You might recall WAY back in January, I had the opportunity to meet Lori Loughlin when she was in town filming one of the new Garage Sale Mysteries, which I mentioned in this post.

Since August is Garage Sale Mystery month on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel, I thought it would be fun to take a peek inside the real-life antique shop that plays Rags to Riches in the popular movie series.   Throughout the month, four brand new movies will premiere, bringing the total to fifteen mysteries in the Garage Sale franchise.  And just think, it all began with this one movie back in 2013.  From Hallmark:

“Jennifer Shannon can always find a diamond in the rough – when it comes to garage sales, that is! Whether it’s a new antique to sell at her consignment shop, an Atari game for her son or a piece of furniture for her handy husband Jason to refurbish, she has made a career out of her treasure hunting prowess. But, when a string of burglaries hits her town, Jennifer must use her keen eye for detail and her natural problem-solving instincts to help her piece together the clues and catch the criminal before it’s too late!  As she gets closer to the truth, Jennifer learns that crime solving can be far more dangerous than any garage sale. Can she uncover the “Garage Sale Mystery,” or will her investigation create problems that not even Jennifer can solve”?

I had the opportunity to sit down with Shirley Rempel, who along with her husband Don, owns Country Lane Antiques in Fort Langley.  In between customers, we talked about their family, the business, and filming.  Married for 54 years now, they are originally from Manitoba but moved away in 1969, eventually settling in Fort Langley.  The couple have shared a common interest in antiques for over thirty years, first as a hobby and now as a business.  They have owned Country Lane Antiques for the last twelve years and rather than just retire, the duo continues to live life doing what they truly love; buying and selling antiques.   Son Jonathan, along with his wife Katie own Country Lane’s sister store, Rempel Mercantile, located right next door.   Don and his son specialize in restoration and their craftsmanship is truly outstanding.

Country Lane is filled with treasures from years gone by, housing everything from old signs to auto parts to transferware to furniture, and everything in between.  The merchandise is displayed quite tastefully in a historic 104-year-old building in the heart of the fort, right next to the famous Fort Langley Town Hall.

When I asked about filming, Shirley told me the very first production to shoot at the store was the 2008 movie Thomas Kincaid’s The Christmas Cottage.  A large mural was painted on the side of the store but get a load of this next piece of info: the Rempel’s own home was used as THE cottage in the movie!  Shirley explained to me that the location scout on the movie mentioned that he was still looking for a cottage to use for filming and Shirley casually told him about their cottage.  The scout went and checked it out and the rest, as they say, is history!  That’s right, their home is on the artwork for the movie, the DVD packaging, note cards, and prints.  Seriously, how incredible is that?  And not only is their home famous but their business is too!

Shirley mentioned to me that the first Garage Sale movie used a different antique store, which of course intrigued me.  According to IMDB, exteriors of the Sadie Ann McMurray Antiques shop located at 32989 1^st Ave Mission, BC were used in the original movie but after that, Country Lane Antiques has had the starring role.  And that is a lot of movie making!!!  Garage Sale filming typically takes four to five days and Shirley says set decorators use stock from the store for filming.  Everything is rearranged but for the most part, it still looks the same and she said it is always interesting to see her shop on screen.  But perhaps the most exciting thing in all of her film experiences to date was having the infamous Peter O’Toole filming Thomas Kincaid’s The Christmas Cottage inside of her house for about a month!!!

Shirley says the directors and crews are always so great to work with, which creates a family like atmosphere.  She said when production begins, it is like seeing family every time the crew comes back.  Additionally, Shirley has gotten to know Lori quite well and she always makes a point to ask her about her daughters.  During the filming of Every Christmas Has a Story, crews shot in the Fort Langley Town Hall, right next to the antique store.  While on a filming break, Lori popped over with one of her daughters and introduced her, which meant a lot to Shirley.

During my visit, there were many shoppers who stopped by for a look, simply because they’ve scene it on Hallmark.  In fact, there is even a “wall of fame” located inside the store and fans will want to check it out.  Gracing the wall are autographed photos of celebrities you’ll recognize like Andie MacDowell and Dylan Neal from their Cedar Cove days, which as we know filmed in the fort.  There is even a cast photo from season 3 of Cedar Cove.  Then there’s Lori Loughlin and Peter DeLuise, both of Garage Sale Mystery fame in which Lori stars and PDL has directed.  Other photos include Supernatural, The Man In The High Castle, and Bates Motel, where the store played a Taxidermy shop.  And both Rempel Mercantile and Country Lane were used in the upcoming feature film Welcome to Marwen, starring Steve Carell.  Be sure to keep an eye out!

If you visit Fort Langley, you won’t want to miss this stop.  Country Lane Antiques is located at 9179 Glover Road in Fort Langley, BC.  When planning your visit, keep in mind they are closed on Mondays.  And be sure to pop into Rempel Mercantile as well. My sincere thanks to Shirley for giving me your time so I could share this location.             DVR ALERT: The original 2013 Garage Sale Mystery movie will be airing the afternoon of Monday, August 6 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel.  

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Premiering This Weekend:

Don’t miss the all new Garage Sale Mystery: The Pandora’s Box Murders premiering this Sunday, August 5 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel.   And remember, every Sunday evening during the month of August there will be a brand new Garage Sale Mystery to solve!

This Saturday August 4, the all new movie A Summer to Remember premieres on the Hallmark Channel.

And this Sunday August 5 on the Hallmark Channel, Chesapeake Shores returns with the season 3 opener.

As always, check your local listings for times.

As always, thank you for your continued support of this website!  I will be back next week with an all new Hallmark location.

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