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| Nancy DeVries and Lisa Foderaro at Cole's Christmas Cottage |
The aroma of cinnamon and pine fills the air and glittery ornaments sparkle from several trees decked out for Christmas.
Walking through the small cottage is like being at a formal party put on by Santa Claus himself.
Each room features a specific colour scheme overflowing with ornaments, decorations, wreaths and other Christmas collectibles.
Cole’s Christmas Cottage is a must for those looking for unique holiday decorations and accessories.
Harry and Nancy DeVries opened Cole’s Christmas Cottage in 2002 because they thought it would be a great addition to the Grimsby area.
“Christmas stores are popular in other tourist areas and being close to the wineries, and in Niagara, we thought it would be a good fit,” says Harry DeVries.
Working at Cole’s Christmas Cottage keeps Lisa Foderaro in the holiday spirit throughout the winter season.
“I’m a Christmas fool,” she says. “I love decorating and setting up the trees the best. And I enjoy helping the customers with ideas for their own trees. It’s great working here.”
She says customers return year after year to add new pieces to their Christmas collections.
“There’s a lot of regulars. They can’t wait until it opens and they come in every year and pick up something,” she says. “Everyone seems to be very happy coming through the store. They just want to walk around and see it all.”
Nancy DeVries says choosing ornaments for a Christmas tree is special and creates great memories.
“People’s eyes light up when they see how beautiful it is,” she says. “It’s fun listening to people and helping them choose their colours. It’s an enjoyable time and people are excited and that makes us excited.”
She says she has shared a few unforgettable experiences with customers during the Christmas season, but one story was particularly moving.
“One year a woman came into the store desperate to find decorations,” she says. “Her husband had been in the hospital because he was dying of cancer, but he was allowed to come home for Christmas. She was upset because with all the travelling between her home and the hospital she had not bothered to decorate for the holidays.”
The woman had pointed to one of the decorated display trees and asked that the whole thing be delivered to her house, says Nancy.
“She wanted it to be special because it was going to be his last Christmas. She just needed to make it special for him and wanted the whole tree,” she says. “It was quite a while ago but it is something you remember. There’s other people that come in, probably with the same thing happening in their lives, but they don’t always share it. They want to make Christmas special for someone too.”
Being involved in people’s lives on such an intimate level makes working at the Christmas cottage very rewarding for Nancy.
“Everyone has a special ornament that means a lot,” says Nancy. “And I get to be a part of that.”
She says the first ornament that gets put up on her tree is one celebrating her and Harry’s first Christmas together.
“That one has to go up every year,” she says. “It is a special dated one.”
The DeVries also own Cole’s Floral Garden Décor, which is located directly beside the Christmas Cottage.
They hold many seminars and workshops during the Christmas season focussing on decoration ideas.
Each year the DeVries donate the proceeds of all Christmas tree sales for the entire season to local charities.
“We enjoy giving back to the community,” says Harry.
Another event the DeVries are looking forward to is the Poinsettia Premiere taking place on November 26-27th.
“It’s the official launch of all the different varieties of poinsettias for the season and the community likes to come check them out,” he says.
If you want to get an early start on your Christmas experience you can visit the Cole’s Christmas Cottage in Grimsby at 147 Main Street East. Or check out their website at http://www.colesflorist.ca/
Published in Niagara Farmers' Monthly - November 2010
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