At former town hall, a new shop with eclectic items

FALLS VILLAGE — First the Falls Village Inn, now 107 Main St., site of the old town hall. Downtown Falls Village is suddenly active, as Patricia Walsh of Lakeville brings Walsh’s Country Store to the first-floor space in the historic building.

Walsh plans an eclectic store, one part art gallery, one part antiques and collectibles, and one part a place to get ice cream, coffee or penny candy.

“At first I thought [the space] was way too big for what I had in mind: an old-fashioned general store,� she said.

But after giving it some thought and considering what she wanted to do, she decided to go ahead.

“We’ll have local products — honey, jam, crafts, wood and metal work — and we’ll sell on consignment.�

She’s also thinking about a “live music in the coffee house� situation, perhaps once a month.

Walsh knows retail — her late husband, Richard Walsh, had the Lakeville Apothecary for years.

The initial antique stock “has been sitting in the basement in boxes for years� — the result of Walsh’s collecting habit.

One interesting piece, leaning against a support post — a crucial part of a “three-holer� privy.

“Maybe we could use it for a bean bag toss,� mused Walsh, a distinct twinkle in her eye.

But she’s really hoping the store will evolve into a good place for youngsters to hang out.

First Selectman Pat Mechare said Walsh’s inquiry a couple of weeks ago was a pleasant surprise.

“We started advertising it last July,� she said, when they knew the former tenant was leaving in August 2009.

Mechare said the rent in the town-owned space is $1,500 per month, including electricity. (Heat will be billed by the town.) Walsh signed a two-year lease.

While the space remained vacant, the town had made it available to local groups, such as the D.M. Hunt Library.

Walsh said that one youth group that had been planning to use the space would be using the gallery in the coming months, with a show planned for the end of summer.

The grand opening is scheduled for mid-August, but Walsh will certainly be on hand during the July 11 Jacobs Garage 80th Anniversary Car Show to talk with residents and get ideas.