From the moment Mike and I laid eyes on Bamboo Bazaar we’ve been calling it Wicker World. I’ve never seen so much wicker, rattan, reed and bamboo. Wicker World, I mean Bamboo Bazaar, occupies a big, double storefront at 1840 Davenport Road (near Symmington) in Toronto’s west end. The business, which was founded more than a century ago by W.H. Kilby, has occupied this location for more than 60 years.
Long time sales associate Loretta has seen interest in rattan and wicker rise and fall over the years. Things appear to be in a bit of lull just now. But Bamboo Bazaar continues to hold its own thanks to a healthy repair business and the sale of weaving supplies and bamboo blinds and fencing. The reed screens, above right, are priced at $79 for a 15’ run, which does wonders to disguise a grubby garage or chain link fence.
Truth be told, I’ve never been a big fan of wicker, it’s always struck me as kind of “old lady.” But the universe is clearly trying to open my eyes to other possibilities. It’s like when you learn a new word then you suddenly start seeing it just about everywhere . . .
No sooner had we penciled Bamboo Bazaar into the styleNorth calendar than I stumbled upon quite a good book called Wicker Design (Gibbs Smith, 2003) at Toronto’s BMV Books. Lovingly written by Mary Whitesides, Wicker Design features some arrestingly good furniture (above) along with an interesting overview from Victorian and Arts & Crafts styles, to Art Deco and even more daring contemporary designs. The retro-modern wicker chairs, below, are on sale now at Bamboo Bazaar for $295 each.
With my blinders off, I’ve started noticing wicker furniture on what seems like half the porches in my neighbourhood and even in front of super high-end shops like Toronto’s Constantine, where the chairs below are priced at $1,295 (left) and $1,400 each.
I have to admit wicker is starting to grow on me. When you look at the homogenized, woven-plastic, outdoor furniture being sold just about everywhere these days, wicker’s old-world styling feels charming by comparison. If you’re in the market for some wicker, give Bamboo Bazaar a look and help keep the tradition alive.
June 4th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Good evening big fan of Bamboo Bazaar they have been around forever, especially great if you have a chair with a woven seat that is coming apart, not cheap, but results are pretty amazing
March 4th, 2010 at 10:23 am
At The furntiture company 24-7 you will get the most beautiful rattan furniture for both the home and garden. Our extensive range include rattan garden and patio furniture along with rattan conservatory furniture. In addition to rattan we also have a great range of wicker furniture. Be sure to visit the UKs leading supplier of rattan today.