Petawawa Post, September 27, 2018, Page 11

By Patricia LeboeufPetawawa Post

Those who overlook downtown Pembroke as a shopping destination are truly doing them-selves a disservice by not exploring what the area has to offer.The downtown has un-

dergone revitalization over the past few years making it a shopping mecca for those looking for something unique, creative and fun. With over 150 shops and

restaurants, it would be hard not to find something to fall in love with. Many of the stores are new to the area and tend to comple-ment the longstanding businesses whose roots have been in the commu-

nity for decades.One example is Cra-

zy Beautiful Dresses. This wedding and for-mal gown shop moved from Beachburg into the ground floor of local staple business Custom Draperies and Blinds. Both shops share one roof, a partnership that has served them very well.By sharpening their

focus on window cov-erings, bedding, and custom chairs, Custom Draperies can bring their already stellar service to even higher levels.“We still go into the

home and there is no charge for us to measure and help them pick the right (window cover-ing),” said co-owner Ei-

leen Malette. Meanwhile downstairs,

Crazy Beautiful Dresses provides an incredibly personalized formal and wedding wear shopping experience. Renovations have transformed the space, with a bridal suite that rivals no other. Dress-es are chosen through three different perspectives to allow for a wide variety of tastes and styles for wed-ding gowns, evening and military ball gowns, prom dresses, bridesmaid dress-es and soon, a new casual dress line. The goal is to make ev-

ery woman walk out of the store feeling em-powered, beautiful and unique. continued on next page

Discovering Downtown Pembroke

The Urban Gourmet in downtown Pembroke offers some truly epicurean delights. As well as their pure olive oils and perfectly aged balsamic vinegars, you can discover a selection of local gourmet cheeses and other treats. Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post

Please call for an appointment 613-732-800876 Pembroke St. W.crazybeautifuldress@gmail.com

We are a creative boutique specializing in unique and practical items located in the heart of Renfrew County. Purchase one of our items in our amazing retail store or create your own in our creative gallery.

A floral boutique operating at full scale for all of your floral needs

CHURCH STREET FLOWERS

CHAHNA FAI

Page 12, Petawawa Post, September 27, 2018

“We actually track who is wearing what so the girls don’t show up with the same dress,” said co-own-

er Kim Chenard, adding she is especially passion-ate about military balls as she is a military spouse.

Men’s formal wear is one of the many offerings at Town and Country Men’s Shop, which has everything you need to look spiffy for any special event. It is the only shop of its kind between Ot-tawa and North Bay. Mothers and mothers-

to-be looking for cloth di-apers and anything else they need to take care of their little ones should take a look at A Special Time – Maternity and Kid’s Wear.Children’s footwear can

also be found at Scott’s Shoe Store alongside

some very elegant adult shoes and boots includ-ing some of the most popular brands like Birken-stock, BOGS, Blundstone, Rieker and more.“I think

p e o p l e want qual-ity foot-w e a r , ” Manager Na-than Scott said. “Quality footwear is what is going to last and offer overall good foot health.”For women who want to

treat themselves to some-thing modern and stylish,

dot. is the place to go. Owner Renae

Rotblatt care-fully curates her store with a wide range of Canadian designers, p u r p o s e -

fully picking only two or

three of each piece to ensure

that each woman leaves the store looking special and exclusive.“As big as we like to

think we are, Pembroke

is still a small city and people like to have their own style,” said Rotblatt. “They don’t want to look like everybody else.”With 80 per cent of wom-

en wearing the wrong size bra, Anna’s Lingerie & Swimwear is a godsend. They are celebrating their one-year anniversary pro-viding people with well-fitted, beautiful and com-fortable undergarments. They offer sizes from 28AA to 44HH. The swimsuits offer cup sizes up to FF. “I want to do affordable

bras that are still really good quality,” said Owner Anna Williamson. “There are other options but they are usually not great qual-ity, very pretty or they are too expensive.”Other unique stores have

also decided to call the downtown core home.Chahna Fai and Church

Street Flowers are two stores, one door, offering a full-scale flower shop inside a transformative gift store. Yet Chahna Fai is not just about the gifts - this boutique offers items created by local artisans as well as customized essential oil blends and workshops.“We definitely recog-

nized that there was a need,” said Owner Pam McNichol, pointing out that she also offers her services as an Access Consciousness Bars Prac-titioner, Reiki Master, and Body Talk Practitio-ner, and offers treatments in Axitional Alignment, Chakra cleansing, and aromatherapy. continued on next page

Discovering Downtown Pembroke ... continued from previous page

BUY • SELL • TRADE

With over 150 shops and restaurants, it

would be hard not to find something

to fall in love with.

