Meow! Boxing Day Sale

Boxing Day Sale!

Friday, Dec 26
12 noon to 5 pm

25% Off Everything in the Store!

Happy Holidays from MEEOW!

Happy Holidays to all our loyal customers! We love you all!

Holiday Hours:

Monday, Dec 22 11-6
Tuesday, Dec 23 11-6
Wednesday, Dec 24 11-5
Thursday, Dec 25 CLOSED for XMAS
Friday, Dec 26 11-6

Some vintage holiday images:

Events in Guelph This Weekend

1. Saturday, Dec. 6th is the National Day of Action on Violence Against Women. There will be a candlelight vigil at Guelph City Hall, beginning at 6pm. Check out this blog for more information and a unique way to participate. There is also a facebook event you can sign on to.

2. Saturday is also a festive day downtown, in terms of Holiday fun, beginning with a Breakfast with Santa. Later in the day, its the 15th Annual Winter Lights and Music, including a free skate at the Sleeman Centre, rides on the horse-drawn trolley around downtown, visits from Santa, carolers and choirs, and the lighting of the big Christmas Tree!

3. On Sunday, fans of comic books and graphic novels won't want to miss a great event at the Bookshelf E-Bar: "Comics to Watch Out For" is a fundraiser for Out on the Shelf, Guelph's resource centre for
"LGBTTTSIQQ communities and allies." The event features superstar comics writer Mariko Tamaki from Toronto. Tamaki is best known for her recent graphic novel Skim, which was illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki and was recently nominated for the $25,000 Governor General's Award. Mariko will be reading from Skim and from her most recent graphic novel, Emiko Superstar. As well, Douglas Davey, Children's and Youth Advocate for the Halton Hills Public Library will talk about the history of queer comic books/graphic novels, and local comic shop people Jennifer Stewart and Amy Chop (of The Dragon), will talk about women cartoonists and the portrayal of women in comics.
Sunday, December 7, 2008, 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Where: Ebar, 41 Quebec Street, Guelph
(fundraiser: Suggested donation of $5-10)

The Vintage World News

One of the most common and cliche newspaper articles during tough economic times is the second-hand shop profile, which usually has a headline like "Consumers Flock to Consignment Shops During Recession" or "Tightening Your Belt During Hard Times? Try Shopping Vintage." A bit of poking around online reveals a ton of these articles have been published over the last few months, including in our own local Guelph Mercury. "Thrifty business: Consignment stores a must in times of bust" is the name of the most recent article, by reporter Thana Dharmarajah. The article makes the usual points and has some great quotes from our friends in the Guelph women's wear biz (see: not every local article has to be about MEOW!).

Here are some other recent articles and blog posts from the wild world of vintage:

Dressing for a Credit Crunch

What trend will define the recession?

Dead Stock in Detroit

Awesome British Hat Auction

Vintage: New Old Trend

Vintage knitting news?
Comparing 1930s-era consumerism with today's

Vintage in Moscow

R.I.P. Lady Luck, a vintage store in Oregon

Vintage Geek Gift Guide

Profile of deLuxe Junk, Vancouver

Meow! in Fashion Magazine

We're blushing again! Intrepid reporter and blogger Heather Loney just posted a sweetly favourable review of Meow! over at the Fashion Magazine blogs, part of the online Fashion Mag empire.

She says, in part,

"Spending time in the shop is experiential shopping at its finest. Between the clothing, the decor and the 1950s music, you may begin to feel nostalgic for a time you weren’t even alive during. Anyone who has ever spent hours hunting through her parents’ or grandparents’ attic with delight will marvel at what Meow! has to offer. And the eco-conscious shopper can take pride that going vintage is just another way help their small corner of the planet."

We are really very grateful to all the nice comments we have been receiving lately and will strive to live up to the praise. (We will also try to respond to the occasional well-meaning criticism we receive as well, even though it's not as much fun!)

Lots more to come in the next year!

Meow! on Facebook:

Meow Guelph


or

try the Meow! group

Meow! in November

We had a bit of a break for the last few weeks, but it looks like the colder weather is gradually taking over, if this rainy, cold Sunday is anything to go by. The good news is that the Fall and Winter merch is slowly trickling onto the racks and shelves of the store. Lots of great wool coats, trench coats, jackets, sweaters, scarves, mittens and toques. Lots of leaves blowing in the front door, too! Brrr! Time to maybe turn the heat on for the first time!

Other things going on downtown in the next little while:

Guelph and the 100-Mile Diet


Guelph Museum: History of the Toilet

Remembrance Day

Happy Halloween!

Well, Halloween sort of snuck up on us this year, but Meow! is totally in the spirit of things today -- we are even giving out treats all day in the shop!

Visit Meow! at The Clothing Show!

The Clothing Show is this weekend, September 26-28 in Toronto.

Meow! will be be selling at the show, which is open to all.

We would love to see some of our Guelph and Facebook friends there!

The show features over 300 merchants and designers, from established boutiques to recent fashion school grads --selling everything from jewelry, accessories, to new designer dresses and vintage! Lots of cool contests, too.

FAQ

1. What will I find at the show?
From vintage handbags to hoodies, The Clothing Show has it all. The hottest in and off-season new designs and vintage treasures, unique handmade clothing and accessories, antique to contemporary design jewelry, vintage textiles, new screen printed home accessories, vintage records, shoes and much more.

2. How do I pay?
Admission to the show is $10.00 at the door or $8.00 online. Seniors admission is $5.00 at the door and $4.00 online. Children under 12 are free, when accompanied by an adult. While some vendors will take credit cards and Interac payments, the majority at the show accept only cash. Each booth is different, so be sure to check with the seller. Don't worry if you need to get cash. There are bank machines located throughout the show.

