Fall Tea for North Grey Women's Institute Oct 25, 2008

 The North Grey Women's Institute held its annual fall tea on Saturday at St. Mary's Parish in Owen Sound.

Approximately 140 women turned out to, not only enjoy tea, but to listen to three speakers - Jane Fritz, designer with Inspirational Interiors, Martina Farmer owner Owen Sound store 'Just Because' and Joleen Nickel, owner of 'Loose Leaves' in Southampton.

Jane Fritz of Inspirational Interior

Fritz took the women through the basics of interior design explaining many of the areas that homeowners can find daunting when it comes to furniture placement, colour, pattern and texture.  "Often a room has a focal point," she explained, "and that should be the main key of a primary room."

Martina Farmer, owner of 'Just Because' in Owen Sound

Farmer, who was at one time in law enforcement and then a Drinking Water Inspector, now owns and operates an Owen Sound downtown store, 'Just Because'.  "We carry decorative items for the home that focuses primarily on country style, handcrafted decorative items in addition to wonderfully scented candles."  

(next column)

13/01/2009 04:24 PM

(continued)

The store that was, at one time, in the Owen Sound shopping mall, moved recently to the downtown core.  "To me malls are all about big business chains and I just didn't feel comfortable there so I made the best move ever - I moved downtown."

Joleen Nickel of Loose Leaves in Southampton knows her teas of the world

The owner of 'Loose Leaves', a specialty tea shop in Southampton, not only spoke at the event, she also supplied the teas.  Joleen Nickel is another who decided to take a leap of faith and open her own small business.  Nickel felt there was a gap in the market when it came to teas from around the world and decided to open 'Loose Leaves'.  In addition to one of the largest inventories of teas in the region, the store also carries limited handcrafted items such as aprons, knitwear and soaps and creams.  "I try to support local craftspeople and producers as much as possible," she explains.

The Grey Bruce Women's Institute is one of the larger chapters in the region and the group supports a wide range of charities through donations and contributions in addition to providing scholarships to high school students who want to go on to post-secondary education through the 'ROSE' Program - Rural Ontario Sharing Education.