Mel and Jill Blimke
What should have been a short-term project to help Mel Blimke bridge into retirement has turned into nearly 15 years of old-fashioned, personable service and plenty of unique, hard-to-find products, most of which are proudly Canadian.
A Sense of Country, the retro-styled general store that winds seemingly endlessly through the ground floor at 169 Raglan Street South, is a throwback to the legacy of Blimke’s Booth, which his grandparents ran during Mel’s youth, offering everything from classic candy to locally published books, outdoor and seasonal decor, gifts, and more.
That includes a wide variety of goods sourced from what Blimke describes as an abundance of talented local producers across Ontario and the Ottawa Valley, which have been a staple of the store’s procurement process since opening during the summer of 2011.
Blimke is also a well-connected member of the local business community as an active member of both the Downtown Renfrew BIA and the Renfrew and Area Chamber of Commerce.
