HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-06-21, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012.
Treats on Turnberry opens for ‘the children’
MacLellan hopes to draw public back with school
With the opening of Treats on
Turnberry, an ice cream and treat
store on Brussels’ main street, a 20-
year-old dream has been fulfilled
according to co-owner Karen
Quesenberry.
“My husband [Kelly] has wanted
to do this for 20 years,” she said. “It
finally was time for him to do it.”
Kelly said that he had been
working in Brampton for years and
had spent so much time on the road
that he wanted to do something close
to home and noticed something was
missing in Brussels.
“Kids need something to do after
school or a baseball game or a soccer
game,” he said. “They need a place
to go and get a drink or an ice cream
cone and hang out.”
Karen said that the couple had
always enjoyed ice cream when they
were younger, but now they have to
drive somewhere else just to get a
cone and sit down.
“We’ve lived here since 1989 and,
really, we were just sick of seeing
the main street so empty,” Kelly
said.
“We decided that, since we used to
enjoy ice cream, we figured the best
way to help was to have a place
dedicated to it,” Karen said.
The goal isn’t to get rich,
according to the couple, but to be
there for the children.
Currently the store features 21
different flavours of ice cream
including speciality ice cream for
those with restricted-sugar diets as
well as ice cream cake rolls,
sundaes, candy and cookies. They
also serve Freezies, juice, water, pop
and sell bagged ice.
Since opening on June 12 business
has been good, according to Kelly, if
not a bit sporadic.
“We’re finding there isn’t really a
time when people come in aside
from when school closes,” he said.
“Sometimes we’ll be busy all
afternoon, other times it will be
awhile between customers.”
Regardless of how hectic some
periods are, the couple agreed that
business has been better than they
expected, although they didn’t know
what to expect.
“We weren’t sure what we were
going to see really, but it’s been
better than we thought it would be,”
Karen said.
The location, just south of the
intersection of Turnberry Street and
Orchard Line on the west side of the
street, was the best fit for the shop
according to Karen.
The hours for the shop are
currently being decided and,
possibly temporarily, are from
noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through
Sunday with the store closed
Monday.
“We’re still figuring out when
people are out and about and
figuring out what will work,” Kelly
said. “We don’t know whether this
will be a seasonal operation or year-
round, but if anyone has suggestions
to help make it year round, we’re
open to them.”
For more information, visit the
shop at 422 Turnberry Street or visit
them on Facebook.
Continued from page 1be no manufacturing allowed in thebuilding. The idea is to not changethe current land use and to not
disrupt community members living
close to the school property.
“This will be an office-type set-
up,” MacLellan said. “We’re not
looking for a factory.”
MacLellan says he thinks the
concept will be a perfect fit for a
village like Brussels, which, despite
its struggles to attract main street
businesses at times, has never had
problems attracting businesses.
“Brussels has a great ability to
attract business,” MacLellan said.
“The hope is that a project like this
will actually start to draw the public
back and there may need to be
another school built sometime in the
future.”
MacLellan says the building will
be ready to accept tenants in its
current state and will not need
renovations. As the school year
comes to an end later this month,
Huron East staff members are
currently scrambling to begin
marketing the property to local
business owners and those looking
for a place to start a new business in
Brussels.
He says the municipality has
already met with potential tenants,
but that nothing could be discussed
and no agreement could be signed
until the municipality officially
owned the building, which will
happen in July.
The announcement, Huron East
Clerk-Administrator Brad Knight
says, is an “agreement in principle”
between the municipality and the
school board, but that the offer willbe officially ratified in the form of abylaw at council’s first meeting inJuly, which will be held on Tuesday,
July 3. The deal should officially
close, MacLellan said, by the end of
August.
The next step now, MacLellan
said, is to begin marketing the
property to people and generating
interest.
“Now we need to sit down and
generate a business plan,” he said.
“Until we actually owned the
building, we couldn’t confirm
anything. It wasn’t easy to get people
in and show them around.”
MacLellan said the school board
was very co-operative throughout
the process, however, and worked
with the community to achieve what
was best for Brussels in the wake of
the impending closure.
“The whole plan is to make it
viable,” MacLellan said, “if not, then
we’ll have to resell it to someone
else.
“We’re hoping to keep it and make
it work.”
Knight said the municipality is
now looking for those who may be
interested in the space. However,
he’s quick to say there is no intention
to compete with the village’s main
street for business, which he doesn’t
think will be a problem.
“Because of the location of the
school, I don’t believe we will
[compete with downtown
commercial and retail],” Knight said.
“We are looking to offer a facility
that can continue to offer community
facility uses such as situational and
education, but also compatible
commercial uses such as offices.”Over the new few weeks, Knightsaid, municipal staff will be workingon some terms of reference for what
the municipality is looking for in a
tenant and how the facility will be
marketed going forward.
Huron East Economic
Development Officer Jan Hawley isalready working on a marketingstrategy, Knight said.The hope, however, is that the
facility will help draw businesses,
and in turn, people, to Brussels
despite the impending closure of
Brussels Public School. MacLellan
said this was one of council’s toppriorities as soon as news the schoolwas being closed was handed down.“Brussels has always shown a
good return on property,” MacLellan
said. “It seemed like a good move
and it kept control in the
municipality.”
NOTICE TO THE RATEPAYERS OF
THE MUNICIPALITY OF
CENTRAL HURON
Interim Tax Bills
Second Installment
due June 22, 2012
Monthly or installment payment plans available
Annual Municipal WideYard Sale
Saturday July 7, 2012
Call the municipal office (519) 482-3997 to have your
name included on the list for distribution.
TheYard Sale fee is waived for this event. The complete
List ofYard Sales will be available for pick up at the
Municipal Office or Tourist Booth Thursday, July 5, 2012.
Belting it out
The Grade 3 class of Brussels Public School took centre stage over the weekend for the
Celebration of Education. There was plenty to see and do over the weekend at the school, with
musical performances, games for the kids and presentations being made celebrating the
school’s lengthy history before it closes for good later this month. (Vicky Bremner photo)
I scream, you scream
If the broad smile was any indication, Madison Leger was
definitely happy to get her hands on her ice cream at Treats
on Turnberry, a new store that opened in Brussels featuring
ice cream and other sweet treats. Shown handing Leger her
afternoon snack is Kelly Quesenberry, co-owner of the store
with his wife Karen. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
See histories and historic
photographs on the
Huron History section
of our website
www.northhuron.on.ca
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