The Old General Store

I have been working with gradients in Adobe Photoshop and I discovered how to make these cool B/W photos that look like they have been sitting in the attic for 100 years. This photo was taken only weeks ago.

The Clayburn Village General Store was built at the turn of the century and when you walk into this building, it looks and feels like it. Actually, it reminds me of my father's store in Lanigan, Saskatchewan that was built about the same time, but was only 1 1/2 stories tall. The ceilings are very high, the shelves very tall, and the floor crooked. The owners live above the store and I did some work for them a number of years ago, and it is just as old upstairs as down. It may be a sound structure, but it does not feel that way.  

It is a popular spot for a mid-morning bowl of their famous home-made soup or afternoon tea. The proprietors are friendly and personable and the place certainly does have atmosphere. When you are done in the small eating area, you can wander over to the amazing candy counters where you can purchase the most exotic candies and almost everything is imported from Britain. Candy canes, bubble gum of all sizes, jaw breakers, hard candy, and lolly pops are all available. It is an experience walking into this store.

And, of course, it is constructed of the obligatory red Clayburn brick. They still look good after all these years. The one thing I could never figure out about this village is that it is a long ways from the actual mine and brick factory. It is a long and winding road across the bottom of Sumas Mountain between the two locations.