Farewell, and thanks for all the fish.

Treasures by the Locks opened in October 2020 as a partnership, with one business partner and multiple vendors, early in the pandemic. The timing was wild and a little harrowing, but all involved were excited and hopeful. Sure, this wasn’t the first and only vendor market in Fenelon Falls, but it was a welcomed addition to the town’s business scene.

Then, a month later, the business partner left to open a store on the main street and took most of the vendors—and several thousand dollars, representing her half of opening costs—with her. The Treasures crew would learn this wasn’t the first time she’d pulled something like this, and hindsight is always 20/20.

Treasures chugged along out of pure spite, with me taking the business partner’s place.

Was it hard? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not one bit.

In February 2025, Nancy decided it was time to retire. I don’t have the capital to take over the business, so I didn’t—I’ll be running my website and selling trinkets online, instead. Our last day was April 1, 2025.

I will always love the second-hand business. Mom will never truly give up reselling—it’s too ingrained in her—but running a brick-and-mortar takes a lot of time, energy, and expense. It’s time for her to enjoy her retirement and slow down a little.

Thanks for all of the support over the years, whether it’s been through purchases, the newsletter, social media, or in-person. We never would have been able to do this without you.

If you still want to keep in touch, sign up for my newsletter where I’ll continue to talk about old stuff, and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and thepapergirl.ca.

See you soon,

Melissa (& Nancy)