Happy New Year from Chat Noir!

That's it, we finally ran out of year! Thanks everyone for seeing us through another one. Tons of new projects and stuff planned for for 2012.

Happy New Year!

(Chat Noir will be closed Jan 1 + 2, back Tuesday, January 3, 2012!)

Guelph Mercury Readers' Choice Award

Thanks to all our customers and fans for voting in the Guelph Mercury Readers' Choice Awards! Chat Noir won the Bronze Award for favourite Antique Store. Not bad for our tiny new-ish shop!

Thanks again!

Boxing Week Sale at Chat Noir

50 % off all Christmas ornaments

20 % off everything else, including new toys, gifts, and vintage/antiques

SALE STARTS 12PM TUESDAY DEC 27 AND GOES ALL WEEK

Happy Holidays from Chat Noir!

Holiday Hours:

Dec 25th ------closed
Dec 26th ------closed
Dec 27th ------open 12-6 poST-Christmas SALE BEGINS
Dec 31st ------open 11-4
Jan 1st ------closed
Jan 2nd ------open 12-6

The Reason for the Season

Star Wars action figure nativity scene with manger (mixed media, artist unknown).

The 12 Toys of Christmas at Chat Noir: Sky Streak Glider

The Twelve Toys of Xmas

Learn about aerodynamics and aviation the same way kids in the 1950s did with this classic toy, the Sky Streak airplane by Guillow's.

* Made of genuine balsa wood
* Rubber powered
* Easy to fly
* Not suitable for children under 36 months
* One wood glider included, some assembly required

$5.95



The Paul K Guillow Company

“They don’t make them like they used to” ... an often heard lament about most everything produced today, including toys. But there is a notable exception in the RTF glider world … the Paul K Guillow Co. Many of the Guillow gliders you can buy today look amazingly similar to those made in the 1950’s. Not too surprising when you consider that some of the company’s balsa cutting and slicing machines are half a century old.

Paul Guillow, a WW1 naval aviator, founded the original business in the city of Wakefield (MA) in 1926, with a line of balsa shelf model kits of WW1 aircraft. He also wrote several books in the 1930’s and 40’s about model-building techniques. During WW2, the company was forced to substitute cardboard and pine wood for balsa (a strategic material) … with somewhat unsatisfying results. Guillow also produced a series of target drones for the War effort. With the end of hostilities, balsa once again became Guillow’s material of choice for its gliders and kits.

Paul Guillow passed away in 1951, and his wife Gertrude took over the reins of the company. By 1953, Guillow introduced its market-changing Jetfire glider … the first packaged with high speed equipment. The Jetfire and other Guillow RTF airplanes were highly successful in the fiercely competitive toy glider market because of their combination of quality, low cost, good flight performance and ability to be easily “trimmed” and modified. These factors have kept Guillow continuously producing a wide range of wood RTF gliders, ROG’s and “stick & tissue” aircraft to this day.

The 12 Toys of Christmas at Chat Noir: Pinhole Camera

Now you can experience the science and fun of photography just like the first photographers did over 100 years ago. This simple toy works as a real camera and gives a basic object lesson in light and optics in a classy retro package.

A cool gift for anyone young or old with an interest in Photography. The 25 piece kit is made from pre-printed die cut card and we include full instructions. When finished you take real pictures with it using standard 35mm film. Glue and Film and not included.

Makes a great stocking stuffer!

$14.95

The 12 Toys of Christmas at Chat Noir: Magic Kit

Magic Kits in Guelph!

Magic is a classic in party entertainment and a fun icebreaker. his set is your introduction to several perennial favourite tricks that even a 6-year-old can learn. Perfect for the budding magician or seasoned partygoer.

Retro Magic Kit featuring 5 Amazing Tricks from the Ridley's House of Novelties range. The kit includes: Secret Taper Cards, Magic Rope Trio, Multiplying Balls, Thumb Tip Trick, and Miracle Dice. The magic kit comes in a classic styled card box with old illustrations; the classic games are a great way to enjoy good old fashioned fun.

