Merrickville's Healthily Ever After Fast becoming Wellness Hub

MERRICKVILLE - Healthily Ever After is a health and local foods shop packing a lot of punch when it comes to wellness.

Just off Merrickville's main drag at 118 Brock Street West, Healthily Ever After is located on the same site with Ahimsa Naturopathic and owner Dr. Katie Weststrate, Naturopath and yoga teacher, has dreams of offering additional community wellness services.

"My hope is to build a yoga studio on site, ultimately creating a wellness hub," says Katie. She purchased the "small but mighty" health food shop in September to complement her practice and efforts to support wellness and sustainability in the local community.

"Everything we sell is as local as it can be, ideally within a 100-kilometre radius," says Katie. Among some of the items are local fresh produce from Rooted Oak Organic Farm in North Augusta and Beking's Poultry Farm in Oxford Station, to name just a few. They strive to provide their customers with fresh and sustainably-grown food.

You’ll find a wide range of local products, produce, dairy, and meat, as well as gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, keto, and organic food options. You’ll also find unique zero-waste products, cleaning supplies, bottle-return products and personal care options.

Using clinically-backed knowledge and an excellent understanding of the community’s needs, the shop has developed an expanding selection of supplements and herbals. "It is important to us that our supplements are high-quality, Canadian made and research based where possible," Katie says, including product lines made in Barry's Bay, Ottawa and Toronto.

Healthily Ever After first opened in 2015. "It started as an option to get health food essentials in the village," says shop manager Claire Sexton.

"People started telling us what they needed so that they didn't need to drive far to get it," says Claire. "From the very beginning it was orientated to include area farms and local producers."

The store also features hand-crafted items from local artists and artisans on a monthly rotation, including Indigenous artwork. They work closely with local organizations that support Merrickville’s sustainability and economy.

Healthily Ever After is female owned and operated. The team works hard to stay up-to-date on research and trends in the health and wellness industry so they can provide you with the best service possible. For more information on Healthily Ever After, visit their website and their Facebook and Instagram pages. You can call them at 613-269-4341 or send them an email.

Foodie Shop Adventures Here!

WESTPORT - A vibrant, new “Foodie Shop Adventures” tour is inspiring enthusiasts to visit 12 area food destinations.

The self-driving Adventures initiative was launched last week at one of the tour’s new stops - Rosie Yumski’s Fine Foods in Westport. Participating shop owners from throughout the region joined in the fun along with local dignitaries to introduce the new initiative designed to entice foodie locals and tourists to area communities. This is the third tour coordinated by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Economic Development Office.

“What could be more tantalizing than a pathway to fine local and specialty foods,” said Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Minister Clark brought greetings to the launch.

Tour destination shops can be found in Merrickville, Westport, Lyndhurst, Seeley’s Bay, Athens, Portland, Prescott, Gananoque and Brockville. A Counties Discover webpage lists all participants with a map of their locations. See the full itinerary on our Foodie Shop Adventures webpage.

At the launch, Westport Mayor Robin Jones welcomed everyone and read comments sent by Leeds Grenville Warden Nancy Peckford, who was unable to attend.

“As Warden of the Counties, it brings me great pleasure to provide visitors and locals alike with another compelling reason to explore the 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways region,” Mayor Jones said on the Warden’s behalf. 

Mayor Jones applauded the participating businesses on behalf of Counties Council. “Thank you for pushing the culinary envelope and encouraging shoppers to expand their horizons. Your shops not only provide a vessel for locally-made products to be seen and purchased by visitors, but also gives all who visit a look into the hearts of genuine people who love what they do and where they live,” Mayor Jones said.

“We know that our target tourist market is interested in exploring authentic local food scenes and engaging with the people and stories behind their food products,” said Ann Weir, Manager of the Leeds Grenville Economic Development Office. The Adventures tours are designed to increase direct dividends from visitor spending in our communities, she said.

The Counties Economic Development Office completed a regional tourism destination strategy last year. It recognized the importance of the region working collaboratively toward the common goal of increasing visitation to Leeds Grenville. As part of the implementation, the United Counties have formally adopted the 1000 Islands Rideau Canal Waterways brand and are evolving existing tourism products and experiences while developing new ones.



The Foodie Shop Adventures announcement is the third launch this summer. The first two were Garden Adventures on June 12, and now in its ninth year, and the new Fresh Baked Adventures on June 21. 

Maison Maitland Opens New French-style Villas

MAITLAND - Maison Maitland Cooking School and Villas is a landmark in this community and now it is even better. Owner Cynthia Peters has refurbished the former stone carriage house on the five-acre property into two-storey townhouses.

"I've always wanted to add accommodations, or gites as they are called in France, to my cooking and culinary experiences," says Cynthia. This will expand her offerings to longer culinary retreats, getaways, and historical stays for couples and groups. "They will offer our guests an idyllic European-style, countryside escape, unique in South Eastern Ontario," she said. Cynthia and her husband bought the 1820s Georgian Manor in 2021 and renovated the kitchen to host her popular farm-to-table cooking school.