Canal Towne Emporium has been a general store since 1838 when it was opened by H.R. Morris as to supply the nearby Delaware & Hudson Canal. Filled with dry goods, hardware, food and clothing, it soon became the local post office and a trading center for the region’s leather trade. The store was purchased in 1870 by Joseph Holmes, the son of a local canal boat builder, and James Fulton, a druggist.

     The enterprise flourished, even after the canal closed in 1898. The Fulton and Holmes Store became a fixture of village life and operated continuously until 1958 when Lyman O. Holmes, Joseph’s son, retired. The building remained in the Holmes family, but stood empty until 1976 when Canal Towne Emporium, the brainchild of Doris Holmes, opened. With the help of designer Gary Eckhart, past attempts to modernize the store were removed and a turn of the century atmosphere once again filled the store. In fact, virtually all the equipment and furnishings used in Canal Towne are from the original store.

"CANAL TOWNE EMPORIUM"

     In 1984, the Holmes Family opened The Repast, a popular and beautiful Victorian restaurant, which won numerous culinary awards along with a large following. It was closed in 1994 to make way for Canal Towne’s newest expansion, the new Great Room, a showcase for fine gifts and furniture, and a year round Christmas Shoppe, with award winning displays unsurpassed by any other in the region.

     And with the Holmes family’s fourth generation involved in the business, there are plans for the future with a continual eye on maintaining the quality and atmosphere of the past.