About Us

Darlene & Bob Virgil, Antique Dealers

They had a booth of their own set up in Canal House Antiques on the Chenango Canal end of the strip when the owner of the store decided to retire. After six months showing their wares as one of several tenant dealers, the Virgils took over as owners of the store this past February.

“We were looking for a place of our own that we could open in a few years when she called to see if we would be interested in taking it over,” Darlene said. “We didn’t expect it to happen this fast, but when she called to say she wanted to retire we knew the time was right.”

They have been “very lucky and very blessed” since then, Darlene said, as their existing dealers have stayed at the shop and they’ve since added a few more. Each of their now 13 dealers alternates working at Canal House Antiques, selling a wide variety of items including antique furniture, glassware, linens and textiles, oil memorabilia, milk bottles, Howard’s products, Warm Glow candles, and rug hooking supplies.

Canal House Antiques was a general store in the early 1900s, now converted to feature the different dealers’ collections in the various rooms. The store itself is an antique aficionado’s dream, with old-style tin on the walls and ceiling that has been preserved for modern visitors to enjoy.

“If only these walls could talk … what stories they would have to tell,” Darlene said.

Canal House Antiques will soon join several other shops in the area in celebrating the season with their annual Holiday Open House running daily on Nov. 13-15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Madison-Bouckville Promotions-sponsored event will feature a festive holiday shopping experience as the stores will decorate for the occasion, offering their own individual attractions and specials.

There will be grand prize drawings for $100 gift certificate at one of the participating shops, two $50 gift certificates from Madison-Bouckville Promotions, a Christmas tree from Butternut Hill, $25 gift certificates from several area restaurants, and many other special promotions.

Darlene said Canal House Antiques will be offering a gift crock filled with lots of goodies at their shop as part of the event.

The couple both had parents who loved antiques, and passed that enjoyment to them. Darlene said she and Bob began to go to auctions and shows to buy antiques, and then started attending shows as dealers themselves.

She hopes to have a visitor room set up at Canal House Antiques sometime in the near future that will feature a relaxing place for shoppers to take a break and learn more about all of the stores and activities along the famous Madison-Bouckville antique corridor. Darlene also would like to add more rug hooking supplies, a personal interest for her, and even host classes at the shop if there are interested aspiring rug makers in the area.

“I’d like to do that one day a month, and serve coffee and refreshments and have everybody bring a bagged lunch,” Darlene said. “It was something I was a part of years ago and I’d like to bring it back.”

When not at the shop, Darlene works full-time as a circulation supervisor at the Colgate University library, while Bob is a bus driver for the Fabius-Pompey school district and also a professional carpenter. They are celebrating their 39th anniversary this week on Nov. 6, and often have their grandkids help them out at the store. Daughter Amy and her husband Ron Jantzi in Stockbridge have given them Benjamin, 10, and Abigail, 7, while son Bobby and his wife Alicia in Knoxboro have brought their son Griffin, 2, to the family.

“He’s good for walking around here telling people, ‘Papa says don’t touch,’” Darlene said.

The business has come full circle recently for the couple, she noted. Darlene recalled back in their early days as dealers, they set up a booth at Cobblestone Antiques in nearby Pine Woods. There, owners Mame and the late Bob Gustafson were invaluable mentors for them in learning to buy and sell antiques.

Mame recently contacted the Virgils to set up her own display at their shop, Darlene said.

“It’s funny how that circle has come around,” she explained. “She heard that we were operating the shop and called me six months ago saying she wanted to be involved. We welcomed her with open arms.”

With so much going on through most of the year along Route 20, Darlene recommended visitors to plan to spend some quality time with the area dealers.

“There’s a lot to do in Madison-Bouckville,” Darlene said. “There are a lot of shops throughout the Madison-Bouckville area and lots to see, so they should spend some time here. They can come early, have breakfast at one of our restaurants, shop for a while, take a break at the bakery, and shop some more. People should come out and spend the day with us.”

Canal House Antiques is located on the west end of Route 20 in Bouckville, just east of the Bouckville Hotel and Chenango Canal. They are currently open Thursdays through Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They will be closed for the entire month of January and reopen for 2016 in February.