Kleinburg bids farewell to ‘iconic’ retail shop, but new restaurants, services growing

Hawthorne House 'an intrinsic part of the Kleinburg community for decades'

Yorkregion.com
August 10, 2020

Kleinburg might have lost yet another retail shop, but new restaurants are sprouting while keeping its authentic flair amid a push for high-density projects to accommodate population growth in nearby areas.

In late July, Kleinburg also known as the Village by its residents, had to bid a “farewell” to the “iconic” Hawthorne House, a retail shop specializing in women’s wear among other products.

“It has been an intrinsic part of the Kleinburg community for decades,” wrote Deb Schulte MP for King-Vaughan in her newsletter. “In the last decade, Louise Zembal was its proprietor and in her shop she carried an eclectic line of women’s fashions and home decor.”

“Louise was an extremely dedicated and conscientious president of the Kleinburg Business Improvement Association,” added Schulte. “Not only did she work tirelessly to ensure that all business owners were well represented, but she actively promoted more community minded events such as the annual Tree Lighting ceremonies.”

In March, Kleinburg lost its iconic Starbucks. However, the independent European coffee shop Balzac's Coffee Roasters is coming next month as a replacement, said Frank Greco, director of Kleinburg’s BIA.

“The owner of the (former Starbucks Cinzia Racine) building really worked hard to get Balzac’s to get in there,” said Greco, who described how it’s “going to be a little bit of a change for people not seeing the store that's been around for so long.”

“Starbucks obviously was iconic,” continued Greco. “ Everybody loves to go there and it was a big big part of the fabric of our village but I think Balzac’s is going to be just as strong, and with the opening of all these other new places and restaurants and cafes, the future definitely looks bright for the village.”

Dubbed as “very involved in the community,” Racine, who is the owner of three buildings in Kleinburg, is also announced as the new chairperson for the BIA, added Greco.

“Unfortunately, we have slowly been losing retail shops in the village. And they've been replaced by mostly services, personal service shops like spas, hair salons, nail salons, and lately it has been realty offices,” he said.

Luckily, there is another retail shop for local women to trod; it’s Modella Ladieswear, which has been affected by the shutdown due to COVID-19 between mid-March to mid-June.

In another show of resilience, at the former joint for Subway, which the village has lost, a new Italian eatery called Sughetto it's on its way.

“Where Jeremy’s workshop used to be in the oldest building in the village...the building is going to be a tapas bar and restaurant that's opening very very soon at the end of August,” he said.

The new place is going to be managed by owners of the “very successful” Avenue Cibi e Vini restaurant in the village.

Yet another “upscale” Italian restaurant called Fiore is also on its way too and that’s going to replace Chartreuse Restaurant.

Kleinburg has also added the Burg Village Pub, which Greco described as an “exciting new pub eatery that has just opened with an outdoor patio right across the street from the Avenue restaurant.”

With “development happening” east, west and south of the village, and the “explosion” of new housing in and around the Kleinburg area, “especially the new place called the new Kleinburg” in the past five years, Greco is still happy that the village’s “character” is still maintained. 

He cited “strict architectural guidelines,” cutting proposals that are over three-storeys.

“The village core still very much remains a village where you can walk up and down and see other families that you know. It has become the gathering place for families and young couples in and around the whole entire village.”

However, parking remains a “major problem” where the BIA is currently calling for municipal parking for the village.

BIA has sold over 100 flowers from its Positivity Project -- Flowers of Hope. These installed flowers carried positive messages including, "Stay Brave" or "Stay Giving."

The ones installed by Greco and his son cost about $100 while $80 if people installed the flowers on their own. “Some of the money is going to a food bank in Vaughan and for BIA’s marketing campaign,” said Greco.