I hadn’t planned to make this mid-century week on styleNorth, it just turned out that way. Last Saturday I hiked out to the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke with my new friends Susan and Dave to visit Sputnik Vintage, a relatively new player in the local MCM furniture market. Susan discovered Sputnik through their ads on Kijiji and being an avid collector, she was anxious to give the shop a once over.
Sputnik is owned and operated by a knowledgeable and very funny veteran dealer named Peter Frampton who doesn’t sing but is a master of accents and impersonations. Frampton’s dad was a dealer and got his kid a job in the trade at the tender age of 14 — he’s been at it ever since. For years he dealt in antiques but he made the jump to mid-century stuff when he saw the popular taste heading in that direction. Smart move.
A seasoned bargain hunter, Susan was less than impressed with Peter’s offerings and prices although she did cart home two exceptional 1950s mirrors. I agree that the ticketed prices are a little on the high side but like Monty Hall, Frampton is ready to make a deal, especially if you’ll take a few pieces: “This is a business not a museum,” he said, “I gotta keep the stock moving.” The sweet little striped vase, above left was ticketed at $40 and the wooden sculpture was marked $150.
Among my favorite pieces were the Travertine marble table lamp ($475) and the spun-aluminum lamp ($165) above left; I LOVE the Shinto-inspired teak chair ($195 for a pair) and the Jonathan Adler-esque ceramic lamps, above right, were particularly fun ($300 a pair).
I also really liked the space-saving, gate-leg teak table above, which has since sold but I recall it was priced around $400.
Collectors of glassware and ceramics won’t be disappointed with Sputnik and Frampton, below left, has miles of teak tables, chairs and casegoods, only a fraction of which will fit in the small shop at any given time. If there’s something specific you’re after, just ask, he may have it tucked away in one of his three storage units.
Sputnik is located off Kipling Avenue north of the Queensway and is open Wednesday to Saturday from 1 – 6 pm or by appointment (905.626.3393).
August 11th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Given the saturation of MCM shops/dealers that seems to be happening (I think I have about 20 bookmarks for Toronto shops alone, plus a bunch more coast to coast) I think it’s always helpful to post prices. I know some dealers don’t for their own reasons but given the level of competition, there are basically two reasons to visit a shop, quality and value.
August 11th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
His website says Wed-Fri 1-7, not Wed-Sat 1-6, BTW.
August 11th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Thanks Gus, I took the hours off a sign posted in Sputnik’s window and Peter himself confirmed the Saturday hours, perhaps he just hasn’t gotten to the web issue yet.
August 11th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Good afternoon, I love MCM, but not the prices. I’m a seasoned bargain hunter, but I do buy to sell. I’m a big fan of GUFF, I’ve watched them over a long period of time. Consistent good product, a dining set of Spanner that was to die for, all reasonable priced. Table that the chairs fit right into, sold within days. Competition these days like Gus said…Lois of is quality and price