CRAFT ANTIQUE CO-OP

3200 Ridge Rd. W
Rochester, NY 14626
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PHONE: 585-368-0670

Store Hours:

Thursdays 10-8
Fridays 10-8
Saturdays 10-5
Sundays 10-5

Ellen and Homer Marple
Your Hosts

The Craft Antique Co-Op began in Hilton New York by Homer Marple.

The Year was 1990. Homer had just closed his Early American furniture store and was thinking of ideas for the beautiful applesauce warehouse that had housed the furniture store. In discussions with other businessmen of the area, the idea of a craft show, staged in the empty store came up. Now one must remember that Homer was one of the founding businessmen who created the Hilton Apple Festival that continues to run to this day. So he gave it a try.

The little craft show drew about 16 crafters, but was successful enough that the group began talk of doing it again. And they did. Only this time there were almost 30 crafters. Now Homer started to feel that maybe this was something that could be done on a regular basis. With over 30,000 sq. ft. available, Homer began plans to establish a permanent Co-Op, where vendors could display their wares, and customers could visit on every weekend. Thus the beginning of the Craft Antique Co-Op.

The Co-Op grew to over 150 vendors. The ambiance of the old applesauce warehouse, and the unique Antiques and crafts made for a delightful shopping experience. In 1993, The Co-Op members added the Dickens Christmas Festival to the calendar of special events. Now, almost 15 years later, the festival has grown into a Rochester shopping tradition during the holiday season.

In the spring of 2001, a devastating fire destroyed the Co-Op. All was lost. A search began for a new location within 10 months, the Craft Antique Co-Op opened in it’s current location in Greece. Almost twice as big as the original, The Co-Op now boasts almost 250 unique shops. Although the location has changed, some things have remained the same. The Dickens Festival still spreads the holiday cheer beginning the first weekend in November. And Homer Marple still welcomes new vendors and customers alike as they discover the unique shopping experience that is the Craft Antique Co-Op.