Page 10, Petawawa Post, October 5, 2017

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Petawawa Post, October 5, 2017, Page 11

Discovering Downtown Pembroke

Nestled on the shores of the mighty Ottawa River, the pretty City of Pem-broke, Ontario was formally established in 1858. It was a rough and ready frontier spirit that �rst forged the town as it evolved into a bustling centre for the logging industry.

Evidence of this rich past can be found in the architecture of the historic homes, stores and churches in the downtown district. Today, much of that energetic drive still exists, and Pembroke is the largest regional service centre between Ottawa and North Bay. Situated on the beautiful Ottawa River, Pembroke is a vibrant little city that is renowned as “the heart of the Ottawa Valley”.

Photo courtesty of www.pembroke.ca

dot.

By Patricia LeboeufPetawawa Post

It seems like every week a new business is opening up in downtown Pembroke.

With over 150 unique stores, restaurants and ca-fes, it has now become THE place to explore, shop and play.

“It keeps growing and getting better and better,” said Elijah McKeown, Pem-broke’s Recreation Pro-grammer. “It is incredible to see the progress being made there.”

Yet not everybody real-

izes what a bounty can be found just 15 km away from the Garrison Petawawa gates.

The businesses in the downtown core offer unique goods and services that can-not be found elsewhere.

So shopping in the area has become more of an ex-perience than just a quick errand. It is worth taking an afternoon off and meander-ing down the street, savour-ing each new discovery.

Like finding a new fa-vourite snack at the Little Things Canning Company, sipping on some expertly crafted cocktails at The

Nook Creperie Inc., discov-ering a locally made gift at the Cedar And Sage or try-ing on a beautiful new outfit at Dot.

Whether it is a daily necessity or a hard-to-find product, it can be found locally - you just need to know where to look.

One doesn’t have to wait for Fall when Pump-kin Spice Lattes are offered year-round at Janna’s Gal-ley Cafe. Quality footwear of all sizes and styles can be found at Scott’s Shoe Store.

The Urban Gourmet’s ol-ive oil and balsamic vinegar

tastings are the ideal pair-ings for a date night dinner. Men’s formal wear, includ-ing an incredible selection of colourful bowties, can be found at Town and Coun-try Men’s Shop. Under-wear and lingerie in a wide range of sizes are at Anna’s Lingerie and Swimwear. Artisan skin care products are made at Brimstone and Belladonna. Testing out the Pembroke market is a Dash of Fab, a popular clothing store from Arnprior. Private Aerial Yoga Birthday Parties can be booked at AWE Yoga.

Country

continued on following page

Anytime is a great time for food, fun & friend's at Kerry's Place!

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Page 12, Petawawa Post, October 5, 2017

Wilkies Fresh Baked Bread uses traditional recipes, passed down over the generations. �is ensures

that each loaf of bread is made with all the goodness of years past. Looking for a sweet treat? �ey also

make delectable cookies, pies, buns and squares that will leave you yearning for more.

Not to mention that there are countless places to get something to eat.

“There is a lot of great local cuisine down here, no matter what your taste buds are,” said McKeown.

Kerry’s Place is one of them. The gastro-pub has been open for the past year, and is a perfect place to just hang out and enjoy one of their exclusive cocktails and listen to live music.

They definitely serve

more than just beer here.“We have a couple bar-

tenders that come up with the cocktail ideas,” said Owner Kerry Fortin, add-ing that it has more of a laid-back atmosphere where enjoyment, not overindul-gence is the key.

The Courtyard Bistro is also another new addition to the area, offering a variety of comfort meals elevated to a higher level through the use of fresh ingredients

and care. Their cheesecake is phenomenal, and the pastry chef makes them daily, con-stantly changing up what she offers. They also have gluten-free options for those with food sensitivities who still want to experience the restaurant’s memorable, seasonally-inspired cuisine.

There are also more and more things to do.

The city, as well as the Pembroke Business Im-provement Area (PBIA), has

been focusing on organizing more events with the inten-tion of drawing people to the downtown core.

“Several years ago, there was certainly a perspective that there was nothing to check out and there were no good stores anymore,” said Heather Sutherland, Man-ager of the PBIA.

“Things have really grown by leaps and bounds with all these amazing stores with engaged and ex-

cited entrepreneurs who are now complementing those longstanding businesses that we had,” she added.

Sometimes these events and activities have a more philanthropic side. In the past few months, the city has run trivia nights with food donations as the entry fee.

