SaltSpray Design and Art Cafe

SaltSpray Design occupies a building that was never meant to be either a gallery or a shop: St. Barnabas Anglican Church, an 1880s church on a swooping curve of East Chezzetcook Road in Head of Chezzetcook, about 35 minutes from downtown Halifax on the Eastern Shore. Inside, the former church now houses the working studio and shop of artist Anthea Taljaard, whose contemporary folk art sculpture, prints, and custom furnishings share the space with a changing wall of work from dozens of Eastern Shore artists, a combination that has made it one of the most distinctive small stops on the Marine Drive. Tourism Nova Scotia lists it with a 4.9 Google rating, the shop is proudly Rainbow Registered as a safe, inclusive space for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and the business is bike-friendly-listed with Nova Scotia's cycling community; it sits near the Gaetz Brook Greenway, and cyclists and motorcyclists are a visible part of the customer mix.

The Church That Became a Gallery

The building's second act almost didn't happen. When St. Barnabas went up for sale in 2021 at $175,000, six offers landed within 72 hours; Taljaard's was not among the winners, and the accepted bid collapsed only when that buyer learned the adjoining cemetery would remain active. When the listing returned, she called her agent and tried again, one of three offers, and this time the church found her. "I never thought of buying a church before, but I thought it's the perfect canvas for what we want to do," she told the Halifax Examiner a day before opening in March 2022. The renovation kept the bones of the building (the altar area now displays art) and the gallery opened on the main floor with works by painters, craftspeople, textile artists, and folk artists drawn from Preston to Sheet Harbour. A workshop area upstairs hosts ongoing displays and classes.

Taljaard had started small and fast during the pandemic. She and her wife arrived from Toronto in the winter of 2020, days before the province locked down; unable to find work, she started a business instead, running "like a blue-arsed fly" (her phrase) to find artists, finding twelve, and opening a shop in a tiny Jeddore strip mall by that June. A space near the Head of Jeddore Sobeys followed, and the gallery found success through the middle of the pandemic. She wanted to expand, an outdoor market especially, but the landlord wouldn't permit it. The church solved that too: it came with land, and the summer market and pergola seating now operate beside it.

From South Africa to Chezzetcook

Taljaard's own story is part of the shop's appeal. Born in South Africa, she spent four years in the Middle East working with women entering the workforce, met her Canadian wife there, and moved first to Toronto before choosing a coast; she wanted to live by the ocean, and after weighing which one, they settled on Nova Scotia and a house in West Jeddore. Her own pieces are contemporary Canadian folk art worked in paper, cardboard, and paint: original paintings, Giclee prints, custom soft furnishings (throw pillows, bedding, curtaining, wall murals) and ceramics, all customizable to a buyer's space. Her Quirky Critters collection is the visitor favourite: playful, resilient pieces full of humour and heart, from what she describes as a boundary-savvy bear to a woman standing confidently in her own skin. The two-person operation, Anthea and Julie, both Eastern Shore artists, gives the place its personality, and write-ups describe a space that is bright and spare, letting the church's proportions and the art do the work.

The Studio and Shop Today

Today SaltSpray is focused squarely on the studio and shop: the sculpture, prints, ceramics, and custom furnishings that made the church a destination, plus the summer market that operates beside it under the pergola. Food service is not currently listed; check the website or Facebook for current offerings before counting on a meal stop. The wheelchair-accessible building keeps the whole space open to everyone, and SaltSpray also appears at the Lake Echo Farmers' Market through the market season, which runs June 3 to October 7, a second chance to catch the work if the Chezzetcook hours don't fit your route.

The honest caveats are rural-business realities: hours shift with the season and the artists' schedules, and on a quiet weekday you may have the whole church to yourself, which is either the appeal or the loneliness, depending on your travelling style. Cash and card both work; commissions and workshop bookings are best arranged ahead by phone.

The Practical Details: Location, Hours & Essentials

Address & Location
40 East Chezzetcook Road (Head of Chezzetcook), Halifax, NS B0J 2L0, on Route 207 along the Marine Drive, about 35 minutes from downtown Halifax, near Porters Lake and the Gaetz Brook Greenway trails. The swooping curve in the road at the church is a local landmark in itself.

Hours of Operation
Published hours vary by source: Tourism Nova Scotia lists daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while other listings say 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Schedules shift with the season and the artists' calendar; check the SaltSpray Design website or Facebook page for current hours before you drive out.

Price Range
Original art and prints across a wide range, with small prints and cards at gift price points and commissioned furnishings quoted individually.

Reservations & Commissions
Commissions, custom furnishings, and workshop bookings are arranged by phone at (902) 414-6117 or through the website's contact form.

Parking & Access
Free on-site parking. The building is wheelchair accessible, with outdoor summer seating under the pergola and the summer market beside the church.

What to Buy
Giclee prints and originals, Quirky Critters folk art pieces, ceramics, and custom soft furnishings, all designed and made on the Eastern Shore, with the story of the church attached to every purchase.

Pair a visit with a slow drive along the coast. Our Eastern Shore guide maps the beaches, lookoffs, and coastal stops between Lawrencetown and Sheet Harbour, and the 100 Wild Islands guide covers the protected archipelago whose wildlife and waves show up on these canvases.