6 The South Marysburgh Mirror Creating a Pop-up in Milford (Continued from page 5) brought them as vendors to Picton. By then their son had become established in Montreal, so they set out to find an old house in the County that could accommodate their work- shop studio and they found just such a house situated next toa church in the centre of South Marysburgh. At L’Atelier Du Presbytere (which means the workshop by Presbytere), browsers can find linen casual clothing for wom- en, designed and made by hand by Thierry and Francoise, as well as items like linen tea towels and cushions. Before COVID-19, the couple traveled to craft shows from Niagara to Muskoka and Windsor to Toronto to sell their cre- ations. But the pandemic blocked those traditional sales routes so they turned their minds to how to create a bou- tique ‘pop-up’ shop in their newly built barn. The COVID-19 period, though a difficult time, allowed Francoise to design new items and for Thierry and Francoise to make the products. “When we are making things, we need quiet without in- terruptions. When we are open, we like to create an ambi- ance where customers can come and wander through or just sit and talk. We want it to be welcoming because we like to sit and talk, too,” Frangoise says, smiling. Cozy and charming, the boutique displays the many design- er clothing styles based on the traditional garb of rural French women, but unique to Frangoise’s creative flare. But there’s more to entice the curious browser. This past season, Thierry and Francoise added a few new items to their offerings. One addition is a collection of terra- cotta planters in a range of colours and sizes from mantle size to large accent pieces. “These planters are handmade in the south of France where nice hotels use them as decorative pieces. They are very special,” Francoise said. Along side the planters are other unusual culinary ceramics like bowls and wine jugs. “We had to be creative because of COVID. We had to make a pop- up shop but we know now that we can make it work. We will add something new every year,” Francoise said, “to keep it fresh. We won’t do the craft shows any- more. We like the idea of making this a destination. We think we have found the recipe. This is the right place for us.” | am pleased to assist you with Ontario provincial programs and services Bay of Quinte Constituency office: 5503 Hwy 62S, Belleville, Ont K8N OL5 (Rossmore Plaza} Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. By appointment only during COVID-19