Outgrowing the first location made moving to the Platzl an exciting experience for Kara Clarke. Tumbled Earth is now on Deer Park right in front of the water feature.

“I wanted to be in the centre of the Platzl because the foot traffic is triple,” Clarke said. The new location is larger and brighter with more floor space.

Clarke designs and fabricates handcrafted river stone jewelry. She focuses on necklaces, bracelets, anklets, ear-rings, and other organic “goodies,” all made from Kootenay River rock. “There’s one beach with nice usable flat naturally tumbled stones.” She spends hours combing through thousands of rocks to find the perfect shapes and sizes.

A new product line at Tumble Earth is Sweat Water Decor. “They have the neatest wine tumblers, water bottles, jewelry dishes, travel mugs, make-up bags, coffee mugs, campfire-style coffee mugs.”

The shop has a reputation for locally designed and crafted cards. “I carry an amazing selection of local unique and beautiful greeting cards. Tons of cards for every occasion made by EK artisans.” The cards contain original wilderness art including wolves, bears, and deer along with landscapes and the ski hill.

"I still carry Yahk Soap. I also carry a large selection of hair accessories. We now make bath and body products including room and body mists, salt soaks, perfume oil, and candles."

With the expansion and increased number of products, Clarke needed a modern comprehensive point-of-sale system (POS). She chose POS-n-go for the shop's POS.

“POS-n-go is incredible. I should have done it years ago.” After using paper receipts for so long, POS-n-go makes the Tumbled shopping experience “so quick, automated, and easy.” With the shop being far “busier”, Clarke likes POS-n-go because “its all about saving time.” No more sorting through paper receipts and tedious hours spent on month-end accounting. With POS-n-go, Clarke has a wide range of financial and inventory reports, just a few clicks away.

Clarke really values inventory tracking and reporting so she knows “what’s selling best?” This aids her in making decisions on stock purchasing and volumes.

Have a hard-to-buy-for wife, mother, daughter, or girl-friend, at Tumble Earth you can assemble a complete gift package with one-stop.

Tumbled Earth’s new location, 165 Deer Park Ave., Kimberley, BC. Check out the jewelry collection, https://tumbledearth.com.

With over 50 years of combined restaurant and hotel work experience, Myron Vetter and Aleta Hawkins decided to strike out on their own and bought V’s Place. The roadside diner sits along the Trans-Canada Highway in Tompkins, Saskatchewan.

Depending on highway traffic and local residents willing to venture out during the pandemic, V’s Place has been “up and down like a yo-yo,” said Vettor.

Hawkins added, “We’re continuing along and hopefully Covid is over soon. Restrictions may change, but for now, we’re still open.” Despite the pandemic, V’s Place still feeds 25 to 35 people per day.

V’s offers a full range of home-cooked meals for breakfast and lunch.

“All hamburgers, soups, spaghetti meat sauce, and pizza dough are all made from scratch using only fresh ingredients,” said Hawkins. With made from scratch pizza dough and loads of fresh ingredients, it's no wonder the locals call it “Best pizza ever. Worth the drive. You won’t regret it.”

Vetter noted, “All bread we use is bought from the local bakery.”

What about the most popular menu items? Hawkins jumps in, “Clubhouse sandwiches, burgers, and breakfasts very popular with tourists and locals,”

Since opening, V’s Place has used POS-n-go POS to track daily and monthly sales.

“POS-n-go has been good for us, nice and simple,” said Vettor. Hawkins chimed in, “The staff caught on right away.”

The POS-n-go portal dashboard is a very nice feature to have noted Vettor. “I like the graphs on the dashboard. They show you what you did for the day and the month.”

They both like the ease with which they can run “end of the month reports. It's all there in black and white.” Hawkins also noted POS-n-go allows you to have “the menu nicely organized.”

For Veter, “the ease of finishing off at night” is a big plus in reconciling payments with sales and uploading the data to the portal account.

When traveling the Trans-Canada Highway, V’s Place, at Tompkins Saskatchewan, is your place for great home-made meals to energize your journey. Eat-in or take out, call 306-622-3505.

Mike Jourdy never thought his life-long dream of being a restauranteur would come to fruition during a pandemic. Having planned to open last March, Jourdy’s dream was delayed until July when Covid restrictions were lifted enough to open Flippin’ Mike’s.

