November/December 2007
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Our 20th year in retrospect . . . . .

Well, our 20th year is just about finished and we are rounding the corner of the last 2 months of shows for the year. This is our last newsletter for 2007. It has been a year of looking back, re-inventing, changing and adding designs along with changing some business strategies. We are keeping it fresh! While out at shows we have spotted many of our old designs in coats this year. Some of the reversible coats our customers are still wearing are as old as 18-19 years and still looking pretty good. It makes us feel very proud to see the clothing lasting as long as we intended it to.

Looking back on the year we see what we have accomplished. A list of 50 plus shows completed again, a new and updated website, the rebirth of the reversible coat in new colours of canvas, a few newsletters sent out to say ‘Hi' and a new emailing list that is growing.

Shows are a big part of Berry Ellen's business.Weather and the transportation are two very pertinent factors in our business of shows. It has been a busy year and the weather through the year was actually kind to us. With the exception of Canada Blooms in March, when the freezing rain played hazardous for anything below the C.N Tower, a wicked storm in Burlington that delayed set up in the summer AND the fall, a strong thunderstorm blowing through Bracebridge for set up, an extremely hot weekend in Baysville that melted the buttons on the calculator and severe winds in Gravenhurst, Owensound and St. George that knocked over our heavy grids in our booths. Over the years we have figured out you can't predict what ‘Mother Nature' has planned and with these few exceptions we made out pretty well.

Some of our friends in the shows lost or badly damaged 2 or more tents this year due to the weather and incurred the expense of damages to their stock. We seemed to have gotten away with no long term damage or losses. We did learn two valuable lessons: No matter how much weight there is in the tent with the grids and the clothes , the tent must be staked down, and watch for the tents around you and if they start blowing through the park you must GET OUT OF THE WAY! The ‘out of control' tents are like a twister coming through and you won't stop them without some damage to yourself. I can honestly say I have experienced being chased by a twisting tent. The wind can bend them like toothpicks and stock
will be blown all over the park!

However, the transportion experienced some expensive hiccups. We had a little bad luck with breakdowns on the road in transit this year. Keep in mind our truck is our moving store and our vehicles are an important part of our business. In May, after the Buckhorn show we were towed from the 407 in Pickering to the Chrysler dealership in Hamilton. Thank-you to CAA for our free trip on the 407 and the insured tow home! Just a bearing in the wheel- that lead to new brakes -and some sort of shaft replacement. I wish CAA would have covered that! Supposedly we could have lost the wheel while we were driving. Never thought of that!

Then in August the little VW cargo van that could...... couldn't. On the way to the folk festival in Owensound on Sunday morning the van only had third gear. If you know Owensound at all, you know you won't go far with only 3rd gear because there are so many hills! CAA and the local tow truck to the rescue again! This time it was a trip to the Canadian Tire parking lot just around the corner. The van was left in the hands of the service manager to arrange for a mechanic to look it over on Monday morning and assess the problem. That meant an extra night for us in town.

Clean up was a breeze! We just closed the sides on the tent and Sunday night clean up was going to be moved to Monday sometime. The good thing about Sunday was we were going to get a good night sleep instead of a 3 hour drive home after a 2 hour clean up that started at 10:00 pm at the festival! Emphasize the positive! Thank- you to Karen ,Terek and Alia from Karen Gunna Leather
bags for a ride back to the hotel.

Monday came and we found out the truck could be repaired and it would be ready Thursday. Thank goodness for the cell phone. We called home and Dad came as soon as he could with the other van. We waited for the second truck to arrive, cleaned up the booth and the stock, went to Canadian tire and waited for the final verdict on the parts needed the dreaded estimate. Thanks to Dad (Ellen's Dad), we finally left for home. Work resumed until the next trip to Owensound on the Thursday. Thanks to all the good customers in Owensound who not only purchased a nice piece of clothing but helped in purchasing a few new parts to make a working shifter for a VW cargo van. It is just like new!

It is "the VW That Can" again. I don't even want to talk details about the accident on the way to the Perth Antique Show. All I will say is that it was a young man who hit us and my Mother and I were OK. Statefarm to the rescue this time! The Van and the trailer needed some work. Thank goodness it wasn't my fault! An eventful 20th year for transportation. I hope it is uneventful for the next 20 years!

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We look forward to seeing you at the shows.
Please view the show list on this website

If you have any questions or would like to be
added to our e-mail list please call:
the Dundas store at 905-628-7826,
the workshop in Binbrook at 905-692-3617
or e-mail us at
berryellen@mountaincable.net .

Special promotions are available to recipients of the e-mail newsletter only.

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We are ready for Christmas with new fabrics and the vehicles are fixed and tuned up to go. Let's hope the weather is kind to us all during the rush working up to Christmas. Our store is decorated for the season and stocked with our own Berry Ellen clothing in Dundas at 53 King St.,West. We have added many more ‘finds' in our antique shop in the back.The town of Dundas is set for the "Dickens of a Christmas" theme for the month of December. The scene is like a post card.The old fashioned town with decorated street lights amongst the 19th century buildings and unique shops with a trolley towing behind the 2 horse power! If you are in the area please come and visit, it is worth it. Bring a dusting of snow with you when you come.
We are always glad to see you.

