The Junction Store Watch: Post + Beam

October 5th, 2009

Looking to return your Victorian home to its original glory? Want to buy doors that aren’t prefab and from Home Depot? Have a hankering for some old-timey stained glass windows?  Post + Beam Reclamation is THE go-to destination shop for architectural features in Toronto. Although it is no coincidence that P + B is seemingly similar to SMASH (Paul Mercer was originally a co-owner before he took reclamation to a slightly different place, literally and figuratively), P + B offers tons of architectural eye candy for the home and garden.

Post + Beam Reclamation
2869 Dundas Street West
(at Keele)
Toronto, ON M6P 1Y9
(416) 913-4243
info@pandb.ca

Store Hours:
Winter (Labour Day-July 1): Wed-Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5, Closed Mon & Tues
Summer (July 1 –Labour Day): Wed-Sat 10-6, Closed Sun, Mon & Tues

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[how cool are these?!?]

Who are you? Post + Beam Reclamation Ltd. owned and operated by Doug Killaly, aided by Jennifer Reed and others.

How long has the store been open? 4 years (September 10, 2005)

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[this bird house reminds me of Scandinavia, specifically a park in Oslo]

Why did you open your store? To earn a living doing something I really enjoy doing, selecting and showing high quality reclaimed architectural pieces.

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[we have a fireplace insert much like this one and it gets a lot of attention]

What can people expect to find when visiting your store? The showroom features a selection of articles, 95 % of which have been salvaged from buildings, most of which have come from local sources.  The selection varies every week, with new old stock arriving from various supply lines in Toronto, and from as far away as (currently) Java, Indonesia and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Click for more!

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[couldn’t you imagine this bench in an English garden?]

Who are your customers? Smart homeowners and business owners.

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Favorite moment while running your store? Selling a $30,000 garden statue, circa 1730 sundial (above).

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Worst or most Embarrassing moment? Today? I have a few, but probably the worst moment arose from selling a single set of doors to two different customers, and both parties wanted them very badly.

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[I just had to point out this crazy Victorian toilet. Jeeze louise. Oh and the old subway doors are pretty rad]

Is there an item you regret selling? Never, I don’t get emotional about stuff.

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[sconces…and they have plenty of random lighting fixtures in the basement]

Name something  you sell in your store, that you also own in your own home? Antique maps

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[there’s an impressive and odd door knocker collection, like the “Trusty Servant” one above]

What are you really interested in right now? Making dinner for my wife. In business?  Cast Iron Victorian Fences and Gates…have you got any?

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[Own a piece of Canadian history! This bronze Eaton’s sign is $1450. RIP. Does anyone out there remember going to see Santa at the Toronto Eaton Centre back in the early 80s? Holy guacamole, that was quite the crazy set up. The mall Santa is um…not seeing the line ups like he used to…]

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[Working mail shutes like this one still exist in a few office towers downtown–I am thinking of the old Canada Trust tower. I think they are super.]

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I couldn’t get a good shot of the beautiful and unique exterior of P + B because a van was sitting out front blocking the view. But check out the arcade style entrance, which is bizarrely common in the Junction. Oh and the vintage tiling (who were the “May Brothers”?), and gorgeous windows. Seriously, if you are looking to open an amazing retail store (and I must emphasize that it should be amazing, not reclamation and not Scandinavian…haha), you better get yourself over to the Junction before all of this one of a kind retail space is bought up. Just sayin’.

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Finally, what the what the? The Hole in The Wall is intriguing me. It is the door that is way embedded into this crazy weird old timey store front next to P + B.

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