Debbie Melanson, Annabelle Singleton, and Sparo Lindsay own the Port Grocer and they are looking to bring as much locally grown and sourced food and products to Port Medway as they can.
Lindsay decided she wanted to buy or start her own business last year. She saw the Kwik-Way in Port Medway was for sale, networked with Singleton and Melanson and the three purchased it. Singleton is a friend of Lindsay’s, originally from Ontario.
The Kwik-way had also been a post office and a take out eatery. The three wanted to expand on that and create something hyper-local.
“It needed new life and new energy,” says Lindsay.
The sale of the former Kwik-way took place on April 5 and the new owners opened it on April 6.
“Friday night we were having a pizza party with the former owners and Saturday we were having a soft opening,” says Lindsay.
Since then the store has seen some major changes including a café style eatery.
Melanson was a cook at the former Woodpile Café on Main Street and the Riverbank Store and Café and has brought some of her old treats to the Port Grocer.
Every Wednesday the café offers delivered lunches. Customers can preorder two out of three options (a soup, a salad, or sandwich/wrap) on Wednesdays for $10 taxes inc. Once Melanson has made the lunches, Lindsay drives them to Liverpool around noon and delivers them, mainly to workplaces.
“I do the deliveries on Wednesday and people are so happy to see that hot lunch coming in and being delivered,” says Lindsay.
The café serves a lunch special daily and also has a deli style area for making sandwiches. In the future Melanson wants to do some brunches and maybe special suppers.
“Right now I want to work on getting the lunch menu up and going because I want to do a hot menu, a cold menu, do some burgers and sausages too,” says Melanson.
The Port Grocer brings in baked goods, produce, cheese, eggs, and meats from Nova Scotian producers and tries to keep at least 50 percent of what they sell locally sourced. Lindsay feels that eating local is an important part of the Port Grocer but it comes with challenges.
“Finding local producers has been challenging,” says Lindsay.
To try to remedy that the owners network with producers and even have a neighbour who goes to a market in Lunenburg to pick up more food for them.
They have also started having a small farmers market at the store on Saturdays and inviting small producers to sell their extra greens and other produce.
“If a family is growing produce for their family and they have extra sometimes they can come and put up a table and sell their wares, there’s no charge for them to do that,” says Lindsay.
The Port Grocer has also been a venue for musical evenings. The next such evening is happening on July 23. The Mayhemingways an alternative, bluegrass and country duo from Peterborough, Ontario are coming to play at the store. Tickets are $20 at the door or pay what you can.
Lindsay, Melanson, and Singleton are still expanding their business. They’ve set up a studio upstairs where Lindsay teaches a pay-what-you-can stretching class. They’re hoping to get a yoga instructor to come in and teach classes a couple times a week.
They’d also like to see more commercial renters in the building, which has several vacant rooms upstairs.
Debbie Melanson, Annabelle Singleton, and Sparo Lindsay own the Port Grocer and they are looking to bring as much locally grown and sourced food and products to Port Medway as they can.
Lindsay decided she wanted to buy or start her own business last year. She saw the Kwik-Way in Port Medway was for sale, networked with Singleton and Melanson and the three purchased it. Singleton is a friend of Lindsay’s, originally from Ontario.
The Kwik-way had also been a post office and a take out eatery. The three wanted to expand on that and create something hyper-local.
“It needed new life and new energy,” says Lindsay.
The sale of the former Kwik-way took place on April 5 and the new owners opened it on April 6.
“Friday night we were having a pizza party with the former owners and Saturday we were having a soft opening,” says Lindsay.
Since then the store has seen some major changes including a café style eatery.
Melanson was a cook at the former Woodpile Café on Main Street and the Riverbank Store and Café and has brought some of her old treats to the Port Grocer.
Every Wednesday the café offers delivered lunches. Customers can preorder two out of three options (a soup, a salad, or sandwich/wrap) on Wednesdays for $10 taxes inc. Once Melanson has made the lunches, Lindsay drives them to Liverpool around noon and delivers them, mainly to workplaces.
“I do the deliveries on Wednesday and people are so happy to see that hot lunch coming in and being delivered,” says Lindsay.
The café serves a lunch special daily and also has a deli style area for making sandwiches. In the future Melanson wants to do some brunches and maybe special suppers.
“Right now I want to work on getting the lunch menu up and going because I want to do a hot menu, a cold menu, do some burgers and sausages too,” says Melanson.
The Port Grocer brings in baked goods, produce, cheese, eggs, and meats from Nova Scotian producers and tries to keep at least 50 percent of what they sell locally sourced. Lindsay feels that eating local is an important part of the Port Grocer but it comes with challenges.
“Finding local producers has been challenging,” says Lindsay.
To try to remedy that the owners network with producers and even have a neighbour who goes to a market in Lunenburg to pick up more food for them.
They have also started having a small farmers market at the store on Saturdays and inviting small producers to sell their extra greens and other produce.
“If a family is growing produce for their family and they have extra sometimes they can come and put up a table and sell their wares, there’s no charge for them to do that,” says Lindsay.
The Port Grocer has also been a venue for musical evenings. The next such evening is happening on July 23. The Mayhemingways an alternative, bluegrass and country duo from Peterborough, Ontario are coming to play at the store. Tickets are $20 at the door or pay what you can.
Lindsay, Melanson, and Singleton are still expanding their business. They’ve set up a studio upstairs where Lindsay teaches a pay-what-you-can stretching class. They’re hoping to get a yoga instructor to come in and teach classes a couple times a week.
They’d also like to see more commercial renters in the building, which has several vacant rooms upstairs.
