Once inside Aunt Olive’s Vintage Clothing and Cafe at 209 Gilmour St. at Elgin, you might actually feel like you’ve been transported to the big city. It’s pretty hard not to catch a strong retro vibe with the avocado walls, the mustard yellow plush floral sofa and the stereo pumping just loud enough to get your toes tapping.
This brand of streetwise vintage cool isn’t your standard Ottawa shopping fare. Instead, this is the kind of groovy shop you might expect to find in a thriving metropolis crawling with hipsters, fashionistas and other wild eccentrics who prefer to stand out rather than blend.
A very carefully edited but eclectic collection of 60′s, 70′s and 80′s classics are cleverly arranged by colour, and are priced more than favourably for the customer. There are plenty of super-kitschy sunglasses, sparkly bits and baubles, and boldly coloured scarves added to the mix for accessorizing. Shoes and handbags are all only $15 each, and are extremely difficult to resist. (I happened upon a snazzy pair of snakeskin pumps in red, which will no doubt complete the look described here.)
Oh, and of course it should not go unmentioned that some very yummy food is served. An odd combination perhaps, but it seems to work. Seated across from the racks, at a very authentic Formica table, my mates and I enjoyed a tasty lunch this past Saturday, presented on the most hilarious combination of brown 70′s dinnerware. The lemonade was perfect in the wet heat, and the soft sugary ginger cookie most definitely passed muster with my much younger girl about town!
1. outside sign, 2. funky fixins, 3. cool digs, 4. vintage salute
