Hilton Co-op to open in new location

Vendors hope for a new start on Ridge Road West after April fire

This time last year, hundreds of people were walking along the "yellow brick road" during the Hilton Craft Antique Co-op's Wizard of Oz event. But after an April 8 fire that completely destroyed the building, the popular shopping spot has been sorely missed. Owner Homer Marple and 20 of the vendors have been working diligently to find a new location and after nearly seven months of searching, have settled on the old Ruby Gordon Furniture building at 3200 Ridge Road West, next to Max Pies Carpet.

"It was quite a process," said Marple. "We've been meeting every Thursday since the fire and have priced out 45 buildings in western Monroe, Orleans and Genesee counties during that time. All were impossible as far as rental cost, except this one. Plus, it is in a good location."

Location is about all that will change with the new co-op. Marple is trying to keep as much the same as possible, including the booth sizes and numbers, policies for vendors, and hours - Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, the size of the two-story building will be about 10,000 square feet larger, giving the 150 vendors 45,000 square feet of space in all.

Out of the 140 vendors in Hilton, 110 will be returning to sell at the new location. They'll even have their booths in the same general locations as in Hilton. "We're a pretty close group," said Marple. "We've gotten together socially every month since the fire and over 100 vendors show up every time."

Marple plans to run the same events, too. Already volunteers Herb and Mary Lou Cannon have London Street built, and Gail Bom and Pat Murch have costumes made for the Dickens' Festival. Marple hopes to open two to three weeks before Christmas, but that will depend on how smoothly renovations go. "There's a lot of work to be done inside," he said. "Electrical fixtures need to be replaced, carpeting put down and dividers built for the vendors." Renovations are expected to begin November 9.

Marple's only regret is that the co-op couldn't be reopened in Hilton. He was considering the Hilton Cold Storage building, but plans didn't work out on either end. Owner David Resseguie wasn't able to vacate the building to move to a new facility on Collamer Road, and Marple said he realized how difficult it would be to get retail permits for, and renovate, an apple warehouse. "We're sorry to leave Hilton, but we just couldn't find a space big enough," he said.