One of the great things about downtown Peterborough is that it houses the most unique shops in the area, and there are so many of them. Hardly anything is cookie cutter, and that is exactly what makes the neighborhood work. Another example of a shop that embodies this unique feeling is Circus, newly located at 382 George St N.

Previously located on Aylmer St, just on the outskirts of downtown, Circus made its big move at the end of July in 2013 and hasn’t looked back. Chris Norgan owned the original shop, and has since been joined by Steve Francis to form a partnership that works incredibly well for the both of them. With Chris’s wealth of experience in the industry and Steve’s expansive small business knowledge, they have combined their visions to create a great working relationship.

Circus is anything but a traditional shop. It focuses on art, rare historic furniture, and accent home décor pieces that you won’t find anywhere else! Just one step inside this unique store, and you’ll discover this immediately. Chris’s keen eye for exclusive pieces and buying contacts located in big cities like New York and Philadelphia are allowing him to bring in items you literally won’t find anywhere else.

Circus is like an anti-IKEA; it has an old-school fashion feel to it, regularly showcasing pieces produced from the 1920s to the 1950s. Their chairs, tables, dressers, hutches and cupboards aren’t of your everyday run of the mill variety. Vintage is key, and Chris and Steve both know this. They are constantly bringing in carefully selected new lines to display and put their names behind each and every one.

The store has an undeniable upscale vibe to it. Its location and layout with a great second floor allow Steve and Chris to set the shop up in an incredible way that enhances the products look and feel. You could literally spend hours walking through it, checking out the incredible selection. They know this is the kind of stuff you would expect to find in a big city and are happy to be able to supply it to our community. They also take great pride in the fact they are a very green reuse recycle store.

The men are very happy to have been able to relocate to the city’s downtown core, and have made it a point to continue to be involved in the community. They happily donate to the community and have been proud sponsors of the YMCA in the past. More recently, they have also been the setting of book readings by Peterborough’s own Jeff Macklin.

They invite you to come down and discover Circus—it's something you might not have known existed in our great downtown!