“It was a little scary, a little nerve wrecking cause we invested so much into this.” But, without hesitation, Jourdy added, “I’d do it again, the same thing.”

After escaping Toronto for Woodstock, Joudry first opened a food truck to great success. Outgrowing the mobile, Jourdy looked around for a “bricks and mortar” location and landed on Tillsonburg. So, in late July, Flippin’ Mike’s opened to great fanfare. “Its been going very well since then,” he said.

All food is sourced locally. Burgers made from beef or lamb. “They’re gourmet burgers, they’re not just a regular hamburger.” At Flippin’ Mike’s “absolutely nothing is pre-cooked”, not even the fries. “We cook all of our menu items to order.”

So far, customers have heartily gravitated to the Flippin’ Kyle burger. “It’s named after a customer in Woodstock who buys that burger twice a week.” What makes it so special? Two patties, two pieces of cheddar, peameal bacon plus sliced bacon, sautéed onions, pickles and sauerkraut with Flippin’ sauce, all on a garlic toasted bun.

The other menu item that gets attention is the Flippin Challenge. Do you dare to sink your appetite into this gourmet burger. Five patties (2.5 lbs), 5 slices of cheddar, 10 slices of bacon, large fries and a one liter beverage – eat it all in 25 minutes and its free, otherwise $60. So far, 23 patrons have stepped up to the challenge. Has anyone finished the massive plate of gourmet burgers? “We just had a winner 2 weeks ago. The first one,” said Jourdy.

This Christmas, Jourdy, his family, staff and friends are preparing a “free” Christmas turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

On December 24th, the Flippin’ Mike’s team will prepare 150 to 200 meals. Jourdy said, “Its for families who can’t get out because of Covid, or they’re down on they’re luck.” Flippin’ Mike’s has collected gift cards and donations from local residents and businesses wanting to help during Christmas. If you’d like to take part by donating, or need a hand with a Christmas dinner for your family, contact Flippin’ Mike’s.

Jourdy selected POS-n-go for his restaurant POS. “Its very good,” he said. The extensive reporting, over 75 reports, is a standout feature. “The biggest thing is that all my reports are done with two clicks, taxes and inventory. That’s what I really enjoy,” said Jourdy. In the near future, he will be implementing POS-n-go’s free online ordering.

Check out the extensive menu at flippinmikes.com, or contact through FB @flippinmikestillsonburg.

Flippin’ Mike’s gourmet burgers plus Home Town craft beer, and decadent desserts. What’s not to like.

Hey Mike, do you deliver, way, way out west.

After starting her restaurant career in fast food during high school and then working in a variety of establishments over the following years, Nadine Crough realized her dream of owning a restaurant when she bought The Pin in 2018.

An upbeat and enthusiastic restaurateur, Crough has created a “guestaurant” where patrons are made to feel at home in a warm and comfortable setting.

In the restaurant business, “I get to work with a vast group of people from totally different backgrounds.” There could be a teenager on the front door and a 60-year old washing dishes. Crough adds, “It teaches you how to get along with people.” She enjoys the fast pace along with meeting lots of new and different people each day.

The Pin is a “classic European” restaurant. The Chef is French-trained. “Lots of creamy sauces and butter. Warm soothing food,” said Crough. Everything is homemade from scratch including baked goods.

The most popular lunchtime item is the seafood crepe. Made from Atlantic salmon, scallops, and shrimp in a creamy dill sauce wrapped in two warm crepes. If that doesn’t get your taste buds salivating, then try a chicken strawberry, seared vegetables, or eggs Benedict crepe. You will also find a delectable selection of gourmet salads and sandwiches.

Open late Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (until 9 pm), The Pin’s go to supper meal is a Chef cut 8oz Sirloin steak sliced fresh that day. Another customer favourite is the stuffed chicken breast with bacon-wrapped sage, apple, and onion dressing topped with a creamy dijon sauce.

During COVID-19, “We’ve been doing pretty good. Peterborough is small so it's easy for the public to get downtown and support local businesses. So, we’ve fared very well. It could have been worse.”

Crough selected POS_n-go as The Pin’s POS system. “We’ve been really happy with POS-n-go. It works very well. Its small, compact, and quiet,” Crough said.

