G6 Η TORONTO STAR Η SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007

ANTIQUES

The time traveller

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 farmhouse — is as classic as he is, dignified 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, whointhepasthasdisplayedhis treasures in various places, including Toronto. “It’s so big, it’s adestinationplace.It’sone-stop shopping. I can’t have this kind of space in the city.”

Oneoftheseven“coreapprais- ers”onCBCtelevision’spopular Canadian Antiques Roadshow, Stocks has had a lifelong love affair 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 treasures and exotic finds.

Unfortunately (or perhaps not), his parents did not subscribe to his early dream of becoming 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 doing 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

ANTIQUES DEALER DOUGLAS STOCKS IS DRIVEN BY THE THRILL OF THE HUNT AND THE STORIES BEHIND THE FINDS, REPORTS DONNA YAWCHING

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.”

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 bygone eras.”

This passion is what lies behind hissuccesswithRoadshow. As then-president of the Cana- dian Antique Dealers Association (he recently stepped down), Stocks was asked four years ago to help develop the program’s format, and to audition expert consultants. Not surprisingly, he ended up being invited to join their ranks.

A trip to Paris

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 Restaurant is a popular rendezvous point. Its renowned buffet is pure Canadiana.

Maus Park Antiques is on the far side of Paris, at 289 Pi- nehurst Rd. (formerly Highway 24A). Look for the landmark flags. It’s open Saturday and Sunday, 11a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment. For further information, go to maus- parkantiques.ca or call 519- 442-7500.

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. Despite the exhaustion of being on the road for such a long time, Stocks enjoys the Roadshow tre- mendously.

“It’s that discovery thing again,” he says. “It’s exciting because 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 . . .wherever you go, there are these wonderful stories.” Some of

‰Please see Object, G7

KEITH BEATY/TORONTO STAR

Raspberry-red drapes and couches and a stunning Oriental vase in the Georgian-style living room.

Many of the pieces that cram the Maus Park Antiques store, near Paris, Ont., are museum-quality,

J.P. MOCZULSKI FOR THE TORONTO STAR

like the 18th-century cabinet, left. Three interlocking barns make up the massive two-storey

A French neo-classic bust of Zeus, foreground, ages gracefully
showrooms, with high-roofed beams and glazed woodplank floors, centre and right.
alongside a terracotta Austrian-Hungarian emperor.