The world wide web is nothing if not tangled and, of course, endlessly surprising. While researching The Arthur I followed a link to another local blog called The Marion House Book where I saw the photo above (by Kristin Sjaarda) featuring what could very well be the school map of Canada that used to hang in my former home office (below).
I purchased the map from Electicsaurus on Toronto’s Gerrard Street and when I tired of it a few years later, I flipped it to Martin Augsten of Rogue Gallery who sold it at his stall in the St. Lawrence Antiques Market for about three times what he paid me for it just hours before.
What’s really weird is that the entry hall in the top pic belongs to a couple named Hayley and Greg, both described as journalists. It also so happens that in 2009 I did an interview with a reporter named Hayley for a story she was writing about second-hand bargain hunting. Marion House author Emma confirms that her Hayley is indeed my Hayley. I immediately sent a note off to the reporter who, unfortunately, is on leave at the moment so I’ve been unable to learn whether she and her husband bought their map from Martin. More will be revealed.
And while I’m in this Twilight Zone of stuff, I’ll mention that the orange lamp in my former office has also found it’s way back to me via the internet. Around the same time I sold the map, I flipped the lamp on Craigslist to a very nice woman named April (that’s her husband and my old lamp, below right). Well, April wrote to me recently to let me know that she’s been following styleNorth ever since and has even started her own blog called Money Pit Love, in which she documents the joys and tribulations of her ongoing home renovation.
April, I apologize for dropping the ball on our correspondence and yes, I’d be happy to have coffee with you to share some of what I’ve learned in three years with styleNorth. Gotta keep the circle spinning.
June 21st, 2011 at 9:13 pm
Isn’t it bizarre how this happens? But it seems to happen to most people who buy and sell. I’ve run across things I’ve sold in unexpected places, and more than once at an auction with my friend Connie something will hit the block and she’ll tell me when or where she sold it.
June 21st, 2011 at 11:46 pm
So true, happens all the time, much of the biz is recycled. After Christie I had a garage sale to weed out the nickel and dime stuff I just had to get rid of – a couple of my best buyers were Aberfoyle dealers…and so on…and so on…
June 22nd, 2011 at 10:23 am
Love this. Almost as much as before and afters! More like mine then yours:)
June 22nd, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Hi Chris, Thanks so much for the shout out! My husband was uber-excited to be profiled along with the lamp :) No worries about not connecting; we’re all busy. I’ll circle up with you in the next week or so to book a date. Chat soon!
June 22nd, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Such a small world, isn’t it? It is a gorgeous map – we are still loving the items we got at your Wychwood Barns sale – your little green vase is holding some beautiful peonies from the garden. Maybe I should blog about it. :)
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:10 am
Hayley wrote to burst my bubble and let me know that her map is not my map: “I actually bought it on Craigslist for $75, which I thought was a score considering how much those things are going for in the shops these days. Funnily enough, the person I bought it from turned out to be a friend of a friend, and I think I recall them saying they bought it from a shop….” So actually, who knows, maybe it did come Martin.