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Product:SUNDAY Date:04-29-2007Desk: SPC-0006-CMYK/20-04-07/13:31:53
Douglas Stocks greets me at the
door of Maus Park Antiques
with a welcoming smile. At 58,
he cuts a courtly figure with his
thick silvering hair and well-cut
tweed jacket.
He would make a convincing
lord of the manor, and indeed,
he very nearly is one. Next door
to the huge interlocking barns
that house his extensive antique
collection, Stocks’ home — a 22-
room, 1850s-era stone farm-
house — is as classic as he is, dig-
nified and gracious.
Set in the countryside on the
outskirts of Paris, Ont., Maus
Park offers, according to its pro-
prietor, “the largest display of
formal 18th- and 19th-century
furniture and accessories in
Canada.” His regular clients are
not deterred by the store’s loca-
tion; they fly in from Montreal,
Florida, Connecticut and even
Texas.
“People find it worthwhile to
come out here,” says Stocks,
who in the past has displayed his
treasures in various places, in-
cluding Toronto. “It’s so big, it’s
a destination place. It’s one-stop
shopping. I can’t have this kind
of space in the city.”
One of the seven “core apprais-
ers” on CBC television’s popular
Canadian Antiques Roadshow,
Stocks has had a lifelong love af-
fair with the world of antiquity.
He recalls digging up shards of
pottery in his garden in England
when he was 5, and being “mes-
merized” with visions of trea-
sures and exotic finds.
Unfortunately (or perhaps
not), his parents did not sub-
scribe to his early dream of be-
coming an archeologist; nor, for
that matter, to his later one of
becoming an artist.
But, he says, “I couldn’t avoid
my destiny” and by a “circu-
itous” route, which included a
university degree in art and his-
tory, he managed to become a
bit of both: an antique dealer.
“I love the hunt, the find,” he
confesses. “When I lose that, I’ll
be out of the business, because
I’ve never been a believer in do-
ing something you don’t like.”
His family moved to Galt, Ont.,
when Douglas was 8. At 13, he
acquired his first antique, a
“primitive” Canadiana cider
press (for $11), which he paid for
over several weeks with money
from his paper route. By the
time he was 20, he owned so
many antiques that he had to
start selling them, and at 27,
Stocks opened his first store in
Plattsville, Ont.
“I’ve always had the passion,”
he explains. “I love the whole
history thing. It’s a big story of
people doing things. When I see
an object, it conjures up that
whole story: of politics, of wars,
of aspirations, the spirit of by-
gone eras.”
This passion is what lies be-
hind his success with Roadshow.
As then-president of the Cana-
dian Antique Dealers Associa-
tion (he recently stepped
down), Stocks was asked four
years ago to help develop the
program’s format, and to audi-
tion expert consultants. Not
surprisingly, he ended up being
invited to join their ranks.
The show, in which people
brings in their heirlooms or
lucky finds to be evaluated by
experts, is taped during a solid
month of travelling from one
Canadian centre to another. De-
spite the exhaustion of being on
the road for such a long time,
Stocks enjoys the Roadshowtre-
mendously.
“It’s that discovery thing
again,” he says. “It’s exciting be-
cause you get to see things you
generally wouldn’t see. Most of
the people aren’t planning to
sell their stuff, so you’d never
see it otherwise. And you get to
see the diversity of people who
have come to Canada to live.”
Every item, he muses, has a
story behind it. They speak of
people’s personalities, their
lives, and the different cultures
behind these lives. “It’s great.
People open up to you, they tell
you all these histories, about
personal relationships . . .wher-
ever you go, there are these
wonderful stories.” Some of
J.P. MOCZULSKI FOR THE TORONTO STAR
Douglas Stocks, a dealer in antique furniture, is also an appraiser for the Canadian Antiques Roadshow. “When I see an object, it conjures up the spirit of bygone eras.”
The time traveller
ANTIQUES DEALER DOUGLAS STOCKS IS DRIVEN BY THE THRILL OF THE
HUNT AND THE STORIES BEHIND THE FINDS, REPORTS DONNA YAWCHING
KEITH BEATY/TORONTO STAR
Raspberry-red drapes and couches and a stunning Oriental vase in the Georgian-style living room.
J.P. MOCZULSKI FOR THE TORONTO STAR
A French neo-classic bust of Zeus, foreground, ages gracefully
alongside a terracotta Austrian-Hungarian emperor.
COMPOSITECMYK
G6 SUNDAY ON SU3
!SU3 290407ON G 006Q!
G6
H
TORONTO STAR
H
SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007
ANTIQUES
Paris, Ont., is about a 90-
minute drive west fromToron-
to. Those in a hurry will opt
for the 401, but a far more
pleasant experience can be
had on the smaller rural
roads. Highway 5 runs
through picturesque farm
country complete with barns,
horses and rolling fields.
Charming country villages
and the occasional museum
offer possibilities for explor-
ing, and on the outskirts of
Paris, the White Horse Res-
taurant is a popular rendez-
vous point. Its renowned buf-
fet is pure Canadiana.
Maus Park Antiques is on
the far side of Paris, at 289 Pi-
nehurst Rd. (formerly High-
way 24A). Look for the land-
mark flags. It’s open Saturday
and Sunday, 11a.m. to 5 p.m.,
or by appointment. For fur-
ther information, go to maus-
parkantiques.ca or call 519-
442-7500.
A trip to Paris
Many of the pieces that cram the Maus Park Antiques store, near Paris, Ont., are museum-quality,
like the 18th-century cabinet, left. Three interlocking barns make up the massive two-storey
showrooms, with high-roofed beams and glazed woodplank floors, centre and right.
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Please see Object, G7