Pastime Gold Mine
502 Queen St S N0G2N0 Paisley, ON, Canada

I think, at least in my experience of working retail during a pandemic, that the average person would generally agree that wearing a mask in public is the responsible thing to do for our collective health during these times. I also feel, in my experience of working retail during a pandemic, that the average person would generally agree that wearing a mask is not particularly fun. But that doesn't have to be the case! Newly arrived face masks for both kids and adults have hit ...the shelves here at the Pastime Goldmine, all sporting a variety of fun, novelty prints and patterns. Our masks are made of a smooth, comfortable fabric, with a filter pocket and adjustable ear bands. I can also say, again from personal experience, that the children's masks are, of all the ones we've tried, the easiest to get my son to wear. Of the two dummies pictured, he's the one in the dragon mask (as his father, I reserve the right in this case to A] lovingly refer to him as a dummy, and B] make terrible dad jokes whenever the opportunity arises). The day I brought it home for him, he spent most of the afternoon wearing it around the house roaring at our cats. We've also stocked a variety of mask lanyards, which are immensely handy for those who need their masks for work or school. No longer will you need to do that awkward pocket slapping dance while you try to remember where the hell you put your mask down! Check them all out while supplies last here at the Pastime Goldmine!

Just a little reminder based on Ontario's new "Emergency Brake that's technically not a lockdown, but it sort of is, except not really" (which I believe is the official term). The Pastime Goldmine will remain open for business during our normal posted hours, but will be enforcing a limited customer capacity determined by the square footage of our shop, in keeping with the new restrictions. In short, if it's during our normal hours, and our OPEN sign is not illuminated, we're at capacity; please wait outside until it is, indicating there's a vacancy. Happy Easter, and stay safe out there everyone!

I, on behalf of the Pastime Goldmine, hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas this year, and would like to thank all those who chose to shop locally. Even in these dark and trying times, the true character of the citizens of our community shine all the brighter! Have a happy and healthy holiday, everyone!

Here at the Pastime Goldmine, we will be extending our normal hours a bit to accommodate last minute shopping. For everyone's safety, we're going to try to maintain a maximum occupancy of 6 shoppers in the store at any one time, and as ever, face covering are required. We'll be open from 10am - 5pm on Tuesday the 22nd, and from 10am - 5pm on Thursday the 24th. Then, in accordance with the provincial lockdown, we'll be temporarily closing our doors to the public thereafter. Th...at said, we'll be providing the same service as during the last lockdown. Our website is still live and available for viewing and purchases purchases, and we can also process purchases by phone, and can accept email transfers if need be. I'm more than happy to deliver orders locally, and we'll still be offering curb-side pick up as well. Stay safe over the holidays, folks! See more

Goodies from the Goldmine, both new and nostalgic!

Goodies from the Goldmine, both new and nostalgic!

Just a little update on a few things here at the Pastime Goldmine! Firstly, with our sales going on and the number of customers increasing as the holidays draw nearer, we're going to be temporarily putting some capacity limits on the store, just to ensure customers can safely move about while maintaining the recommended distance from one another. At the moment, we're setting a conservative limit at 6 customers at any one time. We may increase that limit if it seems viable to ...do so, but we'll play it by ear to start. Secondly, I just want to put a reminder out there that the time for ordering things in that we don't already have on our shelves for Christmas is very quickly dwindling (in fact, for a couple of our distributors, it's probably already passed). As a result of the pandemic, a lot of our distributors are operating with reduced warehouse staff, making the expediting process a little slower, and both the Postal service and couriers are undoubtedly seeing a lot more parcels being sent this year, further slowing things. So, the long and the short of it is, if there's something special you'd like to get in for Christmas, give us a call or send us a message sooner rather than later! See more

Despite the protestations of my muddy, green lawn, it would seem that the holiday season is upon us! As usual, here at the Pastime Goldmine, we're gearing up for our pre-Christmas sale; but, since 2020 has been anything but usual, we're going to have to adapt. Normally we'd stay open late for Paisley's Late Night Shop and Social, but these days the word social is broadly only acceptable when followed immediately by the word distancing, so things will need to change. In an... effort to reduce overcrowding and respect health guidelines, and like many other businesses in town this year, we'll be sticking with our normally posted hours, but we'll be extending our sale over 3 days! This coming weekend (December 4th-6th), stop in to the Pastime Goldmine to take advantage of our annual no-tax sale! Pay no tax on all normally priced stock 10am-6pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Additionally, for those who would prefer to shop from the safety of home, or frankly just can't be bothered to put on pants (come on, it's a pandemic, we've all been there), we'll be offering the same deal on all website sales the following weekend (December 11th -13th). Simply use the code Christmas Pastime at checkout, and we'll pay the tax for you! (The coupon code is only valid from the 11th to the 13th, so if you're looking to take advantage of it, make sure to use it on the correct dates!)

