How One Household's 'Stuff' Became a Vintage Fabric Shop

It could be considered a unique answer to Weyburn's lack of a fabric store, but it's also a fun way for thrift shoppers from all across the region to spend a Saturday morning in Weyburn.

Tara Keating-Jaap's "Vintage Finds and Fabrics" shop, however, isn't your typical 'fabric store'. In fact, it is simply a part of the Weyburn Open Air Market.

"The Weyburn Mall actually took pity on us, because we did not know how we were going to set up and take down all of the wares that we have, every weekend," shared Keating-Jaap. "So they have given us the space of the old Carlton Cards, across from CAA in the Weyburn Mall."

She said the space is being used to, "help mitigate getting rid of a large collection of beautifully-maintained items that have been stored for decades in a family member's home".

That's right. Everything in the shop comes from one person's collection.

"We have all different sorts and kinds and amounts of yards of fabric, we have a huge selection of yarn and wool. We have vintage toys, which are actually selling quite well."

"We have a large amount of purses and a huge selection of clothing going back to the 1940s and all the way up to around the 1990s," Keating-Jaap described.

One needs only to behold the large selection (with more in the back) to know the items have been well taken-care-of by the singular previous owner.

"Everything was very fastidiously maintained, thank goodness, because otherwise, I think we would have literally been throwing everything in the garbage," she commented. "Everything was in boxes and Rubbermaids in the household, and the fabric actually had cedar chips inside the boxes, to keep any moths or anything from getting into the boxes, so the fabric comes out folded. It's just beautiful."

"We've got record players, we've got an old wooden desk a couple of trunks, a clothing hamper. All different kinds of house hold items things people are flabbergasted by," Keating-Jaap said, noting they even have blankets and crocheted afghans available for those who appreciate them.

The numerous, never-worn shoes, for example, are all size 8, and Keating-Jaap said she has taken them off of the shelves, since shoes weren't made for comfort in the 1960s. And while some items are only useful to someone who wears the same size, the relics are impressive for their own set of reasons.

"Most of the clothing has never been worn, and has the original tags on it. A lot of it, actually, was made in Canada, when we used to produce clothing in Canada."

A number of the womens' dresses were hand-made from the family member who had collected and stored the fabrics and other items.

"One facet or group that would probably benefit from coming in here would be some of our community theatres," she said. "We have had a girl who was a seamstress for Globe Theatre, and she has been in here many times and has purchased many of our sewing items."

"We have a lot of thread and old zippers, and vintage sewing items, that a lot of people who sew appreciate, because they can't find them anymore," Keating-Jaap shared.

"We have hundreds and hundreds of patterns from the 1940s to the 1990s. A lot of these things, people prefer the older style of sewing items than the newer. We have knitting items as well."

She said her customers have found material and crafting supplies for all kinds of items, like quilts, recovered furniture, and more.

"It's been really nice to see what people have been making out of the items, and that it's being appreciated and used now, instead of sitting locked up in a house," she expressed, noting she doesn't draw a salary from the endeavour, and it is likely to take 10 years to sell off the collection.

Keating-Jaap added that the vintage fall sweater collection, a huge collection, she noted, is now out on the racks, with summer clothing away for the season. Browsing time, she reminded, is only available during the hours of the Weyburn Open Air Market, on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Weyburn Mall.