The thing she really likes about POS-n-go, “I love that I can be anywhere, go through my cellphone and update the menu, add specials, change prices, add new items, and just a click of a button, and it's all done. It's so nice and fast.”

For the upcoming holiday season, The Pin offers a take out Christmas lunch or dinner. “All your deliciousness includes roast turkey, stuffing, roasted vegetables, mash potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a dessert,” said Crough. The lunch price is $25/person and $35/person for dinner.

Daily specials posted @thepinptbo. View a complete menu at thepin.ca or make a reservation, call 705-745-6556. Dine-in or take out. Located at 302 King Street, Peterborough, ON.

Visit The Pin for food and friends that make you happy.

The convenience and health safety of online restaurant ordering is obvious. POS-n-go makes the transition simple and easy, plus its free with any monthly POS-n-go subscription.

You don’t need another system or add-on, you don’t need a website or an expensive online e-commerce app, all you need is POS-n-go. Online food service ordering is fully integrated into POS-n-go.

With POS-n-go online restaurant you can use your whole menu or just a small section of it, and every sale is tracked so you have a detailed understanding of online food sales. Payments, take them online or at the till.

With a few clicks to upload your restaurant logo and food images along with a brief description of the menu item, you can have online ordering ready to go in minutes. POS-n-go uses the latest responsive technology that dynamically adapts to fit any device: phone, tablet, or computer. Your online menu will be easy to navigate on any screen size.

Anik Roy, Manager at Dixie Lee in Shediac NB, ramped up online ordering back in June. Roy said, “It's great, very good.” Regular customers have been attracted to online ordering and are getting used to how it works. As for Roy, “It's easier for us when you get the online order. It's printed in the back. It's already paid and it goes fast.” Roy uses the existing menu categories, products, and modifier groups for Dixie Lee’s online ordering.

How have Dixie Lee customers responded to ordering online? “Good. Those using it are coming back because I can see the email address so I know they are coming back online, that’s a good thing,” said Roy. She appreciates the ability to custom brand online ordering. She has full control over colours, logos, images, banners, announcements, and custom web pages.

Online ordering and a uniquely branded website all rolled into one easy-to-use, affordable POS.

There is only one POS-n-go. Small merchants love us!

Check out the POS-n-go online food ordering demo: https://demo.posngo.com/shop/theredcafe/

Wade Jarvis turned a science degree and the Great Recession (2008-2009) into a new business. He opened a craft distillery producing spirits like gin, vodka, and liqueurs. A new limited run of whiskey will be available this Winter.

In 2014, Bohemian Spirits took over the old Sears outlet building on Mark Street, where it so happens, Jarvis had picked up his first still a few years before. By mid-2015, the first bottle of spirits was sold and “We’ve been goin’ at it ever since,” he said.

The top three spirits sold are the Colossal Gin, Vagabond Vodka and Limited Gin.

The company name came from “the Bohemian waxwing. It eats fermented mountain ash berries.” While the berries don’t add much taste to spirits, they are used in Jarvis’s recipe.

One tonne of hard red wheat per week, bought from a farmer in Creston, is used to make the distilled spirits. By using a BC agricultural product, “We’re exempt from a pretty big mark-up tax.”

Covid-19 “definitely affected us for a couple of months. Most of our sales are in the lower mainland in private liquor stores, bars, and restaurants.” What happens there has a big impact on his operations.

On the flip side of Covid, Jarvis was “pretty swamped with hand sanitizer.” Currently, they are supplying “bulk orders from the school board, local restaurants, and businesses.” Jarvis’s ballpark estimate on the amount of sanitizer produced so far, 5 to 6 thousand litres.

The indoor lounge and outdoor patio, bordering Mark Creek, were ready in September. With the cold weather advancing, patrons will find warm comfortable cushioned seating, with distance. The limited food menu includes a charcuterie plate containing local cold cooked meats, cheeses, veggies, and crackers. The dessert plate brims with fruit, chocolate, and local honeycomb.

Bohemian Spirits selected POS-n-go for tracking retail and lounge sales. In the lounge, POS-n-go runs on the modern all-in-one Elo Paypoint.

