You can’t miss the sign for the new YAARDSALE business as you cross the bridge coming into Meaford.  It’s bold, bright letters beam out from this corner location and have surely caused more than one person to wonder if there is a spelling mistake.  There is not.

Yaardsale in the newest store in the area selling consignment home furnishings.  With decent quality and clean pieces, this is no yardsale junk shop but rather, a perfect alternative for those looking to buy quality furnishings at affordable prices.

Every time we buy something new, chances are that natural resources were depleted in it’s making, not to mention carbon emissions.  Buying used goods is a wonderful way to recycle and reuse things that are in perfectly great condition and often unique and of better quality than some of the stuff I see in warehouses today.

On Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that over 100 shoppers ventured in for opening day and sales were brisk.  Dining sets, end tables, beds, pictures, mirrors and dressers offered a good choice of selection which is not bad for a store that just opened.  I noticed quite a few people talking to proprietor, Wayne Cole about items they’d like to bring in for him to sell.  I imagine the inventory will increase in the weeks to come.

Yaardsale has just launched a website featuring the main pieces for sale as well musings from Mr. Cole called, appropriately, ColesLaw.   Store hours are Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 pm, Saturday 10-6 and Sundays by chance.

For the last-minute shoppers, I thought it might be helpful to give you a bunch of ideas so you can wrap things up and settle down with a cup of cocoa by tonight.  There are plenty of shopping options right here in South Georgian Bay with no need to go far:

How about a coupon for knitting classes or, some Fair Trade Coffees or Teas or, unique baubles or maybe a fresh flower arrangement for the table?  You can find them all in Collingwood.  The Downtown BIA website has even put together a handy list of affordable gift ideas that are sure to inspire you at least a little.  While you are visiting the site, have a look at the slide presentation explaining the downtown revitalization project.

For stocking stuffers, the best dollar store in the area has to be in Wasaga Beach and the Giant Tiger store has plenty of options too.  For a big ticket item, how about an electric bike?  

Oo-la-la, you can find some gorgeous French bath products, delectable chocolates, fancy sunglasses and even a gift for Rover in one of the 25 or so shops at the Village at Blue.

You can swoon over sweet treats, one-of-a-kind art works, rare books or pick up a designer scarf in some of Thornbury’s 60 unique shops and boutiques.

While you are “out west,” don’t forget to drop in and see Meaford’s lovely new downtown with over 55 shops.  You can find everything from candles and jewelry to collectibles and toys.  There are also about 28 restaurants or café’s where you can power up for the rest of your journey.

Stayner’s downtown is more than just a place to drive through.  I LOVE dropping in to the Hardware store on the south side where time seems to have stood still.  Then of course there is Billy Hill Pine for reasonably priced home accents or, Aardens Chocolates where I highly recommend the hand-rolled and creamy truffles!

Christmas just doesn’t seem complete with heading down to the enchanting village of Creemore where you can pick up exquisite sculpture, a case of Creemore Springs,  a gorgeous Gift Basket from the 100 mile market store or even buy a family pass to an old fashioned arcade.

For the environmentally conscious, there are many options that now exist.  How about some earth-friendly grooming products from the Environment Network Shoppe? The active person on your list would covet a SIGG Water Bottle from EcoInhabit in Meaford.  For the writer, may I suggest some Elephant Poo Paper from the Elephant Thoughts Science Store on Country Road 124 in Nottawa?  This also has to be the best place to find unusual stocking stuffers such as chocolate covered bugs, tree=growing kits, wooden airplanes and fake snow.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the ShopCity online sites for lots of ideas.  Just type in the town name first… http://www.shopcollingwood.com/  or www.ShopThornbury.com and so on.  Please, shop local today and every day.

One of my favourite places to shop in Collingwood is at Too Good To Be Through in the Balsam Street plaza opposite Montana’s and Canadian Tire in Collingwood’s west end.   This store opened in 2003 and offers gently used and quality home furnishings on a consignment basis with a constantly changing inventory.

I once read an article about buying used that explained how it was good for the environment.  Not only have pieces of used furniture been around long enough that there is no off-gassing but better still, we are saving them from landfills and re-using perfectly good materials.  Every time we buy new, we are using more resources and adding to environmental stress on many levels.  There is no packaging involved.  No trees cut down.  It made sense to me and altered the way I think about my consumer habits.

At To Good To Be Through, I’ve found a magnificent off-white couch, sturdy end tables, art and lamps.  It’s like a little treasure hunt every three weeks or so and I can’t resist.  I’ve seen brass hammered vessel sinks, silk pillows, zebra print chairs and silk carpets.   It’s fun to see what’s in store and a great place to furnish your first home, your last home, cottage or chalet.

