by Brandon Mayer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A small, Winchester-owned store is set to start the next chapter of its journey when it moves to Kemptville in the near future. Country Treasures is a small business currently located inside of Winchester’s BMR hardware store. The store sells gift ware and home décor items, with something to suit most tastes – the theme of the store can generally be described as “farmhouse”, or “country rustic”. The store also features seasonal sections, such as those set up for Christmas and Easter, and other themed areas, such as a gardening section.
Co-owner, Trish Boje, told the Times that the reason she and her husband Ken, who live in Chesterville, are moving the store is that they have sold the Winchester BMR and have retired from the hardware business, but are not quite ready to retire altogether. They have been operating their Winchester store for 17 years, and have worked hard to grow their business over that time. Their daughter will also be joining them in the new Kemptville location, and she will be in charge of the new online shopping platform which will offer in-store pick up, local delivery, and shipping anywhere in Canada.
“We’re really excited to come to Kemptville,” said Trish. “It will be something completely different for us. We anticipate that it will be busier, just because the population base is so much larger than here.”
Trish does not know of any stores currently in Kemptville that offer the same range of products offered by Country Treasures, and so she knows that the store will be a great addition to the local shopping market in town. She is still anticipating seeing many of her North Dundas customers after the move, and she joked about telling them to grab a coffee and hop onto Highway 43 to visit the new store.
Though the opening of the store is much-anticipated, Trish does not yet have a guaranteed opening date, because they are still waiting for one more permit to complete a final renovation. The new store will be about the same size as the current Country Treasures space within the Winchester BMR, except that the layout will be different, and, hopefully, even more appealing to shoppers.
Trish’s best estimate of an opening date for the new location is the end of March, though it will depend on how everything goes with the final renovations and the move. The new location of Country Treasures will be located in the Kemptville Mall, near the Independent grocery store.