The Stock Exchange on Hertel Avenue

Last Friday I took a stroll down Hertel on my new bike (her name is Violet). We are on the hunt for a few pieces of furniture, and want to see if we can get at least half of them vintage, antique, preowned, craigslisted, etc.

I had not visited the slew of antique and vintage furniture shops on Hertel Ave for a while. I rediscovered "The Stock Exchange" and had some fun poking around in their basement. This is not a place to be afraid of going into for fear of being given dirty looks by snooty antiques dealers, or being intimidated by high end prices. Mark, the man working in the shop, couldn't have been nicer, and the prices on most things couldn't have been more reasonable.

Ooh, la la. 

It appears that one of the owners shares my penchant for old upholstered chairs - as I descended into the basement, I was delighted to discover that it was entirely, wonderfully, packed to the brim with them (which, incidentally, is how Evan would describe our own basement, minus the "wonderfully.")

This one was a favorite, and if I could have imagined a place for it, I'd have come back with my car that day to rescue it from the basement. The seat cushion is full of lofty down.

Close up of the jacquard. 

Another one with a loose seat cushion of down. I'm crazy for this style!

The proportions on this one are so goofy, it made me smile. 

I imagine it fitting in well on the set of Pee Wee's Playhouse.

A lovely pair - I love the caning, which was in perfect condition.

This one was so cute, but the photos don't do it justice. 

A red gingham, would be so cute in a nursery.

This big guy was in GREAT shape. It was a newer sofa, acquired at an estate sale. I was staring at it longingly on the way in, and again on the way out. It was velvety, but not in that suede-y, microfiber kind of way that I'm not crazy about. It was deep and so wickedly comfortable. It was positioned awkwardly, right inside the doorway. "Sold, I assume?" I asked Mark. To my surprise, he said no. And furthermore, he said that if I was interested, the owner would probably let it go for a very, very good price - since its taking up way too much space. I don't want to put it in writing here, in the unlikely event that a) somebody reads this and b) decides to buy it and quotes me on it. Lets just say, it was really really tempting. Except that its huge, and would not fit into our current plans to replace our ugly mancave furniture by downsizing with smaller scaled furniture more appropriate for our living room. We're now thinking we're going to do two chairs (maybe one recliner, maybe a chaise, or oversized chair and an ottoman) and a small scale sofa or loveseat. 

I loved the chairs and loveseat in this window display. For the gazillianth time I found myself fantasizing about having enough rudimentary reupholstery skills to consider spending more than $100 on a piece that needs recovering. Everything - everything - about that loveseat is perfect in my book, except for the pink plaid. I love the lines, the tight back, and that the cushion is down filled. If I'd seen this 10 years ago as a single gal I might have overlooked the color, but it doesn't really do it for me these days (and I don't even have to ask if it does anything for Evan). 

This smaller scale sofa in the other window also caught my attention. The more I looked at it, the more I liked it. The price is very right, and Evan likes it too, so we may just end up snagging it this week! The wood trim is oddly painted brown, which we might consider repainting to contrast with the upholstery.

If you haven't been for a stroll up Hertel Ave recently, and you are a fellow addict of all things old, vintage, retro, antique - whatever you want to call it -  I suggest you do so, and pay a visit to the Stock Exchange. 

{update: visited the brown sofa again and determined that it was a little too small for our needs - its more of a "settee" than a love seat. The big light tan sofa is gone - someone must have snatched it up for a great price!}

The Stock Exchange
1421 Hertel Ave
Buffalo, NY 14216-2826
(716) 838-8294