iN VIDEO: Roadside market near Kamloops holds a treasure trove of stories

A cluster of wooden buildings on the side of Highway 5 north of Kamloops is overflowing with charming antiques and vintage collectibles, each with a unique story of former days.

After parking on the spacious rural site, visitors have countless historic items like sausage presses, cream churns and mangles to peruse before climbing the wooden steps into the main building.

Inside, the space is warm and welcoming, and filled to the crannies with treasures.

“It’s not just a store for me, it’s a human connection place because everything in there has a story,” said owner Cari Crawford who talked to iNFOnews.ca while on a trip to Nelson to pick up more antiques.

“To me this is about creating a space where people are comfortable, they walk down memory lane, and they find the perfect piece.”

Some of the oldest pieces in the collection are a primitive food press, a large hutch and buffet, old copper pieces with hand forged handles and primitive tools used for roofing.

Alongside the antiques and collectables are locally sourced items including pottery, honey, gems and jams.

A back door leads visitors to a grassy area with old farm tools, little buildings brimming with more treasures and a bus from the 1970s.

“We found the bus for free on Facebook Market Place. A senior in a community up north was selling her property and wanted it gone so we hauled it here,” Crawford said. “It had been gutted so we staged it and made it look cool on the inside.”

Crawford reopened the shop almost five years ago after her dad retired from running it for 15 years under the name Country Store Antiques.

“Dad had retired and the building was sitting empty,” she said. “I’d been teaching for 27 years and was ready for a change. I sold my home in Kamloops and was moving household goods into the building for storage when I suddenly knew what I wanted to do.

“Dad was an antique guy, but I reimagined it as vintage, antique and artisan. I wanted a place the whole family would be welcomed and there’d be something there for everybody.”

The antique pieces are sourced from around the world and Crawford isn’t finding it difficult to find them.

“I’m getting phone calls every hour, I can’t take all of it,” she said. “There are people not wanting to hold onto stuff. They’ve been collecting for years and are trying to downsize, or are clearing out their grandparents’ houses.

“I’m sitting in Nelson with my husband and the truck is so full I don’t know if we can put a sandwich behind us and we also have a trailer filled.”

Crawford said picking pieces and reselling them is much more than just putting cool stuff in the store. 

“There is a whole energy around it,” she said. “It’s a release for people with an original item to let it go knowing it’ll be cleaned up and its story will go with it.” 

Two pieces Crawford is hauling back from Nelson is a piano and piano bench that once belonged to a well-respected doctor in the Kootenay region.

“The bench is saggy from so many people watching him play,” she said. “I’ll bring the pieces home to shine up and love and put the story to.”

Those receiving the treasures resonate with the meaningful stories behind them.

“A senior downsizing sold me some items that belonged to her parents and one was this beautiful pewter coffee pot,” Crawford said. “She said her parents didn’t use it for coffee but as a place to hold love notes for one another. A girl came in and fell in love with the piece and story behind it.” 

Many international visitors stop by the market regularly and recently, an increasing number of local traffic is popping in after driving past it for years.

“I get to meet many people and hear their stories too, it’s all about the human condition and these stories keep us connected.”

Crawford extended gratitude for her family and employees who help keep the market’s atmosphere fun and welcoming, and the business a success.

The Local Artisan Market of Louis Creek is located at 3653 Louis Creek Road roughly 50 kilometres north of Kamloops.