3. What kind of deals will I find?
Prices range wildly from $5 to $2000. You will find items at up to 90% off retail and some items that are handmade by the designer and would cost more.

4. Can I purchase advance tickets?
Skip the line ups and buy your tickets before the show! You may now purchase advance tickets online with a credit card. Click on the Tickets page to lead you to the order form.

5. Is there parking?
Yes, Exhibition Place has parking at a rate of $11.00 per day, $8.00 after 6pm. Parking lots are very close - one is located just east of the Better Living Centre.

The Vintage World News

June already! The official start to Summer is just around the corner and Meow! is being re-stocked almost daily with consignments of great summer tops, skirts, and dresses, not to mention our usual assortment of bags, bangles, belts and shoes.

Here are some links to recent stories about vintage fashion:

• A treasure-trove of vintage couture from the Madame Gres collection.

• Vintage shopping tips.

• High-end consignment shops in the New York Times.

• Reminder: shopping pre-loved is "green"!

Meow! in the National Post!

Meow! was featured in the National Post newspaper on Saturday, May 3! Very exciting!

It all started when Nathalie Atkinson, the glamourous Fashion Editor for the National Post, visited the Aberfoyle Antique Market for opening day last week. (For those not in the know, Meow! has had a booth at Aberfoyle for the last several years, selling antiques, collectibles and vintage clothing & accessories.) After they toured around the market, we referred Nathalie's party to our store in Guelph, recommending several cool places to shop and eat. The result? A huge article in the "Toronto" section of today's paper, featuring a 2-page spread of Aberfoyle photos (including snaps of some of our own "shabby chic" paintings and furnishings) as well as a mention in the "Obsession of the Week" sidebar:

Guelph has more in store

Once you've antiqued for the morning, visit downtown Guelph to lunch and check out these addresses, all within blocks of each other.

-A thriving independent with great taste, the Book Shelf (41 Quebec St., 519-821-3311, bookshelf. ca) is a sprawling bookstore, cafe and restaurant (with a cinema upstairs!) and is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

-Meow! (10 Carden St., 519-821-7442) is Kara Munn's subterranean trove of vintage and second-hand finds, and she has an especially good eye for retro hats and purses. Bonus: The shop is peppered with pink cat illustrations and signage by local comixrati Seth.

-For a pint, try the historic Albion Hotel (49 Norfolk St., 519-821-7125, thealbionhotel.ca). The Cornerstone (1 Wyndham St. N., 519-827-0145) is any college town's requisite vegetarian cafe and clearly popular with the locals for brunch, too.

-Before heading home, hit gourmet shop Ouderkirk and Taylor (3 Wyndham St. N., 519-827-9378), which stocks fresh baked goods, artisan olive oils, preserves and fresh cheese from the nearby Monforte Dairy in Millbank (monfortedairy. com) as well as a selection from Chateauguay's Fromagerie Chaput.

All great choices --we recommended Atmosphere Cafe as well, but you can't have everything :)

Earth Day is April 22

Happy Earth Day!

We'd like to take a page from another retailer, Heffy's Collections, and post this quote about vintage and consignment clothing and its benefits:

the people who wear vintage and love vintage are doing their share for the planet and then some. The clothes were made long ago and the resources and materials have already been used. This is recycling at its finest. Instead of going to the mall and buying new, it's the perfect re-use. The clothing we sell is usually secondhand even if it's not vintage. Clothing hits the environment in so many ways. Natural fiber like cotton needs fertilizer, pesticides, and petroleum products to be grown and produced. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester begin with the same process and materials used to make plastic bottles (i.e. crude oil). If a person chooses to re-use one outfit rather than buying new, it can help. Even tiny steps are good ones.

More green links:

Earth Day Canada

Thandi Newton goes Vintage

Hannah Montana goes Vintage

Why go vintage?

Top 5 Eco-friendly fashion tips

Happy Easter!

Spring is here and MEOW! is getting in tons of Spring fashions, including t-shirts, tops, skirts, bags, and dresses with Summer prints.

We are also open this Easter Weekend:

Friday, March 21 closed
Saturday, March 22 10-7
Sunday, March 23 closed
Monday, March 24 11-6

Preloved: Toronto Fire Victim

Marilis Cardinal of Indyish reports on the Queen West fire in Toronto and the demise of Preloved, the boutique specializing in re-worked vintage pieces. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the fire. It is horrible to think of people's collections, memories, and livelihoods being destroyed in this way:

Not only is the store unrecognizable except for the sign above the door, but there is also nothing salvagable in the remains of the beautiful boutique. Montreal boutique owner Colin Seymour says : "It took 150 firefighters almost 12 hours to put out the blaze. […] the entire spring/summer collection, is practically irreplaceable. Despite this, Julia [Grieve, Founder and CEO] has remained incredibly positive, and swears that preloved will rise from the ashes, in a bigger, better location."

Another store owner, Abraham Shalehchi of Abraham's Antiques also was burned down. Abraham is a frequent visitor to our booth at the Aberfoyle Antique Market and has bought from us since we first started in the business. Our hearts go out to Abraham in this time of need --an antiques store is full of irreplaceable items --stock that can never be fully replaced or valued. We hope Abraham is able to rally from this: he has unique tastes and is a rarity among people in the business: honest and personable.

There are numerous groups and charities springing up to help the victims of the fire, including this Facebook group.

February Sale!

Until the end of the month,
All Winter Coats and Sweaters are 50% OFF!

We are also now accepting consignments for Spring: Prom Dresses, tops, skirts, etc.

Animated Meow Fun!

Click on the image below to go for a walk with Ms. Meow!