Village Squire, 1978-02, Page 6antique dealers in the area until then. He rented a building that
had been a restaurant, and redecorated it from front to back.
He'd toyed with the idea of opening a shop for years and had
decided when he did, he would fill it with the kind of items he'd
put into his own house. That meant Canadiana, the kind of early
Canadian furniture and glassware that he had collected since
before antique collecting became popular. Now, he says,
proudly, he has one of the best antique showings in Western
Ontario, not only in style, since his shop has a warm,
comfortable, very undusty old feeling to it, but also in the quality
of the pieces in it. To the uninitiated to the world of antiques, the
old pine tables and armours and cabinets that are on display may
look like those at any other restored furniture shop. To the expert
however, it's definitely not your run of the mill antique shop.
Mr. Cline points out a few pieces to illustrate. There's an
armoire dating from the 1700's in Quebec. There's a chair, an
early French version of the English ('hippendale look, dating
back hundreds of years. He saw a similar one which was in much
poorer shape sold at an auction once for $900. Mr. Cline
remembers. On and on it goes as he runs down the pedigree of
many of the pieces in the store which suddenly become not just
pieces of furniture, but take on personalities.
He gets his furniture from people he's met over the years, he
says, and from estates and sometimes from people who call him
to see if he's interested in a piece, although he's very careful
what he buys and finds many of such contacts fruitless.
Many of the pieces in his shop originate in Quebec, partly
becausg he has a good source there, but partly too because of his
own interest in Quebec furniture. He says he's always been
interested in Quebec and has found the furniture there more
interesting in many ways than early Ontario furniture. The
Quebec furniture features a lot of carving and is in many ways
more beautiful than the clean severe lines of the Ontario
furniture. Still, he says, he has both in his own home. He's also
hasty to mention that although many of the pieces in his store are
very rare, there are also a good many more ordinary items.
The store is spacious and entirely unlike many of the crowded,
packed shops one usually thinks of in connection with antiques.
It doesn't mean, however, that the stock is limited. There are
more stock rooms behind the showroom and up the street is a 20
foot by 60 foot warehouse packed with furniture. Although the
pieces in the store are refinished, he sells both refinished and in
the rough.
While the furniture because of its size is the most dominant
feature in the store, early Canadian glass is also a big attraction.
He has, Mr. Cline says, one of the biggest collections around of
glass.
Also at the store are old prints, hand coloured by local artist.
Hope Haines, one of the most sought after hand colourers in the
country. She takes the old black and white engraving prints and
hand colours them, the way prints used to be in the days before
mechanized colour printing. Her work is truly breathtaking in
such works as an early print of The Death of Wolfe. The amazing
thing about Mrs. Haines' work, says Linda Cranston, Mr. Cline's
enthusiastic assistant, is that she is not only highly skilled, but
fast working as well.
Naturally with this kind of exceptional merchandise to offer,
Cy Cline draws a wide clientele. They come, he says, from all
over Canada from the west coast to the Maritime provinces. He's
amazed, he says, at the nation-wide grapevine that exists in the
business. "Talk about your old woman's circle," he says with a
smile. Recently an Ottawa man arrived and told him about the
piece of furniture he'd heard Mr. Cline had sold to a London
man. That's the kind of whirlwind communications that takes
place in the business when you are dealing with rare pieces, he
says.
But, he sadly shakes his head, much of the gossip can also be
vicious, running down another dealer or a piece he has sold. His
long business experience has taught him, he says, that it does no
one any good to run down the competition. It's much better to
co-operate between people, each helping the other.
One of the changes he's noted over the years in the business is
4, VILLAGE SQUIRE/FEBRUARY 1978.
Stonetown Antiques was one of the first of many small shops to
open on St. Marys main street.
the tremendous change in the age of people involved with
antiques, Mr. Cline notes. When he first began going to antique
auctions anyone who was middle-aged was considered young in
the business. Today the age group 18-35 are in the business in a
big way and they have a real knowledge of antiques. He gives
credit for this interest among the young to the Centennial
celebrations in 1967 which stirred interest in the country's
history among the young. This has blossomed into a desire to
have historical things in their homes.
Back about 1958, he recalls, when he went to auctions, a lot of
Canadian things like old tools and hardware were hidden under
the tables. There were some people looking for Canadian glass at
the time, he says, but the general feeling wasn't for Canadiana.
It was about 1963 that the nee.• interest in Canadian glass really
first began and that burgeoned into a general interest in things
Canadian until today nearly anything old and Canadian including
tools and iron products are in high demand.
How would he compare the antique business with the clothing
business which he spent so long in? It's a question he's often
asked, he says. He likes each business because each is different
from the other. He got into antiques because it had always been