by Morri Mostow
Knowlton Pub Goes Oriental on Thursday!
And that’s not all…
Tomorrow, patrons choosing the Thursday special ($12.99) at the Knowlton Pub will be in for an
agreeable surprise. The three-course table d’hôte will feature an authentic Chinese menu prepared by chef
Mei Chin. (Mei, also known as Monica, and her husband used to own the former Chin’s
restaurant in Knowlton). The Pub will offer Mei’s Chinese cuisine every third
Thursday beginning tomorrow.
Now recovered from
a successful New Year’s Eve bash, when 450 customers celebrated on the Pub’s two
levels, the new owners have lots more planned for this Knowlton landmark.
The talented Ralph
Steiner sings solo every second Friday evening (next appearance January 25), alternating
with Cowansville disk jockey Jean-François, who plays golden oldies.
“Fridays are designed to appeal to a more mature audience, who enjoy our 12-oz. rib steak special ($13.50) and stay to listen or dance to music that appeals to them,” says co-owner Christine Mather. “We keep the volume down compared to Saturday nights, when a younger crowd comes to boogey!”
During February, the daily specials on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be on promotion: the second of two meals will be half price. Valentine’s Day will feature a special menu just for couples. Two days later, on February 16, Ralph Steiner and his band, The Flyers, are sure to be a hit with all age groups. St. Patrick’s Day, in March, has always been celebrated in style at the Pub, and this year will be no exception.
The Knowlton Pub is located at
267 Knowlton Road, Knowlton. Tel: (450) 242-6862. The complete Pub menu and specials are
posted at www.knowltonpub.com/menu.htm
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Taking a giant leap into the 21st century, England Hill now has a website and is about to launch the first issue of an e-mail newsletter to its customers. Customers provided their e-mail addresses when they entered a December prize draw for a $50 gift certificate redeemable at any of the three England Hill boutiques in downtown Knowlton. The winner was Sophie Masseau of Lacolle, Quebec.
“We’re very excited about using the Internet to communicate regularly with our customers and gain wider exposure for our boutiques,” says Jean McLeod, who owns and operates England Hill Heritage, England Hill Cuisine and England Hill Textiles with her mother, Audrey McLeod.
The England Hill e-mail newsletter will keep subscribers informed about the latest items in the stores and also offer them exclusive promotions. Anyone can subscribe to the e-mail newsletter on the England Hill website, which has a “subscribe” box at the bottom of every page (except the home page).
England Hill is online at www.englandhill.com. The three England Hill
boutiques are located at 30 and 104 Lakeside, in downtown Knowlton.
***
Suzanne Demers has become the third owner of one the first framing businesses in Brome County. Bob Quilliams, who started the business and operated it for more than 20 years, trained Toni Bos, who took over his business almost four years ago. When Bos became a new mother last summer, she decided she had her hands full. She trained and then sold the business to Suzanne Demers, who set up a workshop in the lower level of her home in the Glen last August. Demers has had a steady flow of business ever since.
Demers is a true artisan, handling all aspects of the job herself, from frame and glass cutting to matting, gluing, and mounting. “I enjoy the artistic aspect of framing,” says Demers. “It has become a passion.”
A West Bolton native who returned 10 years ago after a career that took her across Canada with the Royal Bank and ended at the Vancouver Stock Exchange, Demers is well known in the area. She worked with the public for more than seven years at Rowlands Antiques in dowtown Knowlton, refinishing and restoring antique furniture, until the owners closed their store last year. (The premises were taken over by the designer clothing shop, Hurricane Grace.)
People can also find Demers three days a week behind the counter of La Poire Dorée, a health food shop in downtown Knowlton. A cat lover, she is an active volunteer with the Frontier Animal Society, which sponsors affordable spay and neutering clinics for cats.
To make an appointment for custom framing, call Suzanne Demers at
(450) 243-5341.
***
Liquidation Marvin is open for business this winter for the first time in the Knowlton shop’s three-year history. When semi-retired owner Marvin Ettinger heads south for the winter in the fall, he usually closes his bargain-basement clothing and antique shop until spring. But not this year. Two close friends, Margaret Farr and Carol Krainyk, both self-employed businesswomen, are running the store for Ettinger until his return.
Liquidation Marvin stocks factory-outlet clothing for women and children at prices ranging from $5 to $25. Of special interest in the antiques section are Tiffany glass pieces handcrafted by a local artisan: smaller, decorative window pendants are priced from $25; larger, framed pictures, from $250.
Farr is the owner of Custom Plans, a Sutton home renovation and interior design company. Krainyk owns and operates C.K.’s Income Tax Service, in Knowlton. Ettinger is expected back in his basement shop in March or April.
Liquidation Marvin, in the
basement of 305 Knowlton Road (directly across from the Knowlton Post Office). Open
Thursday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.