity lip balms.
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I’ve
received some thoughtful gifts over the
Dan Schnare / The Commoner
chosen and reflect the neat peculiarities
you’ve come to know about someone.
An old boyfriend once gave me a goofy
clown puppet that pops out of a cone. It was
a strange gift, but he knew I had a mild
obsession with puppets.
Often, just seeing someone is enough. On
my 23rd birthday a few years ago, I was surprised to wake up and find my godparents
in the kitchen grinning at me behind a simple bouquet of flowers. They had driven an
hour and a half to catch me before I went to
class that morning.
I started blubbering right there in the
kitchen still in my flannel pyjamas, my
uncombed hair matted to my head from
sleeping.
I was floored that they’d made such
an effort to see me on my birthday. Their
visit meant more to me than any CD or gift
certificate ever would.
Now, without the frantic rush to buy
Christmas presents, my holidays have
been strangely calm.
I lie around the family room with my
bare feet propped up by the fireplace
watching Dad flip channels in search of a
basketball game. While I help Mom attend
to gurgling pots on the kitchen stove, I
chuckle because my friends are suffering
in a shopping mall trying to buy golf balls
for their dads.
I come home now to spend time with my
family, not because I need new socks.
PAGE EDITOR: NATHAN SAGER