A pot-pourri of topics

St. Vital

Being outside in reasonable winter weather is good for you and there is a lot to do in Manitoba. But not everyone relishes the idea of playing outside in the winter. There are options, though:

Learn how to play bridge

Consider this…There is a one-day seminar coming up for anyone who would like to learn how to play duplicate bridge. This fun and challenging card game will keep you entertained for years. The seminar is on Saturday, April 1st and is only $20 which includes lunch! That is not an April Fool’s joke! You need to pre-register and more info is on the Bridge Manitoba web site at www.bridgemanitoba.org or contact me and I will send you the link to register.

Stamp collecting

I told a young friend of mine that I ran into some people who were really into stamp collecting. He said, “Why? Do they mail a lot of letters?”

It is possible that stamp collecting is mostly a generational hobby!

When I was growing up, I knew a lot of kids who collected stamps. And apparently the hobby is alive and well today in Manitoba. Those who participate are passionate about collecting. Maybe you have a box of stamps in the basement or inherited a collection. I hear the pandemic created a resurgence in collecting.

Regardless of age, if you have an interest in stamp collecting, you should check out www.winnipegphilatelicsociety.org, the oldest stamp club in Western Canada. They meet twice a month (on the first and third Thursdays) at the Scandinavian Cultural Centre (764 Erin St.)

Norberry Shoe Repair closing its doors

The end has come for what I believe is St. Vital’s oldest business, Norberry Shoe Repair. It is over 100 years old and current owners Ron and Lil Kuzussek have decided to retire. Ron told me the shoe repair business is still going strong but they could not find anyone to buy their business. His brother still operates The Shoe Guy in the McIvor Mall. Ron and Lil have owned Norberry Shoe Repair since 1986.

A lot of people who grew up in St. Vital would have a story to tell about this establishment. When I owned Home Run Sports, located in the next block on St. Mary’s Road, we sent baseball gloves requiring repair or re-lacing to them. I have fond memories of buying laces and having skates sharpened there when I was a kid, and my brother remembers buying a pair of blue shoes there in his teens.

Ron told me his favourite memory is of his first two years at the shopm when he worked alongside previous owner Nick Nowosad, learning all the tricks of the trade.

It was an emotional day when members of the St. Vital Museum stopped in to pick up some donations Ron and Lil wanted us to have. They have very mixed feelings about closing the business. In their words, it is “bittersweet.”