Hometown St.Thomas December 2021

Hometown St.Thomas December 2021

Hometown St. Thomas December 2021 Issue 35

want to make your shopping even easier by prepacking some of these items together for you for a great gift! As the year comes to an end, Fran reflects on 2021. “Things have been challenging as a small business, but we live in an amazing community who have surrounded small businesses during this challenging time. We have a slogan here at Caps Off – Come for the beer, stay for the company. Prior to opening, we had always said that we wanted our space to be somewhere where old friends reminisce and new friends meet. We are so proud to say it has become just that! We are here to serve and want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable! Most of our regular clientele have become like family. We feel super thankful and blessed.” Speaking of family, Fran and Rick are also looking forward to a few family holiday traditions this year, such as their Italian traditional Christmas Eve dinner of various seafoods, fish and veggies but with a twist; they all gather as a family and eat it in their new Christmas PJs! Caps Off Brewing Co. is located at 168 Curtis St., St. Thomas.

Spreading Holiday Cheer at Caps Off Brewing

The holidays are here, and that means getting together with good friends and loved ones for some holiday merriment. Fran and Rick Dunseith are local experts on holiday merriment here in St. Thomas as the owners of Caps Off Brewing Co. Each year, Rick releases a holiday brew which can be enjoyed at home or in person at the brew house. “This year’s holiday drink is a honey brown called Bee in your Bonnet,” says Fran. “As you know, Rick is our brew master here at Caps Off and some of our current recipes, though tweaked a bit, come from his home brewing days. This happens to be one of them! It wasn’t called Bee in your Bonnet back then but ‘Random Fran’ had this name on her list of beer ideas and names, so it was a no brainer to team this beer up with that name!” Rick and Fran are ever the gracious hosts at Caps Off, and they invite you to stop in to enjoy a pint and check a few items off your Christmas shopping list. “Our winter patio is ready for you all,” says Fran. “As part of our winter brewery wear, we thought we would add in some Caps Off fleece blankets. This is a new addition to our usual line up of toques, and sweatshirts! Of course, we still have other items like t-shirts, glassware and tumblers, as well as stocking stuffers like Big Dog Hot sauces, branded leather keychains made by B.G. Bosch, Hip Hop soap by emkay&crew using our spent hops, beer label coasters by Stuff on Things, and the Growler Magazine which highlights Ontario breweries for your craft brewing tours. We love to work with local businesses to bring you the best quality, super fun local products.” Rick and Fran

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Stop in for fresh cranberries, squash, carrots, parsnip, potatoes and all the vegetables needed for your holiday feast!

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Page 2 Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021

The 3 Rs of Revival Studio: Revitalization, Reinvestment and Rediscovery The west end of St. Thomas welcomed a new business at the end of October called Revival Studio. This is a labour of love for husband & wife team business partners, Eric Bargenda and Ciabh McEvenue, who together left their Toronto urban corporate lifestyle back in 2018 to move to St. Thomas so they could spend more time with their family. “While working with a child welfare agency client in London, we’d sometimes take little detours to explore the surrounding area,” says Eric. “We found ourselves in St. Thomas and fell in love with the history, lore and architecture of the city. We never really thought much about leaving Toronto at all – we lived and worked downtown and our kids were very much urban creatures. One day - after what felt like constant air travel and months of “just-in-time” parenting, we drove down to St. Thomas and on the same day, with little or no real planning, bought a house we’d seen online. Once it was done, we had to see it through.”

“The shop is an eclectic mix of ‘vintage originals and original design’ items sourced, salvaged and crafted either by ourselves or other makers we admire. We carry a range of kitchen, stationery, jewelry, and home decor items as well as our own line of items and apparel inspired by St. Thomas legend and lore. We’re not an antique or vintage shop per se, but a design and gift shop with a highly curated selection of unique vintage and antique items. These are things we love and would have in our own home.”

