Walking into new Georgetown shop Great Stuff Vintage Furnishings [0] is like sliding down the rabbit hole -- you just never know what you're going to find. On a recent visit, I spied a vibrant yellow 1930s wooden toy duck from a Tacoma shoe store ($625) alongside a breathtaking ornamental column from the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland ($9,500).
Great Stuff, which opened last December and is perfectly positioned next to Georgetown stalwart Stellar Pizza [0] and newbie Revival Home and Garden [0], is an amalgamation of owner Kirk H. Albert's crazy genius, with a focus on one-of-a-kind pieces from the 1900s to the 1960s.
Albert has been in the antiques business for six years, most recently selling at the Pacific Galleries [0] in Sodo. While he also dabbles in interior design, his passion is scouring the world for unique pieces that are meant to elicit a reaction, such as gigantic letters T and V ($2,800 for the pair) -- former residents of a TV repair shop -- or a huge, lacquered cherry-red French Provincial table ($2,900).
In addition to his uncanny ability to unearth treasures, Albert has a talent for repurposing found objects. His statement-making pulley and counterbalance light fixtures ($225-$1,200) are crafted from old X-ray lights and mercury housing.
Great Stuff is the kind of marvelous shop that you stumble into and don't soon forget. Just like Alice's rabbit hole.
If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail seattleshopping@nwsource.com.
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