It sounds like a happy ending for the Brokeback Mountain movie: Two former cowboys get together and open an antiques store in Montclair called Dusty's & Rusty's Antiques. Alright, I can dream, but the store (actually a pair of side-by-side storefronts) is for real and it's in downtown Montclair, just steps away from the Clairidge movie theater. The fictional names are the creation of owner (and Baristanet writer) Irene Ackerman. Check out the two storefronts to find scores of unique antique art, architectural elements, furniture, lighting, vintage jewelry, toys, advertising memorabilia, even the kitchen sink (no joke, she's got one for sale). One-stop shopping for anyone who loves great old things, as well as the odd, witty and whimsical. Oddities include a 1930's "fight bell" from Madison Square Garden (yes, it's deafening), and an $85,000 bronze horse (ouch!). Baristanet gift pick: these bold bronze initials salvaged from Meyer's Department Store in Paterson ($45 a piece).

480 & 482 Bloomfield Avenue; (enter on Bloomfield, or via the lobby across from the Clairidge Movie Theater) 917-776-7202.

December 19, 2005 in Seen around town | Permalink