Welcome to Exciting Rodney! by Delany Leitch, Business Enterprise Facilitator for Elgin County There is so much new and exciting happening in the town of Rodney, in West Elgin! Thanks to support from the My Main Street Program through the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation, an exciting cohort of local entrepreneurs have hit the ground running to provide high-quality products and service in this growing community. Check out the scoop on two of these new ventures below, and be sure to plan your next trip to Rodney soon! Vertere Living is a lovely new shop and studio that’s really painting the town! Owner Tobi, who lives in West Lorne with her husband, kids, and pets and works full-time in healthcare, got started in November 2022. What started as a furniture restoration hobby born from childhood memories of looking for old bottles with her dad, has quickly become a growing business. She had previously worked on flipping ‘thrifted’ and found furniture pieces in a relative’s garage space, and when that was no longer available, she found a new facility that opened the door to more of a public-facing opportunity. Tobi’s business name is centered on the Latin word vertere, which means ‘to turn,’ a term that she feels symbolizes the process of taking an old, discarded piece of furniture and making it into something new and beautiful. She sees that process as being tied to a larger ‘turning’ that she hopes to facilitate through her work, shifting consumers towards embracing pre-loved items and making more environmentally- conscious purchasing choices. Tobi grounds this in the idea that we are all connected to the earth. She hopes her work will demonstrate to consumers that alternative options exist to
the lower-quality, higher-priced, increasingly difficult to obtain new furniture currently offered by big-box stores. In addition to Tobi’s incredible refinished furniture pieces, the shop also features vintage items, art, crafts, and gifts sourced from mainly women-owned small businesses and operators who share her values. She hopes to introduce both in-person and virtual workshops where people can learn the basics of furniture refinishing.
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NOW OFFERING SUZUKI OUTBOARDS & POLARKRAFT BOATS & ARMADA PONTOONS Service • Parts • Accessories All Major Brands • Specializing in Yamaha Factory Trained Technicians • Pick-up and Delivery Available • Indoor / Outdoor Storage Available
• Spring is here, and we are happy to safely connect, gather, and learn as communities once again. We have been here with you throughout the pandemic and recognize that it has been difficult on everyone and every club, group and church.
44583 Dexter Line (15 minutes south of St. Thomas) Mon-Fri 8am-6pm • Sat 9am-1pm www.advancedmotorsports.ca advancedsuzuki@execulink.com
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AREA’s Servicing Dealer
Dean Parker Service Technician
I nvite us to join you at one of your meetings to give a short presentation on preplanning, cremation and how funerals have changed, and we will donate s10 to your organization for every person who attends.
To advertise here, please contact Geoff@villagerpublications.com
Page 8 Real Living • Winter 2023
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