Downtown Owen Sound News Downtown Owen Sound News · copywriting, and bookkeeping services, troubleshoot technical ... 848 2nd Ave. East, on Friday ducer, and music journalist, will

comfortable waiting area

separated from the offices by

a large glass door which re-

quires a key fob to open.

The office area contains 22

office suites, “Hot Desks”, a

dedicated medical exam

room, a 12 person board-

room, a 24 person class-

room, a print/copy centre,

kitchenette, mail boxes,

washrooms, accessibility lift

and rear entrance with ac-

cess to the parking lot. All

entrances are protected by

video surveillance, which also

allows for a “video doorbell”

for clients who enter the

building from the parking lot.

Each office is outfitted with a

desk, ergonomic work chair,

2 guest chairs and file stor-

age. The boardroom is

equipped with a 70-inch

“smart” television, comforta-

ble, ergonomic seating for 12

Professionalism, flexibility and

convenience were the driving

forces when David Stobbe

began renovating the second

floor of his family’s downtown

business. David recalls the year

1977 when he helped to de-

molish the structure which had

previously occupied the space,

and helped during the new

construction. These memories

came to the surface as he and

his mother, Joan, the current

building owner, cut the cake at

the May 12, 2015 grand open-

ing of SuiteSpots.

At first, David was expecting a

certain transience to his cli-

ents. With tenancy options for

the day, week, or month,

SuiteSpots

is the per-

fect office

solution for

today’s on-

the-go free-

lancer or

work-from-

home entre-

preneur. To

David’s sur-

prise and

delight he is finding tenants

are interested in longer stays

after experiencing SuiteSpots

for themselves. And why

not? SuiteSpots is a vision of

modern professionalism and

luxury convenience from the

first impression to the finest

details. The flexible tenancy

plans and rates allow anyone

to have access to a fully fur-

nished and fully serviced

office for any amount of

time, for any type of busi-

ness.

As you open the street level

door to a clean and stylish

stairwell, you are greeted by

a digital directory which

advertises the suite numbers

of the businesses within.

Continue up the stairs to the

lobby and you know you’ve

stepped into a truly modern

office space. The lobby con-

tains a reception desk and

Finding Your Sweet Spot At SuiteSpots Written by Trevor Parsons

Business Name

Volume 2016, Issue 1 January 2016 Newsletter

Downtown Owen Sound News Downtown Owen Sound News

854 2nd Avenue East

Owen Sound, ON

N4K 2H3

p. 519.376.9225

f. 519.376.3908

downtownowensound.ca

Inside this issue:

Spotlight: Finding Your

Sweet Spot at SuiteSpots 1

Artist’s Co-op New Location

2

New Business

Downtown 2

Lupercalia Festival Returns 3

Upcoming Downtown

Events 3

The OSDIA Board

of Management 4

OWENOWEN SOUNDSOUND DIA QDIA QUARTERLYUARTERLY

Thank you to Jen Renouf of Foto Art for

the photo used in this month’s banner.

Downtown Kiwanis Santa Clause Parade 2015

David Stobbe and his mother,

Joan, cut the cake

at SuiteSpots’

grand

opening.

SuiteSpots reception/

lobby and waiting area.

Page 2

Downtown Owen Sound News

professional com-

munity.

Another option

offered by Stobbe

at SuiteSpots is the

“Virtual Office.”

For a monthly fee

a virtual office

package includes a

physical mailing

address, mail han-

dling, courier management and

access to scheduled boardroom

use at a discounted rate. This

allows web-based entrepre-

neurs to create a professional

business image without incur-

ring the costs of a physical

workplace.

With all of the convenient

amenities and flexible tenancy

options, SuiteSpots is a unique

office solution, but what really

sets them apart is the full time

concierge/receptionist service.

From 8:30am to 5:00pm, Mon-

day to Friday, Trish or Penny

are available to assist with all

manner of business services.

They manage incoming and

outgoing mail, welcome clients

and guests, coordinate catering,

copywriting, and bookkeeping

services, troubleshoot technical

issues within the building and

always keep the coffee flowing.

Ultimately, they act as an exten-

sion of your business team, all

included in your rent.

David Stobbe is as open, friend-

ly, and approachable as the of-

fice space he has created, and

he invites any small business

owner, freelancer, or entrepre-

neur to come by and see how

SuiteSpots can benefit any busi-

people, teleconference and

video conference capabilities,

and, of course, whiteboard and

easel. The classroom is

equipped with a projector,

whiteboard, easel, and seating

with workspace for 24 people.

There is high speed internet,

both wired and wireless,

throughout the building, com-

plete with network firewall,

virus filter, anti-spam and web

filter. The office suites, hot

desks, boardroom and class-

room are all available to rent

for terms varying in length

from a half-day to over a year,

with no lease required.

Hot desks are workspaces in a

common area designed for

professionals who would nor-

mally work from home, their

car, or a coffee shop, and are

intended to promote a profes-

sional business community, or

“coworking.” Coworking is

when freelancers and profes-

sionals from different fields

share the same work place

enabling them to

share resources,

ideas, feedback, and

sometimes, even

clients. By 2020 it

is expected that up

to 40% of the

North American

workforce will be

freelancers, temp

workers, independ-

ent contractors

and solo entrepreneurs. The

hot desks are a great way for

these types of professionals to

be rid of the isolation of work-

ing from home and the distrac-

tions of working in a public

place, while being part of a

ness. To arrange a tour, con-

tact David by phone: (226)

664-1700, or by email: Da-

[email protected]. Take a

virtual tour at

www.SuiteSpots.com.

SuiteSpots is your all-

inclusive, one-stop-shop for

any business in need of office

space, temporarily or long-

term. Find your “sweet spot”

at SuiteSpots, downtown

Owen Sound at 1051 2nd

Avenue East, across the

street from Metro.

SuiteSpots

1051 2nd Avenue East

Owen Sound ON N4K 2H7

Tel: (226) 664-1700

www.suitespots.com

SuiteSpots continued

NEW TO DOWNTOWN

Thriftology

271 9th Street East

Interesting and Exciting

Business News?

Share your story, history, event

or thoughts with us, and we can

share it with the membership on

our Facebook page.

[email protected]

Be sure to “LIKE”

the OSDIA!

The OSDIA would like to

congratulate the Artist’s Co-

op on their successful move

to their new location in the

old McKay building at 942 2nd

Avenue East. Best wishes for

your continued success!

A standard office suite includes a modern desk,

ergonomic work chair, and guest chairs (laptop

not included).

The boardroom, with

“smart” TV and comfort-

able seating for 12.

DOWNTOWN EVENTS

Every Friday!

The Bleeding Carrot Open Mic: 4-6 pm

Live Music @ Jazzmyns 8 pm

Live Jazz @ Avalon Jazz Lounge 9 pm

Live Music @ The Dark Side 10 pm

Open Every Saturday Year Round

Owen Sound Farmers’ Market

8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Every Sunday

Avalon Jazz Lounge

Sunday Brunch + Live Jazz

* * * * * * *

January 21, 2016

Explore Your True Self 6:30-9pm

Sant Mat Meditation Centre

January 22, 2016

Alyssa Schroder Art Opening 7-9pm

The Milk Maid

January 23, 2016

The Mudmen 7pm

Roxy Theatre

January 25, 2016

Coco Love Alcorn & C.R. Avery 8pm

Heartwood Concert Hall

February 4-6, 10-13, 2016

To Kill a Mockingbird 7:30pm

Roxy Theatre

Friday February 5, 2016

Frisky First Friday

Late Night Shopping Downtown

February 12-13, 2016

Lupercalia Winter Multi-Arts Festival

Music, Workshops & More

* * * * * * *

Visit often and make

Downtown Owen Sound

a part of your family plans!

downtownowensound.ca/events

Page 3

January 2016

Lupercalia Festival Returns - By Trevor Parsons

The Lupercalia Winter Multi-

Arts Festival is returning to

downtown Owen Sound!

Organizer Josh Richardson, of

Mudtown Redords, has

scheduled the festival for Feb-

ruary 12 and 13 at multiple

venues in the downtown. The

festival is set to include musi-

cal performances, workshops,

panel discussions, spoken

word performances, and a

special treat, the Luper-

Culinary Lounge for VIP ticket

holders, giving festival-goers

lots to look forward to in the

dead of winter.

Musical performances will

take place at the Heartwood

Concert Hall, located at 939

2nd Ave. East, and will include

the likes of Skye Wallace and

The Sadies on Friday night,

with Cupcake Ductape,

Hervana, Friendly Rich and

the Lollipop People, as well

as The Souljazz Orchestra

performing on Saturday.

Friday night’s headliners, The

Sadies, are a Juno Award-

winning roots-rock band

who have performed with

Canadian music legends Neil

Young, Randy Bachman, and

Buffy Sainte-Marie. Saturday

night’s headliners, The

Souljazz Orchestra’s sound

has been described as “an

explosive clash of Soul, Jazz,

Afro, Latin and Caribbean

styles, unleashed by blaring

majestic horns, dusty vintage

keyboards, and an arsenal of

earthquaking percussion.”

With the high caliber of

musical talent and sounds

this diverse, there’s sure to

be something to please eve-

ryone.

