Vintage, antiques and thrifting all in one place
There are many local businesses in downtown Brantford, many of which are unique to the city. Old World Marketplace is one of these businesses; part of the Brantford community for the last seven years. Old World Marketplace is located at 203 Colborne Street.
Old World Marketplace is a family-run business today and has been since it opened. The store is run by co-owners Lizanna Koster and her daughter Susan Bridle. Bridle’s children: Ginger, Joey and Max, also work at the store. “The kids, they have learned so much here, not just about running stores, but how to hang pictures, how to saw, how to hammer. How to knock out walls,” Koster said.
Each grandchild was given their own section of the shop to look after and keep up with. Customers can visit Ginger’s Nook for toys and games, Cuppa Joe for snacks and beverages and Max’s Underground for trendy fashion.
Other aspects of the store have grown and changed working with what the community is interested in within the 10,000 square foot of the vintage, antique and thrift shop a recent addition has been the year-round Christmas Town.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought tough times to the store, as the pandemic did to so many businesses, but they are still standing. Many customers are thankful for such. While browsing through the store, shoppers have commented on how items remind them of family and friends they have lost. Times when things were simpler or just a few moments from childhood.
“That’s a very satisfying part of the job, seeing people, have that emotion when they come in and see an item that just brings back childhood memories,” Bridle said.
“We have people that come in. They go and say, my grandma had one of those and my uncle had that and one man was crying. My uncle used to make toast, and I said, yeah, burn it, right? And he said, yeah, but we scraped it off. And I remember that,” Koster recalled.
Some may ask how does someone fill a store with vintage, antiques and thrifted items? They are donated, purchased and found and fixed up. They are found by chance and are only available for a long as they are in the store.
“I just appreciated the history that went along with those items versus going out buying something new,” Bridle said.
The idea to open a store comes from the mother-daughter duo. Growing up Bridle did a lot of thrifting and spent many afternoons at garage sales. That turned an interest into a livelihood. This family-run business works because the partnership between Koster and Bridle works, one takes on the work that the other can’t [or doesn’t want too], a perfect team.
Image by: Nick N | Lead Photographer
Leave a Reply