Eclectic New Shop Millbrook Mercantile Opens In Downtown Millbrook

A unique new shop called Millbrook Mercantile recently opened in Millbrook’s beautiful downtown, the location of many film productions.

Store owner Bernadette MacNeil focuses on the sale of locally sourced, artisanal, small batch and hard to find items from the community and around the planet. It has a little bit of everything, from a full deli with 80+ cheeses and numerous cured meats, to locally sourced organic chicken, bison, pork and beef.

Photo via Stoney Lake Textiles Facebook page

Millbrook Mercantile also provides fresh bread from the Hard Winter Bread Co. of Lakefield, local honey from Millbrook and Indian River, maple syrup from Bethany, organic produce from Puddle Duck Farm in Ponty Pool, apple cider from Millbrook, and salts and jams from South Pond Farms in Bethany.

In addition, it offers homemade prepared foods, daily soups, sandwiches and salads, gourmet pizzas from the Vintage Pizza Pie Co. in Cobourg, delicious shortbread cookies from Port Perry, and chocolates from Lakefield.

“My wife Bernadette and I have lived in Millbrook for the past 10 years and she has always wanted to open a store in our village that showcases the amazing local products available in our community,” explains Lance Nachoff.

“She would describe it as a year round farmer's market, with a focus on reducing the carbon footprint by offering many things in one location,” he adds.

Bernadette & Lance

The store also showcases local art from painter Paul Nabuurs, stone sculpture and metal works from Zimart Rice Lake Gallery, as well as hand crafted charcuterie boards from Millbrook and Port Hope.

There are both local and international hand crafted jewelry and fashions, home decor and design, health and wellness, and body and beauty products. Gift baskets and catering are also available.

The store has stayed true to its historical roots with the original shelving from the 1880s, and a classic Parisian boutique exterior look.

Take a drive out to Millbrook soon and check out the shop at 28 King St E.

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The Peterborough Petes Are Returning To Maroon And White Jerseys With Modern Design

The Peterborough Petes announced at an exclusive fan appreciation event at the Junction Nightclub on Wednesday evening (January 23rd) that the team will return to wearing maroon and white jerseys beginning next season.

The white jerseys will feature maroon panels and piping, while the maroon jerseys will feature white panels and piping. Both jerseys will feature a single-colour logo and a Peterborough Lift Lock patch on each shoulder. The current black jersey, with cream and maroon accents, will remain as the team’s third jersey.

“While our current jersey design was well received when it was unveiled ahead of the 2014-15 season, fans, players and staff have continued to express their fondness for our traditional colours,” says Petes President Dave Pogue. “We’re excited to continue to pay homage to our storied history, but with a modern design.”

Season ticket holder Patrick McAuley had this to say in a tweet…

Pumped to find out the @PetesOHLhockey will be bringing back the classic #maroon and #white sweaters, full time next season!!!! #gopetesgo pic.twitter.com/bw3OgXo7sj

— Patrick McAuley Group of Realtors (@PatrickHMcAuley) January 24, 2019

The Petes say they decided to make the jersey announcement now for their fans before they encounter jersey designs in manufacturer sales materials for the upcoming season.

The Petes also have longstanding and successful partnerships in place with the Peterborough Minor Hockey Council and Peterborough Hockey Association that they wanted to be aware of the jersey change.

The Petes don’t require all minor hockey teams to change to the new jersey design, but those that wish to change need to know with enough lead time to order new jerseys.

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Christmas Trees For Sale On Oake Family Farm

Blue spruce Christmas trees are available starting Saturday, November 28th at the Oake Family farm (2474 Sherbrooke St. W.). The farm is open Saturdays and Sundays until Christmas from 9 am to 4 pm so bring the family and cut your tree!

The trees are $30 each, and the farm is located just west of the Buffalo farm on the north side. Watch for the signs.

You are certain to find your magical tree there.

Christmas Vacation movie clips: http://j.mp/1CRsQnC BUY THE MOVIE: http://j.mp/tD8sv0 Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: The Griswolds trudge into the snow to find the perfect Christmas tree. FILM DESCRIPTION: Chevy Chase, star of National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequel, is back as the paterfamilias of the Griswold family (including Beverly D'Angelo as his missus) to skewer the Yuletide season.

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Great Twitter Profile Pictures In Peterborough

There is nothing like having a fun/introspective Twitter profile picture to reflect who you are, and your sense of adventure and personality. Whether it's a picture or illustration or some combination of above, your profile picture is a true representation of self.

In no particular order, here are some we love below from Peterborough folk. Please send along local ones you love who are bringing it with their profile pictures. Tweet us @Ptbo_Canada or email us.

OK, here we go...

