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Walk into Timeless Treasures in downtown Canton, TX and you are greeted with soft music playing from the speakers. A friendly hello is spoken with a smile from a young woman working behind the sales counter. The building has the atmosphere of an old farmhouse. There is no sense of the flea market bustle and things are much quieter.  

Shirley Lane, the manager of Timeless Treasures, might be at the table by the door, which serves as her desk, to do her work. There is no office with a door in the back. She greets people as they walk in the store. The hello is genuine, without an air of implied salesmanship, like a neighbor waving from the front porch. She makes it clear that the store is not a flea market; it’s an antique mall. There is a difference and the distinction makes sense what once the workings of the business she manages is explained. Timeless Treasures has booths rented to vendors who then decorate and curate their space with goods for sale. The vendors themselves do not work their booths as they would in a traditional flea market. Everything is handled by the Timeless Treasures staff: sales, customer service, & even taxes. The name naturally hints at what is available for sale inside. Antiques, vintage goods, and collectibles are offered with a bit of wholesale – not much, however.

Shirley says that Timeless Treasures has been voted the Best Antique Mall in Van Zandt county for several years running. By her own admission, she likes to keep things “simple and old-school”. She’s not sure exactly who votes or how the voting takes places or for exactly how many years they have won the distinction. The details don’t really matter. There’s no banner in the store marketing their achievement. It’s more a statement of how the simple nature of the business is appealing to customers (and the store has a large number of regulars) than it is a statement of pride.
The simple nature of the store’s running is certainly part of the charm. There’s no electronic beeping from the barcode scanner as patron’s checkout. No store advertisements are being blasted over the store’s speaker for the newest item on sale. The familiar clickity-clack of broken shopping basket wheels being pushed hurriedly across the floor is delightfully absent. There is no store website, though they do have a Facebook page. Their version of an online store is if you see something you like that they posted, you can call them, pay over the phone, and they’ll set it aside for you. Shoppers can’t get that kind of customer service from an online shopping cart.

Each vendor is given a number. Every item that is for sale by that vendor has a price tag with the vendor number, item description, and price on it. Customers browse through the store, select the items they are going to purchase, take everything up to the register and everything is typed in then. Staff assists with larger purchases as needed. The vendor number is how they track purchases for each of their vendors. Cash, checks, and major credit cards are all accepted.

Like most everything in downtown Canton, the building that Timeless Treasures is in has history. The Lewis family owns the building and the business. The right side of the building was at one time Shinn Grocery Store. The left side was a cafe under two different names and was a gun shop several years ago. There is an old barn-like structure directly behind the store and decades ago it was a slaughterhouse.

Timeless Treasures is open 10 to 5 Monday through Saturday. It is also open 2 Sundays a month: the one before First Monday weekend and the one of First Monday weekend.

Timeless may at first thought be taken to mean a description of the wares for sale, but it can just as easily mean how the wares are sold. To enjoy a very pleasant and relaxed shopping experience for timeless treasures to decorate your home, or even office, be sure to stop by Timeless Treasures in downtown Canton, TX.

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