Tollbooth Antiques fire 011.jpg

Aftermath of a fire at Tollbooth Antiques in Columbia on the morning of Friday, July 19, 2024.

 ANDY BLACKBURN | Staff photographer

Last Thursday, July 18, a well-known antiques shopping center in Columbia caught fire, resulting in major damage to its building and loss of products for more than 50 vendors.

Local businesses, both in Columbia and other parts of Lancaster County, have coordinated events and fundraisers to raise money for the vendors affected by the fire at Tollbooth Antiques, at 215 Chestnut St. in Columbia.

For now, some smoke-damaged items will be for sale at Tollbooth Lumber Warehouse, 185 N. Front St. in Columbia, where Tollbooth would sometimes host auctions and store inventory.

Here are nine fundraisers, benefit events and business offers to help vendors who lost wares at Tollbooth Antiques. Know of other efforts that should be on this list? Email mjmiller@lnpnews.com.

Events, benefits

— July 24-25: Bully's Restaurant and Pub, at 647 Union St. in Columbia, will donate 10% of every guest check towards the vendors and employees of Tollbooth Antiques. In addition, the restaurant will also take donations to give gift certificates to affected vendors to eat at the restaurant. Those with the restaurant recommend making a reservation, which can be done by calling 717-684-2854. The restaurant will be open from 4-9 p.m. More info.

— Aug. 4: Board & Brush Lancaster, at 1343 Fruitville Pike in Lancaster, will donate proceeds from a wood sign workshop starting at noon. Attendees can choose to paint their signs using stains and paints. Medium projects cost $40 and large projects cost $73. Twenty percent of proceeds will be donated to those with Tollbooth Antiques. Pre-registration is required, and closes when the class is sold out, or 36 hours before the class starts. More info.

— Aug. 4: The 9 Collective, at 3043 Columbia Ave. in Lancaster, teamed up with EsoArts, 317 N. Queen St. in Lancaster, for a two-part benefit event. Artisan vendors, selling art, jewelry, clothing and more, will sell their wares at The 9 Collective from noon to 5 p.m. EsoArts will then host a live music benefit from 6-9 p.m. Those with small businesses can inquire to 9collectiveevents@gmail.com about potentially vending at the event, with a suggested vendor fee of $50. All proceeds go toward the vendors of Tollbooth Antiques. More info.

— Aug. 31: Boltz Auction Company, at 3601 Columbia Avenue in Lancaster, will host a benefit auction from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with proceeds helping those affected by the fire. Those interested should call 717-392-4257 for more information. More info.

Fundraisers

— Conway Social Club, at 28 E. King St. in Lancaster, will sell a specialty cocktail in antique flasks sourced from Tollbooth Antiques. The drink, called "Phantom Toll Booth" — a similar name to the 1961 children's fantasy novel "Phantom Tollbooth" — features ingredients like rice-washed Japanese gin, watermelon-infused vermouth and Campari, served chilled in a vintage flask. More info.

— A GoFundMe was recently created to raise funds for the Doolittle family, who owns Tollbooth Antiques, as well as the vendors affected by the fire. As of Monday morning, the fundraiser has raised more than $8,000. More info.

— A vendor at Tollbooth Antiques created a second GoFundMe. Proceeds will be distributed among the 50 vendors. As of Monday morning, it has raised more than $1,800. More info.

— Aryeanna Wert, owner of Ani's Moon Vintage and a vendor at Tollbooth Antiques, created a GoFundMe to help her recoup some of the losses from the fire. Wert said in the GoFundMe description that she didn't have insurance, and that her booth was in the middle of the fire. As of Monday morning, she has raised nearly $1,000. More info.

Other support

— New York Wire Works, at 441 E. Market St. in York, recently posted on Facebook that the business would potentially offer three months of free rent for "qualified applicants" that are vendors affected by the fire. Spots range from 5,000 square feet to 36,000 square feet. Email leasing@newyorkwireworks.com for more information. More info.

Crews begin demolition Friday morning after a fire ravaged Tollgate Antiques in Columbia. Read the story here. 

Newsletter

What to Read Next

Tags