About Us

It was always going to be, "one day.” One day we'll have a shop.

We loved the Colonel Littleton Collection from the day Jon found the No 18 Portfolio at The Greenbrier. After finding out that Colonel Littleton didn't ship to Canada, it became a quest: we need to access and share these great pieces... one day.

Jon visited the Colonel Littleton "family" a year after his first find. Jon and I both made a visit a few months later.

You can meet the Colonel yourself: check out the Colonel's thoughts on Optimism and his '72 Corvette.

We kept thinking about opening a Littleton outpost... one day.

October 2009 found us having a pizza (THE best pizza is at Trail's End Restaurant in Water Valley), when we discovered that the business next door had closed and the space empty. Maybe this was "one day.”

We love living in Water Valley, 90 minutes northwest of downtown Calgary, tucked into the foothills. Water Valley has nine buildings: a café, a pizza lounge, a saloon, a general store, a hardware store. Pair all that with a “Stud” Auction in March, a Celtic Festival in June, a Rodeo in July, Water Valley Days in August, and an amazing community spirit. Why would we open anywhere else? (www.WaterValleyCommunity.ca)

Sitting in the porch with papers and calculators, the one item we needed first was a name for the shop. North-this, Trading-that, Wild West-something else were options. Then we considered actual names that were meaningful to us. Derry comes from Jon's Great-Grandfather, Joseph Derry, who was an entrepreneur (of all shades) in north-western Ontario. Wallis comes from my Grandmother, Gwendolyn Wallis, who inspired me back in southern Manitoba. Derry & Wallis Trading Company was named with appreciation to these figures in our lives, and we use what we think would be their views (the legal ones) to guide us in operating the shop.

Our intention is to offer items that Joe Derry and Gwen Wallis would be proud to own and more proud to give, items that make tangible a way of life that values business done on a handshake, items that are destined to be heirlooms. Our shop name, the Colonel Littleton Collection, and our own inspiration all compliment one another.

Throwing our proverbial hat over the wall, Jon and I, together with family and friends, renovated the 450 square foot space at THE 4-way stop, gathered antiques to furnish the space, and ordered the initial inventory. The space transformed into a cozy and classy Colonel Littleton Outpost. "One day" had arrived.

This is the story of Derry & Wallis Trading Company.

-Jodi Ouellette