35 year

scelebrating

Sale on Now!We’re all settled in! Come check out our new look upstairs!

YOUR GO-TO EXPERTS FOR WINDOW COVERINGS, BLINDS & DRAPES, CUSTOM CHAIRS, BEDDING & LAMP BERGER.

Oil & Vin Tasting Room

Oil & Vin Tasting Room

Petawawa Post, September 27, 2018, Page 13

The veteran-owned Ur-ban Gourmet has become one of the most sought-af-ter places for indulgence. Though known for sell-

ing different olive oils

and balsamic vinegars, they have also opened a cheese counter, provid-ing some of the finest On-tario cheeses available on the market. Handmade

scented soy candles are also on sale and the pre-packaged oil and vinegar sets make the perfect gift. All the products are of the highest quality.“This (oil) is pure,”

said Manager Debbie Levesque. “It is extra vir-gin, it is from Italy.” She added the balsamic

vinegar is all natural and aged 18 years.Art fans can come down

to Purvis Gallery and Framing. Though the store does offer framing services and is the expert in creating military shad-ow boxes, they do have a beautiful selection of local artists work on display. “Not a lot of local art-

ists have their own studio space, so we like to support them that way,” said Man-ager Megan McAndrews. continued on next page

Calla Bean Emporium carries the best selection of fresh roasted coffee beans, a huge selection of teas, hot sauces, spices as well as kitchen gadgets. Some of the best coffee is offered on location including Engine House, Equator Coffee, Arrowhead Coffee, Muskoka Coffee and Barking Barista Coffee. Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post

Discovering Downtown Pembroke ... continued from previous page

Thank you to our great customers for your continued support as we

CELEBRATE ONE YEAR IN BUSINESS!

The Mews Shoppes 143 Pembroke St. W. • 613-631-1031@annaspembroke annaspembroke

Page 14, Petawawa Post, September 27, 2018

“It’s nice to have people come in just to look at the art and to browse. It is a nice way to show what

the community has to of-fer and to support each other.”One of the newest ad-

ditions to the downtown shopping core is Sugar Society. It has expanded from offering sugaring services to providing a whole range of esthetics from manicures to lashes

Discovering Downtown Pembroke ... continued from previous page and professional makeup. “We don’t wax at all,”

said owner Stacey Mich-alopoulos. “We only use sugar, water, and lemon. So it is much more natu-ral. A lot of the other products that we use are

all natural and organic and we do try to source C a n a d i a n - m a d e products.”Looking for

K-cups, lo-cal coffee, loose teas or spices? Calla Bean Emporium is the place to go. Some very niche products can be found under their roof including Lacroix sparkling water and Torani coffee syrup, both of which are worth the journey.Play it Again Sports of-

fers a large selection of new and used sporting goods, as well as skate sharpening and custom embroidery. Military fi-nancing is available for purchases.Though the downtown

is a great place to shop, it is also an excellent place to grab some food.

The Sugar Society is one of the downtown’s newest additions and offers some unique esthetic services. They are the only boutique in the area to offer body sugaring, a more gentle and all natural alternative to wax. Natural, mostly Canadian-made products are also for sale. Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post

Janna’s Gallery Café and Kerry’s place have

merged together to offer a culinary

experience to remember. It is the to-go place for b re a k f a s t , a carafe of m i d - d a y sangria or

some fabu-lous fajitas. If

you are craving Italian food, An-

thony’s Italian Grill offers casual drinks at the bar, a lovely dinner in the main dining room or party in the private ban-quet room, with a menu inspired by fresh simple Italian traditions. Craving something

light? Wilkies Fresh Baked Bread and Klae-sis Bakery and Café both offer some world-class baked goods, which will keep you coming back for more. continued on next page

Some of the most beautiful outfits can be found at dot. This women’s clothing boutique showcases some incredible pieces of clothing, accessories and shoes. To ensure that every woman leaves feeling unique and special, only two or three of one outfit is available for sale. Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post

At just 15 km away from the

gates of Garrison Petawawa,

downtown Pembroke is the perfect place to shop, play and

eat.

