Serving up coffee with unique home decor

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/11/2016 (3217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s more good news for downtown Brandon, specifically for the 100 block of 10th Street.

Back in April, I shared with you that Pirouette, a dance, swim, skate and gymnastics shop owned by Lorinda Abbey, recently opened a new location at 121 10th St.

And now, just a few months later, the One and Only Design Studio (plus O&O Coffee) opened across the street.

The One and Only Design Studio is a furniture store, a home decor retail outlet, a lighting boutique and a wholesale showroom. With 4,000 square feet, there’s plenty of room to display the wall art, coffee and side tables, sofas, accent chairs, lighting fixtures and everything else that’s available for retail and wholesale customers.

Owners Patrick Kim and Jenny Kang, along with their 14-year-old daughter Janice, opened the store on Nov. 10. They are open weekdays from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., although today they are staying open late for the annual Santa Parade.

Kang said that her husband supplies hotels all across Canada with furniture, decor, lighting, cabinets, tiles and countertops. As it was difficult for him to showcase his products because of what he was limited to travel with or ship from city to city, they thought it would be more convenient to have a centrally located showroom.

The new shop allows Kim to bring his customers to Brandon where they can see all the product lines that he has to offer. In fact, he has already hosted clients from Edmonton who are opening a 150-room hotel in that city later this year.

Kim travels to major international trade fairs in China and Hong Kong a few times a year to search for products for his wholesale customers. Now however, retail customers in the Westman region will also be able to take advantage of his shopping experience.

“Patrick looks for products that are unique and different, but still trendy and of good quality. He’s managed to find the right manufacturers that fit in the Canadian market and are reliable,” Kang said.

In terms of the coffee shop, O&O Coffee, Kang said they both love coffee, so they thought it would be a good fit for their store as well as for downtown Brandon.

“We want people to be able to come and enjoy their coffee and the atmosphere. We want everyone to be able to see how comfortable the furniture is and to see if it works for them,” Kang said.

They are currently brewing Fratello Coffee, a fresh roasted coffee from Calgary, speciality teas from China and eventually they will offer sandwiches, salads and a few sweets. Plus, they intend to provide some entertainment to their customers by inviting musicians to perform live on a regular basis.

Visit them at 130 10th St., call 204-720-4841 or follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

The wait is nearly over

While many of us will get a glimpse of Santa during tonight’s parade, soon you’ll be able to spend a little bit of time with him. Santa Photo Central is pleased to announce that Santa arrives this Thursday! Located at 1128 18th St., this pop-up shop is run by Champion Digital Photography, a locally owned and operated family business.

They offer photos with Santa for children, families, pets and anyone else who wants to get in on the fun. Children aren’t rushed and have the opportunity, if they wish, to read their letters to Santa, sing Christmas carols or even colour with him. They also have some great Christmas gift ideas.

From now until Dec. 12, they will be open Wednesday through Sunday, but closer to Christmas they will be open seven days a week.

Call 727-6631 or look them up on Facebook under Champion Digital Photography for hours of operation and other details.