Selling everything from hats and weeders to mailboxes, garden art, and fresh bird food, The Avant-Garden Shop has been serving Peterborough’s gardeners and backyard birders for more than 20 years.
Given the wide selection of quality-made treasures to be found in store and online, you might be surprised to know that many of the products are Canadian-made and support local small businesses.
The Avant-Garden Shop was co-founded by Brenda Ibey, a long-time gardener with an educational background in horticulture, in 2002. When the shop moved from its original location on George Street to its current home at 165 Sherbrooke Street, Ibey became the sole owner and expanded the products found in store.
Today, while customers can find a wide selection of functional and decorative outdoor pieces, The Avant-Garden Shop is also full of unique interior decor and home products, including tea towels and aprons, pottery sets, wall art, and tablecloths, as well as tote bags, socks, puzzles, and books.
Ibey is intentional about filling the store with only eco-friendly and built-to-last items, focusing on Canadian-made items as much as possible. A few of the product lines from outside of Canada are certified Fair Trade.
“It’s getting more and more difficult for small businesses to compete with big online stores, so we want to help make more of these businesses accessible,” Ibey says.
While The Avant-Garden Shop also offers an online store with worldwide shipping, shopping in store is a special experience. In addition to being stocked with items that cannot be found elsewhere, the store gives shoppers the chance to chat with knowledgeable and friendly staff who have the answers to all your questions about the best food for birds, how to attract certain birds, and how to make your garden the envy of your neighbours.
Beginner birders can also get more expert insights by watching the Garden Gate videos on The Avant-Garden Shop’s YouTube channel. The educational series was launched 12 years ago and there are more than 300 episodes where Ibey spotlights new products and answers common questions.
For those looking for gifts for the garden lovers on their lists, there are all-new items in store that Ibey is confident will be flying off the shelves this holiday season. These include Ontario-made fused-glass ornaments that reasonably priced and, for a hyperlocal gift, new pottery from Peterborough artist Cathy Allen.
The Avant-Garden Shop is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and Saturdays from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.avantgardenshop.com to shop online and follow The Avant-Garden Shop on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Shop The Boro is a branded editorial feature series about locally owned independent businesses in downtown Peterborough, created in partnership with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA).
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