Hideaway Antiques recently renovated its Parkdale home to provide a more leisurely experience of looking for antiques. Those who pine for the thrill of the hunt should not be dismayed — Hideway Antiques is still thoroughly stocked with all sorts of treasures from decades past. But the inside has be renovated with new lights, floors, and the removal of a dividing wall, meaning there space looks and feels a lot roomier.

Queen West near Roncesvalles is plush with options for antique shopping, and Bill Jarman's shop is one of the oldest and best-recognized. Bill has been in the business for decades, regularly touring the antique market circuit (especially in the U.S.) to bring back finds that are either ready to sell or prepped for repurposing.

Some items — such as the giant vintage circus posters — are perhaps more for show than for sale, though Janet, who works for Hideaway and tours me through the space, says they occasionally find their matches in creative home designers. "Bill really likes old circus pieces," she notes, pointing out the Fred G. Johnson "Girl to Gorilla poster." The sideshow banners, which stretch nearly the entire height of Hideaway's space, can run upwards of $3,000.

The sideshow banners are just one example of how Hideaway diverges from typical home furnishings to include unique, industrial, and collector items. From his last trip, for example, Bill brought home a lot of 19 vintage Vespas from the 1960s and 1970s. They are all currently undergoing tune-ups and will soon be ready for sale at about $2400 each. Then there's the antique manual peanut-roasting machine, which is still in working order (though you must supply your own coal) and probably dates back to the late 1800s ($4500).

Though not everyone would opt for an antique peanut roaster to adorn their front halls, so for them Hideaway has pieces such as oak hall tables ($575), an art deco metal dentist cabinet ($950), and a huge Victorian carved oak hall stand ($1425). The shop also has plenty of retail-minded items as well including vintage displays and cash registers, though the latter is mostly for show than practice (what good is a cash register where the highest button is a dollar, alas?)

Janet says Bill is constantly out of jaunts to the States and beyond in pursuit of new treasures, so customers can count on new items coming in all the time. The shop also repurposes old items to create one-of-a kind pieces, and will work to find a particular long-lost treasure of interest. "If you want it," Janet says with confidence, "Bill can find it."

Photos by Jesse Milns