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Vol. 5
No. 5
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER - LANARK, NORTH LEEDS & GRENVILLE
MAY 2018
Boats in the water and Le Boat is 65 per cent booked for first season Regional - Chris Must editorial@pd gmedia.ca Le Boat’s marketing manager has some advice for Smiths Falls residents hoping to make the most of the influx of visitors coming from all over the world for the company’s first season on the Rideau: “Just be friendly.” Lisa McLean, marketing manager for Le Boat’s North American and Latin American operations, told attendees at a Smiths Falls Tourism and Culture Working Group meeting April 6 that the company is 65 percent sold for its first season in Canada, commencing May 18. An official launch, which will take place June 13, is expected to attract media representatives from around the world. Sixty-five per cent of customers who have booked houseboat excursions on the Rideau for 2018 come from North America, said McLean. The remaining 35 per cent come from all over the world, mostly Europe, Australia and South Africa. A world-wide company with
eight global marketing teams, Le Boat has been heavily promoting the Rideau as a destination. Smiths Falls-based staff recently travelled to Los Angeles as part of the company’s promotional efforts. McLean offered some detailed advice for the local community in getting ready for visitors around the globe. Noting that Costa Rica is singled out among Central American destinations for the genuine welcome its people offer to visitors, McLean urged members of the Smiths Falls business community to strive to do the same. She noted that Europeans expect stores and restaurants to be open after 8 p.m. Businesses in town, she added, should clearly post their hours of operation. Other suggestions McLean offered were to make sure all businesses are listed with the chamber of commerce, make their storefronts welcoming, and accept foreign currency. Staff should also be trained to convert foreign to Canadian currency, at the correct rate of exchange. Businesses with free public internet access should ad-
Photo credit: Staff
vertise that service for visitors. As well, merchants should be ambassadors for the whole community, and be ready to offer recommendations, such as places to eat. “Make sure your storefront looks instagrammable,” said Mc-
Lean. McLean recalled that Le Boat’s decision to bring a fleet of luxury houseboats to the Rideau began when company Managing Director Cheryl Brown attended the New York Holiday Show in Janu-
Two new ice cream shops coming to the region Regional - Janelle Labelle
editorial@pdgmedia.ca
Raspberry-Caramel bon bon, just one of the flavours of gourmet chocolates offered at Sweet Scoops in Smiths Falls. Photo Credit: Submitted
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Stella Luna Gelato Cafe is coming to Merrickville. This will be the third location for the popular gelato cafe, but owners Tammy and Alessandro Giuliani say this was the location they always dreamed of opening. “We always wanted to open a little mom and pop ice cream cafe in a charming little village, and Merrickville is so picturesque. That was our dream.” Their new location, the former public library, is a wellloved Historical Building with beautiful grounds in the centre of Merrickville. The Giulianis plan to make the most of their location in front of the Merrickville Lock Station. Boaters along the Rideau will be able to dock their boats in the backyard and make their way through the garden for a taste of Stella Lu-
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na’s award-winning flavours. “We will have lawn seating, shade trees, grow flowers and herbs that we use in our flavours,” explains Tammy Guiliani. Stella Luna Gelato Cafe will be opening its Merrickville location in early June. At the end of summer 2017, much of Smiths Falls was dismayed to learn that Sweet Scoops ice cream shop would not be re-opening the following year. After four years in the beautiful wedgeshaped building on the corner of Beckwith and Chambers streets, two years of consecutive construction, the owners were ready to move on. Mat and Patricia Krotki saw this opportunity to be part of a well-loved store in the community. They purchased the business from its original owners, and plan to use the 1700 square feet of office space above Sweet Scoops as the new location
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for Hometown News. Sweet Scoops is opening again in late spring or early summer, but this time it will be open year round. They will carry 16 delicious ice cream flavours, sugar free and vegan alternatives, as well as a custom line of decadent signature flavours like Loaded Buttertart and Maple Sugar Bacon; and will be serving new treats such as gourmet chocolates and truffles. There will be a full line of teas, available hot or cold, and also loose tea available for purchase. In the winter months, treat-seekers can warm up with a cozy mug of gourmet hot chocolate. While the store manager position has already been filled, Sweet Scoops will be hiring 4-6 students for summer and part time positions. Interested applicants may email their resumes to contactus@sweet_scoops.ca.
ary 2015. An Ontario government official urged her to consider offering the company’s services on the Rideau Canal. A team from Le Boat, including Brown, made their first visit to the area that August and was suitably impressed. Le Boat officially opened its North American headquarters at the restored Lockmaster’s House in Smiths Falls in September 2017. Sixteen of the company’s custom-built Horizon boats were shipped from Poland to Montreal then brought to Smiths Falls on trucks in February. These boats, which can accommodate from four to 10 passengers, are “top of the line quality,” said McLean. Because international customers view North America as a more “premium” market than Europe, it is appropriate that the company’s most luxurious boats were brought to the Rideau. “When people are travelling to North America, they expect higher standards,” said McLean. A Horizon boat capable of sleeping four passengers will cost $2,500 a week to rent, McLean told the Hometown News. The largest boats, which can take 10 passengers, will cost $4,600 per week. Accordingly, McLean advises local merchants that tourists used to five-star accommodations are willing to spend money. “Don’t be afraid to carry higher-end products,” she said.
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