Finding contentment in antiques
Ruth Hiltz follows her passion for the classics
Ruth Hiltz began her love affair with antiques and collectibles as a young child when her parents emigrated from England in the late 1970s, settled in Mahone Bay and opened an antique shop.
Basically growing up in the shop, Hiltz was exposed to ever-changing, often fascinating, expressions of simpler bygone days, yet her education and career path veered more toward hightech pursuits.
Hiltz transferred from university to the two-year drafting program at the
Nova Scotia Community College in Bridgewater. She graduated first in her class and promptly secured a job at IMP Aerospace, where for 15 years she was an avionics designer for the Sea King helicopter program.
Her husband, Brad, armed with an MBA, worked in various senior managerial positions during his career, including as an operations supervisor responsible for aircraft cargo logistics for Cargojet.
After much soul-searching and reflection, the parents of three teenagers realized that although they both were successful in their chosen professions, they craved more work-life balance in their lives.
“My husband and I got to the point where we decided we were trading our lives for money. We needed a change,” said Hiltz during an interview.
“We lived in Lantz. It was getting built up and we didn’t feel contented there, so we wanted to come back to our roots, shake things up and do something fun in a place that would be good for our kids. We decided an antique business was something we wanted to pursue full time,” she said.
In the spring of 2019, the Hiltz family purchased a 150-year-old farmstead on Hwy. 325 in Blockhouse, across the road from the fire department and a French bakery and close to Mahone Bay.
Ruth decided to open The Brindle Boston Antiques and Giftware, while hubby Brad launched Twigs and Hammers Property Service, doing small restoration and renovation jobs large-volume contractors weren’t interested in taking on.
“There was lots of work to do before I could open Brindle Boston. The structures on our property were in rough shape. The building that is now the antique shop was a livestock barn held up by a tree on one side. It had a mud floor and, like many neglected farms, it was just about done,” said Hiltz.
Experienced contractors told us it would be cheaper to knock down the barn and build a new shop, but we wanted to preserve as much of the post-and-beam structure as we could,” she said.
Hiltz said she and her handy husband spent the summer of 2019 refurbishing the barn, doing most of the work themselves.
“At one point the building was supported by 17 jack posts. That was a couple tense days. We put a floor under the building and straightened it, but it’s still a little crooked. Any of the elements we took out, we tried to bring back in. All the interior doors and partition walls that separated the animals were re-purposed in the restored building in some form,” she said.
Brindle Boston opened to the public in September 2019.
“I have always had a passion for antiques; they are in my blood. In 2016, I started selling things online from my home while still working at IMP Aerospace. I also sold at church sales and craft shows on weekends. It was fun and it kept me interested,” said Hiltz.
Brindle Boston carries mostly decor antiques and collectibles, everything from vintage tools to glassware and some furniture. Hiltz said she chooses not to specialize in anything specific and that the freedom for her is she gets to sell items she likes personally.
“I really like vintage Christmas decorations. I gather them from various sources all year and I have thousands of decorations available every Christmas. When I display the decorations in the shop in November, it’s a bit of a showstopper. People line up outside waiting to see them,” said Hiltz.
“As the name of the shop suggests, I also offer dog items, which are popular with people. I look for dog-related vintage items — advertising, figurines, art, anything with dogs on them,” she added.
Hiltz has an online presence, primarily Facebook and Instagram pages (brindlebostongifts). As items arrive, they are posted online, including their history, what they were used for in the past and what they could be used for today. Hiltz says everything has a story and many items deserve second lives.
Her business has expanded beyond the shop. In a field on her two-acre property, Hiltz hosts three vintage markets each year — in the spring, August long weekend and last weekend in September.
“We have only held the Four Points Vintage Market for two years, but already it has become the go-to vintage market on the South Shore.