It might have been the harsh winter. But every day I pass by Nonna Lia’s on Oakwood, it’s been nearly empty. Even though it’s brand new and the décor is sleek, few locals venture inside. I can’t help but wonder if Nonna is being blamed for Oakwood Hardware’s demise.
I get it.
Everyone in the village loved Oakwood Hardware. It was the place to be. Almost like the town square. We also knew the owner didn’t want to leave. So going inside Nonna Lia could seem like we’re committing an act of betrayal.
But Anne Sorrenti, the owner of Oakwood Hardware, wasn’t forced out by the owners of Nonna Lia. The landlord of 337 Oakwood was able to get nearly double the rent Anne could pay.
And herein lies the problem.
Commercial landlords can charge whatever they want. There’s no commercial rent control in Ontario. Doug Ford won’t bring it in. And the Liberals before him never brought it in either. The City of Toronto supported Councillor Josh Matlow’s motion for commercial rent control, but the City has no authority over commercial rent.
So today, it’s up to a private negotiation between small businesses and their landlords. The lease is king. But even if you have a good lease, it will come to an end a few years down the road. With no commercial rent control, every small business operator today with a good lease, will see their rents go up with the only control being the goodness of their landlord’s heart.
There are also bigger forces at play against small businesses. Developers in the city are tearing up properties that house local shops, and renting to big chains. Take Fairbank Village for example. An entire block came down. When a new building came up, it came with a new KFC. Not a local shop.
Anne’s last wishes were that we support local businesses and that we save the historic building where Oakwood Hardware was housed. And she’s right. Because if we don’t, we won’t even have a Nonna Lia, which at least is family-owned.
We might end up with yet another condo building and an American food chain.
I agree that there needs to be some form of commercial rent control in Ontario to help protect small businesses. It is not a betrayal to patronize an establishment. The questionable actions in this situation are on both sides, the landlord for seeking more profit from rent and the incoming business which negotiated a higher rent knowing there was an established local business operating. It would have been a different perception if Oakwood Hardware had closed and the landlord was looking for a new tenant for a vacant space. I believe Nonna Lia is also operating as a prep kitchen for a larger online store and other locations, so the lack of present customers may not be the driving factor for the business. On a side note, I know someone who reached out to Nonna Lia when the “opening soon” notice went up, with a request to apply for a part-time position and the Nonna Lia operators did not even take the time to respond. This makes me wonder about their interest in engaging the local community.
I visited on two occasions. Their sandwiches were delish and I did notice a lot of food delivery business. I went in again one evening and because I knew the sandwiches took a while to make I asked the young man (who has been in Canada only five months from Rome) if I could order and come back for it and he behaved in a really objectionable way–“I don’t do business that way.” I was utterly confused. Turns out they now have a new oven and they make the sandwiches and then heat them in the oven. I did get the sandwich and it wasn’t half as good as the one I had had before. In addition the customer service was in a word awful. If I can help I won’t go back. We should all stay away.