by Morri Mostow
Last Chance to Buy a Going Concern!
It’s the 11th hour for La Poire Dorée (The Golden Pear). Unless a buyer can be found soon, this 12-year-old Knowlton institution will shut its doors for good by the end of March, when its lease expires.
La Poire Dorée, the only natural food shop between Sutton and Granby, has been run as a family business by owners Marg Rosevear and her mother, June, with assistance by her father, John. “I’ve really enjoyed having the store and meeting all kinds of wonderful people in the community,” says Marg, “but it’s time to move on and do other things.”
With its custom-made wooden bins, racks and shelves, this 800-sq.-ft. shop (600 sq. ft. of selling space plus 200 sq. ft. of storage) exudes the warmth and coziness of an old-style country store. It has built up a loyal clientele from all walks of life, both young and old, who depend on it for the kinds of products simply not available anywhere else in the area. It carries a large selection of gluten-free products for people with wheat allergies; a wide variety whole grains like quinoa, kamut, kasha and millet, and scores of different beans — all available in bulk so that customers can purchase whatever quantities they need — sushi fixings like short-grained rice, wasabi and nori; soy products like tempeh and tofu; and even St. Viateur’s bagels from Montreal. The shop also makes a point of sourcing from small local suppliers for such products as apple cider vinegar, goat’s milk soap, maple syrup and honey. Baked goods from the Abercorn Bakery arrive twice a week; Vanha's Village Fish Market in Sutton delivers sushi on Fridays.
“We would really like to see someone take over the store so it can continue to serve the community,” says Marg Rosevear. “Our customers are upset that we are closing.”
Any buyer will get a great deal. The owners are willing to sell the business for the value of the remaining inventory plus equipment, which includes a scale, several freezers and all the wooden shelving and bins.
So, if you’re interested in a buying a turnkey operation with a loyal and established customer base, act now!
Contact Marg Rosevear at La Poire Dorée, 242 Knowlton Road, Knowlton. Tel: (450) 242-1144. Open Mondays to Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Thursdays to Saturdays, from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., until the end of March.
Cedric’s Pub becomes Bistro Frostys
Cedric’s Pub has gotten a new lease on life after a turbulent few years with several changes of management. In January, Larry Norton and wife Angela Pieracini became the pub’s new owners, renaming it Bistro Frostys.
“It was time for a makeover,” explain the Nortons, who have been regulars at the popular watering hole since moving back to Knowlton in the mid-90s. “Our goal is to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable meeting and socializing, just like in the old days. Since we’ve gotten involved, we’re gratified to see that the original clientele is starting to return.”
Norton, a businessman in the rubber industry, is originally from Knowlton but spent several years in Ontario. Pieracini, who hails from Ohio, is the pub’s general manager.
The Karaoke tradition will continue on the first Friday of every month. Once a month, the owners will also bring in live music for listening and dancing.
In the next few months, patrons will see the interior spruced up. Walls will be repainted; the bar top and floors, refinished. In March, the kitchen will reopen to serve appetizers (like chicken wings, chicken fingers, nachos, etc.). The kitchen should be fully operational by the Victoria Day long weekend, when Frostys will start opening for lunch with a menu of specialty sandwiches, soups and salads.
Bistro Frostys, 51 Lakeside Road, Knowlton. Open seven days a week from 4 p.m. to closing. Tel. (450) 242-2929.
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Disparate styles on display at ArtsSutton Gallery until Feb. 24
There are only a few days left to view an exhibit by two female artists with contrasting artistic visions. “Though they use different media and have vastly different styles, their work is very personal and accomplished,” says Louise de Blois Coutu, the artistic director at ArtsSutton Gallery.
Pamela Mahon’s large, bold abstract canvases exploit light and colour. Mahon, who studied and lived in Spain for many years, now lives in Sutton.
Vanessa Yanow transforms rusty old tools into art objects. She has painted photo-realistic images of old tools onto sheets of rusty scrap metal and encapsulated old tools, like gardening snips, drills, and saws, into slumped glass.
Yanow was recently hailed in The Mirror as one of the experimental young artists “making a noise” in Montreal. While her studio is in Park Extension, Yannow spends most of her summers in Abercorn. She is very attached to the Townships, where she found all the recycled tools and metal that she used in this exhibit.
The show closes on Feb. 24.
ArtsSutton Gallery, at 7
Academy Road, Sutton, is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and
on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tel.: (450) 538-2563