Jarvis said, “POS-n-go is great. We are using it more with the lounge and patio now open.” Not having a retail or lounge back-ground meant POS-n-go was his first POS. “POS-n-go is pretty intuitive to learn and use,” he said. In terms of customer service, “It's really nice to get a quick response,” he said.

For local craft distilled gin, vodka and liqueurs, look to Bohemian Spirits. Check them out at 215 Mark Street, Kimberley, BC. Also, order online, https://www.bohemianspirits.com. Learn more @GoodCheerHere.

A new hip store for young people 13 to 30 just opened on the Platzl, Twin Pines Clothing & Accessories.

After many years running other retail stores, Amanda Brunet decided it was time to start her own business. “If I ran other people’s businesses why not run my own – create my own job,” said Brunet.

With two teenagers in the home and another almost a teen, Brunet knew there was no clothing shop for them in Kimberley, so “let's give that age group an option so they don’t have to go anywhere else.”

Brunet’s business philosophy is based on her past retail experience. “In all the years I was a retail manager, the best thing you can do is make someone feel welcome and make them feel like there’s no pressure to buy anything.” To that end, Brunet created a fun relaxed environment where shoppers can browse all they want, try on a hoodie or jacket.

After a heads up from her niece, Brunet secured a new uni-sex clothing brand developed in Saskatchewan called Rude Vogue. In fact, Twin Pines is only one of five stores across Canada, and the only BC store, to carry the Rude Vogue line. Brunet mentioned that USA NFL NBA sports stars have been spotted wearing the brand.

Twin Pines also carries a full line of Timberland and Champion clothes and accessories, including tops, bottoms, t-shirts, backpacks, and a fine selection of funky designed socks. The watermelon themed socks jump right out. You will also find a selection of locally made stone jewelry.

Brunet stocks Twin Pines with S’well thermal bottles to keep your hydration preference cold or hot. What makes this brand interesting is the range of bottle sizes, shapes, and multi-colour schemes.

Based on Brunet’s past retail experience, she knew the in’s and out’s of POS systems. She had heard “good things” from several other Platzl businesses about POS-n-go and is now using it in Twin Pines.

“Its the best POS system I’ve ever worked on, and I’ve worked on a lot,” Brunet said. “It's so nice and simple. POS-n-go is really well designed, streamlined, and fantastic.” Brunet taught her kids how to use it in a matter of minutes. She jokingly said that when she needs to step out of the shop to run an errand she can leave any one of them to run the shop, because “it's not complicated, everything is user friendly.”

Twin Pines Clothing & Accessories, 160 Deer Park Ave., Kimberley, BC. Open Tuesday to Saturday, from 11 am to 5 pm. Stay connected @twin-pines-clothing-accessories.

After stepping out to start Creme Cheese Shop five years ago, Ella Harris celebrated the anniversary by moving the shop to a new location, during the covid-19 pandemic.

“It made me pause for a second. I was thinking, am I being silly to move my business during this uncertainty, but I always came back to knowing that no matter what, I’m going to have my business where it is or somewhere else. So, might as well try for a better location and weather the storm. Its totally been fine. Its still been really busy,” Harris said with a nervous laugh, relieved the move has gone better than she thought.

Not just another brave step by this media-savvy business woman, but part of building a successful cheese and panini shop, and raising two children.

Why cheese? “I’m pretty interested in fermentation and good quality high-fat foods, whole foods.”

With a Holistic Nutrition Diploma in hand, she knew “hard cheese can be super healthy, and Kimberley didn’t have a cheese shop.”

Harris is surprised by the success of the non-cheese menu of in-house made grilled panini’s, sauerkraut, kimchi, soups, ice cream, chutney and cheese cake along with locally fermented kombucha and ginger beer. At the start, Harris used a basic panini menu that eventually grew into half the business. “I wasn’t expecting [that] when I opened.” Turns out panini’s are as popular as specialty cheese.

May day was the official opening of the new Creme Cheese Shop locale. Harris took over the Paper & Cup location in April and began work to make the new shop a reality. “This spot is so amazing, its the best. I knew it was going to be busier, but I didn’t think it would be this much busier, already, just from moving up a block into the Platzl.”

Harris chose POS-n-go for the shops POS. “I really really like it. Its amazing,” she said. “I’ve heard good stuff over the past couple years. Many people recommended it.”

