From the left: Chris Alves and Sharon Corkery, owner/operators of The Odd Stop in Winchester, are shown in the storefront. Thompson Goddard Photo

WINCHESTER – The building at the corner of Main and St. Lawrence looks quite ordinary to the eye, but once inside, the magic of The Odd Stop happens, with yesterday and today coming together in a delightful storefront. Located at 501 St. Lawrence Street in Winchester, the business is open on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or by appointment.

Owners Chris Alves and Sharon Corkery provide a warm welcome to customers as they enter a store filled with memorabilia, works from local artists and crafters as well as an eclectic selection of natural history items. Corkery mentioned how the store reflects their interests, commenting how Alves is a natural history enthusiast with the store having a selection of framed insect displays, a wooly mammoth bone and several other items demonstrating this deep interest of his. Corkery explained her interest includes an appreciation of history and printed literature with the store providing a wide selection of books in a multitude of genres for customers to peruse and purchase.

“We are both passionate about what we do” explained Corkery, who explained both of them enjoy collecting memorabilia and attending auctions, estate sales to find items for their home and the store. In fact, Alves mentioned how the store began in order to share products they had purchase as well as their passion of collecting.

He noted how the business began in 2023 in a smaller location on St. Lawrence Street, but moved to the present site due to the great response from the community and the need for a larger storefront. Alves continued the larger space allows for a larger display area and makes it easier for customers to see everything available.

Customers are treated to “a new discovery every time” they enter the store commented Corkery in a recent interview. She explained it sometimes takes people three strolls around the store to discover, determine and decide what they wish to purchase, with the owners eager to share their knowledge and suggestions.

The store displays are organized into music, electronics, comics, works of art, antiques, natural history and sports areas, with a variety of products in each section. Alves will change the layout of the displays on a regular basis helping to ensure that the different products are available for viewing.

He mentioned the store is geared to people of all ages with Corkery mentioning youngsters enjoy seeing the different items and learning about them. Older customers sometimes take a trip down memory lane as they view the marbles, movie tapes, records and other articles in the store, with the couple eager to visit and hear their stories.

One of the challenges the couple faced was time management as the busy couple combine full-time jobs with the operation of the store and the work associated with purchasing pieces to sell. Alves mentioned they planned to establish the business in a rural community and as Winchester was Corkery’s hometown, it was the obvious choice. They are members of the North Dundas Chamber of Commerce and enjoy working with the community.

The storefront is just the tip of the iceberg at what The Odd Stop can offer their clients. Smiles went across their faces as the couple described how there are board games nights and taxidermy classes offered, as well as live dungeons and dragon sessions with a dungeon master on site. There are also costumed events in the store as well as outside in the local area which brings a lot of enjoyment to both participants and observers.

If you are looking for a magical place to find a special something for that someone or perhaps for yourself, The Odd Stop is a wonderful place to investigate and discover what a feast for the eyes the store provides. More information on The Odd Stop is available on their Facebook page.

 

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