Eric proudly adds a little historical trivia to their new location. “The Revival Studio building was originally owned by E.H. Flach, a local jeweller. As a boy, Flach allegedly absconded with one of Jumbo’s toenails following the elephant’s demise. He displayed that toenail in the window of 377 Talbot each year, on the anniversary​of Jum- bo’s death.” While Revival Studio is new, Eric says they have been made to feel very welcome. “Response from the community – as well as the business community – has been incredible. What we hear most is, ‘There’s so much to look at. There’s literally something for everyone’. The

Together, they first launched a new marketing agency called Arable Brand, “a creative agency that focuses primarily on food, culinary and agriculture brands,” says Eric. They purchased and set up the agency at 377 Talbot St. but reserved the storefront with plans on opening a retail shop. “We wanted to buy a commercial building in the west end of Talbot to encourage revitalization and reinvestment and rediscovery. Ciabh grew up in northern Ontario and knew how important retail and restaurants are to the vitality of downtown culture,” Eric continues. “If we were going to occupy an historic St. Thomas storefront and our agency clients are nearly entirely located in the GTA, it was important to us to find a way to connect with the community and invite people in.” Together they launched Revival Studio.

community and people here have embraced us from the beginning and played a huge role in encouraging us to engage and contribute to the culture of the city. We haven’t regretted it for a moment.”

Revival Studio is located at 377 Talbot St., St. Thomas.

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Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021 • Page 3

2021 Welcomes Back the Reverse Santa Claus Parade

You better not pout, you better not cry, you better not shout I am telling you why… Santa Claus is coming back to town! MPP Jeff Yurek and MP Karen Vecchio together with their friends at the St. Thomas Optimists Club have had to pull some strings with the big guy, but they were able to secure him once again for the Reverse Santa Claus Parade right here in St. Thomas. While some towns and cities have gone forward with their parades, the organizers felt this year it would be best for everyone to go with the reverse parade route again says Delany Leitch, EA for MPP Jeff Yurek. “The Optimist Club executive and parade planning committeemade the tough decision to cancel the traditional parade early in the fall based on several factors related to ongoing health and safety guidelines, outlook limitation, and timeline-related constraints. Last year’s event model was extremely successful, so they decided to partner with the MP and MPPs’ offices again to build on the 2020 event and guarantee a chance for Santa to visit regardless of the conditions by December. We are all very excited to deliver another great community experience and give back to our local charities this holiday season!” While last year’s event may not have been our traditional parade, it was widely regarded as a huge success, which this year’s group is looking to build upon says Delany. “We will be implementing additional traffic control measures based on lessons learned from last year to ensure a smooth flowof vehicles and reduce impact on city streets. First, Student Canada will be adding additional bus pickup locations throughout the city and we encourage people to consider using that option wherever

Photos Grayden Laing of Establish Media

possible and to enjoy the journey through the park by bus. We intend once again to have as many people through as possible over the three nights and the St. Thomas Fire Department and Christmas Care teams will be onsite again to collect cash, new toys, and food donations. Hopefully we can beat last year’s total of $18,000 raised and make it to $20,000!” “Visitors can expect a festive journey through Pinafore Park thanks to an impressive lineup of float hosts arranged around the first loop, with lights, sounds, and interactivity galore,” says Delany. “The theme, A Magical Christmas, inspires a wide variety of displays presented by community groups, businesses, and organizations from across St. Thomas and Elgin County. In addition to the impressive displays, trees and features throughout the park will also be lit thanks to efforts by the St. Thomas Optimist Club and other local service clubs. Upon entry, vehicles will be met by a team of volunteers who are able to quickly collect any cash, food or toy donations and keep the line rolling, and the very end of the loop features the man in red himself!

The St. Thomas Reverse Santa Claus Parade will be December 3rd-5th from 4-9pm, at Pinafore Park, 95 Elm St.

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Page 4 Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021

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Being a Good Ancestor by Julie Berry The most important question we must ask ourselves is, “Are we being good ancestors?” Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine The Strength of True Community I’m a little early for my interview with Petrusia Hontar, but she’s already here. Streamliners, St. Thomas is quiet — it’s 10:25 on a sunny Thursday morning. Petrusia’s bright red coat, knee-high patent leather boots, and long dark hair make for a striking presence. While I order a double Americano, she’s settling herself at a table in the back — comfy chairs, a low table — perfect for a nice chat. Our conversation begins with telling each other the name of the hot beverage we have chosen. “It’s a latte,” she tells me. “I don’t drink coffee.” I soon discover that coffee, a drink to stimulate creativity and boost energy, is not a requirement for this woman. In a first-year university English class, sitting in the front row of the lecture hall, she answered the roll: Petrusia Hontar. Behind her, someone called out, “Is that the same as Patricia?” The prof looked at her. “Is your name Patricia or Petrusia?” Petrusia repeated her name the way it’s meant to be pronounced. The prof leaned forward and whispered to her, “Never, ever lose your name!” Petrusia shares this memory with reverence; it’s clear she’s all about community but she deeply understands that the strength of true community is in the diversity and the strengths of each individual. We’ve all heard about thinking outside of the box. Petrusia Hontar is nowhere near the box. Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Petrusia attended Saturday Ukrainian School from grades 1 to 11; she missed out

