Twelfth Street in New West is not usually on my radar for walking and window shopping, but it's got…read moresome pretty cool stuff if you care to look. Such as a bright orange Eames reproduction chair - hey, what is this place? It's the Banana Lab, a hidden treasure trove of mid-century modern furniture and little design-y things. Hidden in plain sight, really, as it's just across the street from a Yelper fave, Big Star Sandwich. Frankly, I'm heartened there's now another MCM-focused vintage store in town! Packed into the Lab's small space is a number of nifty teak sideboards, record cabinets, chairs and other Danish modern furnishings and housewares for my soon-to-be groovier living room. Prices compare favourably to the *other* MCM store, and the proprietors here seem really nice and friendly and enthusiastic about their wares.

I came here today for the first time as I'm looking for a dining set. The lady who helped me was…read morevery kind and friendly and helped me measure tables and chairs so I can have some reference when considering the pieces in my home. There's plenty of mid century furniture to choose from and upon inspection of some of their refinished items, they do an incredible job. Like with vintage and hard wood furnitures, some of the pieces are not cheap but they're unique and will last a long time. The other plus to this store is their kitschy (and sometimes original) art pieces and tchotchkes. I prefer this place to the shop in the Quay so I'll most likely come back as a few items tweaked my fancy (especially the sunburst table) and I'll be sure to let people know about this place.

Have gone to this place occasionally over the years bc it has had some decent furniture. I do not…read moreknow if owners have changed or what but it is the ugliest hodge podge of crap I have ever seen in a store. Like WOW. No aesthetic, hardly any furniture, terrible art. Any thrift store is better. Being on Main makes it even worse bc it doesnt fit the vibe of the street. I give it a year, max.

Helpful and easy service from when I called about selling a few antiques to after I brought them…read morein! I came in when Tanya the manager was away but had the pleasure to deal with Meaghan who was so professional and courteous even though so busy with so many customers and one extra demanding lady as well! This will be the place From where I will always sell and buy vintage and unique stuff! Oh and the pieces on the floor there are only two months old! So if not sold in two months they donate or you take back!! Impressed!

I've been happily attending Maynard's auctions for 15 years, and am happy to add a bit of balance…read moreto a ridiculously skewed set of review data. Number one: All auction houses have a Buyers Premium on auctioned goods. This occurs without exception across the globe, as auction houses are not charitable institutions; they are businesses. At an auction, the goods will be sold to the highest bidder, and there is no guarantee that your goods will circumvent fundamentals, and sell at an appraised or retail level. In fact, unless the goods are highly coveted, you can be reasonably assured of a disappointing outcome. Given this, no auctioneer would give a guarantee on a positive outcome, but would venture a conjecture; something that you cannot take to the bank. Auctions serve the purpose of liquidating masses of goods quickly. If you feel slighted that the clapped-out tat you dragged down to the auction didn't generate a king's ransom, then this is only a confession of your naïveté. As an example, let's examine the sale of a Persian rug. Depending upon its pedigree, it isn't uncommon for a rug to sell at auction for a tiny fraction of its retail value. This is normal. If the rug was an Isfahan signed rug, it will sell for considerably more than the bazaar grade rug, but unless it is rare Isfahan rug, or several bidders go mad, it will never sell for more than the retail rate. The bottom dropped out of the antiques market a decade ago, and there is not even a hint that it will recover anytime soon. This means that the once highly coveted Scottish Victorian chest of drawers you bought for $2K at auction in the late 90s/early 2000s can barely be given away for $100 today. Lastly, and this should be painfully obvious, a little research will go a long way towards staving off disappointing outcomes. If a set of Noritake China sold for x amount of dollars at auction two months earlier, you can be certain that when you trot your set in that the audience will not spontaneously burst into a standing ovation when yours appears up for bids. Like the laws of Physics, common sense always prevails over infantile wish fulfillments.