When was the last time you saw someone spinning wool?

On Saturday, October 10th, you can do just that as a dozen or so spinners create yarns like magic in a front porch demo during the Grand Opening of the Grey Heron Wool Shop located at 66 Pine Street in downtown Collingwood.

It was my pleasure to work with proprietor Karin Farmillo is relocating her business to this location a couple of months ago.  Karin is a dynamo full of positive energy and exciting ideas making her a very welcome addition to Collingwood’s business community.  Grey Herons is both a natural clothing store and an all-natural wool shop.  They carry gorgeous and unique clothing in size 12-24 as well as accessories such Amber jewellery,  hand-painted silk scarves, Irish wool walking socks, Danish felt slippers, and a Grey Heron hand knit accessory line.

The new wool shop feature has already proven to be a huge hit as knitting classes, clubs and knit cafes are filling up fast and her product lines are already in high demand.

The “Duelling Spinners” will work their craft all day on the 10th.  See you there.

The debate about the value of heritage preservation of buildings continues in many communities and Collingwood is no exception.  While we readily sent old buildings off to landfill sites over the past decades, the tide shifted in recent years toward preserving these landmarks.  Collingwood’s downtown is an official Heritage District and is considered one of the finest in the country.

As I reported back in May of this year,  one of these buildings is the old Tremont Hotel downtown and next door to the new Library being built.  It’s been amazing to watch the transformation taking place as the owners, both strong heritage advocates, uncover the old and bring it back to life.  Many people in town are commenting on the “good job” being done and I think all are somewhat fascinated by the almost surreal step back in time as the original facade is exposed.

In an email from owners Rick and Anke Lex, they said:

• Completion should be summer of 2010
• Most of the exterior restoration (brick, parapets and cresting, new heritage appropriate windows etc.) should be complete before this winter.
• The paint removal process is mostly complete and attention will now turn to brick cleaning. (should take a few more weeks)
• They now have a website (work in progress)

If you are in the area, go take a look for yourself at both the Tremont and the new Library building now taking shape.  There are some other interesting developments taking place downtown and more to come such as the newly approved revitalization plan but more on that later.  The downtown just keeps getting better.

You know a Federal election is nearing when the local MP comes to town handing out cheques.  While some of us may not be too keen on going to the polls yet again, it’s still awfully nice to see higher levels of government inject some cash into financially-strapped municipalities that are continually having to  juggle property tax dollars.

Such was the case on September 10th when Simcoe Grey MP, Helene Guergis handed the Town of Collingwood a cheque for $1.5 million from the Community Adjustment Fund toward water and sewer infrastructure costs for the new Eden Oak Industrial Park to be developed on Poplar Side Road.

Every community wants to expand it’s employment base and for Collingwood, the proposed new 136-acre park is sure to attract new opportunities for job creation to the area.  According to the Economic Development department, over 37% of Collingwood’s labour force comes from outside of the town so this is good news for all area communities as well.  In addition, the presence of new industries in the area, will improve the tax base captured outside of the residential market which is good news for homeowners as well.

It is now hoped that these funds will be able to speed up the towns work on bringing servicing to the site resulting in a first phase of 50 acres being ready by next spring.  With this funding announcement combined with the developers contribution to the costs, taxpayers will shoulder only about $100,000 in expenses.  Not a bad deal if you ask me.

On the matter of jobs, I’ve noticed a distinct increase in the number of job vacancies being advertised in the area.  Many are entry level or low-paying jobs but some are not.  Hopefully the new industrial park will attract upstart, high-tech, knowledge based, clean industries with fair-wage jobs to replace the many lost in our community over the last decade or so.  Meanwhile, self-employment continues to be a major sector of the local economies as the population continues to grow and opportunities are numerous.

Named the “Best Hotdog in Canada”  by Reader’s Digest in 2007, the Buddha Dog  folks have recently opened their third location at 48 Pine Street here in Collingwood.

Friends Andrew Hunter and Andrew Mackenzie opened their first location in Picton in 2005 and then in 2007, they opened a second location in Toronto.  The newest location here in Collingwood is being managed by Mackenzie’s mother, Donna Peacock.

According to an article I read, the concept is for a “forward-thinking restaurant, believing that the area would support and benefit from a movement called “slow food” that aims to preserve the cultural cuisine and associated food plants, domestic animals and farming within an eco-region.”

When I was in for lunch recently, Donna explained to me that all of their foods are locally sourced.  The hot dogs (little mini 3 or 4” ones) come from Stayner Meat Packers.  The delicious buns come from the Thornbury Bakery, cheese from Dags and Willow while the sauces come from several local sources.  There is a blackboard on the wall showing some of the supplier locations and other vendors with similar slow-food or organic philosophies.