Alana Callan @alanacallan

Matt G @oh_m_g

Steve Kearns @Mr_Kearnsy

Nick Ferrio @ferrioinstereo

Marianne Beacon @MarianneBeacon

Peter Struwing @robotpete

Pet Lost & Found PTBO @LostFoundPTBO

Wes Ryan @wjrguff

Dani Stover  @danigray

George St. @georgestptbo

Kate Wells  @aintlifeswells

Mike Judson @Mike_Judson

Carrie Copeland  @carrie_copeland

Jeffrey Macklin @jacksoncreek

Kemi Akapo  @kemi_akapo

Dan O'Toole @fs1otoole

Stuart Harrison @stoosnews

Rick Dolishny  @rdolishny

Jay Callaghan  @caltek79

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Local Artist Releases T-Shirt Line Of Wearable Art

Local artist Brianna Gosselin is releasing T-shirt designs featuring her original artwork. "The first wearable art available from Brianna Gosselin, 'Whisper' was designed with an open mind and promise of new beginnings," according to a press release.

The tees are available in Charcoal, Chocolate and Navy. To order yours or for more info, click here.

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Style File Four: Look -> What's Your Style Peterborough?

Kris Sieber

In the Spotlight: Kris Sieber
Ash's Style File Notes:  I found inspiration for my latest Style File at The Wednesday Market Opening Day. There were a lot of stylin' Peterborough Folk down there, but I chose Kris to be featured. His sporty, earthy style draws from a lot of clothing stores in Peterborough. His shoes are from S.O.S., pants from Plush Boutique, jacket (and bike) from Wild Rock Outfitters, and even his cup of coffee and knit cap are local. It's a delight to photograph someone who has mixed and matched from many of the stores in our downtown core.
What Kris says about his style... "It's functional, so as not to get caught in the bike."

—Ash Street

Contact fashionista Ash Street if you want to be featured in "What's Your Style Peterborough?" Or watch for her on the streets finding her next person to feature in Style File.

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and Like us on Facebook.

DBIA Featured Post: The Benevolent Stranger

Natalie Williams is the epitome of a small business owner. As the owner of The Benevolent Stranger, located at 212 Hunter St W in the middle of the trendy Café District, she aims to be a unique alternative to big box store culture. The shop is named after how Natalie sees the character Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird. At first, people are hesitant and scared of him, only to realize he’s actually quite the opposite when they finally give him a chance, much like the shop. On top of it all, Boo Radley is also her friendly dog’s name, and you're sure to meet him at the shop!

Catering to an eclectic crowd who don’t want the everyday mall type experience and product, the Benevolent Stranger caries a wide array of products ranging from dresses, tops, pants, hoodies and wool jackets for women, to gifts from around the world such as knapsacks, journals, purses, jewelry, and even household items. Not leaving out the guys, she carries various clothing items for them as well, and the inventory is always changing.

Natalie is always on the lookout for one of a kind items. You’ll find products in her store from countries such as Tibet, Thailand, India, and from large cities such as New York and Montreal. Always wanting to be unique and funky, if she doesn’t find the item to be interesting to her personally then she won’t sell it in her store.

What a lot of people are surprised about when they enter the shop is the wide range of products it carries. Towards the back of the well thought out space, Natalie houses a fully stocked smoke shop, carrying all accessories, and she even has dreadlock products, as well as Rasta and punk accessories.

Natalie loves the Café District area she has been located in for five years now since moving her business to Peterborough from Bomanville previously. The patio neighbourhood with its widened sidewalks and the Only Café with its sub culture following next door suit her personality perfectly, she says. She loves the sense of community the area has with great merchants and the events that are always taking place all around her shop year round.

Natalie invites you to come down to her unique shop to find items you definitely won’t find anywhere else!

For more on The Benevolent Stranger (212 Hunter St W), go to:
Facebook: Benevolent Stranger
Phone: 705.748.0408

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

DBIA Featured Post: Thin City Skate Shop

For some people, a hobby is just a hobby. For others, it is a way of life and can evolve into much more than a simple interest. Josh Johnson, owner of Thin City Skate Shop located at 410 George St N., is one of those people who took his hobby to an entirely different level.

An avid skateboarding enthusiast for over 12 years now, Josh grew up in an era where Peterborough had a smaller go-to skateshop in Breeze which many people in the hobby will remember. It was the hub for skating enthusiasts in the community but sadly closed down roughly eight years ago.

After that, the market changed with larger big brand stores moving in and seemingly taking over. At the age of 20, Josh decided to do something about that. Starting out with a loan from Community Futures, Josh opened Thin City in May of 2011 and hasn’t looked back since. Known for custom ordering and set ups of skateboards, longboards, snowboards and scooters, Thin City has become what could be considered the local authority on all things board sports in our great city!

Offering plenty of experience and advice in all things board sports, Josh has turned his small shop into a great setting for local hobbyists to check out. With a smaller sized shop comes a smaller inventory, but that hasn’t stopped Josh from having a large catalogue to choose specialized parts and most brands that you can think of to order in at a moment’s notice. If he doesn’t have something on hand in the shop, chances are that he can order it in in no time. This also includes clothing that he has in his retail set-up.

Coming soon, Thin City will also be opening up an e-commerce online shop that will make them even more accessible to its clients, allowing it to reach out into the community and abroad even more.

