Off the Beaten Path By Madeline Kallio
Country antiquing in Eastern Ontario
Country Side Antiques
The old dining room set that was imported at great expense from the old country to grace the chatter of mealtimes a century ago, the remnants of the china that someone’s great grandmother received as a wedding gift and the little decorative items that were someone’s treasures long ago, all find their way under the rafters of the converted barns and the lovely old houses in the nooks and crannies of the countryside of Eastern Ontario.
The memories of everyday living in days gone by await the antique hunter — to be restored to glory and to delight a new generation. The repositories of these treasures are in many towns and cities in Eastern Ontario, but also dot the countryside. This article explores those out-of-the-way places in the country where exciting bargains can be found. Antique hunting can leave a person ravenously hungry and a welcoming stop for food can renew the quest.
Glass, pottery, fine china, jewellery, lamps and lamp fixtures, crocks, primitives, smalls and furniture populate the over 8,000 uncluttered square feet of antiques and collectibles in a converted dairy barn at Blue Spruce Antiques and Collectibles (613 835-2257), 2870 Dunning Road, between Cumberland Village and Sarsfield Corner east of Ottawa. They are open on weekends from April 1st to the end of October; but you can make appointments at any time. They also offer washroom facilities. Castello Pizza (613 835-3835), 1223 Colonial Road, offers good food for the traveller seven days a week.
Located on a small rise of land just north of Kemptville, which was originally granted as a 600-acre property in Empire Loyalist days, is Karen Glenn’s Country Side Antiques (613 601-1004), 895 County Road 44. In the following decades the farm flourished as part of the small community of Millars Corners, which at one time included not only the local farming community, but also boasted a school and other small businesses including a local cheese maker. Antiques tastefully furnish the 1835 stone home. Behind the house is a log building built in 1810, which also showcases antiques. They are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A number of restaurants in Kemptville, offer a refreshing stop.
Stittsville’s Carp Road Antique and Flea Market (613 836-3103), 2079 Carp Road, hosts a large number of vendors. The goods offered on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are antiques and collectibles, country furniture, jewellery, tools, books, CDs, movies, sporting goods, oriental antiques and carpets, homemade jams, toys, paintings, pictures and decorations, one of the best selections of furnishings, and much, much more. Stittsville Main Street is home to a variety of restaurants to feed the hungry shopper.
Log fences and fully restored 1820s log buildings, surrounded by gardens, greet the visitor at Log Farm Antiques (613 257-3757), 1563-9th Line Beckwith just east of Highway 15, which showcases Canadiana and fine furniture, folk art, art work, rugs, porcelain and more. They are open seven days a week from spring to fall. Stop in Carleton Place for lunch at The Good Food Company (613 257-7284), 31 Bridge Street, a cozy café and gourmet food store located in the old MacWilliams Pharmacy building on the main street, which has original pressed tin ceilings and walls and a sample of the drugstore cabinetry. They serve seasonally inspired entrees, incredible-from-scratch desserts, organic coffee, and espresso.
Carousel Antiques (613 284-2695), Highway 15 at Franktown, offers antique furniture, refinished early pine, quality oak, collectibles, pristine 30s — 50s kitchenware, kitchen bakelite, along with red-and-white and cream-and-green graniteware. They also showcase primitive, industrial, nautical and unusual collectibles. There is no junk in their collection.
They are open most weekends or by appointment. Further along, Bernies Nearly New Shoppe (613 283-7032), 381 Highway 15 north of Smiths Falls, is open seven days a week and has over 5,600 square feet of antiques, furniture, collectibles and home decor. Smiths Falls has a number of exciting places to eat.
Halfway between Lombardy and Rideau Ferry, antique hunters can find a wide selection of Canadian furniture, glass, china, pottery, clocks, tools, books, woodenware, bottles, prints, lamps, old hardware, primitives and collectibles at Rideau Antiques (613 283-6490), Rideau Ferry Road, Lombardy. All year, they are open from Monday to Saturday. CCs On the Rideau restaurant (613 267-6060), 1030 Rideau Ferry Road, serves an eclectic menu selection and has entertainment. They are open seasonally and weekends in winter.
Solid wood, barn wood and reclaimed wood are used in the exquisite reproductions of antiques at Johnsons Antique Reproductions (613 932-0766), one-half mile north of Cornwall on Highway 138. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week from March 1 to December 31 and other times by appointment or chance. Cornwall has a great selection of restaurants to relax and enjoy good food.
Dovetails & Square Nails (613 342-5223), 28572nd Concession Road, Brockville, is hosted by Rod and Bea Slack and features Canadiana furniture in pine, butternut, oak and ash (refinished and in the rough), and crocks, glass, goblets, lamps, pottery, linens and quilts, primitives, and collectibles. They are open by chance or by appointment. Along the St. Lawrence is Hannah Jacobsen’s Stone Acre Manor Antiques (613 342-4430), 1932 County Road 2, Brockville, with a fine collection of European antiques, art, fine furniture, fine China, art glass, estate and antique jewellery. The store is open from Easter to the end of October. Brockville has a plethora of fine restaurants with varied menus.
Visitors to country antique stores are wise to call ahead to ensure the shop is open.
Most antique stores are seasonal or may have restricted hours due to COVID-19.
This article does not attempt to include all of the wonderful places to find that elusive antique or collectible for which you have been searching,
but is intended to provide a sample of the incredible collections that are available in Eastern Ontario.
Many exciting discoveries await the explorer.
