Grandfather clock sentries stand on either side of the entrance door. Crisp white walls and rich wood display cases present a wide array of nautically themed antique items. Paintings, sculpture, ship models, dioramas, nautical equipment and tools; silver, books, clocks, fishing gear, scrimshaw … it’s time to journey into the past at the new East Boothbay Trading Co.

Owners Tony and Laura de Haas transformed what was the East Boothbay post office, 218 Ocean Point Road, into a home gallery for their collection of antiques. And what better location than in a building dating back to 1890.

The only work the space needed prior to opening was a fresh coat of white paint for the walls and a new floor, which building owners Dan and Eileen Miller took care of. The de Haases spiffed up their display cases, built shelving and did other details. Then all that was left was the signage. As fate would have it, Eileen’s hobby is making signs.

“We’ve known (the de Haases) for years,” Eileen said. “They are friends, neighbors and, now tenants. Tony wanted a carved sign (Times New Roman lettering), which became my first commission. We are very excited about them being there. I’ve seen them at different shows and they have incredible taste.”

Tony, originally from England, emigrated with his family to the States in the 70s; and native Mainer Laura moved to East Boothbay in 2018, their home just a short distance from the location that would become their long awaited gallery space. A few weekends ago, a soft opening was held.

“We really wanted locals to be able to check us out and introduce ourselves to the people around us,” Laura said. “I loved meeting so many people on this road, that we wave to all the time, and actually have conversations.”

Said Laura of the building, “For us it was an obvious spot right from the first time we saw it, and, you know, you can still see (bits of) the post office.”

To keep things fresh, items will be moved around and/or new ones added. To help preserve the walls, Tony installed grid hanging systems (with grid walls in the back) to display paintings. This way, changing things up doesn’t involve wall repair, only hook rearrangment. The large paintings area, on the left side, is where the mailboxes were, and where the current pièce de résistance is displayed: a hand-painted, three-panel screen by Carroll Thayer Berry entitled “Sailing Day.” Painted in 1931, both sides of the panel are painted, the three screens connected with rawhide strips. It is displayed on a raised up floor panel Tony built.

“There’s an interesting story about him (the artist),” shared Laura. “He was a Mainer who worked on building of the Panama Canal. But he got malaria and was sent home. When he recovered, he returned there and became a draftsman and decorator. He ended up painting some murals in the administration buildings in the Panama Canal. When WWI came around, he enlisted and was one of the first assigned to camouflage as a designer.

When Tony and Laura heard a Thayer Berry three-panel screen was up for auction in Chicago, they went, they saw, and they bought. The piece of muted colors and ships and people sailing in large, grand old vessels have a Gilbert & Sullivan vibe.

“This screen is the thing we are most excited about - now,” said Laura. "But there have been other things before it, and there will be others after. It’s a really exciting business to be in.”

The whole inventory cannot be displayed at the new home base. There is much more in storage that begs to be seen, so they came up with the slide show. As time permits, Tony and Laura have been taking photos of their stored art and uploading the images and then showing them like a slide show. There’s a comfy-looking chair for those interested to watch and note items that tickle their fancy. This area is on the right front side. Laura and Tony will be compiling information about each item in a binder or notebook for interested buyers – day or night.

The slideshow has been attracting attention since it began in the evenings. The De Haases see the shop from their dining room and have spied cars either slowing down to check out the “show” or just parking in front of the window to watch.

But to find out the stories behind the art in the slide show and the array of antique items displayed, and the history behind those items, you’ll need to go to EBTC and have a chat with Laura and Tony.

The logo is a piece of art as well. Explained Tony, “Although my family's from England, there was a great, great grandfather (or someone) who emigrated from The Netherlands; so there's always been a Dutch connection. The initials of the Dutch East India Company (in Dutch), were V-O-C, and a monogram was created with those letters kind of intertwined to represent the company.

“I started playing with our letters E-B-T-C. We knew we wanted something nautical, so turning the 'E' into an anchor was a good thing. Then, inadvertently, the letters B and C sort of jumped out from that;  'BC' kind of signifies things that are old, and the 'T' line fit near the end.”

Speaking of “fitting to a t," that clever logo is on the gray T-shirts in the back of the shop – and there are V-necks for women who might not want a man’s T. Laura made sure of that.

The Book Nook is a quiet space in the back complete with a comfy antique chair and a bookcase for those who want to read a bit of history or mull over a purchase.

Reflecting on the soft opening, Laura noted a vacationing couple from Pittsburgh who’d read about it in The Times Record and came for the day.

“They built their entire day around it!” Laura said. “Locals came by and started up conversations with each other. And all of the comments were positive. A lot of people were excited to have something new here,” Laura said. “We've been working pretty hard, having fun doing it, because we got to do it together. I approach this emotionally and the best part, for me, is that we get to work together; that's key - it is key.”

And because the nature of their shop lends itself to demonstrations, lectures, historical book talks and such, there may be invitations extended to come in for historical discourse or demonstrations of the nautical kind. As Laura said, “The sky’s the limit!"

Watch for the announcement of the grand opening, to be held in early or mid-summer.

Keep up to date with the goings on at www.eastboothbaytrading.com – or just stop by. Hours are by chance or appointment, but one or both de Haases are usually there. If you’d like an appointment, call 207.446.5759.

The de Haases also retain space at Wild Horse Antiques at Boothbay Railway Village, Fairfield Mall Antiques and Wiscasset Antiques Mall.