Just recently we were at the gift show in Toronto, and were able to find some new artists to feature in the shop! Here are some of the new and wonderful finds we’ve ordered. They’re not in the shop yet, so consider this a tease! Amanda Brown of Scarlett Dahlia Artistry in Saskatoon, hand dyes, … Read more
We’ve been shopping!! It’s that time of year to see what our artists are adding to their repetoire and we’re pretty excited to have our orders in! At Avant-Garden Shop, we’ve spent the last 22 years stocking our shelves to reflect our landscape. Anytime we can replace an internationally-made item with a Canadian-made one, we … Read more
We’ve been hearing a lot about “buy Canadian” lately. It’s so great to see this support coming to the forefront. We have so many talented Canadian artists in our country, so why not support them? We have beautiful works from artists across the country. Over the 22 years that we’ve been in business we’ve been … Read more
Solmate’s successful reduction of waste in textile production reminds us that every company makes a deliberate choice how (or if) they want to be part of the climate change problem or solution. They also prioritize employee wages and benefits. These choices are why we’re featuring them in our Minding Our Business profile series. Minding … Read more
artFrom coffee and clothing to fabrics and original arts and craft works, you may be noticing more and more products on store shelves (ours, anyway) that are marked as “fair trade” items. So, what does fair trade mean? Fair Trade Explained The best way to define fair trade is as a movement seeking social, economic … Read more
A Great Time to Fall for Birds Fall migration season is a great time for watching for new and unusual birds as they leave the north, continuing to follow the food in warmer climates. In some cases, their destination is right here in central Ontario, like northern juncos, for instance, whose arrival is the … Read more
American goldfinches (spinus tristis) are cheerful birds and year-round givers. Even through southern Ontario winters, we’re fortunate to have sufficient food supply to host goldfinches year-round; you’ll often see and hear families and flocks, with their dull green coats and chippery chirps as they bounce in wavy flight from tree to tree to nyger feeder. … Read more
We asked our newsletter readers to guess how many provinces and territories are represented by artists whose work we have carried over the years in our Avant-Garden shop. Take a guess and read about some of our unique artists (or scroll down to the bottom if you’re impatient) to see the answer. Leading … Read more
The Problem with the Flight As our migratory birds return to spring habitats, it’s a wonderful time to watch behaviours specific to this time of year. Many species migrate in large flocks, but once they arrive, their mating displays and territorial behaviours kick in. They chase or are chased by other birds over mates … Read more
We all have a friend or family member who is hard to shop for at Christmas time! If the don’t need or want anything but they love watching and feeding the birds, we have some ideas for you! Mixed seed trees and balls make great gifts that the birds will love as well. Top quality … Read more