black diamond antiques & more

Okay, so you are going up to the bakery anyway, and of course you are poking your head in at the meat market next door, well, keep going. In the big building that used to hold bookstores (and before you get to the cool museum) is a new antique shop well worth the wander. We have been twice now and found different finds both times. This month we were getting in a bit of "shop small" pre-holiday hunting and found a vintage cast iron parrot, a paper mache turkey that plays "Turkey in the Straw", oodles of Christmas things from ribbons to ornaments, Santas, angels, snowmen and sleighs. The staff is friendly and not above telling you they don't know everything about everything in the building. They will tell you a funny story of why there are so many alligators lurking around and they are a clearing house for local happenings, so ask what else is going on when you're there. We have fun poking around, finding old record albums, packs of sewing notions and vintage kitchenware. It is a good way to burn off the Nanaimo Bar you have after lunch or whet your appetite for a big sit-down weekend breakfast.