We Have Records!

Meow! is pleased to announce that in addition to our same great selection of pre-loved and vintage fashion and accessories, we are now the home of Royal Cat Records, a boutique record store located WITHIN Meow!

We've devoted the front of our store to this new division of the mighty Meow! empire and stocked it full to bursting with tons of vintage vinyl and shiny new releases. So you can find Joni Mitchell and Led Zeppelin alongside Arctic Monkeys and Modest Mouse, and lots more. We will also be carrying a curated selection of local and Canadian indy music and select rock and roll collectibles. We can also special order new releases and reissues, if that's your heart's desire!

Please come and check out our redesigned store-within-a-store! And stay tuned for more news and updates!

Royal Cat Records

Royal Cat Records on Facebook

Royal Cat Records on Twitter --check for new arrivals and up-to-the-minute action

 

Meow! Closed Aug 2 for Renos

We will be closed Tuesday, August 2nd for building renovations while our landlord makes improvements to our front entrance. Hopefully we will re-open on Wednesday, August 3. In the meantime, enjoy an extended long weekend!

Farewell, Rosie the Riveter!

The woman known to several generations as the "We Can Do It" girl and an icon of the feminist movement has died. Geraldine Doyle was a 17-year old factory worker in World War Two when her photo was turned into a poster by Westinghouse Corporation as part of the U.S. government effort to boost morale, recruit workers, and help people get used to the idea of women working on assembly lines making tanks, fighter planes, and battleships. The iconic poster, painted by J. Harris Miller, was rarely seen in the 1940s but was rediscovered in the 1970s and has since become one of the most popular of all time.

Goodbye, Rosie, and thanks for the inspiration!

Carden Street is Open!

It's a Christmas Miracle! After months of construction, the street in front of Meow! is finally paved and open to traffic, just in time for the holidays.

Now you can park on Carden Street and walk all around Market Block without falling in a hole or encountering one of those ugly fences. Restaurants are open and there are new stores like B Chocolaet (imported from Belgium) and Chat Noir (tons of new stocking stuffers, toys, novelties, and home decor, plus antiques and collectibles). Two hour free parking!

Meow Open During Construction!

Free Parking Downtown!

We are open during construction!

Don't despair! Even though it may be a little bit tough to get to us, it is worth the effort!

What's going on: Currently, the city is replacing all of the sewer systems underneath Carden Street, right in front of City Hall --which just happens to be right in front of Meow as well! Because of the construction, all of the street is closed to vehicle traffic and there is no parking on Carden in front of the store.

BUT! There is still FREE 2-HOUR PARKING on Wilson St just around the corner from Meow, only steps away. As well, there is also FREE 2-HOUR PARKING in the Wilson Street Parking Lot, kitty-corner to Meow right beside Macondo Books. And if you want to stay longer to grab a bite at Atmosphere Cafe, Bin 23, the Albion, the Vienna, WOW, Cornerstone, or Carden Street Cafe, there is an hourly rate available after 2hours in the lot. And remember, parking is free downtown all night after 6pm.

And don't forget the bus stop, right at the corner of Wilson and Carden beside City Hall, just across the street.

Meow! Guelph: New dresses, bags, and seasonal accessories arriving daily!

Downtown News and Events

1. Le Cyc @ Dublin St Church on Friday

The graphic novel bike opera returns to Guelph. If you like comics and you like music, check out this show.

2. New Store: Flaunt. Located just around the corner from Meow! on the corner of MacDonnell and Wilson St (behind Bin 23 restaurant), Flaunt is a new store dedicated to women's fashions from Canadian designers. Natalie Cavan's new store (she was previously located in Erin, Ontario) is full of beautiful clothes. Check it out!

Meow Voted Best Retro Store by Echo Weekly Readers!

Thanks Echo Readers!

Meow! in the Gold Winner of the 2009 Echo Weekly Reader's Choice Poll for Best Retro Store!

Thank you so much to all who voted and to everyone who has helped make Meow! a fun place to shop for the past two years. Guelph's best shopping secret is now a favourite of the whole Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo area!

Congrats also to our neighbours on Carden Street, Stigmata, who won for Best Tattoo Parlour, Best Piercings, and Best Tattoo Artist!

Guelph News: Hanlon Creek Protest

So the big news in Guelph recently is the occupation at Hanlon Creek. The city wants to build a new business park (for factories and stuff) in an area of Guelph that is home to old growth forest and an endangered species of salamander. Some dedicated people have occupied the future construction site to raise awareness of this issue and try to get the city to change its plans. This is a very important cause that touches so many issues, including quality of life, our environment, business, and city government.

The city has gone to the police and to the courts to gets the protesters out. There is a long fight ahead and and it may be costly. It will also require people turning out to gatherings at City Hall and writing letters to the mayor and city council members. Here are some resources:

The Occupiers' blog
Adam Donaldson of Echo Weekly's Guelph blog
Daily Mercury Blog

email

The occupiers and their support network need food and other support. They will alos need legal money. Supporters are selling pins and bracelets made from dead vegetable life found at the site. We have some at Meow! but they are also available elsewhere.

Meow! wins Reader's Choice Award

Meow! has been chosen Favourite Consignment Shop in the Guelph Mercury's 2009 Reader's Choice Awards.

Thank you Guelph!

Meow! Nominated for Readers' Choice Award!

Meow! has just been nominated for the Guelph Mercury Readers' Choice Awards! Thanks Guelph!

We have been nominated in the category "Consignment Clothing Store".

Voting ends on Saturday, June 6. Please take a minute and vote for Meow!

We are on page 8, the last page of the ballot.

Click here to vote.

Save Ray's

City Council is still taking about knocking down Guelph institution The Family Thrift Store, a great old-fashioned junk shop combined with one of the most unique live music venues in Canada. The plan being proposed is a new public library.

There is a protest scheduled for later today, Tuesday February 17, before the City Council meeting at 7pm.

If you want to speak at the meeting, phone 519-822-1260 ext 2269 (city clerk's office) or email here.

Details of the proposed plans here.

There is a facebook group for the store, Friends of the Family Thrift Store.

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

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.