Heritage Collectibles, Books & Maps is the antiques shop & used bookstore that John and I started two years before he suicided. It was a dream of his, to have a little shop where he could research cool items, read great books, and talk to customers about the many, many topics he was an expert in … or at least more than passably familiar with.
It’s been really tough keeping the shop going without him. It doesn’t make enough money for me to run it full time; nor can I afford to hire anyone. But it was Johnny’s dream, and I have this overwhelming, continuing need to honor that dream.
Besides, the shop has a classroom that I’ve named The Lifeboat Room, which is where we hold grief-related support groups, and is a place for those feeling stressed by the world to sit for a while in a calm environment. And, everything sold at the shop (or at our booth in Oxford at the Undercover Antique Mall) goes to support The Grief Warrior Project, to help us keep our doors open.
Your purchase is critical in helping to make that happen. (Check out the website at https://www.heritagecollectiblesmaine.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter.)
For the next few weeks (during the holiday season), Heritage Collectibles will have expanded hours!
We’ll be open most Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1:00-6:00, and occasional Sundays. Or, we can be open by appointment (call Linda at 207-740-2247).
As of right now, we do know we’ll be closed on Thursday, November 29th, as I have to be out of town during the mid-day, and have an event to attend in the late afternoon.
The coffee pot is always on! And we have cookies!
Come on in for the ambiance, conversation, or just to get away from it all. We have a comfy classroom/group room where you can escape for a while… (As you can see, the dogs are often in attendance, as well.)
You can also find vintage and antique items at Heritage Collectibles’ booth at the Undercover Antique Mall in Oxford, Maine! They’re open every day from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
All sales, after expenses, go to support The Grief Warrior Project, a suicide prevention drop-in center in development. The Grief Warrior Project‘s support group room is located at Heritage Collectibles. FMI: Linda, 207 / 740-2247.
Update, 02/02/2019: I’ve had to close Heritage Collectibles’ physical shop. It was too much to do on my own, and despite my efforts, it was too hard without my John – the shop was created for him, it was to be his retirement gig. Without him, the excitement, the passion, the dream… gone. And I was losing money on the business, money I could not afford to lose any longer as it was putting everything else we loved at risk.
I will, however, continue with the business via the Undercover Antique Mall, and probably through Amazon and other mail order resources.
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In memory of my beloved husband John Kelly Snyder… 20 Sept 1956 – 21 Oct 2016.
My Johnny was a true warrior, fighting demons no one else could see. I thought he was the strongest man in the world, and perhaps he was, but tragically, the demons got the better of him.
The name of this project is in no way intended to be reflective of, or piggy back off, Wounded Warriors which serves those military personnel wounded after September 11, 20o1. Like too many others, John was a warrior long before then.
Fair winds and following seas, Husband.
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We now have a group on Facebook to help find resources, support and ideas for getting The Grief Warrior Project off the ground. You can find us there at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewarriorproject/
Follow us on Twitter! @WarriorProjME.
Help support The Grief Warrior Project by making purchases from Heritage Collectibles, Books & Maps. All profits (after expenses) go to helping us help others. You can find Heritage Collectibles at https://heritagecollectiblesmaine.com, on Facebook (both a group and a page) and on Twitter (HeritageGifts).
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Despite decades of disbelief, I have come to realize that our loved ones are able to communicate with us through the life/death barrier. My Johnny has proved this in ways that I can’t attribute to my own mind making things up… there have been complex coincidences and synchronicities, extraordinary happenings, and messages through others who could not possibly have any knowledge of the information they’ve passed on. Truly mind-blowing stuff. I don’t have a clue what I believe about life after death, but I know my husband loved me with everything he had, and that he still does. Our wedding vows were “to death and beyond” and that has proved true for both of us.
I can’t tell you how it all works, or how you can get through to your own loved one, but if you’re interested, I can tell you of my experiences and my thoughts on this.
The Grief Warrior Project 