By Carolyn Sloan

The Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

It was Linda Henry’s grandmother who imparted to her a love for old things.

“My grandmother was a collector,” she says. “She kind of encouraged an appreciation.

“[It’s fascinating] where the things have been – the stories they could tell if they could talk.”

So after working 26 years as a registered nurse, Linda decided to make an antique furniture business her retirement project. Transforming the old barn on her property in Mosher’s Corner into a shop, she opened the business last summer, putting out a few of her own furnishings that she had collected over the years.

In addition to the furniture, the shop itself is well worth the visit. With high beams, grand solid wood counters from the old Torbrook store, and the addition of a traditional church window, the barn has a rustic beauty – the perfect atmosphere for Linda’s display of early Canadian and Victorian furniture.

Now that the business is off the ground, she has had great fun adding to her inventory. While she buys pieces from people living in the local area, one of her favourite ways to acquire new furniture is at auctions.

“I get most of the stuff at auctions,” Linda explains. “I love auctions. They’re so much fun. They’re entertaining.”

In addition to her collection of Depression Glass, it’s the early pine furniture that she treasures most. Primitive pine furniture, particularly pieces with their original paint, are all the rage at the moment, she explains. In the late ‘70s, when antique furnishings became popular, it was the fashion to strip the paint off old pieces. As such, untouched pine has become extremely rare.

“It’s hard to get early pine because everybody wants it,” says Linda. “It’s sturdy and it’s got appeal.

“It’s 100, it’s 200 years old. It’s been there that long. It’s stood up to that kind of wear and tear. You can’t buy these things anymore. You can’t even have them made without costing thousands of dollars.”

Linda believes in only selling furniture if it is in good shape. If she has a chair with a broken rung, for example, her husband will make all the necessary repairs before it is placed in the shop. She also believes in selling pieces for a reasonable price that is based on the local market.

“If I get a good deal, the customer gets a good deal,” Linda explains. “I like to have that reputation of being reasonable.

“The tourists are going to buy little things, but the market is quite local.”

Walking around the store, she begins to tell the stories of some of the pieces she carries in her shop. One of the more unusual items is a Ferrier’s box.

“It’s very primitive – it’s probably early 1800s, it could even be older,” says Linda. “[Ferriers] took it around with them to the farms… It has the [original] tools and nails to shoe horses.”

She walks over to another piece, an old table that came from a house in Brickton. Linda points to grooves around its edge where it’s former owner used to put out his cigarettes. Sure, it’s got stains and scrapes, but that’s also what makes it interesting, she explains.

“A lot of people like it that way because it tells a bit of a story,” says Linda.