@BlendzSmoothieShop

Opening Soonin Pembroke!

20 Pembroke St. W.613-775-0504

blendzsmoothieshop@outlook.com

613-732-2BOX (2269) • 94 Pembroke St. W.www.PembrokeBoxingClub.ca

KIDS • BEGINNERS LADIES • COMPETITORS

Petawawa Post, September 27, 2018, Page 15

Chahna Fai and Church Street Flowers is actually two stores with one door. One floor is overflowing with local artists and artisans, with the goal of selling between 70 and 80 per cent local items while the other is a full-scale flower shop offering a variety of beautiful arrangements. Workshops are offered on a regular basis teaching people how to create their own masterpieces using flowers as well as paint as a medium. Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post

Discovering Downtown Pembroke ... continued from previous pageUllrich’s may be known

for their catering, but they also have become a hopping lunch spot while offering some European delicacies and some of the best meat in the area. Play a song or two from

the jukebox and get a tasty retro milkshake in more than 50 flavours at Giggling Goats. What is more modern is their of-fering of delicious Carib-bean foods and the ability to make their milkshakes dairy, sugar and gluten free if that is needed. “Sometimes we have

families come in and a child is lactose intoler-ant, we can still accom-modate them because that is important to make everybody feel in-cluded,” said Co-Owner Jeness Elliot, adding that they also offer a 10 per cent discount on milk-shakes and ice cream for military members and First Responders. For the past year, Little

Things Canning Com-pany has offered tasty lunches as well as home-style freezer meals for people who prefer not to spend their free time in the kitchen. They even

deliver weekly to Pet-awawa for a small $3 fee.“There is always some-

thing on the menu that people love,” said Owner Stacey Taylor. “There is such a large variety.”Blendz Smoothie Shop

has moved from Deep River into downtown Pembroke, offering the same great flavours but in a bigger location. In ad-dition to their large menu of smoothies, the restau-rant serve lunches and light bites, homemade soups, salads, hummus and snacks; all of which are healthy and delicious, a winning combination. They will officially open in early October. After indulging in all

the tasty treats, you may want to look into work-ing off those calories. Good thing Pembroke has all you need to get fit.Young people can work

out at the Elevate Youth Fitness Studio for free, funded through the Krista Johnson Memorial Run. The Pembroke Box-ing Club will help you get into fighting shape. Founder Jason Burgoyne and his team offer classes to get people into their

ideal shape, regardless of starting fitness level. Pembroke Pole Fitness can strengthen your body with grace and the LEAP Health Hub prepares you for a long, healthy and fulfilling life by changing the way you think and the way you move.Looking for something

to better align your chakras? AWE Yoga of-fers aerial, traditional and Stand Up Paddle-boad yoga, and White Pine Yoga offers a variety of yoga classes as well as workshops and events for yogis at every level.Or join a fitness com-

munity that is passion-ate, determined and sup-portive at Phaze 1 Fitness and Tanning. They are the best equipped and most popular gym in Pembroke with 40 car-

dio units, 60 weight ma-chines and every free weight you can imagine within the 8,000 square-foot building. Military

Women’s Clothing & Accessories

70 Pembroke St. W. 613.629.1458

and First Responders as well as Canadian Nucle-ar Laboratories and HGS employees receive 10 per cent off regular price.

At just 15 km away from the gates of Garrison Pet-awawa, downtown Pem-broke is the perfect place to shop, play and eat.

613-631-0911 27 PEMBROKE ST, W. PEMBROKE, ON

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

Come in and enjoy local craft beer & live music!

PHAZE 1PHAZE 1Every journey has its phase, Let us be Phaze 1.

ASK ABOUT OUR MILITARY & CNL DISCOUNT!100 Pembroke St. E. • 613.735.0475 • www.Phaze1.ca

OPEN 24/7!

86 Pembroke St. W. 613-735-4051Check out our Facebook Page!

PURVIS GALLERYFRAMING&

Shadow BoxesRepairs on-site

Custom, ready-made frames MILITARY

CERTIFICATE FRAMING