Cookstown Antique Market puts on Victorian Christmas event over the weekend (13 photos)

The Cookstown Antique Market on County Road 27 in Innisfil hosted a Victorian Christmas event over the weekend where staff dressed up in Victorian-style clothing and vintage Christmas displays were set up around the barn for a unique shopping experience.

The Robinson family has owned the barn for almost 30 years. Bill Robinson and his father (who originally owned the barn) brought the barn over from Springwater township where it was excavated and rebuilt – log-by-log – in Cookstown in 1992.

Bill and Diana Robinson now run the market with their two sons, Owen and Casey, and daughter Abigail, along with Casey’s girlfriend Syel White, and friends, Laurie Laroque, Kim Turtcher, and Vicky Lewis.

Upon entering the market, the former “tea room” was transformed into a spacious Victorian-style “home” equipped with a fireplace, chandelier, Christmas tree with vintage decorations, and an old brass Santa sleigh which sat in front of the Christmas tree for photos.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus made an appearance on Sunday to meet with children for photos – from a safe distance.

A table was set up inside the waiting room for toy donations to Innisfil’s C4K’s foundation. The Robinsons shared that they already had to unload the table once from all the toy donations that were generously brought in from loyal customers.

“This is probably the best year ever with toy donations,” shares Diana.

Customers enjoyed complimentary hot apple cider and baked goods (brought in from Sweet B’s bakery in Bradford) while sitting and listening to a mixture of Baroque music and Christmas classics before proceeding into the main century barn to shop.

Inside the main barn are two separate floors showcasing exclusive antique items such as books, clothing, furniture, teacups, linens, quilts, collectibles, vinyl, comic books, art, and vintage jewellery, all brought in from over 30 different antique dealers who rent a space at the market.

The market also sells pre-packaged homemade Santa cookies at the front counter where 100 percent of the proceeds being donated to Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital, Sick Kids Foundation, and Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston.

When the market first went into lockdown in March, the Robinsons quickly turned to virtual Facebook live videos to help keep the customers connected by taking them on ‘tours’ through the barn’s many items.

“We wanted to keep that engagement with the customers and do something that would help keep them connected with the market,” explains Diana. “We could have shut down and stayed completely closed and done nothing, but we decided to stay in front of our customers."

Bill adds, “They are like family… we know many customers by first name, and lots come every week."

The staff encourage new customers to take their time when visiting the market, and allow for an extra ‘walk-through’ as the barn’s many items can be a bit overwhelming at first.

Antique license plates attached to the floorboards help keep customers two-meters apart for a more comfortable shopping experience. And for those who are not yet ready to venture into the market in-person yet, the Robinsons have created an online store for antique-fans to continue their shopping.

The market is open seven days a week and continues to have weekly sales ranging from 10-20 percent off many select items. To visit the online store, click here.