Photo Courtesy of MBC Media
In 2025, the Ontario government proclaimed the last Friday of June as Buy Ontario, Buy Canadian Day, recognizing the importance of supporting local businesses, producers and products that strengthen communities and the economy. This past Friday, Bethea Summers, executive director of the Pembroke BIA, led a small group on a walking tour of downtown Pembroke, visiting several businesses that exemplify the buy-local approach.
Whimsy Co. in Pembroke is one such business, where owners Madi Grant and Marcia Duke have embraced the city’s local culture from day one and continue to celebrate local artisans and people from all walks of life.
Brimstone and Belladonna was another stop on the tour, where proprietors Lisa Farr and Regina Pearce have been buying and selling locally for the past 16 years. For them, supporting local is simply a way of life.
Also joining the tour was MPP Billy Denault, who says Buy Ontario, Buy Canadian Day is long overdue and simply makes sense, particularly in smaller communities that rely on one another to continue thriving.
Special thanks to all of the local businesses that participated in the walking tour.
(Written By: Richard Evans)
