Everything old is new again. Or at least furniture can be, at Steveston's new Fab Pad.
Opening on Aug. 1, the heritage building at 3480B Moncton St. has been transformed into a showcase for one-of-a-kind refinished pieces for the home from the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Tucked behind sister stores It's Posh! and Lenny's Vintage Vault, the Fab Pad completes the trio of businesses that revolve around selling high-quality, recycled products.
Customers enter by first crossing a shared courtyard that has also been renovated to include a classic wrought iron patio set and German plant stand with working fountain, a preview of what's to come inside.
"We have a table made in the 1960s in Quebec that has been restored on top. Now it looks incredible," said owner Laura Stapleton. She uses a professional refinisher who erases water stains, scratches and other blemishes to bring the secondhand furniture - that she either finds locally herself or takes in on consignment - back to its former glory.
"We're also working on some walnut dining chairs with an atomic design. They were recovered in a hideous fabric from the '80s or '90s and not done well - we have a source that carries vintage fabrics and we've chosen one far more appropriate going back to what they would have used at that time."
Stapleton said there has been a huge resurgence of interest for what she calls the Mad Men era, thanks in part to the AMC Network's period drama by the same name.
Looking around inside, the store could stand in as a set double. Especially with the sectional couch in the corner that comes complete with a built-in bar and ashtray that, astonishingly, she said appears to have never been used.
The show has clearly had some influence on Stapleton as well, who admitted to owning a similar couch in her own home.
But her interest really piqued last year after getting married and hunting for new furniture.
"I thought why not get some really cool vintage pieces that fit in with modern decor? They're well made and there are some really unique designers out there," she said.
"I started researching and looking into different things and it developed from there. There are so many pieces that are different from what's out there today, they're built really well and feed into reusing and recycling that's huge these days as well."
Putting her wedding photography business on hold, Stapleton, born and raised in Steveston, decided to open the Fab Pad to turn her new hobby into a full-time job.
"I've been doing it for 11 years, I felt it was time for a change. It was a pretty natural transition, it's all about appreciating visual arts and furniture from the mid-century. It's very artistic."
