There’s a funky little (and I mean little in the most literal sense) store in Brookline called Irving’s Toy and Card Shop.
The sweet awning has always grabbed my attention, but every time I’d pass it would already be closed for the day. Finally, a few weeks ago, I was in the area and the door was open so I ducked in to check it out.
It felt like walking into the past. The store is miniature, and many of the items look like they’ve been on the shelves for decades. But in a good way. It’s an amazing little shop that’s full of nostaglia-inducing toys and cards from the past 50 years or so. They also have some new stuff. Can you believe there are things in there that cost $0.50? For real. Maybe even $0.25; it’s that kind of shop.
As I headed toward the door, an amazing card caught my eye. It’s bigger than most – 15.5 inches x 8.5 inches – and has a picture that reminds me of Fractured Fairytales.
I have no idea what year this card is from, but I’d guess the 50s or 60s. What do you think? And how cool is that envelope? It says
Mr. Postman:
Please be sure this valuable greeting card from —
{space for name & address}
arrives safely!FRAGILE
Do not crush or bend
*Please hand stamp
Inside, the horse pops up, like a pop-up book. I really wanted this card, but I couldn’t tell if its vintage-ness & size would make it pricey. I brought it up to the register and the woman looked at it and said “that’ll be one dollar, please.” One dollar! Including tax! What a steal. It was pretty obvious that the card had been there since the decade it was created and that they had absolutely no way of tracking inventory, and it totally made my day. So now I have this cool, giant card for inspiration.
Do you have any vintage cards that make you smile?
{all images are my own – click to enlarge}
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