Cornish Trading Company - About Us

The shop began in 1988...it was a combination of antiques and gifts on part of the 1st floor. Prior owner Francine O’Donnell took over in 1990 and focused on antiques only and little by little expanded to 3 floors.

Francine owned and operated Cornish Trading Company from 1990-2005. During that time the company gained in popularity and has been featured in several magazines (including the centerfold of Downeast Magazine) as well as being showcased in a couple of books... Gardens Maine Style and Maine Living. 

My husband and I were first introduced to Cornish Trading Company by antique dealer friends some 10 years ago. We were looking for a very specific item, a yellow painted tole tray. They urged us to visit this shop in Cornish, Maine that would surely have exactly what we were looking for. So we made the trip to Cornish!

We walked in the door and fell in love with the shop! My husband turned to the owner and said, “You don’t know me from a hole in the wall, but if you should ever decide to sell, please let me know.” We continued our shopping and from that moment we were hooked on CTC!

My love for antiques is an acquired one that I got when I began my life with my husband Michael. He, however, has been collecting since he was 8 years old.

Over the next 9 years we always made Cornish Trading Company our first stop on our trips to the White Mountains and in 2005 we became one of the 40 dealers that had space at CTC. At the end of the year we stopped in to discuss perhaps a larger space and Francine responded with, “How about 12,000 square feet?”

It’s funny how everyone usually has a different story about how they started out. In this case our story was quite similar to Francine’s. She too was originally a dealer here prior to buying the business. She too fell in love with the building and the business. Her knowledge, caring and enthusiasm over the years has built Cornish Trading Company to the great place it is today! Our goal is to continue what she has started…

By the way, I still have the yellow tole tray!    Lisa