“In the process, we raised several van-loads full of food,” said McKeown.

In the fall, they are look-ing into creating a charity

trivia night where the win-ners decide where the col-lected money is directed.

There is also the oppor-tunity for the city to create a stronger partnership with the area’s businesses. By working with each other, there are mutual benefits that translate into helping residents and visitors.

“There is so much cool stuff to experience in the Downtown,” said Sutherland.

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Wilkies Fresh Baked BreadVisit us at

100 Pembroke St West Pembroke ON

wilkiesbread@gmail.com

1-(613)-631-1050

May You Never Be Without Fuel For Your Fire

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At Brimstone and Belladonna, you can �nd �ne esoteric goods, herbs, and cultural oddities

that will delight and astonish. �ey also routinely o�er tarot and oracle card readings and workshops to help you connect

with your higher self.

Scott’s Shoe Store has proudly served families since 1885, and has just opened a new location in

Pembroke. It is the best place to get quality footwear for men and women. Service is genuine

and there is an abundance of styles to suit even the pickiest of shoe connoisseurs.

Petawawa Post, October 5, 2017, Page 13

PURVIS GALLERYFRAMING&

“You can discover all these really interesting things that you may not have been expecting,” she added.

Many of the stores are even becoming destinations themselves. In addition to some one-of-a-kind cloth-ing, Dot. offers its own line of jewelry. Owner Renae Rotblatt designs, packages and markets her products, following a philosophy of having only one or two of the same thing.

“I love the idea of going to a small town and going to the downtown and going to a store and finding unique things that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else,” said Rotblatt. “Adding those little unique touches, I feel, gets people more excited.”

Shopping locally has several benefits that go be-yond an enjoyable expe-rience. It creates a robust economy; helps create jobs and contributes to a vibrant area. Businesses then give back to local organizations that help.

Many of the business tai-lor their products to military families like Heritage Hear-ing Care, which now serves active Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members as well as veterans and civil-ians.

Owners are often for-mer military or are military spouses.

Bill Colbert was a vehi-cle technician with the CAF for several decades before retiring and opening Bill’s Stamps, Coins, and Sports-cards. True to its name, it sells collectibles as well as military-themed memora-bilia.

“We are the only ones like this in the County,” said Colbert.

Discovering little stores and playing tourist in Pem-broke is a fun way to spend an afternoon and learn something new.

The history of Pembroke is long and rich. Founded in 1858, it was the home of the lumber industry for many years. Evidence of its his-

tory are still illustrated in 34 murals around the city. A free audio walking guide and a map are offered on the city’s website. It lasts about an hour and is filled with lo-cal history.

“If you are into the more historical side of things, I think that is a great place to start,” said McKeown.

Sports lovers are in for an even bigger treat; Pem-broke is ‘Hockey Town’ and home to the Lumber Kings. Nearly every Sunday, they play a game at the Pembroke Memorial Centre and love for these players has risen to a fever pitch. They some-times hold special games

and events in honour of mil-itary members and have en-couraged their fans to wear red on Fridays.

Megan McAndrews and Jayne DeRoy of Purvis Gal-lery and Framing Ltd have also seen many people bring in an autographed t-shirt, puck or card to have them framed in a shadow box. As they put together these spe-cial pieces of art, people can watch them as their work-shop is open concept.

“This is where everything happens,” said McAndrews. “There is no limit to the cre-ativity that goes on here.”

Their store is near The Grind Pembroke, which is

a pay-what-you-can coffee shop. Patrons find a safe space to spend time togeth-er, connect with each other and access resources. There is also a three-bed emergen-cy shelter for those needing a place to stay.

“It gets marginalized clients involved with the community,” said Katrina Mask, Facility Administra-tor. “They can come to a safe place and other members of the community can come and sit and everybody is in-cluded.”

The Grind is an example of the care demonstrated by Pembroke and is an excel-lent place to volunteer.

Another jewel of Pem-broke is undoubtedly its waterfront. Slightly tucked away from sight, just a block or two from the main street,

it offers unparalleled views of the river.

With a boardwalk, 600-seat amphitheatre, wood-land chapel, playground, fitness grove, courtyard, statues and several gazebos, benches and picnic tables, it can be used for virtually anything. Every summer, it turns into a veritable enter-

tainment hub with local per-formers playing live con-certs every day and open-air movies on Tuesdays. This is in addition to all the public and private activities and events held on location.

A list of most of the busi-nesses can be found online at www.pembroke.ca/busi-ness-directory.

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