Rural Road Trip promotes shopping locally this summer
Starts Monday, June 22 all over Southwest Manitoba and Moosomin
June 22, 2026, 12:00 pm
Ashley Bochek, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Samantha Cluett of Samantha’s Boutique in Elkhorn along with entrepreneurs all over Southwest Manitoba and Moosomin are collaborating this summer to offer shoppers the Ultimate Rural Road Trip.
Shoppers will be given a passport booklet at participating businesses that can be stamped after making a purchase.
The Rural Road Trip is to promote shopping locally and enjoying summer touring around Southwest Manitoba and Moosomin shops.
Organizer Cluett says the goal is to encourage shopping locally in our area.
“The goal is to create a road trip this summer for women to participate in that would encourage them to travel to small rural communities in the area that they maybe wouldn’t have traveled to otherwise.
“I grew up in Neepawa, so it goes as far east as Neepawa and as far west as Moosomin. Neepawa has some really great shops, and then I travel the road a lot, so I know there are other communities between here and there that have some really good shopping.”
She says she and her friends have organized a winter road trip the past two years.
“In the winter my friend in Rossburn, our friends at Studio 83 in Miniota, and our friends at Flower Attic in Virden, organized a winter road trip, a bus tour around the southwest part of the province.
“The four of us set that up and then Hamiota jumped on board for that as well. The first year we sold out two busses, and then this past year we sold out one full bus. It would start in the morning in Virden, and then it would come to Elkhorn, and then up to Miniota, Rosburn and Russell, and they’d have lunch at Rossburn, and then to Hamiota, and it would end in Virden, so you would get back into your vehicle. We offered coffee on the bus, it was a really fun day.”
Southwest Manitoba and Moosomin shops
Cluett says the Rural Road Trip is mostly located in Southwest Manitoba with the exception of Moosomin.
“Neepawa is the furthest one. From Neepawa, then you can hit Rapid City and from Rapid City, there are a couple different ways you could do it, just depending how you wanted to go, because you could go up to Sandy Lake and Rossburn and Russell, or you could keep going down to Virden, and then in the middle is Miniota and Elkhorn, and then Moosomin. I included Moosomin because it’s so close to us, and I’ve worked closely with Kari’s Kloset and the Witch’s Brew in the past, so I wanted to include them too.
“It shows you on the passport where all the businesses and communities are, so you could do a different leg of it each weekend and just find something fun to do.”
She says she decided to co-ordinate and organize the idea to bring communities and entrepreneurs together.
“I like to have projects on the go, and it’s always been a dream. This is what my friends and I like to do—jump in the car and go on a road trip, and see what each town has. As young moms, we hit a lot of communities through sports so this is just a way all of my favorite little shops could work together to create a really fun road trip for women to do this summer!”
Neepawa, Virden, and Moosomin are the three largest centres participating in the Rural Road Trip.
“Everybody that’s on board is really on board,” said Cluett. “We’ve had a really good response from the businesses. We wanted to try to keep it reasonable too. Neepawa, Virden, and Moosomin are the bigger communities, they have a lot more shopping than some of the others, but we wanted it to be an achievable road trip for women. So we kept it to two or three businesses at each community, but we would encourage people to check out all of the shopping in those communities while they’re there.”
Shopping around the area
Cluett says the idea came from a previous road trip she and her friend did, stopping at local communities all over Southwest Manitoba.
“Years ago, my friend and I, she had never been out to Neepawa, so we went and we hit up all the small towns between here and Neepawa, and we road-tripped and stopped in a bunch of stores and coffee shops, and had the best time. So now we wanted to make it big for all communities in the area to join and advertise it.”
She says she hopes shoppers are interested and it becomes an annual summer event.
“I hope once we get everything sorted, this is something we could always do. We are kind of mirroring what the World-Spectator does at Christmas with the big giveaway.
“If you stopped at one of the participating businesses, you would enter your name and get a stamp on your passport, and there will be a few different ways to win, I’m still working out the exact details.”
Passionate about shopping locally
Cluett says she enjoys shopping locally and making fun days out of shopping trips in the area.
“I’m super passionate about shopping in rural communities, and what our rural communities have to offer. We are existing in a world right now where there is a lot of online shopping and convenience, that we’re trying to bring back the nostalgic load your car up with all your friends, get coffee, and hit the road, and go experience shopping the way it’s meant to be experienced. I know convenience, I get that, but it’s definitely not the same experience. Adding something to your cart and having it show up on your doorstep, versus having the conversations in the car and the coffees that you can grab on the way and make memories with your friends while shopping in the rural communities.”
Passports available at participating businesses
Cluett says the passports will be available for customers to pick up at participating businesses in the area. Passports will be stamped after purchases and be entered into draws to win prizes.
“The plan is that each store will have a few passports on hand. The plan is to start this Monday, June 22, and end around September 15.”
She explains ways to win prizes in the Rural Road Trip.
“The goal is to have three different ways to win. One being all completed passports would go into one big draw, and we would draw one winner for the grand prize, which would be a gift card from each business. Then each individual business would draw one passport out of their own tub to win a smaller prize. I also want to have a few online options to win as well on social media like giveaways, I’m hoping.
Keeping rural communities thriving
Cluett says she is passionate about helping small business communities grow and flourish in our area.
“It’s my passion to keep our small towns going. I grew up in a bit bigger town—Neepawa is a bit bigger, but they have great shopping there as well as in Moosomin and Virden, they are bigger centers, and they have really great shopping districts, but then all of the smaller communities on the road in between the big districts have really great little businesses to to stop at. I’m really passionate about promoting that.
“It’s the little businesses that are giving back to the sports teams and the local events, we’re employing your students and kids. The bulk stores and the online stores aren’t giving back in the same way your small businesses can. It all goes back to a big passion for reminding people, this is this is how it all started. I think of when the little towns were thriving with main streets full of shopping stores, and everybody came to town on Saturdays to shop and go out for supper and do all the things. I would love for us to keep promoting our small towns to keep that atmosphere happening in them.
She says she is excited to offer the Rural Road Trip within local communities.
“I am very excited. I will be more excited once I have all my details finalized, and people are shopping and getting their stamps.
“I hope it takes off, and I hope it gets some recognition within the province that this is happening, and we can encourage people to come out to our part of the province. I think it’s pretty well known that when you think of Manitoba and tourism, you think of Winnipeg and Churchill, so I’m hoping to promote it as a tourism aspect in our small communities.”
Cluett is also involved with Prairie Gateway Tourism based in Virden and the RM of Wallace-Woodworth.
“I sit on a local tourism board, Prairie Gateway Tourism,” she said. “It’s a collaboration between the Town of Virden and the RM of Wallace-Woodworth. We are a group that is passionate about promoting tourism in this region. So then, from a boutique owner perspective, I wanted to create a destination for our region where there is all this amazing shopping among our communities. I think it’s going to be really good.”
16 businesses, 9 communities involved
Cluett lists the different communities and businesses involved in this summer’s Rural Road Trip.
“There are a ton of communities and a ton of businesses involved. In Neepawa, there are three businesses, Brews Brothers Bistro, The Mill Lifestyle Store, and Hid’n Hollow. Vint’s Castle in Sandy Lake, All Things Hanna in Rapid City, Russell Cut & Dried in Russell, four in Moosomin, Kari’s Kloset, Witch’s Brew, Zaylie’s, and Grace & Gather. Studio 83 in Miniota, Flower Attic & Gifts as well as Virden Sport and Fashion in Virden, Gone Scrappin’ in Bloom in Rossburn, and Samantha’s Boutique, and K&T’s Kitchen in Elkhorn.
“There are 16 businesses participating in nine different communities. The furthest distance would be Moosomin to Neepawa. Elkhorn to Neepawa we’re just under two hours which is still very achievable.
“We drive further to go to Winnipeg or to Regina. Those two are the furthest apart, but there are so many different ways you could do it. It’ll be fun and exciting for shopping trips with friends.”
Tweet
