Shop Re-Opening for First Time Since Christmas Eve Makes Us Festively Happy For New Beginnings - Finally

 

Painting by William Malcolm Cutts 1857-1943 Port Perry

Photos by Suzanne Currie

    

     We would be damn fools if we didn't admit to being nervous about re-opening our Gravenhurst Vintage Music and Antique Shop on Friday - tomorrow in the mid part of June, having the expectation, that like the back up goalie who has been riding the pine for half a season, getting back to that same old, same old of retail on the brink of the summer madness, is the kind of situation that can give one pause; what the heck are we in for and are we too out of shape to hit the ground running. Maybe just ambling along won't suffice if it happens to be a busy first two days of being open in many months. We worry about this primarily because we don't have staff members to absorb some of the stresses associated with summer season volume increases, not to mention what we expect from the liberation from some Covid closure restrictions which have been the norm for months and months. There's a lot of stress trying to finance a business enterprise with the only option being online sales and curbside pick-ups, but it pales in comparison to the weight of customer demands up close and personal. Last year we encountered one of the most contentious business seasons we've ever had, in fifteen years in the same location on Muskoka Road. A much larger number of customers than we could have imagined, were generally impolite and in some cases, intolerably arrogant. It has been getting rougher each year and our patience has definitely been tested to its limits, yet we have worked too long and hard to give up the business because there happened to be a larger than average number of customers with attitude. We even had to install a small but noticeable Buddha, that we turn to regularly, near the front counter, that offers some mild solace and gentleness when we feel overly taxed. We've had to install security cameras after an incident last year, when an impatient and unruly customer refused to wear a mask in the store, and curled his fist in my son's general direction. We had quite a number of customers who refused to wear masks, and some who would take them off as soon as they walked down our hallway to the antique section. Some of these folks were outraged when they were told to put the mask back on, or leave the store. Half left after letting their feelings be known on the subject to my wife in particular. They won't be invited back, let's just say that!

     One of the biggest problems we have in retail today, is the general hatred of our customers at large, when told they must pay the appropriate sales taxes. If you're one of those who hates to pay tax, especially on antique and second hand items that have been taxed many times before through other venues, we of course respect your opinion. No one likes to pay tax. But as we explain many times in a given day, we are not willing to break the law of this country and this province to give customers a break on the tax. We are the ones who would be charged and forced to pay a substantial penalty if caught, while the customer escapes generally unscathed. We don't ask anyone to break the law for our advantage, so we aren't going to take the risk of penalty to satisfy our customers desire to save a few bucks. And it has become rather pointless to explain to some irritated customers what those taxes collected are used for, such as health care services and the kind of emergency responders who have wildly busy summer seasons in our part of the province, tending accident scenes and boat related mishaps. We could go on and on, but we seldom if ever cause even a blink of the eye, for those people staring us down, trying to brow beat us to drop the tax.

     We have had many long conversations about the rigors of operating a main street retail operation these days, when it seems so many of our visitors are disinterested in the protocol of goodwill and kindness in general we have always experienced in a majority of customer interactions. It began to change four or so years ago, and it paralleled many other situations being experienced by many other retailers, and echoed by so many sales clerks especially in grocery stores around the region. Why should they be berated by self righteous, bully customers, who believe that they are entitled to degrade others to make themselves feel better about their own shortfalls as human beings. I have a great respect for all those front liners who keep these businesses in operation, despite often miserable conditions of human interaction, because it has been those clerks and service staff in general, who have kept us going as a population by sticking it out through the whole lockdown period, even when the danger level was extreme. Those folks need to be honored by customers, heartily thanked for tending our daily needs throughout the crisis. And if you happen to be in a position, in one of these stores, when a check-out clerk is being verbally pummeled a nasty customer, possibly a kindly intervention on the staffer's behalf would be a wonderful repayment of the kindness and sense of duty they have provided all of us over the past fifteen months.

     We love our shop and we have great affection for our regular customers, who have made our business a success over this decade and a half of main street retailing. Most of these kind souls don't know what happens in dark pockets over the same day and week they had visited, and that the aura of a nice visit can dissipate in only a few minutes, when a customer informs us our shop smells like cat urine. We have been called fraud artists who repackage old records with new plastic wraps, and informed that we have ridiculously high prices, and inferior quality of inventory that couldn't possibly meet their requirements as musicians. We have had many articles stolen, including, pins taken off hats, and in one case a year ago, a 150 year old pewter tankard and a small painting right off the wall. Suzanne was able to prevent the loss of a half dozen collectable dolls and accessories, when she asked to look through a shopper's bag. Despite the woman's protest, we not only found our own unpaid-for inventory heading out the door, but items stolen only a half hour earlier from a neighboring shop. Then there was the fellow who actually tried to abscond with an amplifier stuffed into a cloth bag, and the only reason we caught up to him on the fly, was that Andrew used to be a track star at high school, and the bloke was drunk and could only stumble down the block. We've had guitars go missing, and yes, we've even had a full fledged break-in that cost us dearly. But we have a ninety percent record getting the articles back that were stolen. But honestly, it's not what we signed up for, and the discouragement it generates always threatens our future plans.

     Of course we are excited about re-opening because we will again be able to meet up with our loyal and generous customers, who we have known in some cases, for all the years we have been operating in the former building of the Muskoka Theatre, across from the Gravenhurst Opera house. We want also to recognized the truly wonderful folks who have helped us through this frustrating pandemic lockdown, particularly those who have supported us with online sales, and curbside pick-ups, and of course, those generous souls who sent us envelopes with donations inside, with such kind notes wishing us well with hopes we were going to be able to survive the closure and be able to re-open once again. We know these people well, and let us be clear about their kindnesses bestowed; it is for these purveyors of goodwill and positive reinforcement when we were feeling rather lowly, that gives us the biggest boost of courage to carry on, and be part of the recovering retail community of our town. We have a lot of guardian angels out there truth be known, so thanks so much to all of you who have taken the time and effort to pen us notes of encouragement, and yes, who have even bumped elbows with us outside, to keep our spirits up during some admittedly difficult times.

     We hope you will drop by for a visit again soon. We will be open six days each week, and reserve Sundays for a little rest and relaxation, which for us in the antique trade, means we will be out on our hunt and gather adventures, which by the way, are truly relaxing and always inspiring. Thanks again from all us Curries for supporting our family businesses of which there are four by the way.

     The painting exhibited with this post is the work of Canadian portrait painter William Cutts of Port Perry, Ontario, and while the subject of the art piece has not yet been positively identified, we do believe there is a possibility it is that of a well known Canadian writer of the late 1800's. If you think you know who the subject woman is, feel free to send us a message. Cutts by the way, did a well known portrait of Sir Wilfred Laurier, former Prime Minister of Canada.