Petrusia Hontar

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on Saturday morning cartoons but the plus side is she’s now fluent in Ukrainian, so when she visits Ukraine, the homeland of her ancestors, she’s in her element. After completing an undergrad in engineering at UWO, Petrusia went to Sweden. She reminds me of Pippi Longstocking, the fictional hero of the children’s books by Astrid Lindgren. (Pippi is unconventional and very strong — able to lift a horse with one hand.) When Petrusia heard about CIRCLE, the Centre for Innovation Research in the Learning Economy at Lund University, she knew it was perfect for her. CIRCLE’s student body consists of students from around the world, Its aim is to understand and explain how innovation can contribute to a good society and tackle societal challenges such as economic crises, climate change or the increased globalization of economic activities. She returned home with an M.Sc. in Economic History, (specialising in Immigration and Integration), and an M.Sc. in Society, Science, and Technology. Today, here in St. Thomas, Petrusia works at the YWCA. One of her hats is a chef’s cap. She teaches kids to cook. “I like kids to know where their food comes from. And I like them to know that if they’re missing an ingredient, they can just try something else that they have on hand.” She looks right at me and says, “You don’t always have to follow the recipe.” Indeed! A great way to learn resilience at any age. For more than a decade, she’s worked with the St. Thomas Local Immigration partnership, where she helps strengthen support networks for immigrants by building a welcoming, caring and inclusive community. She championed Pathways to Prosperity, a project that helps increase economic security for women, and last but definitely not least, she created Relish, a volunteer group that promotes the incredible agricultural assets that St. Thomas/ Elgin has to offer.

Why do you do the work that you do? “It brings me joy. The potential impact of supporting local food is exciting to contemplate and I love getting to know people through food – preparing it, eating it, talking about it. Building a diverse and strong community through the joys of cooking and sharing food makes me happy.” What are you reading right now? “At my desk: Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World , and Become a Good Ancestor , by Layla Saad; in my bed: The Morning and the Evening , by Ken Follett; on my night stand: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered planet , by John Green.” What are your thoughts on the future? “Although I know there is always hope and the earth is resilient, true and sustainable change cannot happen until collectively we admit and accept the interconnection of our decisions, policies, and actions. For a fruitful future, we need to remove our blinders and see our decisions in relation to a whole, and not just the problem at hand. Today more than ever, we have the potential to think beyond ourselves. We need to give ourselves permission to consider the us instead of the me.”

Hometown St. Thomas December 2021 Cover It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, cover photo taken at Canadale Nursery of their Christmas display. Photo by Geoff Rae

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Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021 • Page 7

Your Own Personal Oasis for Beads, Crystals and More

St. Thomas and area is filled with so many local business owners who started off with a bead of a dream and through their passion and hard work have grown into full blown success stories. This month we feature another one of these stories, the tale of Lynn Bisschop and her store, Oasis Beads. “We moved to this area 20 years ago with the intention of opening a Hosta nursery,” says Lynn. "We did that successfully for 17 years and during that time I started making jewelry. I sold my creations for a time at The Village Collective in Sparta. In 2015, I registered the business that is now Oasis Beads so that I could sell my creations on a broader scale. In 2016, I tested the market in the back room of our nursery. Encouraged by the feedback, I opened a store in downtown St. Thomas in the fall of 2016. A year later, I moved the store to Elgin Centre.” Oasis Beads is best known for its wide selection of beading supplies which Lynn has grown over the years. However, in the past few years, another avenue of Lynn’s business has started to grow significantly. “We have a large selection of rough and tumbled crystals, gemstones, and minerals as well as carvings in these materials,” says Lynn. “Our crystals and stones comprise about 50% of our business. I source them from all over the world, from very reputable sources. These crystals emit energies that are healing with positive energies that all of us need right now. Humans have been using crystals in healing for thousands of years and in the last several years, people have felt the need to become more in touch with these energies. I have heard from so many of our customers of the positive results from bringing crystals and gemstones into their lives. This is something that is always needed, and perhaps more so now in our current climate. They are also very beautiful and a wonderful natural addition to our homes.”

