Shopping for Antiques:
An Ontario Travel Adventure
Planning to go shopping for antiques as part of your Ontario travel adventure ? A leisurely day of digging through forgotten art, funky furniture, and quirky collectibles, along with handcrafted items from the past … now that’s what I call time well spent. Ontario has many locations where you can do just that!
One of the things I love about shopping for antiques is the chance to actually handle historic pieces. This is something that's usually a no-no at the Ontario history museums I visit. Chatting with the vendors is another treat, because many of them can tell you the stories behind the objects they sell, and the stories are almost as interesting as the objects themselves sometimes.What kind of antiques you'll find here If you're already a devoted antique collector, rest assured that with all the variety of antique shops, antique malls and antique districts in Ontario, not to mention the big shows that are held annually or semi-annually, you're sure to find plenty of your own particular obsession. If you're more of a generalist like me then you'll find the hunt just as interesting and rewarding.
Ontario's antique vendors offer a lot of variety partly because Ontario is such a multicultural society. People have come from all over the world to settle in this province, and they've brought with them family heirlooms…many of which wind up eventually in antique stores. In particular, expect to find lots of antiques from England, Scotland and Britain since so many Ontarians hailed originally from the British isles. Also expect to find plenty of handmade Mennonite pieces since southern Ontario in particular has a substantial Mennonite population. Where to go Antique Shopping in Ontario Ontario cities, towns and rural areas offer great antiquing opportunities. You can buy antiques in individual shops, multi-dealer antique markets housing anywhere from 10 to more than 200 dealers under one roof, and at special one-or-two day antique “shows”. You’ll also find that many Ontario cities and towns have “antique districts” where you’ll find several antique shops a short distance from one another. Here are a few antique shopping areas in Ontario to get you started. Toronto: Toronto Antiques on King. 284 King Street West. This is a multi-vendor market with a wide variety of goods so it's a very efficient way to go shopping for antiques. Also, it’s in the entertainment district, close to the Roy Thompson concert hall, live theatres and restaurants so you can easily combine your shopping with some Toronto entertainment as well. www.torontoantiquesonking.com The Sunday Market at St. Lawrence Market. Opens at 5 a.m. on Sunday. 120 vendors. Busy busy! http://sundayantiquemarket.com Mount Pleasant Street – About a dozen shops between Eglinton and Davisville. Note: these tend to be high-end (pricey) antiques. Ottawa: Ottawa Antique Market – Explore the offerings of 25 dealers and 10,000 square feet of space under one roof. http://www.ottawaantiquemarket.com
Niagara region: Niagara-on-the-Lake and Virgil area. This is one of my favourite spots to go shopping. Several shops are scattered along Stonechurch Road, including one shop that’s housed in a former church (lovely setting). There’s also a large market called Lakeshore Antiques on Lakeshore Road. If you’re in Jordan Ontario check out the Jordan Antiques Centre which has 6,000 square feet of space for its multiple vendors. Other areas: Hamilton - Ottawa Street is the hot new antique district in Hamilton, with a dozen shops selling everything from vintage to genuine antiques (check out my article here). Furniture, small goods and books too. Locke Street still has some antique shops too. Aberfoyle Outdoor Market - A rare, seasonal “outdoor” market. Over 100 dealers show up every Sunday from spring to fall. It’s Canada’s Oldest "outdoor" antique market. The booths, as you can see below, are covered. Since 1961. http://www.aberfoyle-antiques.com
Freelton Antique Market - With 250 vendors in two buildings you can spend the whole day here shopping for antiques. I have! http://www.freeltonantiquemall.com Cambridge - Southworks Antique Market has over 30,000 square feet of antiques. I’ve been three times and still haven’t seen everything. Here's an interesting folk-art lamp I saw there the last time. http://www.southworksantiques.com
Barrie Antiques Centre – One of Canada’s largest antique malls. http://barrieantiquescentre.ca Port Hope – This small town between Toronto and Kingston is a popular spot for shopping for antiques. It has one multi-dealer shop with over 50 dealers as well as about 10 other individual shops. Happy Shopping! Maybe I'll bump into you in one of these markets some day.
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