“People just like it, especially little children,” added Borzello.
The property was once home to a poster shop where Borzello and his former wife sold pin-ups of iconic figures like Che Guevara.
Originally from Chicago, the former businessman and tabloid newspaper editor came to London in the 1960s to study at the London School of Economics.
After a short spell back in Chicago he and his now ex-wife returned to settle in London in 1967 and ran the poster shop and a print business from the property.
Accumulator
All along, however, Borzello was “accumulating” his vast collection of items picked up in antique shops and junk sales.
“The fun of it is looking around and finding it… a lot of it is just things I find interesting,” he said.
A decade ago Borzello began displaying the items, and the window in the property he still owns is now something of an Islington institution.
The toy collection began with airplane models which are soon to be the subject of another themed display.
As well as toys, Borzello has accumulated lots of souvenir items from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
Other collections include clocks, badges, wedding cake toppers, shop mannequins, his children’s old school reports, even his old Covid tests, which he has lined up next to his phone.
The fireplace in Borzello’s nearby flat is surrounded by all things green, from glass vases and ornaments to ladies’ shoes, hats and necklaces.
