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C8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 5, 2001 Arts & Entertannent Professional ' D c c f e w u m ' ft f Service End O S e a s o n S p e c ia l SAVE 3 0 " · Decks refinished to new · Sanded by hand 905 632-1074 Oakville Beaver A&E Editor: Carol Baldwin 845-3824 (Ext. 254); Fax: 337-5567; E-mail: baldwin@ haltonsearch.com Photos by Barrie Erskine Heidi Grover, right, of My Imagination Gallery in downtown Oakville, has a store full of unusual, artistic items col lected from across the country, including chess games (above), a variety of statues like the one below, and a couple of designer clowns (left). Please touch the merchandise By Carol Baldwin ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR T he brightly lit store is buzzing with Customers who are browsing, admiring, even touching the funky art work that hangs from the walls, is draped over chairs, and is artistically placed on the floor, on tables and in display cases at My Imagination Gallery. Heidi Grover is delighted with the new location o f her store, but her seven-year-old Doberman, Forrest, is less than impressed. He misses the biscuits that customers to her Locke Street store in Hamilton would bring him. But if the traffic in the store on George Street is any indication of potential regulars, Forrest should be chewing on tasty bis cuits any day now. Despite thwarted attempts to move items into her new location during the Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival, Grover has finally settled into the big store that overlooks Towne Square and has managed to attract customers to its second-floor location. And once they're inside, the oohs and ahs are audible. Grover has gathered unusual objects from across Cana da, and some from other parts of the world, and displayed them under one roof. My Imagination Gallery has everything from funky pot tery, furniture, lamps, paintings, fountains, statues and candy sticks (The Tickle Stick) to sculptured jewelry, spe cialty jam s, oils and vinegars, scented candles - including Merlot and Irish Cream - and wooden bowls and boxes. There is something for everyone from animal lovers and golfers to rock collectors and interior decorator wannabes. "It's things that people can use, too. That's the focus I try to have with all the art," she stresses. "That's why I have the displays the way they are - so people can touch and feel. I don't want them behind glass. That's not what it's about. It's functional. You should be able to use it." Grover claims to be a closet artist, and since she can't do it, she'll buy it and sell it. "I love art. I dabble in it. I've tried probably everything at least once. But I don't have the patience to focus in on one thing and stay true to one form," she explains. "All of my friends are artists. I just hang out with artists. They're great." As for buying art, that all began when she was young, as a buyer for her parents store - The House o f Teak in Mis sissauga. The selling started after she married a man from Nova Scotia and would visit "down east" for a couple of weeks every year. "While he went golfing, I started touring around, meet ing all these artists. At first I started buying the art and bringing it here just for me. But we (at The House of Teak) had 23,000 square feet; so I took about 1,500 and started setting it up there," she says, explaining that when her moth er eventually sold the family store, she began searching for a suitable location in Oakville for her novelty art pieces, but ended up setting up shop in a Victorian house in Hamilton. After a year in Steel Town, a suitable Oakville store became available and she moved in right away. "I moved in two weeks. It was a move from hell. We opened up July 14th." Grover also loves to travel and can't stop bringing trea sures home from the countries she visits - Bali and Colum bia for example. However, she says, most of the art in her shop is Canadian but "there's probably about two percent from outside of the country because I couldn't resist." And many of the browsers in her store can't resist either. There are just too many funky, fun and functional things to give everything a pass. "I told you I'd come back," says one woman whom Grover greets with a familiar "Hi, how are you doing?" The customer smiles and says, "I brought my mother this time." Although that brings a smile to G rover's face, Forrest can be found patiently waiting behind the counter for the biscuit that will make him smile. High speed's a turn on, High speed for free, is a real turn on. Thinking about making the move to COGECO@Home high speed Internet? Then now is definitely the time to do it. 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S om e restric tio n s m a y apply. 15% D IS C O U N T OFF ALL TIC K ETS IF PURCHASED BY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEM BER 5th NEXT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 - 8 p.m. Oakville Performing Arts Centre For tickets call Box Office 905-815-2021