thrifting & hot-doggin’ in burlington

Aberfoyle antiques report: while the weather was glorious (contrary to predictions), and the selection of antiques and collectibles vast, I came home with nothing. Well, a stop just up the road at the Aberfoyle farmers’ proved fruitful (a bunch of kale will soon be homemade chips – watch for a post to come).

So, still determined to find a find, I wandered back to downtown Toronto via the thrift shops of Burlington. Although I popped into the usual chain-store suspects (Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Value Village) a stop at this particular shop will one day (after some DIYing) result in a brighter kitchen for me.

Bibles for Missions Thrift Stores

2421 New Street @ Walkers – Burlington, ON
(and 37 other locations across Canada)

I’ve not ever been to a BfM store before, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this new-to-me chain of thrift shops if this particular store is an indicator. Not a huge space, but a lot of wares, and good prices too.

And I’m thrilled to have found this light fixture at only $4, as I’ve been looking for quite some time for the right components to create a pendant over my sink. I even put it in my new year’s resolutions. Now to reinventing it with a little DIY and creativity.

Easterbrooks

2433 New Street, Burlington, ON
(and the original at 694 Spring Gardens Rd, Burlington, ON)

I was also thrilled to find an Easterbrooks hot dog stand at the same plaza. Easterbrooks started in 1929 as a fruit stand by Mabel Easterbrook on what used to be Highway 2, the main road between Hamilton and Toronto (located across the road from the Royal Botanical Gardens main building), the only location of which I previously was aware, having visited many times. The lunch counter of the first location is original, as are the linoleum-covered booths and wooden seats. In the last eight decades, Easterbrooks has served about 2,600 kilometres worth of hotdogs and 512 tons of ice cream. On any sunny Sunday, it sells about 2,000 hotdogs. The New St. location opened in 1981 in an old Red Barn restaurant, and while the atmosphere isn’t as nostalgic as the original location, the dogs are just as good, with just as many topping combinations. I devoured half of this foot-long topped with bacon, fried onions, cheese, and tomatoes before I paused to take a photo. (This is one of those times I ignore my wheat-free eating and indulge.)