Country Treasures has been offering great boutique gifts to the area for the past 17 years. Courtesy Photo
WINCHESTER – Trish and Ken Boje have been operating the BMR hardware and lumber store in Winchester for the past 17 years.
Part of the store has been devoted to a gift section called Country Treasures.
Country Treasures has largely been Trish’s idea. Country Treasures is a known country giftware boutique. The boutique features soy candles from The Scented Market, Joyful Home and 1803 candles, linens from Park Designs, and a large selection of unique country giftware and home décor.
Trish has decided to move Country Treasures to a new location and continue her tradition of offering the best selection of gifts and art in the area.
Her store is moving to Kemptville.
“We are going to Kemptville in the mall, where the Independent is,” she said.
Trish will be moving into her space that used to house Business Strategies and Home and Beyond. They have since moved to the former North Grenville High School in the heart of Kemptville.
“The space has been empty for almost a year now so that is the space we will be going into. It has been completely gutted and re-done.
“I will be working there, it is my store,” explained Trish.
The space the store used to fill at BMR will be taken over by more BMR hardware products.
Selecting Kemptville as the location for the next chapter in the Country Treasures story was easy for Trish.
“Kemptville is a very busy area with lots of traffic and being right beside the grocery store, I think, is a good location.
The move from BMR was inevitable. Trish said Covid helped to accelerate her decision.
“It has been a very exhausting two years.”
Her store will carry the same kind of products plus new ones.
“We are always looking for those treasures our customers enjoy and have come to expect in the store,” she said.
“We will have a new look to our new store, there will be some of the old and some of the new.”
In terms of merchandising and fixtures she said she will be trying out a few ideas she has not tried out before.
She said, “I am hoping that many of our customers will want to grab a coffee and make the 20 minute drive from here.”
Trish said, “There are not too many stores like Country Treasures around anymore, and it is something that I really enjoy doing.”
Kemptville was a good choice for the new location. The couple live in Chesterville and have no intention of moving.
There will be familiar faces at the new store. “I am taking the girls with me that work in the department. They are all excited about the move. Our daughter Jenna will be joining us in our new venture. She will responsible for social media and the new website. We will be having an online platform for those who want to shop online.
The plan is to be in place in Kemptville by March. Trish will be letting her customers know about Country Treasures progress through Facebook.
Joseph Morin is the Editor of the Eastern Ontario AgriNews, and the Record. He is, despite years of practice, determined to eventually play the guitar properly. He has served the Eastern Ontario community as a news editor, and journalist for the past 25 years with the Iroquois Chieftain, Kemptville Advance, West Carleton Review, and Ottawa Carleton Review in Manotick. He has never met a book he did not like.
