If you’ve ever wondered where to buy a $14,000 bronze garden lion, Chan Singh, the owner of the Beach’s Victorian Shoppe (334 Kingston Rd.), can help. Most of Singh’s business comes from the bronze garden statuary scattered around the store’s four levels, but her storefront’s ever-changing seasonal appearance has made it a neighbourhood landmark. (The storefront will soon be dolled up for Christmas—though a secondary sign bearing the words “Trim a Christmas” are mounted on it year-round.)
What seasonal items do you have right now?
We have little Easter bunnies, and Christmas plates and ornaments.
Really unique items. We just got in 14-inch coloured stained-glass balls. We used to have big statues outside, like Santas and snowmen that cost $2,000 or $3,000, but we sold those off.
You’ve been open for 25 years. Why did you first decide to open up?
Originally I was doing my own gardening and I couldn’t find the products that I wanted. I was finding pink plastic flamingos at Canadian Tire, but I wanted to give people something nicer and more permanent—more like what you find in English gardens.
What are your best-selling items?
We specialize in bronze statues and sculptures, but we carry big and little things—everything from hostess gifts and heirloom items to larger statues. So we have little cast-iron and forged metal coat hooks starting at $6.95, up to a large lion, which costs $14,000.