After Christmas, the first Wednesday after New Years day, we start our Annual Warehouse Sale in our Dundas store. The sale runs for the month of January. Any ‘end of line' clothing is marked down up to 70%. We have already put most of the stock away ready for this event. We run this sale only once a year. New for the sale Jan.2008 we will be posting photo's and marked down prices of the clothing that is in the sale on the website starting Wednesday January 2, 2008. This is for our valued customers who cannot make it to the Dundas Store due to distance. You don't have to miss it! You will be able to view the photo's and call the store to purchase over the phone. If the size is in stock we will gladly ship. There will be a shipping and handling charge of $12.00 and it will arrive in a few days via Canada post. All seasons of styles will be available. You won't be dissapointed.You can view our product on line any time and surf our website that we so proudly maintain ourselves at www.berrybrookfarms.com.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Berry Ellen to all our valued customers in Ottawa ,Picton, Port Hope, Cobourg, Trenton, Peterborough, North Bay, Sudbury, SaultSte. Marie, Owensound, Meaford, Flesherton, Windsor, Amherstburg, Muskoka, Barrie, Toronto, Hamilton, Dundas, Binbrook and all points in between. Every-one drive and arrive safely and enjoy the holidays with your families.

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Thanks for your interest in Berry Ellen.
We are always trying to bring new
designs to our customers.

www.berrybrookfarms.com

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON.

Ellen Berry and the gang at Berry Ellen


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Berry Ellen Clothier
  Antiques in Old Dundas

The Best Kept Secret
in Dundas


 
The Second Best Kept Secret
in Dundas


Another spring is here, thank goodness!
This is our 20th Spring in business
and it never gets old.

We have created new designs and patterns, using new fabrics for the 2007 season. New fashion canvasses have been colour dyed for us this spring. The colours we have chosen are different from any that we have ever introduced before. They are available to Berry Ellen only. We have also chosen matching and complimentary ultra-suedes. The colours are seasonless and can be worn from spring to winter. The matching colours in the canvas and ultra-suedes are fun colours of citrus orange, apple green and blueberry. The canvas colour of eggplant compliments the pale pink in the ultra-suede. Jackets and coats made in the ultra-suedes or the canvasses are a classic addition to our line this spring. Of course, we have some interesting new printed and woven brocades and jaquards to match the full range of solid colours in the ultra-suedes and canvasses.

You have to see them!

We are excited about the new designs. A 3/4 length Coach Coat is brand new this Spring. It is made from the ultra-suede with a liner and in the canvas trimmed with ultra-suede, unlined. We are offering this design in regular and plus sizes. This design is a true look of class in the 3/4 length or full length coat. A new design in the classic little jacket has also been made in the ultra suedes with a liner and and in the canvas. This design has been made in the full range of sizing also. A gussetted skirt has been added in two lengths for the season. The canvas fabric looks and feels great in this style and this skirt teamed with the coach coat or the classic little buttoned jacket can be worn for any occasion. A pant, capri and short will be in the line up this year. The pattern is "easy fitting" and comfortable with a true mid-rise cut. All these styles of bottoms are made in all colours of canvas and are a nice addition to any wardrobe.

We anticipate your reaction to our new line every year. This is what it's all about! This is our biggest line and fabric change for Spring in quite a few years. Stop by and visit our booth at any of the shows on the list, or make your way to our Spring Open House Saturday, April 28th and Sunday, April 29th at the Dundas store.

You won't be disappointed.

 
It seems like a lot of antique shops have closed in the Hamilton-Wentworth and Penninsula areas. We have decided to open a shop in Dundas. It is our opinion that Dundas is a great place to have an antique shop. Dundas is a quaint early town just west of the city of Hamilton. There are a lot of early homes on every street and Dundas still maintains a downtown core with interesting stores and places to eat. Most of the shops are small businesses owned by "mom and pop". It is central to towns in Western Ontario, Toronto
and the Niagara Penninsula.

Antiques in Old Dundas is nessled in one of those older buildings. It is located through and behind our Berry Ellen Clothier store. There is approzimately 500-600 square feet of space with the typical high
ceiling of the 19th century building.

Our shop hosts a collection of dealers specializing in retail and wholesale, each having 20-30 years of collecting and/or dealing in antiques. Many of the treasures are fresh to the market through finds in
local homes in the Hamilton-Wentworth
and Penninsula areas.

Our focus is to offer a collection of legitimate antiques including furniture from the early to late 19th centruy, iron, textiles, folk art, and art. We would like to impress the interested collector whether they are just beginning or have many years of experience and knowledge. The furnishings offered date from 1800-1900 in original finishes, varnish or paint with some refinished or repainted pieces. There are carvings and whimsical folk art mostly from south and south-westen Ontario. Original and printed art work of many styles, subjects and mediums decorate the walls. Samplers, blankets, homespuns and hooked rugs add colour to the furniture, walls and floor.

We hope to have something for both the new
and long time collector.

We would like every visitor to walk into a shop that takes them back in time. We want visitors to leave satisfied that they have seen a shop with true 19th century charm, not "used" 20th century.

Stop in and visit.