Townsman, 1991-11, Page 31When Rita Ryan began Chanticleere in Shakespeare's oldest building, it was an
extension of everything she herself enjoyed — Christmas, antiques, and original
craft designs.
incorporated which adds to the feeling
of open, easy ambiance. The menu is
best defined as natural. "We started
when the book 'Real Men Don't Eat
Quiche' was popular," says Roxanne.
"We had no smoking. We didn't serve
coffee and we decided then that we
would not served fried anything. Peo-
ple asked us if we were crazy, saying
there was no way we could make it
work."
Besides the tea room Harry Ten
Shilling offers an excellent selection
of classic ladies' wear and acces-
sories, imported cards and gifts, plus
English wraps, local cheeses and
baked goods.
When Rita Ryan of Kitchener
came looking for dress design work at
Stratford Festival 12 years ago, little
did she know she would end up buy-
ing a building in Shakespeare and
starting a business. An antique lover,
Rita had stopped into the hamlet to
see an old acquaintance — Jonny. "I
mentioned to him that I was looking
for something new to do and he told
me he knew of just the thing," she
said. Jonny took her to look at the
building, and within two minutes Rita
had decided it was for her.
Having worked in, and been a
co-owner of a Christmas shop, Rita
says she knew precisely what she had
in mind and after daily trips to Toron-
to, Chanticleer was outfitted in two
weeks and opened November 1.
Housed in Shakespeare's oldest
building — its roots have been traced
back 140 years — the store is a
charming mix of antiques, Christmas
decorations, craft ideas and novelty
gifts. Rita's original creations began
six years after she opened
Chanticleer. So popular did they
become that retailers soon started ask-
ing her if she would supply their
stores. Rita couldn't get her materials
cheap enough, so with Jonny's urging
she attended a trade show in China.
"It is a fair for everything," she says.
"The scope is mind-boggling." Rita
started importing and ended up with a
complete wholesale division.
***
Despite the number of antique
stores in Shakespeare; there are 10;
the possibility of overlap is unlikely.
"The range in antiques is phenome-
nal," says Karyn. "There is an empha-
sis on everything from Canadiana to
European to the more family antique
store."
One of the newest ventures is an
excellent example of this diversity.
Peter C. Land and Wayne W. Ross,
who operate a business specializing in
quality Canadian country furniture
recently began 2 Fraser Street, an
CASH FREE
um im
111"-i( D
�
NO PAYMENTS
'TIL APRIL*
ON OUR ENTIRE
SELECTION OF
FURNITURE
& APPLIANCES
'WITH A MINIMUM 44(..:9.
PURCHASE O.A.C.
ZILLIAX
1111.1111
GODERICH
GODERICH LISTOWEL
524-4334 291-1461
OPEN :Mon. to Sat. 9:30 - 5.30�tr�
asam Thurs. & Fri. 'till 9'00
Seasons Greetings
from
Murray Yungblut
of
HURON WOODCRAFT
Ripley
395-2487
TOWNSMAN/NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1991 29