PetSmart's Grand Opening In Peterborough Is June 1st

On June 1st, PetSmart Canada opens its doors to pets and pet parents in the area at 898 Monaghan Road (Monaghan & Lansdowne St W).

To celebrate, the new store will be hosting a grand opening event at the new 13,740 square foot store with prizes and a cheque presentation to a local adoption agency.  

The store will work with local animal welfare organizations including Peterborough Humane Society and Lakefield Animal Welfare Society to help find loving, forever homes for the area's homeless pets.  

According to a release, PetSmart's products range from the necessary to the fun, including, complete nutritional care for all ages and breeds of dogs and cats, the latest toys for summer play and lifejackets for those on their way to the dock this year.  The new store will also offer PetSmart grooming and training services.

For the first fifty customers in the door by 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 1st and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 2nd, you will receive a PetSmart gift card with a mystery value up to $50. You can also register to win a year’s supply of Nutro pet food, a 16G iPad Mini courtesy of Royal Canin, free PetSmart grooming services or dog training classes.

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DBIA Featured Post: Art School Of Peterborough

Tucked away in Charlotte Mews in our downtown is the ever popular Art School of Peterborough (178A Charlotte St.). This not-for-profit organization is run by Director Jenni Johnston and has been in operation for 19 years now, opening in Lakefield and moving to its current location shortly after.

Upon entering and discovering its multi-level facility, you realize how much happens inside its bustling walls. From oil painting and water colour to photography, pottery and fused-glass making, this school has something for everyone with a creative spirit. If you’re a fan of the movie Ghost, you'll be happy to know that they offer Pottery Date Nights which are very popular!

Fun at art campThe school operates year round, and offers everything from 1 and 2 day short courses to 8 week classes. One of its biggest hits throughout the year is the offering of camps for children aged 6 to 12.

These camps are week long experiences with a variety of themes geared towards opening the eyes of youngsters to the world of art. Spaces are limited so registering early is recommended.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Art School is having an "Art Market in the Mews" on June 15th. This birthday celebration is being held with kid’s crafts, face painting, popcorn, and a birthday cake to celebrate with! This happens on the same day as the Taste of Downtown Celebration. On June 8th, the School is having its “Stories” art auction from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., which is another great event.

The school gladly offers bursaries, and has annual fundraisers—in November with its Art Auction, and in February with its Art-a-Thon. Being a not-for-profit, it is always looking for volunteers to assist in its classes and has found this to be popular amongst high school aged students looking to complete their volunteer hours.

If you haven’t discovered the Art School of Peterborough, now is the time! They continue to add to their class options and have something for everyone!

For more on the Art School of Peterborough (178A Charlotte St.), go to:

Call: 705-742-3221
Website: Artschoolptbo.org
Twitter: @artschoolofPtbo
Facebook page

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

Reggie's Now Has A Patio, Wi-Fi, Gluten-Free Buns & More

There have been a few changes at Reggie's Hot Grill lately...

• Now owned by East City Bakery, Reggie's now sells a sampling of the bakery's baked goods and the buns are from their ovens as well.
• You can upgrade your hamburger buns to gluten-free for $2.
• There is Wi-Fi for your web surfing pleasure
• You can now call them to place your order! (705) 874-1471
• There is a patio with four tables set up at the rear of the building

You can visit Reggie's at 89 Hunter Street East, check out their hours, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.

DBIA Featured Post: The Pasta Shop

Located just on the edge of downtown Peterborough at 165 Sherbrooke St, the Pasta Shop is a hidden gem that needs to be discovered!

Locally owned and operated by "Pasta" Paul and "Saucy" Sue Leroux, the shop is in its 8th year of business. The Pasta Shop is exactly what it says it is—a Pasta Shop! It offers up to 80 different dishes that are ready for you to take home and enjoy. From fresh to frozen, this store is an Italian food lovers dream. Locally sourced poultry, eggs, and beef dominate the menu and help keep the feeling of community very much alive within its walls!

The shop is open 5 days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday and you will almost always find Paul in the back working away and Sue up front. They aim to be a "homemade with lots of love" type of experience. You can see the passion they have for what they offer in everything they create. This passion can also be experienced at downtown restaurants as The Pasta Shop is an important supplier to many.

As a smaller venue, they depend a lot on word of mouth and have been serving many of the same loyal customers for years. People come regularly from as far as Toronto and Ottawa to take advantage of what they have to offer as an alternative from the big city selection.

Paul and Sue absolutely love Peterborough and its downtown community. From its rivers and lakes to restaurants and entertainment venues, they think this city has everything to offer.

If you haven't been to The Pasta Shop yet, you're most certainly missing out!

For more on The Pasta Shop (165 Sherbrooke St.), go to:

Phone: 705.745.6080
@thepastashop1 on Twitter
Facebook page

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

PTBOPics & Coverage: Canoe Museum Town Hall Meeting

There was a great turnout for the Town Hall meeting at the Canadian Canoe Museum last night (May 8th). James Raffan (Executive Director) introduced us to Jon Linton from TCI Management Consultants, whose team will be spearheading this redevelopment in conjunction with Reich & Petch (who have worked with museums in the past such as the Royal Ontario Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and the Ontario Science Centre); the Architects and Designers; and KCI International (they've already completed successful fundraising efforts here in Peterborough), who will be crafting the fundraising strategy.

