Legendary Toronto antiques collection going up for auction this weekend
Addison's, Inc. collection includes props from Hollywood movies like The Shape of Water, Million Dollar Baby
This weekend, the entire contents of one of Toronto's most legendary antique stores are up for auction.
Addison's, Inc., the plumbing and salvage warehouse that Jim Addison opened on Gerrard Street in the early 1960s, which later moved to a warehouse near the Roncesvalles neighbourhood, grew into an incredible collection of vintage treasures, and became a go-to spot for set decorators in the Toronto film industry.
Items from Addison's collection furnished the sets of The Shape of Water, The Handmaid's Tale, Million Dollar Baby and many other movies and television shows that were filmed in Toronto.
When Addison passed away in 2017, his family was able to keep the business going for a little while, but it was extremely challenging.
Now, they've made the difficult decision to shut down the business and sell off the collection.
"The whole thing is bittersweet," Cora Addison, Jim Addison's daughter, told As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner.
"A lot of people coming to pay their respects today as well as check out all the items that we have for sale. So it's been nice."
But while her father was keen to rent out items, he was often reluctant to sell. Collectively, the items that are up for auction this weekend are worth close to $500,000.
"He really saw beauty in everything, so it's just a collection of so many things," she said.
He had a particular interest in antique plumbing, and he even supplied director Guillermo del Toro with the 1960s-style green bathtub used in The Shape of Water.
His collection was so extensive that it spilled over from his store into the family home, which made for a interesting childhood for his four daughters.
"I felt it was strange when I was younger. Our house was very old and decorated the same way — a lot of big wooden kind of extravagant furniture and sometimes I was embarrassed [to have] my friends over," Addison said.
"But I could recognize even at a young age that it was something special. Even though there was a cannon and cannonballs sitting in the middle of our living room."
Now that she's older, Addison appreciates her father's legacy, and has especially enjoyed meeting and hearing stories from his long-time clients.
"He was very sassy but he was helpful — he was a character," she said. "They all kind of tell me the same things, like he had a jail cell in the shop, and he would take them over to it and shut them in there — kind of strange but quirky things he would do."
Addison said she is sorry to be letting go of the collection, but she has hung on to a few choice items. One thing she's hoping will get a good home is the Canary Restaurant sign from an iconic local greasy spoon that shut down in 2007.
"I want it to be displayed somewhere in Toronto, so I'm hoping that whoever purchases it will do something nice with it where the city can still enjoy it."
The auction begins Saturday and will be hosted by Direct Liquidation.
Written by Alison Broverman. Produced by Ashley Mak.