Thin City is proud to carry a few local consignment companies in stock and loves carrying Canadian brands in an effort to support Canadian board sports. Josh wants his shop to be as accessible as possible and to be the shop run by locals for locals with experience and knowledge to share—without the big chain store feeling to it.

Still an avid skateboarder himself, Josh and his store Thin City are proud to put on a few events at our local skate part every year. The “Open Season Burn” and “Shred Fest” have been huge hits amongst local boarders and he plans to continue expanding these events and promote what he considers the greenest mode of transportation and fun around.

On top of these events, Josh has also been involved with city council meetings in an effort to
legalize skateboarding in the street, and has even written for Concrete Wave Magazine on the topic of Peterborough and skateboarding over the past few decades.

So, if you’ve ever been interested in board sports, or are looking for a more local feel when shopping for your next ride, we suggest you head down to Thin City and talk to someone with all the knowledge you could ask for!

For more on Thin City Skate Shop (410 George St. N.), go to:
Website: ThinCitySkateShop.com
Twitter: @thincitysk8shop
Facebook: ThinCityLongboard
Phone: 705.775.5664

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

DBIA Featured Post: Angela Mark Fashion Designs

If you were to ask people what sets our downtown apart from others, many would say that fashion leads the way. It's no secret that Peterborough's downtown core has some absolutely incredible clothing stores that cover every style imaginable. However, did you know that there is an international clothing label that is designed and produced in our midst as well!?!

Angela Mark is just that label and has been creating women's fashion in our city since 1987! Angela Mark provides beautiful clothing and innovative wardrobe services geared to professional women who appreciate quality and excellent value; her collections include career wear, smart casual, special occasion and outer wear.  

Originally from Montreal, Angela opened her original shop as a second floor studio at the corner of Hunter and Water, just above where St Veronus is today. From there, she moved her business to street level on Hunter Street, and in 1993, purchased the building which now houses her design, production and retail studio (which is open to the public), in the current downtown location at 231 King Street.

Angela's design philosophy has always been that clothing is intended to be a unique reflection of a woman's inner beauty. Knowing that she was not alone in her search for clothing to suit her classic yet current style preferences, figure, personality, colouring, beautiful fabrics and workmanship, and knew that the combination of all of these factors was important to feeling and looking confident.  

Angela returned to Peterborough after having studied Fashion Design at Ryerson University in Toronto—there, she launched her own Fashion Label at 22 years of age!  As one of the first Canadian Designers to implement CAD technology for patternmaking and markermaking, Angela Mark has remained in the forefront of technology to establish a competitive edge in this fast paced and competitive industry. Her label has expanded to include her Ready to Wear Collections, Made to Measure offerings and her exclusive one off creations.

World class quality and workmanship is found in each beautifully tailored garment. The structure and fit of Angela Mark's garments is distinctive. The experience and advantage of having custom fittings with individual clients for over 27 years translates into each beautifully fitting jacket, pant, dress, skirt, unique tops and piece of gorgeous outerwear! Angela takes great pride in knowing that many of her Ready to Wear garments fit like they were custom designed.

This unique boutique offers a private setting, personal style consultations, custom fitting, in house alterations, wardrobe building service, exclusive accessories and other innovative wardrobe services which all contribute to this unique shopping experience. 

Angela Mark is sold directly to her clientele. This means that the client has the advantage of having beautiful clothing, personal service, quality fabric and workmanship, and garments designed made ethically in Canada without the mark-ups in traditional retail. In traditional retail, the garment goes from the manufacturer, to the distributor, to the retailer, then to the final client—Angela Mark sells directly to their clients so that they get the additional value and exclusivity, and personal service which is excellent value. Angela Mark's clientele appreciate the value working directly with the designer.  

This label has a great following of loyal clients who appreciate having personal stylists assist with their wardrobe choices that suit them and their lifestyles. Angela's studio is a destination location for many out of town clients as well as seasonal shows in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Kingston and London, as well as her newly launched online boutique. 

The Angela Mark team includes production technicians, personal stylists and an administrative staff who take pride in delivering world class products and services. The unique experience is one you won't find anywhere else.  

While Angela Mark's head office is located in Peterborough, virtual offices in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal offer their products and services to their discerning and appreciative clientele in those cities as well. Angela's shop is located in an area of downtown that is easily accessible with parking right by the front door, and is open to the public or by appointment to accommodate her clients' busy schedules and ensure the personal service that you deserve.  

Although she loves visiting her hometown of Montreal, Angela is happy to call Peterborough home. She loves the quality of life that the area offers and appreciates the beauty of the surrounding areas. Many of her clients travel in from out of town to shop at her store and she knows they always leave the city happy after experiencing all that downtown has to offer.

You are invited to visit Angela Mark at the corner of King and Aylmer... in downtown Peterborough!    

For more on Angela Mark (231 King Street) go to:
Website: AngelaMark.com
Phone: 705.742.7315

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

DBIA Featured Post: Circus

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!

For more on Circus (188 Hunter St W), go to:
Website: CircusPeterborough.com
Facebook: CircusTrip
Twitter: @Circusshop

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott