Sean Conway and Katie Knebel of Knebel Prairie Developments, owners of 290 Main Street and 10 Cedar Drive are once again moving forward with plans to develop Niverville Commons.
Conway’s Irish Pub
The Citizen announced in a past article that Mellissa and Tyler Schroeder, the former owners of Niverville Pizzeria, were working with Knebel Prairie Developments Inc. to open The Village Pub.
Since that time, the Schroeders have learned that they are expecting twins. At this time, they say that they simply cannot take on ownership of a fledgling business like their planned pub.
However, a pub is still on the way at that location.
According to Knebel, Conway’s Irish Pub will have a true pub atmosphere.
“There will be a dart room, we have applied for VLTs, there will be sports pools, live music, karaoke, Chase the Ace and more,” Knebel says.
The pub will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
“We are still working out all of the details, but we will be open at 11:00 every morning and every night to at least 11:00 p.m. on weekdays and last call on weekends,” she explains. “The menu will be a combination of traditional Irish food alongside pub classics.”
Conway’s Irish Pub is now accepting resumes for all positions, including a chef/kitchen manager.
Main Street Market
Another new business coming soon to Niverville Commons is the Main Street Market, owned by lifelong residents of Niverville Terry and Jackie Wohlgemuth. The market will be located in Unit G.
Niverville residents may already be familiar with the Wohlgemuths’ painting business, Vogey’s Painting. But Terry also has a passion for woodworking and carpentry.
“[Terry] is known in the community for his outstanding workmanship and creativity,” says Knebel. “[The Wohlgemuths] look forward to showcasing Terry’s incredible talent from small items to large items. From live edge coasters to charcuterie boards, custom shelves, live edge coffee tables, custom dining room tables, bar tops, and more.”
Terry also enjoys refinishing furniture and will offer up beautifully refurbished pieces for sale as well as custom refinishing for clients.
To complement Terry’s work, Jackie will sell a wide variety of home decor pieces. She will offer crochet and knitted items for the kitchen and bathroom, plus toques, mittens, scarves, throw blankets, and other handmade products.
Main Street Market will now also serve as the headquarters for Vogey’s Painting.
Jackie says she envisions a place for customers to enjoy a cup of tea and take their time while they shop. All items at Main Street Market will be handcrafted by Terry and Jackie.
Done Hair, Skin, and Nails
A longtime resident of Niverville Commons, Done Hair, Skin, and Nails, has undergone an extensive renovation. Done has added 270 square feet to its salon, as well as created a fresh look with new paint and exposed concrete floors.
They’ve also installed new luxury hair wash sinks and chairs and revamped their hair stations. The added square footage has allowed them to install a fourth styling station, and they look forward to hiring another stylist for that station.
“There is a stunning new tile feature wall which wows you as soon as you lay eyes on it,” Knebel says. “Further renovations include a complete transformation of lighting to better showcase the amazing work they do in their salon.”
Average Joe’s Fitness
Average Joe’s Fitness is also working on a major equipment and layout upgrade. The business is adding more than $54,000 of new equipment, including two state of the art Star Trac Ellipticals, a New Concept 2 Rowing Machine, a Dynamic Functional Trainer, a Glute Drive Hip Thrust Machine, a Multi Inner/Outer Thigh Machine, a Multi Leg Press Machine, and a Nautilus Freedom Rack.
Knebel says that as soon as the upgrade is complete, Average Joe’s will post pictures to their social media accounts. At that time they will also announce a summertime special.
RuffMutts
RuffMutts has been operating in Niverville for more than ten years. They started as a dog-grooming business out of their home before moving to Niverville Commons in September 2018.
Since then, RuffMutts has boasted an ever-growing list of pet food and supplies. They also continue to offer dog-grooming.
The business has two other locations now, in Altona and Morden. The Morden store has been updated with a modern look and feel, and this year the original Niverville RuffMutts will be updated as well with better lighting and more retail space.
Community General Store
Yet another Niverville Commons business, The Community General Store (TCGS), continues to grow.
“Over the last two years, we have made many exciting changes at TCGS,” says owner Noella Robinson-Andres, “including an expansion that saw us double our shoppable space, which has allowed us to reconsider some of our offerings and fill in the gaps that we saw were missing within the community.”
Over the next several weeks, TCGS will be adding a daily offering of fresh baking—for example, sourdough bread, sticky buns, brownies, croissants, stuffed cookies, cookie dough cups, and cookie sandwiches. They will also add more Canadian-made snacks.
“Our expansion has also allowed us to grow our in-store brand, Poppy James, which we make in-house,” says Robinson-Andres. “It now includes essential oil-based candles, body butters, bath salts, aromatherapy sprays, lip balms, shower steamers, and more!”
Other Announcements
Clarity Vision, a full service optometrist, will open its doors on May 25.
“They had delivery delays in regards to equipment, but are now in full swing setting up their space,” Knebel says.
As of May 1, the commercial units in Niverville Commons are all occupied. Besides the businesses mentioned above and the office of Knebel Prairie Developments Inc., there are another nine businesses occupying space: the Prairie Soul Dance Company, SOAK Bath Co., Royal LePage Riverbend Realty, 88 Carats Co., Prickly Pear, W&W Edwards Homes, Atramentum, North of US Inc., and an accounting office.
A series of new residential units are also planned.
“The engineering part of the process took longer than anticipated,” Knebel explains. “We are moving forward with the first phase of the project this month. Once completed we will have a total of ten residential units.”