and/or repair to your specifications,” says Lynn, who also points out that she offers stainless steel chains and findings which are a hypoallergenic option to sterling silver and do not tarnish. Oasis Beads has grown significantly from when Lynn first began making jewellery and selling beads from her shed to her third location in the Elgin Centre, which Lynn says is now her forever home. It is amazing to see all the success her hard work has earned her. Make sure to stop in and see all the amazing beads, jeweller- making materials, gems and crystals Oasis Beads has to offer. Plus, while you are there you can once again sign up for a class! Oasis Beads is located in the Elgin Centre (formc the Elgin Mall), located at 417 Wellington St.

PEACE, LOVE & GREAT HAIR merry christmas

A hidden gem that Lynn offers customer is jewellery design and repair. “I find that most people hear about it via word of mouth, which is the best advertisement that we could ask for. We work with you to design

574 Talbot St., St. Thomas • 519-207-0777 227 Colborne St. Port Stanley • 519-658-1800 book online at www.angrybearbarbershop.ca

Celebrate Christmas with a beautiful bouquet of festive flowers and make a cheerful addition to any home. 175 Sunset Drive St. Thomas’ local florist since 1995 Fellows Fernlea Flowers for a memorable gift that will last far beyond the season!

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Page 8 Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021

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Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021 • Page 9

Popnotch is Top Notch! Back in November of 2020, St. Thomas was blessed with a new snack food haven called Snack City Popnotch. When you enter the store, you are immediately hit with the tantalizing aroma of popcorn being popped, and that is because Snack City Popnotch offers over 55 different flavours of popcorn from buttered to several varieties of pickle flavours (I highly recommend you try the Moose Tracks popcorn). However, Snack City Popnotch is far more than just popcorn; they also have a huge selection of candies, candy apples, designer pop, cotton candy, funnel cakes and their new funnel cake donuts. “They're the size of a regular donut,” says owner, Terry Dueck, “But it's all funnel cake batter with a little seasoning and we make our own glaze. They have gone over huge.” Terry started the businesses as he, like so many other business owners, had to pivot due to COVID. Terry had been running a successful concession business at the Budweiser Gardens as well as working for a wholesale food supplier. “With COVID, both my job and my business were shut down fast,” says Terry, who had also sold popcorn at Pinafore Park for the St. Thomas Canada Day celebrations. “We figured; you know what, it's a food item, it's consumable, we have the equipment to do most of the stuff we need, so let's try this. November 19, 2020 was our

Terry Dueck

opening day and since we first opened we have received a good response from the community. That support helped us to expand our products, from popcorn to funnel cakes to a bunch of different flavors of popcorn. Now we're getting into a lot of fundraisers.” While the fundraising side is new for Terry and his team, they have already worked with some local schools, figure skating and hockey teams and some bigger fundraisers like the United Way and the OPP across south-western Ontario. Terry says that his most popular flavours of popcorn are his traditional caramel corn for those who like it sweet, and for those who like a more savoury flavour, he says his dill pickle flavours have been extremely popular. If you are looking to try something more on the wild side, Terry suggests their fire and ice flavour. “It’s Frank's Red Hot infused into the caramel corn. It gives you that heat sweet. Another item that has done very well is our Chicago Crunch, where we've taken round cheese balls and covered them in caramel.” Over this past, year Terry and his team have experimented with different flavours but find some of their top sellers have come from their customers. “One of our customers asked us to mix some of our flavours together for them and, as we were doing so, other customers asked about it and now it is one of our regular flavours. It is salt, vinegar, dill pickle and cheddar dill all mixed together.” Whether you are looking for the perfect snack for a family movie night or shopping for Christmas, Snack City Popnotch will have something that everyone will love. Snack City Popnotch is located at 258 Edward St. St. Thomas.

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Page 10 Hometown St. Thomas • December 2021