Oct 25, 2011

‘The’ Gift of Affordable, Good, ArtBy Aidan JohnsonTheSpec.com

Hamilton, ON – A lot of art is expensive. The fact is a shame. It keeps us from a lot of the really great, enjoyable stuff that’s out there. Rare is the family that can afford to have a live rock band play at dinner.

But there is such a thing as affordable good art. We get it when we watch good TV (I won’t start controversy by saying which shows are good), or when we read from the Bible. Until December this year, we also get it at The Boutique. Located across from the Tim Horton’s in Westdale, The Boutique is a remarkable business that blurs the line between gallery and gift shop. It sells art that’s affordable without being cheap. Like Tim’s, The Boutique is a Hamilton institution.

The store specializes in art and jewellery made in Canada, and in the Hamilton-Wentworth-Niagara particularly. It has a New Age vibe. When I was a 10-year-old Hamilton Spectator paper boy, I went to The Boutique with my Christmas tips and bought my Dad a kaleidoscope made of three kinds of polished wood. It’s regarded now as a family treasure — literally, and a bit randomly, one of the most interesting things in my Mom and Dad’s house. It gives a different view of the world.

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