Cathy Dobson The countdown was on last week as Stuart Manchee and a crew of friends and tradesmen worked furiously to complete renovations for the Nov. 20 grand reopening of The Station Music Hall. “I wanted to rebrand to make it my own,” said Manchee, 30. In June, he bought the former Rustic, also known… Read more »
Cathy Dobson Melissa Maness’ original plan for her new organic food business was to sell strictly online. “But I got so much feedback from customers, family and friends that they wanted in-store shopping, that I decided to have a store too,” she said. “And the big surprise to me is the number of people who… Read more »
Cathy Dobson There was a time when Sarnians looking for the closest Best Buy to buy electronics headed across the border. Now the tables are turned. With a new Best Buy here, U.S. licence plates frequently fill the parking lot at the Exmouth Street store, says general manager Russell Clark. “To be honest, we don’t… Read more »
Cathy Dobson A local couple says they couldn’t have predicted the success of their seasonal Halloween store. “Our Sarnia location is the number one Halloween Alley store in Ontario,” says dealer/operator Peter Kyte. “It’s been fabulous from the moment we opened the doors Sept. 9.” Kyte and partner Shelley Wise operate Halloween Alley locations… Read more »
Cathy Dobson Sahar Nasr, owner of a new business called Math Plus Tutors, apologizes as our interview starts because a workman is installing a fire alarm for the deaf that comes equipped with a strobe light. It’s a small interruption as Nasr makes improvements to her offices on the ground floor at 805 Christina St…. Read more »
Cathy Dobson A $4-million reconstruction of Bailey Toyota on Confed makes the entire dealership feel like the pristine interior of a new car. It’s sleek, spotless and roomy. “A lot of the investment was to make it more comfortable and convenient for our customers,” says President Brian Bailey. “For our staff, it’s a better layout,… Read more »
Cathy Dobson Four local businesses have collaborated to make downtown’s historic Taylor’s Furniture building a going concern again. Taylor’s, an enormous three-storey retail landmark, was built in the 1920s as a grocery and liquor store and was the scene of the infamous shooting of bank robber Red Ryan. The Taylor family opened their furniture store… Read more »
Cathy Dobson Totally Game Meat has opened in downtown Sarnia and is believed to be the only Ontario retailer selling non-traditional meats and poultry. Numerous suppliers sell bison, elk, wild boar and other products, and some are available at farmers’ markets, but Megan and Diane Hadley say their shop is the only retail outlet for… Read more »
Cathy Dobson Looking for an escape? A new Sarnia business literally has the answer. Sarnia Escape opened this month and is already turning away business on weekend nights. The gluten-free café on the corner of Devine and Indian Road, not only offers board games for the entire family, but has also introduced escape room entertainment to the… Read more »
Cathy Dobson When she was pregnant, Heather Lapier had every intention of resuming her job as vice president of a local marketing firm when the maternity leave ended. “I thought I’d go back to work when Luke was six months old,” said the first-time mom. “But when he was three months old I started to… Read more »