5 Classic Magic Tricks Retro Set. Includes 5 classic tricks that kids and grown ups alike will love. Included in this set is:

* Thumb Tip Trick

* Miracle Dice

* Multiplying Balls

* Rope Trick

* Magic Taper Cards

Lava Lamps in Guelph

We now have Lava Lamps at Royal Cat Records!

Lava is the core of the light. Our lamp is filled with our hypnotizing mesmerizing lava blob-atude. Lava Lamp measures 16 1/4 with a silver/aluminum base, blue liquid with yellow/green wax (or red/purple liquid with yellow wax). Stands 16 1/4-Inches tall. Includes bulb. Cool oozing motion. Great conversation piece!! $39.95

(Also available: 14.5 inch versions in pink, blue, green, and red for $29.95!)

Hypnotizing and Invigorating
The original shape of cool, the Premiere-Class Lava Lamp from Lava is just as stylish today as it was fifty years ago. With the slow rise and fall of lava-like blobs of various sizes and shapes, this funky blast from the past can hypnotize and invigorate. Use it to rev up or wind down, depending on your mood.

Lighting Effects Make the Space
Lava Lamp can add special effects to your study, den, office, living room, family room, dorm room, party room, or hang-out space. Jump start a party with the cool look of yellow wax globules floating in purple liquid, or use the slow motions of the lava to relax and quiet down after a long day of work. The eye-catching Royal Lava Lamp can also add a unique accent to built-ins, reading nooks, and dark corners.

Fun For Everyone
The well-known shape and trademark look of the Lava Lamp is bound to get adults reminiscing. Once you turn it on, this lava lamp will have your friends sharing their fond lava lamp memories.

How It Works
Measuring 16.3 inches tall, this lava lamp heats up with the help of a pre-installed 25-watt incandescent light bulb. Once hot, the yellow wax will slowly rise and fall, gradually turning orange in the purple liquid, creating the familiar retro lava effect.

What's in the Box
Premiere 16.3-Inch Lava Lamp with coloured wax and liquid, aluminum base and cap, and 25-watt incandescent light bulb. The technology is simple, the effect timeless.

The 12 Toys of Christmas at Chat Noir

The Twelve Toys of Christmas.

#1. Classic Sock Monkey!

The Sock Monkey is king of toyland, an impish beast with a loving heart of woolly goodness.

$19.95 at Chat Noir, Guelph.

Winter Cabin Chic at Chat Noir

New arrivals: Throw on a camp blanket and get cozy with some artifacts from Camp Knockabout, including vintage oars, canoe paddles and more!

It's Snowing!

Snow flurries off and on all day today at Chat Noir. Just in time: we just put out a ton of new and vintage Christmas ornaments and winter-y home decor.

As well, tomorrow is the annual Winter Lights and Music event in Downtown Guelph --lots to see and do all around Market Square. And don't forget the Santa Claus Parade, this Sunday!

LP Records in Guelph

Vinyl Records at Chat Noir Antiques, Guelph

At Chat Noir we are always buying and selling vinyl.

Our small but eclectic selection of records --usually about 4 or 5 crates of primo stuff-- ranges from classic rock like Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to 80s pop and New Wave like Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, The Cars, and Duran Duran. Plus we always have weird oddball stuff (SEE BELOW) as well as jazz, country (Johnny Cash), punk (Clash, Sex Pistols), Canadian (Stompin' Tom), soul, funk, and even the occasional modern pressing and recent indy darling (Radiohead, Cat Power). We also have 45s and 78s. We buy records too! With cash money!

Chat Noir Vinyl Spotlight: Paul Griffin Pours On Some Soul Sauce


Recent arrival! Besides having a classic cover, this 1968 album of Hammond organ dance music by New York session musician Paul Griffin is surprisingly listenable, given its exploitation-style presentation. Turns out Griffin is the missing link of 1960s and 70s rock. This guy had his fingers in every pie! Born in Harlem, he learned piano at a Baptist church and went to the Fame highschool before moving on to the legendary Apollo and a touring gig with 50s sensation King Curtis. Griffin eventually settled down to work as a studio back-up man for the New York record companies and played organ and piano on records for Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, The Shirelles, Wilson Pickett, Paul Simon, Quincy Jones, Nina Simone, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and tons more. He played the gospel-style piano you hear on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Don McLean's "American Pie" (a song I've always hated). He's also the pianist on "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" (another hated classic) and many more hits by the likes of Steely Dan, Neil Diamond, John Denver, etc etc. So, great cover, great story, some funny song titles, and some mildly groovy instrumental numbers. Amen! Check it out! Griffin died in 2000 at 62 years old but his spirit lives on in Paul Griffin's Soul Sauce!

New Book: Dirty Dishes by Amy Lockhart

New at Chat Noir:

We just received a small number of copies of Amy Lockhart's Dirty Dishes!

Let's all go voyageur-ing inside the unusual mental landscape of this very original artist.

Published by Montreal's Drawn and Quarterly Books, this selection of the comics and plastic art of Guelph-based animator and cartoonist Amy Lockhart is a delightful gem of a book.

Originally published at $16.95, we now have copies available at the bargain price of $12!

About the author: Amy Lockhart is part of a new generation of independant animators. Her artwork and award winning films have been exhibited internationally. She studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, completing an artist residency at the Quickdraw Animation Society and completing a fellowship at the National Film Board. She has exhibited at The California Institute of the Arts and the Adam Baumgold Gallery in New York. She currently works and studies at the University of Guelph and is preparing a new film, "Dizzler in MASKHERAID."



From the publisher:

This PETIT LIVRE is a first class ticket into the creepy cute and totally absurd world of Straw-Baby, and the mind of its creator Amy Lockhart. It chronicles the various facets of her process/thinking from her paintings and drawings to cardboard sculpture of objects from her everyday life. Also included are stills from her animations and photos of costumes used in her videos. Amy works in a variety of mediums, including animation, film and video making, acrylic painting, drawing, costume making, comics and small press books and combines the various mediums as much as possible and let them feed into each other and out of each other.

Full Color, 96 pages, 4 3/4 by 7 1/2 inches

preview

Sold: Vintage 8mm Camera!

Sold! Wonderful hand-wind vintage 8mm movie camera!

Anne Taintor Cards in Guelph

Chat Noir has a large selection of Anne Taintor cards and gifts, including magnets, post-it notes, lugggage tags, coin purses, lip balms, shotglasses and flasks, coasters, and more!


Anne Taintor -- Vintage Revisited is the original vintage humour company. Their logo, "Making Smart People Smile Since 1985" is a very good description of their droll, witty re-imaginings of classic advertising art and photos, with a modern edge. We are thrilled to have these great, funny gifts in our shop.

Anne Taintor cards are priced at a very economical $3.75

...and check out these other fun items:


Our strong (and very funny) magnets are individually bagged for gift giving. 3 3/8"sq


Miss Taintor Mini Tissues. Miss Taintor will want to have these adorable 3 inch cubes filled with 30 unscented 2-ply facial tissues on her desk, in her car, and in every room of her house!
3"w x 3"h x 3"d


Classic Coin Purses. Change is good; keep yours in these fully-lined matte vinyl Coin Purses, featuring kiss closures...and extremely witty captions. 3"w x 4"h x 1"d.


Classic Coasters. The perfect hostess gift (especially paired with our brand-new Shot Glasses -Coming Soon!) and a sure-fire conversation starter! Each set of six reusable Coasters includes two each of three designs.

Includes two each of "You be Thelma. I'll be Louise.", "let's ignore our mothers' well-meant advice", "looking for trouble? look no further..."

Halloween Gifts in Guelph

Happy Hallowe'en!

We just got a unique collection of spooky decor and gifts at Chat Noir!

Come check out our cheeky witch tin signs, crystal skull votive candle holders, trick or treat signs, and more!

Chat Noir

Chat Noir is a store in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 32A Wilson St.

Vintage Chic, Retro, Home Decor, Objets d'Art, Fine Art, Collectibles, Antiques, Novelties, Cards, Gifts.

Phone: (519) 767-6647

Open 12 to 6 daily. Just around the corner from City Hall. Come visit us at the sign of the Black Cat!