A little update from the Pastime Goldmine. As a result of changes to the daycare schedules of my kids, the Pastime Goldmine's business hours are going to have to be adjusted a little. I'll still be open the same days and the same number of hours in total, there's just going to be a little swapping around. As it stands, we'll be open from 10am-6pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm Monday and Thursday, and as ever, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully this won't be a major imposition for anyone, but if it is, send me a message and I'll see if something can be arranged to fit your schedule outside of those hours. Thanks!

Just as a heads up, the Pastime Goldmine's business hours will be a little unpredictable over the next 10 days. We're heading up to the family cottage for a little bit, and the store will only be accessible through the Pharmacy. As such, if they are having a particularly busy day, they may not be able to man both sides. That being the case, if you're looking to visit the Goldmine, maybe give the Pharmacy a call first to see if it's available (519-353-5707). We also still have our website www.pastimegoldmine.ca which you can visit to view or purchase from our current stock of games, puzzles and other goodies, and I'll be doing my best to keep up with emails and messages as they come in (though the internet can be a bit spotty up there).

Good news! The Pastime Goldmine's doors are once again open! (Figuratively speaking, of course; it's hot out, and we don't want to waste the AC). Also, on an unrelated piece of personal good news, it would seem that after apparently more than 4 years of not making chalkboards signs, I can still draw a somewhat passable Farnsworth, so you know ... hurray for me! Stop in during our normal hours and see what's new to our shelves! In order to ensure customer safety, we have placed a touchless hand sanitizer station at our door, placed free masks for anyone who would like a face covering, and have installed a tap-enabled debit and credit machine to minimize contact where possible. We'd also appreciate all customers respecting social distancing practices, and maintaining a safe distance between others in the store. Thanks, and see you soon!

Pandemic puzzlemania continues, and the Pastime Goldmine has a bunch of great new puzzles in stock! Though I'll mention just a few of our newest additions, you can find all of our puzzles old and new here: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/puzzles Most of our puzzles have other versions from the same series, which are all linked in the product descriptions on our website! First up, we have the Thomas Kinkade Special Edition puzzles, which are all printed with a metallic foil fin...ish, giving the pictures a soft, reflective glow that really accents the beauty of the artwork. Highlighted here we have Nature's Paradise, an idyllic scene of a wilderness cottage set against rolling mountains. https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca//thomas-kinkade-special-edi Next, we have the Blaylock Fine Art series, a collection of puzzles emphasizing classic locomotives in rustic settings. Presented here is Bar Harbour Bound, a puzzle depicting a train racing down the tracks past a lonesome lighthouse as dark clouds build on the horizon. https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca//blaylock-fine-art-bar-harb A series of puzzles for the whole family, we now have in stock the Time Together puzzle line, featuring beloved Disney Characters. The great thing about these puzzles is that the pieces come in three different sizes; the largest are on the left side of the puzzle, which fades into medium sized pieces in the middle, and small pieces on the right. This way, younger kids can put together the left side of the puzzle, adults can put together the right side, and everyone can meet together in the middle! Pictured here is Disney Campfire in which Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto are enjoying an evening in the great out-of-doors. https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca//together-time-puzzle-disne Lastly, we have our combo puzzle sets, each coming with multiple puzzles in each box for one low price! Here we have the Wildlife 8 in 1 puzzle set, which as you might expect, contains 8 different puzzles of various creatures in their natural habitats. https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/produ/wildlife-8-in-1-puzzle We also have a great many new puzzles and other goodies on the way, so stay tuned to this page!

Stuck at home with little to do? Need something to keep those kiddos busy for a few hours? Just looking for something a little different to get you through these challenging times? We've got you covered! Here's a few things, old and new, that you might enjoy having whilst isolating! Hide and Solve Treasure Puzzle: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/p/hide-solve-treasure-puzzle If your kids have got a taste for scavenger hunts after Easter, I've got just the thing for you! Hide t...he pieces of the ancient golden mask puzzle around your house or yard, each with a slip of paper providing a clue hinting to the location of the next piece. If your little ones aren't quite of the reading age, you can also draw picture clues on the slips to lead them on this merry chase. With 200 provided slips, this treasure hunt set can be used over and over! Brew it Yourself Kits: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/produc/brew-it-yourself-kits Pop bottles running on empty, and you don't really want to make the trip in to get more? Why bother?!? Now you can make your own! Brew it Yourself kits come in a number of different flavours, and are fun for the whole family. Part cooking project, part chemistry experiment, and all culminating in a delicious, naturally carbonated drink! DIY Miniature House Kits: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/pro/diy-miniature-house-kits New to our shelves, these remarkable model sets allow the builder to create a highly detailed home of their own! With near mind-blowing intricacies, these model kits will keep any model builder engrossed for hours! Dragon Kite: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/product-page/dragon-kite We've had a few windy days recently, and both I and my son can attest to this being a great kite. With a wide wingspan, twin tails for added stability, and a vibrant semi-3D dragon design, this kite is easy to fly and lots of fun! Metal Earth Building Sets: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca//metal-earth-non-fiction-mo We've had Metal Earth building sets for quite a while, and they come in a great variety of themes, like Star Wars, Star Trek, DC and Marvel franchises, as well as various video games, movies and TV shows. You can find them all on our Hobbies page. However, I want to shine a spotlight on some new models we've gotten in that are all non-fiction; highly detailed metal models of real-world things like the 1910 Ford Model T, a Wild West revolver, the Lunar Lander, and many others! We've got lots of new products in, including new puzzles and games that will be added to our website, so keep checking back to see what's new!