Over the years I have have bought all sorts of furniture, art, jewellery,rugs you name it I bought…read moreit. As far as I am concerned I got a great deal on whatever I won at the auction. No issues whatsoever. If you are bidding on an item I suggest you look at in person and then place your bid if it suits your fancy. Photos are not the same as looking at an item in person. That is true no matter if it is an auction, a hotel or some vacation destination, photos are only 1/2 the story both good and bad ..

One of Vancouver's best antique haunts. Unbeliedvable inventory at not to be beleived prices. The…read moreowners are extremely knowledgeable in both antiques and design and are extraordinarily helpful in helping to select the right pieces. I have truly never encountered a better antique place where people truly care about the process and will not rest till the last second that every detail is taken care of. Nor will they stop until you are completely happy with your product. They exude extreme taste confidence and are a sheer delight to deal with. Tough act to follow for anyone in Vancouver dealing in antiques. I am completely addicted!! Christina Watts

Horrible Customer Service by Employee Michael. I emailed him two weeks ago. He responded and then…read morewhen I asked him questions back I never got a response. If this is how you handle a potential Customer..... No Thanks!! Look else where.

I agree with Valerie G.'s review that the workers here are not friendly, I would characterize them…read moreas snobby. The reason for my review, however, is not about customer service - or maybe it is. I purchased a painting from this group. I like the painting a great deal but when it was sold to me it was stated (as well as on the selling tag) that it was an unsigned work of a specific artist. I took their word for it but am also not naive. I liked the painting and paid a fair price for it. After purchasing the art I was curious if they were being honest so I emailed the artist and asked if it was indeed his work. He said no it was not. I believe that this was a selling tactic of the group and did not appreciate it.

It's all right. Some pieces priced appropriately and others were (imo) a bit overpriced. Well…read moreorganized and clean.

Seven years has not been kind to this shop or it's crusty keeper. What was once cranky charm has…read morebecome just plain miserable and what was once quirky and eclectic has become just well curated junk. Beware of browsing and leaving without a purchase here, as well. It's not encouraged. Keep walking.

I've been going to this antique shop for over 15 years the…read moreowner is very knowledgable and he has a unique collection of artifacts his prices are always fair and I've always got great deals Dan J's review is clearly written by an arrogant, ignorant guy who should be shopping @ IKEA because he clearly doesn't understand the real world you can't buy culture.......it's in you or it isn't Tom E.

We know the good weather is here when the corner of Garden and Hastings is cluttered with…read morecuriosities from the past. Like a large garage sale and Ted is there, to price and to haggle over the well recycled merchandise from 'antique' mirrors and long lived furniture to old film set lights or grannies flatware. Inside are more curiosities and if you can navigate through the mess there are some treasures to be found. I've seen a lot of great things there that I wish I could've bought but who has the room? This is interesting shopping!

Great antiques, good prices, willing to negotiate. Lots of furniture, tools, tool chests, art,…read moreetc. Got a fantastic painting (limited edition print) of a CP train pulling into a station, by a Canadian artist, for $20. Will be back!

I ordered a plate that had been broken in our house move…read more The plate came well-packed and in perfect condition. Great service!

We called to enquire about selling a few of our complete Royal Albert china collections which…read moreinclude many rare and hard to find pieces, as well as many of the more common pieces that are adverised at Echo's but are now out of stock. Since the woman was not very pleasant on the phone and was not the least bit interested in what we had to offer, which between the many different Royal Albert sets we own is over one thousand pieces, I can only assume that since the daughter has taken over managing the business from her Mother, she is not interested in carrying on the good reputation nor the pride that her Mother displayed in operating Echo's China. I wouldn't recommend trying to sell your items there as it seems the daughter has no interest in replacing out of stock items, and the items that are available in store and online seem to be very high priced. I recommend purchasing any needed items from one of the other online sites such as Ebay or Etsy. There is no point in me posting any pictures as as we are not hoping to advertise.