At BDNMB.CA we want to support and promote locally owned and operated businesses, as well as those offering unique and imaginative services. Josee Twerdoski feels she has tapped into a necessary service for those people who own pets. Josee’s Pet and House Sitting service is now available to Brandon residents. Josee offers various services from basic dog walking, to house sitting, to staying with your dogs or pets overnight. Some pets find it very stressful to go to kennels, and would rather stay in their homes where they feel safe and comfortable, and this is where Josee comes in. Also, if your pet requires medication Josee can handle that task for you while you are away. Her service allows you to go away with peace of mind knowing that your pets and your house are in good hands in your absence. Her prices are as follows: House Sitting – Pet Sitting for 24 hours - $75.00 Dog Walking - $25.00 For more information you can checkout her Facebook page.  

A common topic of conversation among residents of Brandon quite often is that there is really nothing cool, or unique, when your looking to furnish, accessorize, or decorate your home or business. Jenny and Patrick, from One and Only Design Studio, located at 130 – 10th Street have perhaps filled that void for the residents of Brandon and Western Manitoba. When you first walk into their studio for a minute you don’t feel like you are in Brandon, but rather a very cool and trendy shop in downtown Vancouver. As an added bonus when parading through the store admiring the merchandise you can purchase a coffee or a drink, from their in house coffee shop.     Jenny says their goal is to service and furnish hotels from all over Western Canada, as well local business’s. Brandon and Westman residents are more than welcome to come into the store to see their high quality selection of lighting, couches, chairs, artwork, and accessories. Jenny told BDNMB.CA that some of their hotel clients from Alberta and BC will fly to Brandon to see their inventory. Patrick said that they will often source their most of their inventory from top designers in China and then be able to sell basically direct to their customers. Of note, Jenny and Patrick, own and operate Barney’s on the Trans Canada. Thank you to Anita Haigh for the tip on this story.    

After seventeen years of operation inside the Town Centre, Brandon-based Fitness Quest will cease operations on December 31st  2016. Wayne and Debbie Gross, the owners of Fitness Quest, were unavailable for comment.  We also did make an attempt to speak to representatives from the Town Centre and had no luck. Peak Performance owner Rodman Batson felt it was sad to hear a local business is closing and he believes Brandon people want to support local business.  'We hope to gain a few new faces and dive into body building program…and this will hopefully good for us” added Rodman. Tyler McNish, a huge supporter of Fitness Quest was devastated with the news. “Fitness Quest was a good size, and close to my home, and priced very reasonably compared to other places…plus very good hours and lots of equipment to choose from” said Tyler. Current Fitness Quest members will be able to transfer their membership over the Frederickson Performance Centre (FPC) on 18th street. With the new and improved YMCA, the BU Healthy Living Centre, and with the news that Good Life Fitness was coming soon has created a log jam in the local fitness facility scene

Well Dressed Cakes by Brett, a specialized cake and cupcake shop, is set to open their retail store in Brandon Wednesday, November the 16th at 10:00 am.  The new location will be located at 1250 Richmond Avenue, next to Jiffy Food Mart.  A grand opening celebration has been scheduled for December the 3rd. Their cakes are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries , corporate events, or just about any special occasion.  Cakes are built to suit your needs as they offer a variety of cake flavours including premium flavours.  There is buttercream or premium icing options available as well a wide selection of fillings to choose from.  For more information you can check out her Facebook Page, or her web site.

According to numerous unconfirmed reports Dollarama is set to open a 9,000 sq ft location in the Brandon Shoppers Mall. It is unknown if this will mark a 3rd Dollarama location, of if one of the 2 existing locations would be relocating. Looking for a unique place to host your Christmas party? Check out Crows General Store. Crow's is also great for birthdays, retirements, or family gatherings. Mecca Productions will be holding a Family Christmas Concert inside the McDiarmind Drive Alliance Church on December the 3rd. Show time is 3:30 pm with the doors opening at 2:45 pm. Rush seating. Adult tickets are only $10, students & seniors are only $5. Children 6 and under are free. Upwards of up to 150 singers are expected to be sharing the stage that afternoon.     The Brandon Senior Men's Basketball League gets underway this Sunday the 20th League Commissioner, Kevin Phillip, tells BDNMB.CA that he expects it to be a very competitive season with 5-teams set to battle it out for league supremacy. Those players looking to either join a team, or fill in for a game, can contact Kevin on the leagues Facebook page. Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played since Oct. 11 still may be several weeks from suiting up. TSN correspondent Bob McKenzie recently took a look at potential prospects for the Canadian National Junior team and he had this to say about Patrick. “Patrick isn't expected back for another two-to-three weeks,” McKenzie writes. “He had sports hernia surgery in the off-season. There were fears he would need the same procedure done on the other side, but the prognosis now is for some rest and rehab. It's expected he will be ready before Dec. 11, but how much hockey will he have played?” Forward Jaeger White is lo-longer listed on the roster of the Brooks Bandits. He had previously joined the Bandits after being released by the Wheat Kings earlier in the season. Duncan Campbell has registered 5 points in 5 games since joining the Pentiction Vees of the BCHL. Scott Glennie continues to make strides in his return to the game picking up 6 points in his first 5 games with the Manitoba Moose. He is also a plus 5 over that period. Glennie sat out all of last season to rehab a shoulder injury which eventually required surgery.