Urban Vine wins first ‘Win This Space’ contest in Gravenhurst

GRAVENHURST — A taste of downtown Dundas is coming to downtown Gravenhurst.

The Urban Vine is opening in July just doors from the post office intersection.

Dundas’s Urban Vine ‘tasting boutique’ is expanding to Gravenhurst in July from Dundas.

They will receive free rent for a year.

That means a “tasting boutique” featuring the freshest assortment of premium single varietal extra virgin olive oils, master blends, and aged balsamic vinegars.

And according to their website, Muskokans could in for a menu that includes: Baklouti Fused Chili Oil Strawberry Crostini/ Parmesan White Truffle Gnocchi/ Confit Duck Leg with Black Cherry Balsamic Reduction/Buttery Premium Olive Oil Poached Lobster Tail/ Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon and Pork Belly/ Unique Dessert Options.

“We are passionate about our products and welcome you to indulge your senses by sampling our carefully selected varieties from around the world,” say the owners Duane and Lily Zoghaib.

Lily says: “The store will be quite similar to the Dundas location we will be tweaking it to offer artisan cheeses in the near future.

“Our complementary products consist of Gourmet Artisan Dried Pastas, tapenades, pestos, olives( hand stuffed, low sodium), pickled garlic, pickled mixes, all natural made with extra virgin olive oil beauty products, gourmet dried soups, wide array of dipping dishes, charcuterie boards, product focused cook books, seasoning, etc.

Lily and Duane are the inaugural winners of Win This Space, a new initiative for the Gravenhurst Business Improvement Area (GBIA), says their administrator Lindsay Fetterley-Coles.

She says the GBIA welcomes the Urban Vine to the downtown community after a lengthy application process.  This competition was aimed at attracting budding entrepreneurs and boosting economic development in the community.

“The judging panel, comprised of local business owners and experts, felt confident that the Urban Vine was the perfect candidate to become the newest addition to downtown Gravenhurst.”

The original Urban Vine calls Dundas, Ontario home and owners Lily and Duane were looking to expand. With connections to the community and a love of Muskoka they saw Gravenhurst as the perfect fit and jumped at the chance to win one year’s free rent through the Win This Space program.

The GBIA provided free rent for a year to the Urban Vine, who open in July.

The GBIA ran Win This Space 2018 in partnership with the town, the Chamber of Commerce, Muskoka Futures, Muskoka Small Business Centre, the Parry Sound Muskoka Community Network and some local businesses.

Fetterley-Coles says the GBIA and its partners hope to running the program annually.

She says it is designed to increase economic development in a community through offering a prize of one year’s free rent to someone with a unique and sustainable business idea. This style of competition has been successfully executed in several locations across Ontario with positive economic impact.