Anne Sorrenti put her heart, her soul, and her savings into The Oakwood Hardware. And she has lost much of it. The popular local restaurant’s last day is next Sunday.
For Anne, Oakwood Hardware has been as much her business as her home. “My children work here, my husband works here, my mother would come in and bake Christmas cookies. This is really a family affair,” says Anne. “And my staff have become like family. The loss to us is we’re gutted.” Oakwood Hardware is a sizable local employer. It provided 18 jobs in the community, and it bought from smaller suppliers.
Even politicians in the area were firm supporters. Former MP Carolyn Bennet would dine here regularly. MPP Jill Andrew has always been in solidarity. Councillor Josh Matlow is presenting a symbolic motion for commercial rent control.
None of this mattered.
In the end, it was the free market in commercial buildings that ruled with a huge iron gavel: Anne’s out. Someone else had more money to pay more rent than she did.
“They’re able to take what I built. This was nothing. All that you see, the ceiling tiles, the lighting, the furniture, the walls, the brick veneer, the bar, the shelving. Everything. I did it,” says Anne. “It’s like being a victim of your own success. You do something beautiful, you create something, then someone comes along and says this is beautiful, I want it.”
“I’m sad to go. I don’t want to go. But I’m going. There’s nothing I can do. The decision was done for me,” says Anne. “There’s not really a lot of recourse. There’s no rent control on commercial properties.”
Anne says the outpouring from the community has been incredible. “There has been a tsunami of support and love and sadness. It really touched all of us. Staff everyday tell me that people talk to them. They’re confused. They want to know why. They want to know what’s happening next. Is she staying in the neighbourhood? Will there be something for us? They’re feeling that real sense of grief that this will be done.”
“Even though I’m kind of being pushed out of here, the legacy of the place is that you can build community. If you’re a business owner, it doesn’t have to be just about making money. It can also be about making something beautiful,” says Anne. “Families, friends, grandparents, grandchildren, they come here because it’s comfortable and they’re welcomed. I flew the pride flag when nobody was flying a pride flag in this neighbourhood. Those things matter to me.”
Anne also wants to leave behind some advice for the community: Support your small businesses. Shop in your local neighbourhood. Talk to your local businesses. Give them feedback. They need you to survive.
“Next Sunday is our last day. When those lights go out on a Monday, it will be something,” says Anne.
If you want to contact Anne, you can email her at: theoakwoodhardware@gmail.com.
