Savvy businesswoman Sandy Stagg helped spark a hip Toronto scene

Running her Antique Clothing Shop on London’s Portobello Road in the 1990s and 2000s, Sandy Stagg was particular when it came to the touching of dainty vintage garments for sale. “This is a two-handed shop,” she would tell customers in no uncertain terms. “Be gentle and put your bags down. If not, get out!”The rule applied to all, dames included. The great actress Maggie Smith entered the store in 2002 in full film-star disguise: hat, silk scarf and huge sunglasses. When she pawed one-handedly at a rail of Victorian blouses, Ms. Stagg read her the riot act. To which Ms. Smith lowered her shades, uttered “Indeed!” and walked straight from the shop.