Meet Your Neighbour: GrapeVine Cottage

This gem of a giftshop in Collingwood Downtown offers a wide and whimsical selection of giftware, ladies’ apparel, accessories, jewellery and décor for the home or garden.  Mother and daughter team Joy and April Edwards opened the doors in 2001 and have been going strong ever since.  The name Grapevine Cottage was inspired by the grapevine wreaths that Joy used to craft by hand.

Joy and April both have a fondness for gardening, vintage shopping and are keen on upcycling.  “When we were getting ready to open, we found the store fixtures and props for the shop from places like Treasure Tails, which we love because all of the proceeds go to our local humane society, so not only are we upcycling, we’ve helped a very important organization in our community and conveniently, they’re located right across the street from us,” informs April.

Fun fact: The counter they use for their cash register and customer service desk was salvaged from Zellers when they closed the Collingwood location.

“After twenty years in retail, we’ve learned that if you’re going to run your own business, you really need to know your area, the demand in the marketplace for the inventory you’re going to offer to your customers and most importantly you’ve got to have a good work ethic and be committed because you’re going to work a lot of hours and spend a lot of time on your feet,” explains Joy.  “We definitely know our customers and many of them have become really good friends”.

Located in the heart of Collingwood Downtown, has advantages for Joy and April, as they benefit from the foot traffic and can tap into neighbouring businesses like  Andrew’s Copy & Print Centre.  “We love working with Andrew and his wife Dorothy, he makes our cards.  April takes the photos and then Andrew turns her pictures into lovely greeting cards,” says Joy. “We also use a local supplier to make our Collingwood Grain Terminal magnets, which have become a customer favourite.  People buy them to give away to friends and family.  We actually sell more of them to locals than to tourists,” she continues.

The next time you are out shopping in Collingwood Downtown, check out Grapevine Cottage, located at 191 Hurontario Street.  You can also find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/grapevinecottagecollingwood/ or Instagram www.instagram.com/grapevinecottage/?hl=en and they ship across Canada with Canada Post.