Ordering lunch is quite simple.  You choose the number of dogs you’d like, choose your cheeses and choose your sauce.  I had one with a home-made peach chutney and herbed cheese that was divine.  They also serve salads, crepes, ice cream and the yummiest butter tarts all at very reasonable prices.

The location is easy to find on the west side of Pine Street beside the cheese shop across from the Loblaws parking lot.  I have to say the signage is not great but look for the Buddha Dog logo.  Hours are Sunday 11- 4 and Monday through Saturday from 11-7.  Be sure to tell them that Marg sent you!

On a recent art studio tour, my hubby John and I wandered up to the beautiful Pretty River Valley about 10 minutes south of Collingwood.  The Valley is tucked into the Niagara Escarpment amid thousands of acres of parkland, streams, hills and breathtaking views.  Lo and behold, what did we see?  Reindeer!

It would seem that Santa is taking a summer vacation at the eco-friendly Pretty River Valley Country Inn and who could blame him?  It’s a wonderful place to escape from the city or the North Pole.

Until it was featured in a clip on Canadian Idol last year, Paula’s Pantry has been one of Collingwood’s best kept secrets.

“Paula’s” as we like to call it, is located in a very non-descript, little building outside of the commercial area.  When you walk in the door, the smell of fresh baking would make any mouth water.  It really does feel like walking into Mom’s kitchen with its down home atmosphere that is entirely free of any pretense.

At Paula’s, it’s easy to have lunch for under $5.00.  Sandwiches are made to order on hand-cut, fresh baked bread with basic offerings such as roast beef, egg or chicken salad, veggie, cheese or tuna.  Homemade soup is always on offer and there is a daily special sandwich that could range from minced meat salad to meatball.  But, it’s the cookies.  Oh those cookies!  Just ask Ben Mulroney.  Or the CTV camera crew who couldn’t get enough when they came by to film Paula’s last year.

Cookies are baked fresh daily and the case is always empty by the end of the day.  Chocolate chip, oatmeal, seasonal favourites – everyone is truly like Gramma used to make.  The dessert squares are entirely irresistable.  The bakeshop area also offers homemade loaves, squares and biscuits to go.

Paula makes cakes for weddings, birthday, anniversaries or any special occasion.  They have a large selection of novelty pans and you can bring in a picture of what you like and they’ll recreate it for you.  You can even rent one of their unique pans if you want to try your hand at home. 

Rounding out the pantry is a small gift shop of country giftware, local crafts and homey goodies.

Started more than two and half decades ago by three sisters, Paula’s Pantry continues to be a local tradition and much-loved community treasure.  It’s located right at the corner of Hurontario and Eighth Streets a few blocks south of the downtown core.

We often talk about our desire to “go green” but outside of replacing fluorescent light bulbs and using organic garbage bins, I’m not sure some people really have been able to translate their desires into concrete action.  I’ve been thinking about this a great deal lately as we try to develop our own green plan here in our home.

A few weeks ago, it was a real treat for me to visit my clients, Dr and Dr Vecchio at their Inner Harmony Chiropractic Clinic and to see a green commitment in action.  You may recall from earlier posts  that Dave and Melissa have a special touch when it comes to renovating and, they’ve done it once again.

When they bought this building last year, it had been home to a lovely older couple for many, many years.  The Vecchio’s could envision modifying the property into a live/work space with a longer term view of an exclusively commercial space.  They brought in Paulette Clement who has a master’s degree and many years of experience in the area of Feng Shui as well as a professional design background.  I have to say it was fascinating to hear her thoughts and really in hindsight, they were spot on.

Since then, the Vecchio’s have done a marvellous renovation that has been 90% green.  Here are some examples of what they did:

•  Purchased materials from the Habitat for Humanity Restore in order to recycle and reuse wherever possible.  They found things like tiles, wood, mirrors and old doors that could be put to reuse
• All paints and finishes are low VOC including the floor stain which is a non-toxic, water-based formulation made by SamaN.
•  I found the unique, textured  finish on the reception area walls of particular interest.  Made from American clay, it comes in a powder from eco Inhabit in Meaford.
• Most windows were replaced with Energy Star approved windows
• They used natural slate in the entry and bathrooms while the old existing hardwood floors were refinished with low VOC, water-based stain.
• The unique reception area bench was made with wood reclaimed from an old park bench and old doors!
• A half wall made of natural stone product separates the waiting area from the clinical area allowing light and air to flow freely through-out
• The reception desk was reused from another business
• All of the original wood trim was salvaged

“Meet” Melissa in this quick 1 minute video: