The Cookstown Antique Market is “magical” after dark, according to owners Bill and Diana Robinson.
The 6,000 sq. ft. century barn, lovingly rebuilt on the property just north of the village of Cookstown by Bill’s father Gerry, houses an ever-changing array of antiques, vintage items and collectibles, offered by 35 antique dealers.
After dark, with jazz softly playing in the background, the pace slows and the lights pick out hidden treasures in each booth.
Customers had the opportunity to discover the magic for themselves on Wednesday evening, at the Antique Market’s first ‘Antiques After Dark.’
For $20 per person, $30 for two, shoppers received a ticket for three evenings of exclusive browsing and shopping at the Cookstown Antique Market, from 7 to 9 p.m.
In addition to having the barn to themselves, ticket-holders could meet some of the antique dealers, who came out to support the evening.
Many live out of town; others, like Nikki Gauci and Bert Vanderdonk Jr., live just doors from the Antique Market.
Gauci and Vanderdonk now have two booths on the main floor of the Antique Market, which they keep well-stocked with furniture and collectibles. “We rotate the stock and price it to sell,” said Vanderdonk, whose parents ran B & A Auctions for decades.
The Antiques After Dark evening also included tastings – pairing local foods with Ontario wine, beer and spirits.
The Cookstown Pub Co. donated the chipotle mango wings, paired with Steamwhistle beer, a pure pilsener brewed in Toronto using just four ingredients.
Dragon’s Den Cider, pressed in Barrie, was paired with medium cheddar cheese and grapes.
An Ontario wine, Twenty Bees Pinot Grigio from Niagara, was paired with chips and a vegan ranch dip, provided by Barrie’s Vegan Pantry Bakery & Café.
And luscious vegan brownies, also from The Vegan Pantry, were matched with a strawberry vodka from Beattie’s Distillers in Alliston.
It was sales associate at the market, Kim Turtcher who came up with the idea for Antiques After Dark, but it was Diana who set up the pairings.
“She’s been on a few different wine trips,” explained daughter Abigail. “I’m not very adventurous with taste!”
The idea was to highlight local foods and spirits, said Diana, and “to stimulate the local economy in January, February and March, when things are slow.”
Not a lot of local businesses participated in the very first Antiques After Dark, she admitted, but said, “We’re hoping that by the next one (on Feb. 26) more local businesses will jump on board.”
Especially since the evening isn’t just a night of shopping and tasting, but also a fundraiser for three hospitals – Stevenson Memorial in Alliston, Sick Kids in Toronto, and the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital.
The hospitals have been the charities of choice for the Robinsons since they purchased the Cookstown Antique Market from Bill’s parents in 2017. All of their fundraising efforts to date have been directed towards the three causes.
Diana acknowledged that it will be difficult to beat last year’s fundraiser. A special donation of vintage clothing and accessories allowed the Cookstown Antique Market to host an auction that raised over $4,000.
Antiques After Dark is a little more low-key - a different kind of event, but one whose popularity will continue to grow, the Robinsons hope. There are two more evenings of shopping, music, food and drinks planned, Feb. 26 and March 25, and tickets are still available.
Ticket-holders who attend all three nights will be entered into a draw for a special gift – but it’s really all about the fundraising, the fun, and the magic of the Cookstown Antique Market after dark.
For more information click here.
