Although Raspberry House Blues begins in Vancouver, British Columbia, it very quickly switches to and remains in a section of Winnipeg, Manitoba, one known locally as the Wolseley area. This setting is in total contrast to Poppy's well-ordered, predictable life in Vancouver. According to Holeman, placing a young protagonist in an unfamiliar situation is imperative to the plot. The other characters—Eric and Calypso, Becca, Mac, Linnea and even old Mr. Hartley— lend themselves to the area as well. Especially well-situated is Calypso, whose character cannot survive in the affluent atmosphere. Holeman comments that Wolseley fits perfectly with the slightly off-beat characters and their lifestyle choices.

Wolseley, an older area of Winnipeg, is bordered on its south side by the slowly meandering Assiniboine River. When Poppy's father, Eric, drives her from the airport to the raspberry house, Poppy has her first glimpse of the Wolseley area...