As a result of building and updating a website to deal with our temporary closure, in an ironic twist, my workload is significantly higher with our doors closed than it would be with them open! But, the upswing of that is there's always new info to share and updates to make, so here's a little news from the Pastime Goldmine! Firstly, I've managed to get about half of our hobby kit stock up on the website, which includes various types of model kits, building sets and do-it-you...Continue reading

I just saw on Global News that, in addition to staple items like toilet paper and bread, as a result of social distancing and self isolation, the next product undergoing a buying spree is puzzles. People have apparently been buying up puzzles like crazy! On a separate note, completely unrelated to anything, I thought I'd just leave this here: https://www.pastimegoldmine.ca/puzzles

My name may not be Franken-steen, but all the same, my creation lives!! It took a bit longer than anticipated, and decidedly fewer lightning bolts, but the Pastime Goldmine website is live and available for viewing and purchases! Visit us online at www.pastimegoldmine.ca Currently, all that I've managed to digitize is our stock of games and puzzles, but they are all there, with pictures and descriptions. More will be added as days go on; my next goal is Hobby Kits, which woul...d include all building sets, science kits, DIY stuff and things of that nature. The website does have a shopping cart, and secure payments can be made with most major credit cards as well as Paypal. I'm also able to invoice for online payments through the website for items that have been specially ordered, or otherwise don't appear on the website yet, so for anyone in that situation, that's absolutely an option. As previously stated, we don't currently have any economical means of shipping orders, and with the current non-essential business shutdown, in-store pickups are probably iffy at best. I will, however, be offering FREE drop-off delivery to residents of Paisley (and those reasonably nearby, something like a 10 minute drive), so long as there's a secure, non-contact means of drop-off available (eg. leave it on the porch and ring the doorbell, drop it off in a garage, that sort of thing). I'll be contacting customers after they've made their purchases to see where and when they'd like to have their goods delivered, so be sure to leave your contact info when placing an order. If you do live a ways out of town and would like to place an order, drop us a line on this page, by email ([email protected]), or through the contact page on our (NEW!) website before making your purchase, and we'll see if any other arrangements can be made. Well, having unchained my creation and freeing it to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting villagers, it's time to rest my now Abby Normal brain ... at least until I have to start working on it again in the morning.

*Scroll to bottom for update regarding province wide non-essential business shutdown order* Today marks the first day of the Pastime Goldmine's oh-so temporary cautionary Covid closure (... provisional pandemic pausing? ... short-term shielding shutdown? ... interim illness intervention interruption? That's probably the best I've got, I can't just sit here with a thesaurus all day). As promised, I'm here with an update to our plans for the near future. I'm currently in the pr...Continue reading

Boy, if the past few weeks have proven anything, it's that instead of board games, clearly I should have opened a toilet paper and hand sanitizer store! With the unfortunate circumstances leading to such a ridiculous store seeming feasible, the time has come to bring up the topic of a temporary closure of the Pastime Goldmine (temporary being the key word, writ large, like this: TEMPORARY!). This is a big post, but I'd appreciate it if you could give it a read in full, as it ...Continue reading

The Pastime Goldmine will be closed from Feb. 11th through to the 23rd; my son has developed a powerful need to meet Darth Vader, so obviously the only remedy is to take him to Disney World and let him shakes hands with the Dark Lord of the Sith himself!

The holidays are over,and the shelves are starting to look a little sparse, so it's time for us to visit the Toronto Gift Show and find some great new stuff to fill them! The Pastime Goldmine will be closed Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th as we visit the trade show to discover all manner of new goodies to bring to Paisley! Stop in over the coming weeks to see what we find!

As ever, I'd like to the offer my sincerest thanks to the customers who chose to shop with us this holiday season. I know that, with bitter weather and the ever growing expenses that the gift giving season can incur, it can be difficult to elect to shop local and support small businesses when possible; the fact that so many people in this wonderful community do, and do so regularly, is truly heartwarming. I hope that, in the same way that your continued patronage has brought cheer into our Christmas, that the gifts, toys and games you have bought or received from our humble store has brought some cheer into yours! Happy Holidays everyone!

Still need those last couple little things to make your Christmas juuussst right? Well worry not, humble procrastinator, because the Pastime Goldmine is here for you! We'll be open Tuesday Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve day!) from 10am-4pm(maybe a little later, depending on how busy it gets) to provide those last minute bits and pieces! Need some help finding that special something, or need something put side to be picked up? Give us a call or send a message, and we'll do our best to accommodate!

Christmas is now officially 12 days away! And we all know what that means, right? Time for a traditional Christmas sing-song! Follow along at home, the words are in the pictures' descriptions!