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Treasure hunters rejoice! Lease extended at popular antique mall

'Talk about a stress reliever,' says Shirley Sanford, owner of Sanford and Sons Emporium, which will stay put until at least May, 31, 2025

Sanford and Sons Emporium will live to see another day, or rather another 849 days to be exact.

The popular antique mall, located in Barrie at 272 Innisfil St., recently signed a lease extension that will allow them to remain in the 25,000-square-foot building until May 31, 2025, confirmed owner Shirley Sanford.

This is the second time the business has been given an extension on its lease, she noted, adding they were initially supposed to be out of the building — which originally served as a slaughterhouse — on May 31, 2023.

“A developer bought this building years ago. When I rented it, I was told it was sold and at that time I would only be here less than two years. Then the pandemic hit and they came back with an extension for us," she said.

The redevelopment proposal of the approximately 0.7-hectare property — located at the southeast corner of Innisfil Street and Jacobs Terrance — includes a 17-storey apartment building with 333 residential units, according to information on the City of Barrie's website. The developer's most recent application, submitted May 30, 2022 is noted as being "under review."

Sanford and Sons took over the second-hand venue, despite the doors supposedly closing on June 30 2019, when the store was known as the Barrie Antiques Centre.

Sanford said she officially signed on the dotted line Jan. 26 to extend the lease, adding she is beyond excited to be able to stay put.

“Talk about a stress reliever! A lot of the dealers probably would have moved out come March or April and then the building had to be emptied," she said. "I am very, very pleased we’ve gotten another extension that brings us to May 31, 2025.”

Finding a new location that would have fit their needs would have been a challenge, Sanford admitted.

“The rent that they are charging for other buildings of this square footage is right out to lunch. There is no way I would be able to get a building of this square footage at all," she said. "I have looked at some buildings already that were 10,000 sq. ft. and it was still going to be really expensive.”

Sanford said there are currently dozens of dealers located over three floors, who sell everything from antiques to modern items.

With so many different vendors — and a huge range of items for sale — Sanford said she’s looking forward to welcoming customers new and old for at least the next two years, and hopefully longer.

“It’s a lot better than going to a Walmart. We have variety. It’s from modern to the old stuff and everything from tools to... you name it and it’s here. There’s not too many people that ever walk out the door without something in their hands.”


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About the Author: Nikki Cole

Nikki Cole has been a community issues reporter for BarrieToday since February, 2021
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