Thrifting Fun in SW Ontario near London

Regular readers of Everyday Tourist’s blogs know I am an avid thrift store shopper - as are my wife and sister. So, whenever we get all get together, we like to plan a thrifting day.  For the past two years when visiting family in London, Ontario, my sister has organized a fun thrifting road trip to the small towns and villages within a day’s drive. 

Start the car!

Heading out at 9 am we arrive in Parkhill in 45 minutes to check out the “Second Blessings” store, but before we leave, I like to visit the old Carnegie Library (part of the Middlesex Heritage Trail), now an art centre, offering a variety of local artists work.  If you wander over to the post office building, you will find a heritage bell from the old town hall which was torn down in 1968.  It has a storied history serving as the local jail, council chambers, fire hall and even a concert hall over the years. The bell was used as both a fire alarm and to summon the local police.  I love finding bits of local history wherever I go. 

FYI: This thrift store has “great quality clothes, home accessories etc. but their prices reflect this,” in my sister’s experience.

The historic Carnegie Library is now an art gallery. Ironically I worked for 10 years in Calgary’s Carnegie Library on its second floor public art gallery. Learn more about Carnegie Libraries.

Next stop is “Arc Angels” a much larger store in Dashwood.  One of the things you’ll notice in these small towns if you visit in late October / early November is how everyone goes all out to honour Remembrance Day with banners and displays along their main street. My sister finds this store “hit and miss” but their prices are great, and they can have nice things as they are near several resort towns. And she loves their window displays.  

Now it is over to Zurich - early homesick setters loved to name their towns after the European cities they left.  While the women take their time searching for treasures, I often flaneur the streets near the thrift stores. In Zurich I was rewarded with finding their heritage Town Hall as well as numerous heritage homes. The best fun flaneur find was in the Wednesday morning Stroller Walk poster on a store window.  I also found the Havasu Café and Bakery where we could have lunch (one of my roles on the trip is to find a place for lunch). My sister says, “Zurich has the best prices. I got a complete place setting set of vintage china for 6 people for just $12.  I have found French designer jeans there for $1. I always find great kids’ books for 25 cents each.”  

If we leave early enough, we can get to Clinton before we have to turn around and head home.

Clinton is home to the acclaimed and now defamed writer Alice Munro. A fun bench sculpture in her honour sits in small park in front of their heritage Library. The red-brick library built in 1900 is impressive with its three-storey conical tower and serves as a reminder of the prominence libraries had early in 20th century. Originally known as Stavely Hall, (after local businessman James Stavely who funded the construction) before an addition was added in 1915 with the help of a Carnegie Foundation grant (it was the only Ontario library to receive a grant for an addition to an existing library).

Clinton is home to two thrift stores, “Rack and Room Of” is the major store with “Grandma’s Attic,” a smaller store just down the street.

Best place to eat is Bartliff’s Bakery and Restaurant. It can be very busy at lunch so best to get there early or plan for a late lunch.  Or just grab a coffee and donut to go…they have a specialty donut everyday…as an “apple fritter guy” I love caramel apple fritters and the cheesecake-stuffed apple fritters equally. 

Clinton Library

Now it is off to Exeter and the “Dove’s Nest” thrift store. This is well organized and curated shop compared to some of the village stores. It is located along a main street with lots of heritage buildings.  And, on the edge of Exeter is “Noah’s Ark Thrift” at the back of the Exeter Pentecostal Church. While the thrift store doesn’t always have the highest quality of product; this is the place you go for books as there are 1,000s - but you must hunt for the treasures as they are not organized in any manner.  It is the best place for avid treasure hunters as you must dig to find the hidden treasures. It has a unique policy as there are no prices on anything, so it’s “pay what you think is fair.”

Time to head home (about 3 pm) but not before stopping at the Lucan “Optimist Thrift Store,” which is small but has lots of good product - from fashion to books, from records to housewares. And it is well organized.

Last Word

I love the religious names of the small town thrift stores - Arc Angels, Second Blessing, Dove’s Nest and Noah’s Ark – a reminder of the long standing relationship between the poor and the religion. While we rarely see the poor in the rural thrift stores, we know that our purchases will help fund community initiatives that do.

I also love the old majestic old churches you find in every town; a reminder of how important religion was in the lives of Canada’s early settlers.

P.S. This time we didn’t come home with a carload of treasures, but we few “fun finds,” a few laughs and of course there was the apple fritter.