Great Village sees new businesses, more antiques

A community revitalization is happening in Great Village.

Stirred by locals intent on restoring historic buildings, attracting collectors and creating job and community opportunities, the effort is putting new faces on the outlets that specialize in antique sales.

Cees Van den Hoek, the owner of the Antiques Exchange who is revitalizing several properties in the area, loves seeing new and returning faces, including people exploring their backyards.

“A lot of people are very surprised at what we do have here,” said the entrepreneur, who runs the largest antiques shop in the Maritimes, with over 33 dealers. “So that’s a good feeling because we noticed a lot of people have made it here so there’s still room to grow. It’s a nice little destination on one of Nova Scotia’s most beautiful shores.”

Businessman Joe Pinto is revitalizing the former St. James United Church. He lives just down the road now and his son recently bought a house in the community.

“We got a beautiful province right here,” said Pinto. “I went back here. Why go elsewhere? Just spend it here. It’s good for everybody.”

FORMER COMMUNITY CHURCH SAVED

Driving west on Hwy 2, one arrives at a corner marked by the towering former St. James United Church, where, after looking both ways before crossing the road, are prime picnicking areas fit for basking in the sun. Pinto bought the church last year and will soon be bringing it to life with concerts and dinner theatres as the Great Village Arts and Entertainment Centre, while keeping up architectural and community aspects such as the stained-glass windows and marine museum.

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful building, that’s why I got involved,” said Pinto. “It means it’s going to be preserved now and we’re going to maintain it. It’s going to provide jobs.”

The venue will also support fundraising events, such as the Guatemala Outreach Project that Pinto has been part of for more than a decade. He hopes to keep a sense of community at the church, provide jobs and bring in people from elsewhere to boost the economy.

In the basement, Andrea Gould started running the Wayside Cafe with takeout last summer, and now is gearing up to open fully, once COVID restrictions have been relaxed. Serving up tasty dishes from a variety of ethnic cuisines and selling amateur art, she intends to employ local teenagers as summer help.

“Anybody who’s a beginner or closet artist at home has somewhere to either sell or display their stuff (here),” said Gould. “I’m not a stickler on what it is – just to give them that confidence in their field.”

The unique chairs, tables and surrounding furniture that make up the dining space are also for sale by antique dealer Clair Peers, meaning the look of the cafe will constantly change.

The team was hoping to launch in late April, though COVID has put a pin in that – for now. Accessible entrances and washrooms have been installed, including a large wooden mobility ramp built at the rear of the facility.

“Some people in the community came in last year, and they were saying that: ‘Oh, my wife hasn’t been able to come in, in 15 years. This was her church, and now she’s in a wheelchair,’” said Gould. “So those people will be able to access this again. And that kind of is really exciting.”

ANTIQUES GALORE

Four or five years ago, van den Hoek bought the former community hall that has seen many faces over its lifetime, from cinema to fire hall, courthouse, school, library and as an Oddfellows barbershop. Now, after extensive renovations, it has become a space to sell larger antiques such as furniture.

“It’s nice to save these old buildings because once they’re gone, it might not be such a cute little town anymore,” said van den Hoek.

Now, he is giving the shop that Peers has rented for 15 years some love. Peers moved out of the building with the “Onslow Trading Co.” sign in December and eagerly anticipates being back on the lower floor by June. After that, van den Hoek will continue working on fixing the upper level and selling the former church in Portapique, which he also owns.

“It’s good to see people, the same customers back again, and getting things going,” said Peers. “We’re looking forward to another good season like last year, even with COVID.”

The exchange did not open until July of last year, yet sales nearly met the previous year’s volume. And when open, COVID remains a consideration – a normal opening day is packed so Van den Hoek kept the date a secret (the shops have since closed because of the province-wide shutdown). Painted footprints are scattered across the

wooden floor for social distancing and large, leaded glass windows serve as a protective screen at the checkout. At this point, van den Hoek is not sure if the traditional 75-mile yard sale will happen.

Over the past two decades, there have been various forms of antique and ephemera stores, including in the old Layton family General Store. Dealers slowly took over the building, filling up its additions and now have it brimming at capacity. Van den Hoek was one of those dealers and then bought it himself in 2012. Since taking over, the business has grown over 20 per cent each year.

Additions were made to the original building over the years as the shop grew. His favourite room is the former living quarters upstairs, which many people were afraid of and thought was haunted, until the team removed all the old plaster and dust to expose the “beautiful laths” underneath.

When travel between communities was allowed, Victoria Bramwell came from Halifax on what was a “beautiful sunny day” for driving since she heard the store had opened again.

“I love it. It’s so overwhelming, but in a really good way,” said Bramwell. “I’ll probably be back several times over the summer.

She enjoys finding folk art, duck sculptures and prints, and hoped to find a birthday present for her twin.

“I try not to collect too much,” said Bramwell. “Just living in a small apartment, it gets filled up pretty fast. But, yeah, there’s so much good stuff here.”

Bramwell is one of many such visitors the team of local entrepreneurs hopes to draw into their community.

“I’m really looking forward to having life in here, that vibrancy in a community that felt such a devastating blow last year with the (Nova Scotia) murders,” said Gould. “We’re really just hoping to bring the joy in.”

“It’s nice to save these old buildings because once they’re gone, it might not be such a cute little town anymore.”

Cees Van den Hoek Owner, Antiques Exchange