Photo courtesy Stephanie Sereda

An entrepreneur is moving their idea to support local artisans from Liverpool to Hunt’s Point in time for the Christmas season.

Stephanie Sereda had intended to open an artist’s collective shop as part of her plan to buy the United Church in Liverpool.

When that sale fell through, she began looking for a new location and landed in Hunt’s Point.

Sereda says the spot she’s found is ideal to capture the attention of shoppers during the holidays.

“Picture a holiday, like a Hallmark holiday shop downtown on those little whimsical downtowns, that’s what it looks like. It’s all beautifully festive and then we’re also going to have coffee, tea or mulled cider and we have Queens Coast trading company doing our beautiful teas,” said Sereda. “Also, we’re going to have desserts, so cupcakes and cakes and rum balls and sugar cookies and so they can sip and stroll and just get caught up in the spirit of Christmas.”

Sereda wants to support artists by giving them another venue to sell their work without needing to be present which is why she opened Hunt’s Point for the Holidays.

After putting out the call on social media offering space to artisans the pop-up shop features the talents of 26 artists from the region and across the Atlantic provinces.

“Part of me thinks I’m a little bit crazy and the other part of me thinks, well, we’ll just throw it out there and see. It’s unbelievable because I’ve sold out of vendors,” said Sereda. “That was my biggest fear, opening up a shop and not having anything in it.”

Sereda says she still gets calls from people wishing she had opened the Liverpool location.

While she is disappointed she couldn’t make it work, the pop-up shop is a version of what she had in mind for the United church.

“It was quite crushing because I felt we were so welcomed. The committee that was in charge of the decommissioning process and getting the right person in there, they were so embracing of the idea, and I think it was a perfect alignment with what they had envisioned,” said Sereda. “But you know, in a perfect world at the end of the day, because I have such a high bar of what I want to deliver if I couldn’t financially pull it off it was just best to not, you know? And I would hate to have started it and not have been able to follow through and then had to sell it or something.”

Sereda says the Hunt’s Point for the Holidays pop-up shop will be a good pilot and a fresh opportunity to see if there is an appetite for a venue like this in Queens.

“My hope and dream is to be able to ultimately land on a venue where I can do multipurpose things like this but also have, like I’m a foodie too, so to have really nice cultivated food and connectivity and engagement and experiential things for people in the community.”

Hunt’s Point for the Holiday will be open every Saturday and Sunday leading into Christmas beginning this weekend.

More information can be found on their Facebook page.

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Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson

The Zion United Church in Liverpool is a step closer to finding a new owner.

Chair of the church’s closure working group Ray Baker says after discussing it amongst themselves, the group brought Stephanie Sereda’s bid to the whole congregation for consideration.

Baker says the Zion congregation liked what they heard.

“It had people smiling and nodding their heads,” said Baker. “She talked about it, from her perspective, it not being just a business, but it was a passion project.”

Sereda plans to convert the church into a cultural centre, operating the lower level as a year-round maker’s market where artisans can showcase and sell their work.

She sees the upper level being used as a cultural and event space.

The congregation was also impressed with Sereda’s intentions to preserve the history of Zion United church, from the stained glass in the windows to asking if the church would be willing to loan church artifacts to be displayed for visitors.

“Keeping in mind it’s a sad and emotional time for the congregation, but to know that the transition would be something where they continue to see the church benefit the community as a whole is just amazing,” said Baker.

The congregation’s recommendation to sell Zion United to Sereda now goes to the United Church of Canada Regional Council 15 office for approval.

Baker says if permission is granted in a reasonable amount of time the church could be in new hands by May.

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Entrance to Zion United Church in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

A Liverpool church that boasts the oldest established congregation in Queens is being sold.

The Zion United Church closed its doors in December according to chair of the closure working group* Ray Baker.

He says the congregation is getting older and their numbers are decreasing.

“Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the times, we’re not having a lot of younger families become members of the church,” said Baker. “So, it’s more difficult to operate it and find the funds to run it.”

Baker says the with fewer than 40 active members in the church it is no longer possible to pay the bills and upkeep on the 150-year-old building.

Complicating matters further, Baker says their minister retired in June at the same time the church board chair resigned, effectively leaving the congregation without leadership to help guide them through the ever-changing COVID regulations.

At a special meeting October 24, the congregation made the decision to sell and the last service at the church was held in December.

Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson

Director of the Queens County Museum Linda Rafuse says the Zion United church was formed from congregations that date back to the 1700s, making it historically significant.

The first chapel was built by some of the founding fathers of Liverpool including merchant Simeon Perkins who is buried in the cemetery behind Zion United.

The current church was built in 1866 after a fire destroyed the second chapel the previous year.

Rafuse says the church has already approached the museum about donating several artifacts.

“It will be a loss to the history of Liverpool but we’re here to preserve those memories,” said Rafuse.

Baker says a working group comprised of himself and several church elders have received several options for closing down the church from the United Church regional office.

He says there is a distinction to be made between the church and its people.

“The congregation is the people,” said Baker.  “And the building is just that, the building.”

Baker says there’s a strong desire within the congregation to stick together.

Some of the options are to continue as a congregation and share space in another church or disband and join other congregations.

Selling the church will be further complicated by the fact it is responsible for the upkeep of three cemeteries.

Cemetery behind Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson

Baker says the working group is in discussions with United church officials and the municipality to determine what options are available for dividing the cemeteries from the church while ensuring the graveyards continue to be maintained.

“We can’t sell the church with the cemetery. I mean, what buyer would want the building, for whatever purpose but also have a cemetery to look after,” said Baker.

A meeting will be held February 12 where the congregation will be presented with their options and decide on how to proceed.

*A previous version of this story mis-identified the closure working group as a disbanding committee. The story has been updated with the correction.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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