The Barn is Closing to the General Public in 2025
Frank, the long time owner of The Barn, is ready to retire. We’ve decided to restructure our business and close our retail operations. We want to thank our many loyal customers for their decades of support. We know many of our customers will be disappointed by this decision. However, it is time for us to move in a new direction, and we hope everyone will respect our decision.
The Barn will close to the general public before the end of 2025. In 2026 and beyond, The Barn will operate as a prop warehouse for film, television, and streaming productions, and the building will be used for production shoots. We will not be open to the general public beyond 2025. An exact closing to the general public date will be announced in the second half of 2025.
As many of our loyal retail customers know, our retail store is not the only aspect of our business. Our business began as a wholesale business, we continue to supply other antique dealers as well as some online stores and auctions. We also supply props and furniture to film & television productions, and we rent out The Barn for production shoots. All aspects of our business will continue in 2026 and beyond, except for our retail store. After we close to the general public, The Barn will be open by appointment only, for set decoration buyers, location scouts, and selected wholesale clients only. We will not have opening hours for the general public, nor will we open to the general public by appointment.
After we close our retail store, we may at some point occasionally open to the general public for a one or two-day sale. However, we have no plans to ever return to having regular hours for retail customers. Operating a retail store like ours is a tremendous time commitment, and we are no longer able to make that time commitment. All announcements related to openings and closings will be made on the What’s New page of this website.
Lots of big changes are coming. To begin, we will be having the first sale in our history. For the remainder of 2024 we will pay the HST on all in stock items! Then starting in 2025 we will have a different sale every week until we close. All this will be on top of our already low prices.
The Barn has been around for so long that we have fourth generation customers. Great grandparents who shopped at The Barn in the 1970’s are brining in their great grandkids to purchase items. We know closing to the general public will be upsetting news for many of our customers. About once a month, one of our customers tells us that The Barn is their favorite store. We truly appreciate those sentiments, and we know some tears will be shed over our closing. Market changes, changes in retail habits and expectations, increased government bureaucracy, and the fact that we are a small family business and are just getting older, are all factors that made our decision to close our retail operations inevitable. For us it just feels like the right time to move on. Again, we would like to thank our many loyal customers for their years, and in many cases, decades of support. There is still some time left, so stop in and say hello, or goodbye as it may be.
Below are some questions related to these big changes, with answers.
When will The Barn close to the general public?
The honest answer is, we don’t know yet, we’ve never done this before. We plan to liquidate a tremendous amount of inventory before we close, and we don’t know how long that will take. We will announce a closing date at some point in the second half of 2025.
Will there still be new arrivals?
Yes, we have thousands of pieces including hundreds of pieces of furniture in storage still to bring in, and there is more on the way. What will change over time is that when we run out of items, they will not be restocked. This is a “get them while they last” situation. Items will not be restocked once we sell out.
Can I still place an order?
Yes, we will continue to accept orders until the end of June 2025. If you want to order a piece from Springwater Woodcraft, Arcadia, Nature Form, or any of our reclaimed wood furniture lines, we will do our best to fulfill all orders. After June 30th, 2025, we will no longer accept any orders. Starting in July 2025, only pieces that are on display will be offered. All sale prices will apply to in stock items only, sale prices will not apply to orders.
Are you liquidating all inventory?
No, our business will continue after we close our retail store, so we are not liquidating. However, some items we carry are mostly for our retail clientele. So, certain product lines will be liquidated, others will not. We also need additional space in the building to accommodate production shoots. So, there will be a significant reduction in inventory before we close.
Are you accepting offers on items?
No, we’ve always had fixed prices at The Barn, that will continue. Some customers want to negotiate on items, some customers don’t. We’ve always believed that having the same price for all our retail customers was the fairest option. However, there will be sales, see below.
Will there be any sales?
Yes, we have tons of inventory to liquidate before we close to the general public. To help that along we’ve decided to have a different sale, bonus offer, or giveaway, every week in 2025, until we close. Every Monday morning, we will post the week’s sale on the What’s New page on this website. We will also have a sign in store with every week’s sale. We are going to have some fun with this, some of the sales are going to be weird, stay tuned.
Will there be outdoor/garden new arrivals for Spring 2025?
Yes, we have a big batch of reproduction outdoor metal birds and wind spinners that is due to arrive in February. Plus, lots of antique outdoor items ready to bring in once the weather warms up. But this will be the last year of spring outdoor new arrivals. Once we run out of stock, that will be the end.
Where can I find updates regarding The Barn?
All updates regarding changes in store hours, opening and closing dates, sales, and everything else relevant to these big changes at The Barn will be made on the What’s New page of this website.
Is there anywhere online where you post pictures of your inventory and new arrivals?
Yes, but our inventory is too large and changes too rapidly for us to take pictures of everything. While we have some pictures on this site, check out our Reproductions page or our What’s New page, you’ll have to come in person to see our impressive range of items on offer.
How large is your store?
Nearly 10,000 square feet on two floors.
Do you take items on consignment?
No, we only buy them outright.
Do you repair or refinish furniture?
No.
How often do you get new items?
We bring in new items every day. Many customers come in once a week to see what’s new!
Do you have parking?
Yes, you can park right in front of the building. There is also auxiliary parking to the side of the building.
Do you have environmentally friendly products?
Absolutely, we carry the full line of Irish Coast furniture, made of 100% recycled material, and certified reclaimed wood. In addition we carry many pieces made from reclaimed wood and repurposed materials. And you can’t get more environmentally friendly than antiques, everything gets reused or repurposed.
Do you buy antiques?
Yes! See our We Buy Antiques page for more information.
Do you rent furniture?
Yes! See Rentals page for more information.
Do you deliver?
We no longer do our own deliveries. However, there are several delivery options. There are two delivery services that we recommend, that will provide a quote upon request. We can also arrange for some reproduction items to be sent directly to homes or offices from warehouses. If you want to know what the best options are for getting a piece home, just ask, and we will walk you through the options available.