I HAD A DREAM
I HAD A DREAM-A SET OF MCINTOSH GLENGARRY MUGS
In 1979, with the opening of Cornwall Square, Rob and Barb McIntosh moved to Glengarry with their kids, Jamie and Peter (they had no idea of the deep Scottish roots in Glengarry but moved there so Rob could open his first Rob McIntosh Shop). Over the next 40 years, the McIntosh love of Glengarry has grown and grown. Great place to live, to grow, to prosper within reach of Montreal, Ottawa and the US which all donate to its bilingual city flavour in a farming country setting. The McIntosh retail shops increased from 1 to 33 with stores in major malls from Halifax to Vancouver and then decreased again to one 23,000 ft main location in Lancaster at Exit 814 on the 401. During the 40 year span that this took to transpire, McIntosh Mugs were born- bone china mugs depicting art from Robert Bateman to Van Gogh and many others. The mugs were almost instantly a huge success because of their quality, their style, their packaging and their price.
Whack! One day, a lightbulb went off in Barb’s head. I want a set of Glengarry mugs. And…the dream was born. Mugs need to be designed, proofs made, quality explored, approvals obtained and then they need to be paid in advance in order for this dream to take place. Dreams do not always happen quickly but if they are inspired with love (as these mugs were), then the time-line is in the hands of the Universe. This time-line took 3 years til the finished product arrived this week. We think the mugs are awesome .
The Lancaster Wharf (which in the olden days was where the steam ships landed on their trip from Montreal to Kingston) is bordered by 6 boathouses which have been painted in different colours so they look absolutely charming. The box for the set of four mugs has the Lancaster Wharf depicted on it both on the top and inside the box. One of the bone china mugs has this same image. The second image is what is known locally as St. Raphael’s Ruins (a beautiful Roman Catholic Church which many years ago was ravaged by fire but is still a major tourist destination) at sundown with a piper playing mournfully. The pipe bands (back and front of the third mug) were in Glengarry playing at the Glengarry Highland Games and were chosen for this mug because of the wonderful symmetry (and of course the major Scottish Heritage in Glengarry). The fourth mug displays 5 highland dancers twisting and twirling to music which can be heard clearly when looking at the mug itself.
Bone China mugs are wonderful to drink out of. The bone china (which is an creamy offwhite colour because of the bone content) are very strong so they are quite chip resistant, safe in microwaves and as Rob McIntosh, the person, says “Bone china sets off the taste of coffee and tea like no other porcelain can”. You have to see these mugs but…you will love them too. Barb’s dream came true.
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Monica MacLellan
August 18, 2020
I would have loved to see each mug individually pictured.
Hope to drop in later this summer. Haven’t been for a number of years.
Congratulation on your dream come true!