Stuart Berman, author, pro-

ducer, and music journalist,

will speak at an event called

“Rock & Writing” at the

Owen Sound & North Grey

Union Public Library on Sat-

urday evening. Berman has

been writing about pop cul-

ture in Toronto since 1994

and is the author of two

books about popular Cana-

dian bands, “This Book is

Broken: A Broken Social

Scene Story,” and “Too

Much Trouble: A Very Oral

History of Danko Jones.” He

is also a producer for CBC

Radio’s daily show “Q” and a

regular contributor to Pitch-

fork Media and Toronto Life

Magazine. Attendees will

surely gain some insight into

what it means to write

about music for a living. This

will be a free event for chil-

dren, however everyone

else will have to pay a small

fee.

Also at the library, there will

be a panel discussion entitled

“Art as a Cultural Connect-

or” on Saturday evening.

The three panelists have

varying backgrounds involving

different aspects of music and

culture. All bring a unique per-

spective to the discussion.

Richard Marsella is the Execu-

tive Director of the Regent

Park School of Music, which is

a non-profit community music

school in Toronto with a goal

“to give as many kids as possi-

ble a music education by re-

moving the financial obstacle.”

Charles Glasspool is a musi-

cian and music educator who

won a 2014 Prime Minister’s

Award for Teaching Excellence

Certificate of Achievement.

Blaine Courtney is the Chair-

man of the Owen Sound

Emancipation Festival and a

recipient of the 2014 New-

comer Champion Award.

There will be a spoken word

performance at the Ginger

Press Bookshop, located at

848 2nd Ave. East, on Friday

night. Playwright, poet, and

spoken word artist Cathy

Petch will perform, along with

Owen Sound Poets Laureate

Larry Jensen and Rob Rolfe.

The Luper-Culinary Lounge,

located at The Milk Maid at

947 2nd Ave. East, will be

open to VIP ticket holders

both evenings from 6:30pm to

8:30pm. It will feature local

gourmet food and refresh-

ments, a special treat for your

taste buds.

Advance tickets are on sale

now and will be available until

February 11th. A weekend

pass is $90 and a VIP weekend

pass is $120. Single day passes

are also available, $50 for gen-

eral admission or $65 for VIP

passes. Visit

www.mudtownrecords.com to

purchase tickets or to view the

full line-up. For more infor-

mation call 519-416-8696.

Mudtown Records

329 7th Street East

Owen Sound ON N4K 1J1

Tel: (519) 416-8696

www.mudtownrecords.com

Board of Management

Board Chair - David Parsons

(proprietor of Parsons Foto Source)

email: [email protected]

Kathy Hannen, Treasurer

(prop. of Grey Bruce Business Services)


Dianne Mattice, Director

(prop. of The Rocking Horse)


Francesca Dobbyn, Director

(Executive Director, United Way))


Rodney Rodger, Director

(Kornblum’s Men’s Wear)

Councillor Peter Lemon

(City Council Rep)


Councillor Brian O’Leary

(City Council Rep)


Lisa Cruickshank


Inspector Vince Wurfel

(O.S. Police Service Liaison)


Steve Furness

(City of Owen Sound Rep)


Deb Blackshaw, OSDIA Coordinator


About the OSDIA: The Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area was created in 1973 under the Ontario Municipal Act and is provincially mandated to

“oversee the improvement, beautification and maintenance of municipally-owned land, buildings and structures in the area beyond that provided at the expense of

the municipality generally; and to promote the area as a business or shopping area.” In support of this mandate, our mission is to provide effective leadership in the

ongoing development of the membership area as a vibrant and sustainable business, cultural, and residential community. We believe that we can achieve this goal

by supporting initiatives aimed at improving, beautifying, and promoting the membership area on behalf of all of our members. The municipally legislated bounda-

ries for the Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area are 11th Street East (to the north), 7th Street East (to the south), the Sydenham River (to the west), and

4th Street Avenue (to the east). Your comments are always welcome at [email protected].

854 Second Avenue East, Owen Sound, ON N4K 2H3 | p. 519.376.9225 f. 519.376.3908 | downtownowensound.ca

2016 Calendar As a member of the Owen Sound DIA you are always welcome to make a Deputation or

simply attend a Committee or Board meeting. The calendar below outlines Committee

Meeting and Board Meeting dates. For more information please contact the OSDIA office.

Please note that Marketing and Board Meetings begin at 5:30 p.m.

Downtown Owen Sound News Downtown Owen Sound News · copywriting, and bookkeeping services, troubleshoot technical ... 848 2nd Ave. East, on Friday ducer, and music journalist, will

Documents