GUILFORD – On August 6, the Whistling Swan Antiques and Fine Gift Shop reopened after a ten year hiatus in what was once the Hiram Cable Cobbler shop in Guilford. The Hiram Cable Cobbler shop first opened in 1880 in the back section of the Cable House on Main Street in Guilford, and the shop has recently been brought back to life as the Whistling Swan, retaining all of its original charm.

Previously the Whistling Swan was located in Oxford at 4 North Canal Street, but has since been relocated to the 1880 cobbler shop on Main Street at 1236 County Route 35 in Guilford.

“I'm excited to bring life back into the once bustling cobbler shop,” said store owner Tim Ryan. “Preserving our past for future generations is very important to me.”

The shop features a full line of antique furniture, glassware and collectibles, and also commodities such as goats’ milk soap, candles, syrup, honey, floral arrangements, wreaths, quilts and much more.

Up until recently the building was entirely without electricity, and it continues to bear the original kerosene lanterns on the interior windows that are made of original wavy 19th century glass. The building was heated with an old coal stove, which has since been removed and replaced with electrical fireplaces. The walls and ceiling of the shop are still covered in original wainscoting and bead board, and the original stenciling and shelving is still intact. The cobbler's bench is still in place along with some shoe forms.