Our Schitt’s Creek pilgrimage (part 3)
Rose Apothecary
The real-life Rose Apothecary was originally built in 1861 as Goodwood’s post office, and at various times has also been a general store, an antiques emporium and more. At the time when the show was in production, it was a branch of Romni, a Toronto-based yarn retailer. It was later sold, and reopened in September 2024 as Goodwood Mercantile, specialising in locally sourced, handmade and artisan-created goods. A relatively modern residential extension projects to one side of the building; exterior shots in Schitt’s Creek were usually framed so that this was less noticeable.
By now, the store was open, so we headed inside. I was a little unsure of our welcome, as I imagined the staff would have grown fed up with fans of a TV sitcom coming in to gawp. Most, I imagine, simply want to wander around, take photos, and then leave without buying anything.
My fears were quashed within seconds by the lovely lady looking
after the store that day, who greeted us warmly and welcomed
us inside. Her name was Emma, and she is clearly a big fan of
Schitt’s Creek herself, as are the business’s owners.
Although the store is not themed around the TV show, several
items on display were clearly placed to appeal to fans – like
this cheese board featuring one of the show’s most memed lines.
I’ll admit I felt a bit emotional being inside the store, as this was the setting for some of the most iconic scenes in Schitt’s Creek: from David’s ‘I like the wine, not the label’ speech in season 1, to Patrick performing his haunting acoustic cover of ‘(Simply) The Best’ at the open mic night in season 4. Remarkably, throughout all six seasons of the show, every scene set in the store was filmed right here, on location.
The interior of Goodwood Mercantile is almost twice the size of Rose Apothecary, as the production designers built a false wall across the middle with doorways appearing to lead to a washroom and storage area. In reality the shop floor extends all the way to a brick wall at the rear of the building with windows looking out onto a small garden. Despite this, perhaps the biggest surprise was how closely the real-life store’s interior resembles its onscreen counterpart. The set dressers made use of many of the existing shop fittings such as the traditional wooden counter and white painted shelving; and the store’s new owners have been careful not to make any radical changes to the feel of this familiar space.
At one point Emma and I were chatting with our backs to the counter. ‘Have you noticed where we’re standing?’ she suddenly asked. ‘Remember when Patrick sang to David at the open mic night? I’m exactly where David was, and you’re where Moira was.’ I realised she was right. ‘And where Patrick stood up to sing, that’s right there,’ she added, pointing to a spot in the middle of the floor. I went and stood there myself and snapped a Patrick POV.
Michael, meanwhile, had been looking through a rack of prints by local artists. We were determined not to walk out of the shop without buying something, and two of these (both by an artist called Janet Moore) caught our eye. We couldn’t decide between them so we bought both. While Emma was packing them up for us, we walked across the road to an unmissable Goodwood landmark you won’t see in Schitt’s Creek...
Annina’s Bakeshop
So what’s on the fourth corner of Goodwood’s main
intersection? The answer is a truly wonderful bakery and restaurant
called Annina’s Bakeshop. Above the door inside are a couple of
signed photos of the Schitt’s Creek cast. This one
reads: ‘To Marco, Dave & the gang @ Annina’s – Thanks!’
and is signed by Eugene Levy.
Before location filming on Schitt’s Creek began in 2014, one of the tasks that fell to the show’s location manager was to liaise with local residents and businesses to ensure they would be properly compensated for any inconvenience caused. His biggest worry was Annina’s. The bakery wouldn’t be seen on screen as its modern exterior didn’t fit with the aesthetic of the show (fortunately, it’s partially hidden by trees). However, closing the highway for filming several times a day every Sunday in June could potentially have an adverse impact on their business.
The owner said, ‘Don’t worry, my regular customers will still find their way here. Hire us as your on-set caterers and we’ll call it even.’ This turned out to be a canny business decision. The cast (notably Annie Murphy) raved publicly about the store’s delicious baked goods, and the result was a noticeable uplift in their mail order business which helped them to stay afloat during the pandemic.
Michael and I ordered a sandwich each and a couple of Annina’s now famous butter tarts, and sat at a picnic table among the pine trees outside to enjoy them. It was bliss.
Back at the store
We returned to Goodwood Mercantile to collect our prints and say goodbye to Emma. ‘Would you like me to take a photo of the two of you standing behind the counter?’ she asked. Of course we said yes. This was a special moment in a special day.
Before leaving we signed a book of condolence that the owners had
set up in memory of Catherine O’Hara. The weekend after our visit,
they held a charity event based around the unveiling of a special
memorial outside the store – ‘The Moira’s Rose’s Garden’,
complete with unnecessary apostrophe-s’s as a sly reference to
episode 11 of season 3. A nice touch is that
the hostas in the garden are propagated from the original plants
used during filming of that episode; and, as per the show, the
garden ironically contains no actual roses.
The event was by all accounts a great success and raised well over CA$3,000 for cancer charities. It’s pleasing to know that the town of Goodwood is so proud of its association with this show and these characters; here at Goodwood Mercantile, their legacy is in good hands.
NB At time of writing, Goodwood Mercantile is only open Thursdays to Sundays. Check out their website, and that of Annina’s Bakeshop, for precise opening hours.
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