The Cookstown Antique Market celebrated in elegance and rustic style last weekend for their 31st annual Victorian Christmas event.
Stepping through the front doors was like stepping back in time. From the twin, 10 ft. tall Christmas trees decorated with ornaments and the Victorian-era garb worn by the owners and staff members to Santa’s sleigh in the Glass Manor.
“Victorian Christmas is the era that a lot of the items came from. So, we’re talking late-1800s and early-1900s,” co-owner of the Cookstown Antique Market, Bill Robinson explained. “It’s kind of a forgotten time, but not forgotten here.”
Robinson’s parents, and the original owners of the Cookstown Antique Market, started the Victorian Christmas event in 1991, which quickly became a tradition, before ultimately selling the business to Bill and his wife Diana in 2017.
The items on the shelves are too varied to mention, but one thing’s for sure — shoppers needn’t look far for an object with a unique history and craftsmanship.
In addition to the items for sale, Santa Claus visited with MPP of Barrie-Innisfil, Andrea Khanjin, and Mayor of Innisfil, Lynn Dollin, before more children arrived to tell Santa what their hearts desire this Christmas.
The Cookstown Antique Market welcomes about 700-750 people over the three-day Victorian Christmas event. They hold events almost every long weekend.
Staff at the Cookstown Antique Market have been collecting new, unwrapped toys for C4Kids (formerly Christmas 4 Kids) and will continue to do so until Dec. 15, 2022.
Vice President of C4Kids, Debra Harrison, said, “All of us at C4Kids believe in the magic of Christmas, and we are so grateful to our local businesses that support our organization because, without their support, C4Kids couldn’t bring the magic to help our families in need.”
“We hope to carry on our family tradition and keep Cookstown on the map with our world-famous antique market,” Robinson said.
Amber Green is a freelance reporter with Village Media.
