Vested Interest returning to downtown

Sometimes it takes a while for stars to align, but the downtown of North Bay is only a few weeks away from a perfect alignment—one that will see Vested Interest Trading return to the core,...right on Main Street.

“We’re very excited about this expansion,” co-owner Jennifer McNutt Bywater said this morning in the old Nutty Chocolatier building, which will soon house the new Vested Interest storefront.

Members of the downtown community came to share in the excitement of the announcement—what seemed like the long-awaited return of a North Bay staple.

“We thought we’d be back here about a year and a half after the fire but it just didn’t work out,” Brent explained. “We’ve always been big fans of the downtown and have felt strongly about it being the core of the city, so it was always our intention to return and this is an opportunity that lends itself perfectly.”

Brent wanted to stress that this was an expansion for Vested Interest, not a move, as the Callander location, as well as LeFROMAGE in Verner, remain.

“This is a new location,” he said. “We’re looking for a start of two full-time and maybe as many as 10 part-time staff when we open. We’re looking for good people to help hold up our brand of good service and creating a great experience for the customer.”

But that isn’t the only excitement stirring in that building downtown. Brent and Jennifer Bywater made their announcement alongside Dustin Gennoe and his wife Kayleene, the team behind the popular North Bay Escape Rooms.

“Brent and Jennifer are great business people and when they came to us with the opportunity to occupy more space than we already had we wanted to take the chance to offer more entertainment to the downtown core,” Dustin said. “We’re definitely bringing over our Dracula room and Egyptian room, and we do have some plans for new rooms and a few other entertainment opportunities as well. We’re going to have around six rooms when we’re done as well as a party room and another big section of the space for a new project we’re hoping to announce later.”

With the interiors still empty, both businesses have made the ambitious goal of making sure they’re open for the annual Christmas Walk.

“101 for retailers is the Christmas season when you’re going sell a large portion of your volume,” Brent said. “So more people are going to see us and it’s critical it isn’t delayed any longer getting the business open for this opportunity. We’re not going to cut any corners with this expansion. We’re looking at doing two phases: a renovation to get us ready for the Christmas season and then in January when it’s a little quieter we’ll key in on the areas that need a bit more attention.”

Vested Interest Trading—which has been around for just over 25 years now—is known for its fair-trade imported goods from Indonesia and Thailand, as well as supporting local businesses by promoting and selling those products in their store. On their shelves, you can find jewelry, clothes, specialty food items, teak furniture and other items for home décor.