She really appreciates the free POS-n-go upgrades compared to the old POS she used that cost thousands of dollars for two must have upgrades.

At Creme Cheese, POS-n-go runs on a sleek modern Elo all-in-one tablet. “Its beautiful. People compliment it,” said Harris.

Check out Creme Cheese Shop in the new location, 205 Spokane Street, Kimberley, BC. Or connect with them @cremecheeseshop.

Specialty cheese, fermentation, what more could you ask for.

Based on Katie Birdsell’s experience trying to find a place “where my family can all eat out. Especially in a small town, you don’t always find a lot of places that cater to people with dietary restrictions.”

When the opportunity to buy Grow became available, Birdsell went all in.

“I love the idea of owning a tea shop, and I think tea really goes well with chocolate,” said Bridsell.

Her sister-in-law is a trained chocolatier who brings creativity and health consciousness to making high-quality in-house hand-made chocolate.

“We love chocolate. We love being able to make chocolate all people can enjoy. Most of our chocolate is vegan and gluten free, and, by and large, dairy free. We make everything here. We temper the Coco Berry chocolate, paint all the molds. We don’t just buy cheap chocolate.”

While “chocolate is where we want to take the shop,” its not the only food available at Grow.

The “minimalist” menu consists of homemade daily soup, two sandwiches using local bread, sourdough toast, home-made hummus dip with veggies, along with gluten free options. “Our products are sourced, whenever possible, from sustainable, environmentally friendly companies.”

Grow also carries over a dozen loose leaf teas that you can purchase by the cup or bag.

Birdsell chose POS-n-go to replace an old out-dated cash register that created more work and didn’t track inventory.

“I love POS-n-go, its awesome, zero complaints. POS-n-go makes it super easy to input inventory, and a lot easier to keep detailed track of what we’re selling.” Birdsell said the Grow bookkeeper is “very very happy” with the reports and being able to download sales and tax data that simplifies and streamlines accounting.

You can find the best home-made chocolate at Grow, 255 Wallinger Ave., Kimberley, B.C.

Learn about special events by tracking Grow on social media, @growkimberley.

The Grow chocolate, absolutely delicious, and 70% dark. Healthy and good for you.

A place for all people – in-house or on-line.

The Kimberley Public Library’s Mission: “Support the intellectual, recreational, personal and cultural enrichment of our patrons by offering diverse resources to the community with an emphasis on literacy, while providing a neutral space for enhanced social connection.”

Library director Karin von Wittgenstein is all about making the library a great place for children, adults and seniors to learn and grow. “My role is to make sure the library is running smoothly and we are looking after patrons requirements,” she said. With a staff of seven, the library has become a go-to destination in the community.

“We have all sorts of things going on, it's not just books.” With a library membership, you can check out movies, music CDs, magazines, a laptop computer or digital camera. On the electronic side, there are books, magazines, and audio-books that can be check-out online. In fact, you can explore the whole book catalog, place a hold, pick-up a hard copy, or download a digital e-file.

You can even “learn to play a musical instrument through the ArtistWorks program,” said von Wittgenstein.

The most popular programs include toddler-time and story-time every Wednesday at 10:45 am and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) programs, also Wednesday’s after school.

The STEAM program is very popular. “We have so many excited kids that come in between the ages of four and twelve. We’re turning kids away,” said von Wittgenstein. Be sure to check in regularly as there can be last-minute cancellations.

von Wittgenstein does not see the library as being threatened by the digital revolution. “The library is a place where you will find trusted information. You can get information that isn’t just a random search on the internet. Our library is a place for finding reliable information.”

The Library uses POS-n-go POS to record the payment of late fees and fines. “It's very intuitive. Staff have indicated to me they have picked it up very quickly and they appreciate not having to use paper and pen.”

von Wittgenstein added, “Reporting is one of my key functions. POS-n-go reporting is excellent. It has simplified processes and made my life easier.”

And, for the first time, the Library uses a Global Payments terminal that allows people to pay fines with a debit or credit card. “Patrons have increasingly said they appreciate the card service.”

Find out about daily activities and programs, drop-in, join up and begin exploring the whole world. You can also track Facebook, @kplcorynn. Email, staff@kimberleylibrary.net, or call 250-427-3112.

(photo: Traci (L) & Karin von Wittgenstein)