ONCE UPON A TIME: Secrets from Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop

In Once Upon a Time, the nefarious Rumpelstiltskin’s Storybrooke alter-ego is Mr. Gold, owner of quite a lot of the town, including a pawn shop. In the last few episodes, we’ve been taken inside Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop for various reasons, giving us a glimpse of the treasures for sale within. As we saw at the end of “That Still Small Voice”, these treasures may have more value for the residents of Storybrooke than simple decoration.

We screencapped our latest visit into Mr. Gold’s shop, courtesy of Regina’s misdirection when David was looking for the toll bridge in “The Shepherd”, and noticed some things that may be relevant later in addition to those whose significance has already been revealed. Click the photos below to examine them yourself.

First, we have a nice, clear shot of the windmill that activated the curse and gave David false memories. What significance does that windmill have? Have we seen it on the show somewhere else or is that reveal yet to come?

Next, Geppetto’s parents, turned into wooden puppets when Jiminy’s parents switched the contents of the vial he intended to use on them for the “cure” they sold to the young couple. They first appeared in “The Price of Gold” when Ashley went to see Mr. Gold, but we didn’t know why they were important until the following episode. Sneaky.

Emma’s mobile of unicorns also first showed up in Storybrooke in “The Price of Gold”, but of course we saw it in the pilot episode as James and Snow prepared for the birth of their daughter. I was hoping that when David touched it during his visit to the shop, his memories of Fairy Tale world would return. Alas, it was not to be.

The wall of landscapes behind the cash register is currently a mystery. Ashley spent some time looking at them, especially the one Mr. Gold is blocking during this scene from “The Shepherd”, which suggests that they are representations of places in Fairy Tale world. Places that would be familiar to the residents of Storybrooke if their memories returned. For some reason I feel like we’ll learn more about their significance when we get to the Hansel & Gretel episode.

The sewing machines and thread display on the counter by Geppetto’s parents seems like a possible connection to Rumpelstiltskin himself. I couldn’t find a spinning wheel in the dark corners of the shop, so perhaps they’re going with a less obvious representation. I thought Corticelli, the name on the thread display, might provide some clues, and tracked it down to a real company that produced silk thread and sewing/knitting patterns in the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries. In fact, I think my Mom has some of their silk thread in her sewing box. Rumpelstiltskin was able spin straw into gold, so silk thread…yeah, that makes sense.

Less ambiguous is the old Persian lamp sitting on one of the counters as David walks through the shop. Looks like Aladdin may be the subject of an upcoming episode, or perhaps just the genie. Also possibly factoring into a future episode is the lovely tea set on display. My guess? It belongs to Belle from Beauty & the Beast, who we’ll meet in episode 12.

Can you spot any other items in these photos that may be significant?