653 Queen East, 416-461-2475 Rating: NNNNN
Knowing first-hand what a pain in the armoire it can be trying to sell gently or never-used contemporary furniture, Nicole Hall put her career as a stockbroker on the back burner to pursue a skill she honed with every apartment change: scoring and selling great furniture at great prices. Now that she’s a regular on the estate sale and clearance circuits, the goods Hall sells at her charming 2,000-square-foot furniture consignment shop, Haute and Humble – on the yet-to-be-invigorated strip of Queen west of Leslieville – are often showroom pieces or model home furniture (read basically never used). Should you see something on the floor that you love, but it’s in the wrong colour scheme, there’s even a reupholstery studio in the back to make all your decorator dreams come true. Hall’s picks: Super-comfy sofa ($249) and loveseat ($149) Italian formed-wood chairs $15 each and hotel king-size leather bed frame $899 (regularly retails for $2,000).
Look for: A jazzy chartreuse armless loveseat with matching ottoman framed artwork and the always changing stock of contemporary decor pieces.
Store hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11 am to 6 pm, Sunday noon to 5 pm.
