Flagstaff Featured Business: Griffy’s Antiques
(as published in the June 12 edition of The Community Press)
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press.
Griffy’s Antiques
216 Lady Vivian Ave. W.
Galahad, Alberta
780-583-3961
The Galahad resident’s appreciation for antiques harkens back to his formative years as a child growing up in East Vancouver in the 1960s.
“I’ve been in a lot of old homes over the years,” he recalls. “I had an uncle who used to take me out collecting stuff with him and I really enjoyed that – all the old windows, all the old doors, door handles. I got a bit of a passion for that in the early years and I started collecting.”
Robin figures he’s been collecting for 40 years – “really heavily in the last 30” with wife Deb.
“Our entertainment is hitting the antique stores and garage sales,” he says. “We like to find that stuff.”
That lifelong passion has culminated in the start of a brand new business.
The couple has launched Griffy’s Antiques in a 1920s-era kit home just a stone’s throw from the Galahad Agriplex.
“We’re just getting going now,” Robin says. “We’ve been open for a couple of months.”
The eclectic store’s offerings are advertised as: antiques, retro collectables, automotive memorabilia, vintage clothing, and various items of interest.
The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, June 22.
“We’re trying to time it for the summer months,” Robin explains. “We started last year when we came up with the idea and decided to empty out all the back rooms. We had to see if we could move forward with this. This year will be our first full year.”
Robin has always had a penchant for leaded glass, furniture, and “things that make you feel good when you’re looking at it.” He hopes that visitors to Griffy’s Antiques will share in those sentiments.
Among their signature items are a unique liquor cabinet and a selection of leaded glass.
“The liquor cabinet has a three-way hinge on it. You wouldn’t suspect that. When it opens up, it really has an ambience to it,” he explains. “The leaded glass, I’ve always just liked that stuff from the early years. When the sun hits it, it changes the colour of a room and it really does warm you up.”
Usually parked in front of Griffy’s Antiques is a 1966 Ford truck emblazoned with the shop logo, which features a robin.
“When we were starting this business, we figured we needed a shop truck so we could go antiquing and garage saling, promote the business with it, and be in the genre of what we’re doing instead of driving the brand new truck out, or the work truck out to go do it,” Robin explains, noting he also owns a 1951 Ford.
“It’s just a classic and I’ve had that for a number of years now, too. We just like to get out on the weekends and knock it down a notch.
“We don’t have to be in such a hurry when you’re driving that stuff. I think these days everybody is in a hurry because they can be in a hurry. Look, your vehicle has automatic stop, it warns you when someone’s around you. You’re not driving it anymore. That’s what it’s getting to. These things you drive, you look around, and you take your time and enjoy your day.”
The vibrant antique community that Robin deals with stretches from coast to coast.
“I know people on the east coast. I know people on the west coast. They know I’m doing this now,” he says.
“It’s amazing how many people have gotten involved in our lives a little bit with hey, ‘I’ve got this oil can, would you like to have it?’ Or, ‘I’ve got these old windows, are you interested?’ I think it’s going to come together on its own as we move forward and people know that we’re pretty easy to talk to about this stuff, too. Then, we tell other people, ‘Listen, we’ve got this and look what I’ve found.’”
Robin’s main goal as a business owner in the Flagstaff Region is simple and straightforward.
“I’m hoping it perpetuates itself where I can buy, and sell, and keep collecting, and keep my hobby business going,” he explains.
“(Otherwise) it will all end up in a back room somewhere and nobody will see it.”
As published in the June 12 edition of The Community Press – on newsstands today. Never miss an issue, become a SUBSCRIBER today!
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press. For more information, contact Jenalee Blackhurst, Economic Development Coordinator, at 780-384-4152.
