The Avant-Garden Shop: Your Garden & Bird Store

GARDEN GATE: Episode 328 – The Best Greeting Cards! (Oct 24, 2025)

Many people come to the Avant-Garden Shop repeatedly for our great selection of greeting cards! We carry over fifty different lines of cards that cover many occasions. We recently did a count of all the lines that are Canadian and local artists, and that number is over thirty! These cards are beautiful pieces of art, … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 327 – New Enameled Copper Jewelry! (Oct 10, 2025)

We have a new artist in the shop! Megan Archer (they/them) is an autistic nonbinary artist based in rural Nova Scotia. They founded Aflame Creations in 2011, and have been single-handedly crafting this unique and vibrant enameled copper jewelry ever since. Every piece is a small story in colour and texture. Each piece begins with … Read more

Kim Beavis: Feature Artist

(Find @newartybeavis on Instagram.) On any First Friday Art Crawl in downtown Peterborough, Ontario, fellow crawlers are always open to surprises. So I was not the only one pleasantly surprised to find an unusual studio that needed a smart device to “see” the artwork by @newartybeavis.    Not a whiff of linseed oil in this … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 317 – Mad Cap Hats are back! (April 25, 2025)

After a few years hiatus, Mad Cap hats are back in the shop! These hats are the original handmade creations of Tori Capes, a certified milliner! For 38 years these beautiful hats have been designed and created in a scenic lakeside studio near Westport Ontario. These adjustable Sunblocker hats are their most popular sun hat, … Read more

GARDEN GATE: Episode 316 – New DIY Craft Kits! (April 11, 2025)

The new DIY craft kits from Genius Premium Craft Company have finally arrived! We received a variety of sewing kits, felting kits, fibre art kits and even ones that come with a greeting card. You’ll find a quirky racoon, a seagull with a pouch of fries, a dog in a coat, and the cats inspired … Read more

From Sea to Sea, Canadian gift ideas

If you’re looking for gift ideas for the year ahead and want to choose Canadian, here are a few examples of items by Canadian artisans and entrepreneurs.  We have plenty of new stock on order due to arrive in coming weeks and months ~ keep watching our social feeds and newsletters for updates. We appreciate … Read more

The Avant-Garden Shop