The former “tea room” at the Cookstown Antique Market – an addition that has housed High Teas, Christmas treats and the market’s antique ‘one-horse open sleigh’ – has undergone a total face-lift.
The wide plank floors have been polyurethaned, to preserve and enhance the rich colour.
An antique mantlepiece, purchased from a Toronto estate, has been fitted with a gas fireplace – ready to add a cozy touch on a winter’s day.
And the brickwork at either end of the room has been modified to create the look and feel of a Victorian home, with one ‘front door’ leading to the market's century barn, filled with antiques and collectibles.
“This is what we’ve been busy doing, through COVID,” said Diana Robinson, who with husband Bill purchased the Cookstown Antique Market from Bill’s parents in 2017.
The goal is to have the renovations done in time for the market's annual Victorian Christmas, planned for Dec. 4, 5 and 6.
In some ways, the Victorian Christmas will be very much the same as in pre-COVID years, with staff in Victorian costume and twin 10' tall Christmas trees, fully decorated with new and vintage ornaments.
But this year, visitors will enter the renovated room from a new outside entrance. Once inside, they will enjoy Christmas treats, a cup of hot apple cider, and live music while social distancing, before entering the main barn for a special shopping experience that includes 10 percent off all items displayed by the 35 independent dealers inside.
Up to 30 customers are allowed into the antique barn at any one time, well below the maximum number that could be permitted based on the barn’s 6,000 sq. ft. The idea is to avoid any sense of being crowded, and to create a more reassuring environment for browsing, following pandemic protocols.
To help maintain physical distancing in the barn, antique licence plates have been attached to the floor in the aisles, marking off 2 metre intervals.
Diana is convinced the new format will be popular with visitors, “as long as customers feel confident they’re not going to be crammed in like sardines.”
With hand-sanitizer available, safety protocols in place, delightful treats and seasonal music, she hopes, “People will be calm and patient,” and enjoy a traditional Victorian Christmas.
The Cookstown Antique Market is located at 5108 County Rd. 27, in the village of Cookstown, Innisfil. For more information, click here.
Just a note: Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the market on Sunday, Dec. 6 from 1 to 5 p.m. Donations of new unwrapped toys will be accepted all weekend, for the Innisfil C4Kids Year Round Christmas Campaign.
Not comfortable with the idea of in-person shopping at this time? There’s one more thing that has kept the Robinsons busy during COVID: setting up an online store. To shop online, click here.