End of the civilized world as McIntosh and Watts closes
When McIntosh and Watts closes its banner store today, it may be the end of civilized society in Ottawa as we know it.
Thousands of brides registered there; other hopeful young women all over Ottawa dreamed of a hope chest full of fine china and linens, keepsakes and curio. Now, they’ll have to cross their fingers and hope to high hell that their wedding guests have the good taste not to get them a cheese platter made in Taiwan.
At least if you registered, you got what you wanted, and not twenty ugly things you didn’t.
It was a very smart and saavy way to proceed into the marital union.
In actual fact, M and W has been evolving for years from its pricey and stuffy little store on Sparks Street Mall where everything was affordable only to the well heeled to a place that offered good quality merchandise at discount prices. The warehouse store was full of cool collectibles, one of a kind original items like crystal lamps from New York (we have four) to colorful handpainted glassware (we have a china cabinet full), heart-stopping Christmas decorations (not our taste) and weird collectibles from the Bradford Exchange (pass).
One corner of the store was crowded with Elvis everything, from garish plates and guitars to an Elvis cuckoo clock which they sold just yesterday.
I bought my good Wedgewood at this store along with my high end every day stuff, wine and spirit glasses, and my good sterling silver — all at hugely discounted prices. Once in a while Rob McIntosh would buy out the inventory of a business, and you could find a range of hotel dishes and platters you could buy for just a couple of bucks.
Yesterday, I went to store to pay my respects, feeling a bit like Carrie Bradshaw might have if she’d shopped at a Manolo going bust sale – a little teary but still excited at the prospect of finding an original item at a deeply discounted price.
Which I did.
I picked up a little china teabag holder shaped like a tea pot — and wait for it! — a china garlic baker for the oven!
All set me back $7.50.
Can’t do better than that at Winners, which is where I will migrate now that M and W is finally closing shop.
The good news is that I have no room to put anything else, anyway.
So just as well.
Still I’ll miss you McIntosh and Watts.
Might even convince Scott to take me to their tiny Kanata store one day or maybe to their last big store which is in beautiful downtown Lancaster, Ontario.
Too far for me to go, alas. Winners is just around the corner.
4 comments on “End of the civilized world as McIntosh and Watts closes”
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Rose Simpson
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McIntosh & Watts moved their store from Kanata to Bank Street just 3 weeks ago
–I was in there today. Hope that helps!
Where is it?
Heard they are down to one store and fading fast
Mr. McIntosh was one of the faires men to deal with both in the store and in his personal life. I never heard much from him after they sold the farm in Kars, and didn’t keep in touch with Rob or Bonnie.