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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-10-12, Page 88 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, October 12, 2016 Women in Business of Huron East The first thing you notice when you open the door to "Blooms n Rooms" is the fragrance. As you step inside, your eyes are drawn to the amazing variety of gifts and treasures available. A cheery "Hello!" from the back of the store welcomes you, and you feel comfortable exploring the various items, from candles to figurines, colouring books, gifts for teachers, memorial stones, and more. The cheery "Hello!" comes from Kendra Jewitt-Redegeld, the owner and creative mind behind it all. She is usually at her work station in the back of the store, working to bring joy to her customers through the flowers she arranges, the blankets and wrist bands she sews, or the mugs and clipboards she creates. She is always thinking up new ideas, and loves to upcycle old things into new and useful treasures. One example of this is her beautiful sweater -blankets, made from old sweaters. She also sews baby items, scarves and wrist key chains. Kendra didn't picture herself as an entrepreneur when she was younger. She started working with flowers when she was a student, working as a co-op student for Jean DeJong, who owned Flower Magic at the time. Her passion for flower arranging grew, and she went to Humber College to become a florist, graduating in August 2000. She then worked in various flower shops over the next few years, learning and developing her skills. When two flower shops came up for sale in Seaforth, Kendra decided to buy "Hearts and Flowers", and turned it into "Blooms 'n Rooms". She was tired of the long drive to St. Marys, where she worked at the time, and she simply thought she could do it. She was 24 years old at the time, and had plenty of time to pour into building her own business. At the beginning, Kendra worked 6 or 7 days a week. For many years, she was the sole employee. Now the business has progressed to the point that she not only has part time help on Saturdays, but has part time help through the week. Why does she do it? When asked, she declared, "I love it!" The best part about the business, according to Kendra, is bringing smiles to people's faces. Being self-employed takes a lot of commitment, and Kendra does everything she can to satisfy her customers. She has a personal connection with the folks in her hometown, and is willing to drive over an hour to pick up flowers in order to get special orders done on time. Kendra goes to trade shows a couple of times per year in order to bring new and exciting things into the shop. She finds herself leaning more and more towards locally made, quality items, rather than bringing in things made in China. With three children that depend on her, Kendra is thankful for part time help, which frees her to go on school field trips or spend a day with the kids. Life is a balance. She doesn't know how she would have done it without family support. "Timing is everything," it's been said. Kendra and her husband Todd recently booked a week of relaxation in Cuba, and when the travel agent suggested they could save money by booking Wednesday to Wednesday rather than Sunday to Sunday, they jumped at the chance. What Kendra failed to remember was that her arrival back in Seaforth would leave her with only three days until Mother's Day. She hit the ground running, and learned a valuable lesson about timing. Three long, hard days followed, but Kendra got all the orders filled, and was rewarded with plenty of happy smiles. That's what makes the hard work of being in business worthwhile. ATIENTIONau DEADLINES Our Weekly Deadlines are ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL Friday @ 2:00 pm OFFICE HOURS: Mon. - Thurs. 9am - 5pm • Fri. 8am - 4pm CLOSED TUESDAYS ti ,Huron Expositor .14 8 Main St., Seaforth PH: 519-527-0240 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com 11 Justice Committee set to educate those unfamiliar with narcotics (HURON COUNTY, Ont.) - If you have no clue what a "Bong" is or what a hit of "E" looks like or if you think "Ice" is only for skat- ing on then you may want to set aside the evening of October 19th on your calendar. The Ministry of the Attor- ney General's Huron County Youth Justice Com- mittee Program is hosting an upcoming Drug Educa- tion Forum in Goderich on October 19th, 2016 between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the Salvation Army located at 303 Suncoast Drive East. A special presentation by a member of the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Community Drug Action Team (CDAT) will give parents, youth workers, teachers and any other interested community members the information they need to know when it comes to drugs. This visual presentation will touch on relevant top- ics such as: Drug Identifi- cation, The Effects of Drugs on the Body, Drug Paraphernalia, Prescrip- tion Misuse & Abuse, Street Lingo, Emerging Drugs and Safety Con- cerns. Huron OPP will also have on hand interactive alcohol & marihuana "Fatal Vision" goggles. These goggles are designed to simulate some of the cognitive and physical effects of impairment by alcohol and marihuana. Additionally, the Huron County Health Unit will have resources available for parenting youth and how parents can prevent or delay underage drinking. "One of our goals with the Drug Education Forum is to engage parents and arm them with as much information as possible on a topic that isn't common knowledge for most. With some increased awareness and knowledge, parents will be in a better position to identify the warning signs of illicit drug use. It is very difficult to have a conversation with your son or daughter if you don't know the language or have any idea what they are talking about. This is an excellent opportunity to get informed on a topic that touches so many of our youth today': - Huron County Youth Justice Committee Chair & Huron County Crown Attorney, Teresa Donnelly "We know drug traffickers and distributers can reach into our communities, large and small. We also under- stand the serious and devas- tating impacts of the illegal use and abuse of drugs can have on a community's safety and well-being. With that being said, we are very pleased to have the opportu- nity to partner with the Youth Justice Committee to bring this informative Drug Education Forum to the resi- dents of Huron County. Col- laboratively with our com- munity partners, citizens and neighbours we can build safer and healthier communities" HURON EAST, Ont.) - Huron County Ontario Pro- vincial Police (OPP) officers are currently investigating the theft of a golf cart that was stolen this week from a residence located on Eliza- beth Street in Brussels. Police believe the golf cart theft occurred sometime between 10:00 p.m. on Octo- ber 3rd and 3:00 a.m. on October 4th. The golf cart had been parked in a drive- way adjacent to the residence. The cart is described as a metallic blue, gas powered, 2006 E -Z -GO golf cart with a white covered top. The cart is valued at approximately $2,500. A witness confronted two teenaged males that were standing beside the golf cart prior to the theft. The teens came up with a story and took off from the wit- ness. The two suspects were both males around the ages of 16. One male had blonde hair and the other had dark hair. Any person with informa- tion regarding this incident should immediately contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310- 1122 or (519) 524-8314. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1 -800- 222 -TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Late for school, but not late for racing ticket (CENTRAL HURON, Ont.) - A local high school student has been charged with Racing after he was pulled over on his way to school this week. At approximately 8:45 a.m. on October 5th, 2016 a Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer spot- ted a Chevrolet Silverado travelling westbound on Huron Road (Highway 8) just east of Clinton at a high rate of speed. The investigating officer acti- vated his RADAR and was able to confirm the speed of the racing vehicle to be travelling at 142 km/h in a posted 80 km/h zone. The driver was subse- quently stopped and charged. A 16 -year-old male driver from Bluewater has been charged with Racing. He will have to answer to his charge at Provincial Offences Act Court in Goderich on December 6, 2016 +Canadian Red Cross CAN you GIVE OMEONE A LIFT? 7 Red Cross drivers help those in need get to medical appointments, adult day programs and other activities. VOLUNTEER DRIVERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED CALL US TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP. (519) 539-0265 1-866-280-1735 ..J