Jon Linton mentioned that they were hoping to engage as many people as possible with this study, to help develop the roadmap. By setting five benchmarks, they believe the Museum will prosper...

1. Location (visibility, accessibility, etc)
2. Good building design
3. Exhibits and programming (they believe each year a new program should be introduced to bring people to the museum)
4. Economic engine (they would like to pitch the museum as a driving force for Peterborough growth)
5. Loyal constituency (membership drive, etc)

The roadmap is as follows: They hope to complete the study by July 2013, which means the board can approve/decline in October; a Business Plan and Schematic Design will be drafted by January 2014; a fundraising campaign can run from March to December of 2014; construction will be from January 2014 to May 2017; and the Grand Opening is estimated to be July 1, 2017.

TCI is hoping to grow the museum on a national level, and attributes the popularity thanks to community pride and the fact that it is a hidden gem. If it is indeed built downtown, it could be a catalyst for downtown growth, and used as a package (i.e. with the art gallery and other neighbouring landmarks) as a package. To do this, they see the need to increase visitors and broaden the audience. The estimated construction cost is $41 million. The annual viewership at the current museum location is 25,000 people and they hope to increase it to 40,000 to 50,000.

TCI is still considering sites outside the downtown area and welcome feedback for alternate locations. One attendee asked if it was possible to consider Peterborough County (such as Hope Mill) instead of the City of Peterborough, and Jon Linton was more than happy to look into the matter as long as it met the five key benchmarks. Essentially, a proposed location had to consist of two key points: A downtown location + waterfront location or an outside location + waterfront location. Trent University was even been brought up in discussion.

Other considerations they envisioned focused on multiple use of the property (such as commercial or condo residences to offset the cost of museum). Downtown revitalization came up time and time again throughout the night and seemed to be key in their plan. Worst case scenario, they are still asking what can be done with the current location?

TCI felt moving the museum out of the Peterborough area would hurt it, although they are quite aware that parking is an issue downtown and that it is difficult to create a connection to a larger outdoors experience there.

Within the groups at our tables, we were asked to answer five questions that pertained to the positives and negatives of locating downtown, and asked for feedback on what we would like to see in a redesigned museum. Some of the popular feedback was...

• A greater connection to the Aboriginals
• Connection to day camps
• More interaction with kids
• Tie in to RT08
• Tie in to canoeing organizations
• A bigger online presence
• Programming to engage all ages
• Partnerships

And the one that got the largest chuckle from the crowd...

• Have Justin Trudeau/Justin Bieber make a guest appearance

If you couldn't attend last night's meeting, you still have time to complete the online survey to provide your feedback.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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PTBOPics: Wild Rock Annual Women's Night

Women with a passion for cycling and the outdoors gathered at Wild Rock Sunday night for their annual women's night, which was catered by Brio Gusto. Here's some pictures we snapped...

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.

Watch Peterborough Young Professionals Gather At A Group Pub Night

And rock out to The Black Eyed Peas while you do it.

[YouTube; Peterborough Chamber]

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Opening Soon: Ashburnham Ale House Is Coming To East City

Originally a laundromat on Hunter Street East, the building next to the East City Foodland is under renovations and will become a pub/café called the Ashburnham Ale House. Expected to open within a month, it is the new location of the rebranded Ritz Deli North.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.

DBIA Featured Post: Plush Boutique

Anchored directly in the middle of downtown Peterborough’s “Fashion District”, you will find The Plush Boutique at 384 George St N. Locally owned and operated by Mike and Shelby Watt, Plush is the second of three stores this successful entrepreneurial couple has opened on George St (the others are Flavour Fashion and Save Our Soles). Coming from out of town to study at Trent University, Mike decided to stay and put down roots. After opening Flavour in 1999 to a great response, he would open Plush Boutique as a store for young professionals looking for quality clothing that makes them stand out in a crowd.

Offering brands and styles not found anywhere else in the city, the aim of the store is to specialize, be exclusive, and offer quality clothing that not only shows impeccable craftsmanship but respects the heritage of the brand being presented.

As the face of the brand, you will find Mike at one of his shops at least 3 to 4 days a week. When he isn’t on the floor advising on style, he is in the office or on the road finding new looks that suit each of his shops. His always friendly and welcoming staff is specially trained to help with detailed looks that customers are trying to put together. Often you will find Plush holding “fit clinics” for brands where brand reps will be on site to provide info to interested buyers. These are always a hit.

Plush is also involved with charity work in giving proceeds of sales at various times of the year to various local causes. As a locally owned business, Plush realizes the value in assisting the community it operates in and working to sustain it while pushing for growth in all aspects. Buying local has a very deep meaning for everyone involved.

Learn more about Mike Watt and Plush in this video.

For more on Plush (384 George St N.), go to:

Theplushboutique.blogspot.com
@plushbtq on Twitter
Facebook.com page
Phone: 705.741.1812

For more on Downtown Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), click here.

—By Aaron Elliott

PtboPics: Downtown Farmers' Market Opens For Season

Nice to see the Louis Street parking lot being utilized again as a community hub, as the Downtown Farmers' Market kicked off for the 2013 season on Wednesday.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt] Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.