{"id":605322,"date":"2024-01-19T21:10:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T18:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store\/"},"modified":"2024-01-19T21:10:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T18:10:49","slug":"the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Move: How two Toronto entrepreneurs revamped a retro Nova Scotia general store"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25714cce694\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25714cce694\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store\/#The_buyers\" >The buyers\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store\/#The_budget\" >The budget<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store\/#The_backstory\" >The backstory<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-move-how-two-toronto-entrepreneurs-revamped-a-retro-nova-scotia-general-store\/#The_hunt\" >The hunt<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\nAudra Williams and Haritha Gnanaratna wrote an unhinged letter, chased government funding and pulled up what they call \u201ca lasagna\u201d of carpet to realize their dream: Rosefinch Mercantile and Tea Room in in Port Medway, Nova Scotia\u00a0\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_1257986\" style=\"width: 2010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1257986 lazyload\" alt=\"A man and a woman standing in front of a green two-storey building\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_211.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_211-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_211-844x562.jpg 844w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_211-1000x666.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Audra Williams, left, and Haritha Gnanaratna, right, in front of their home and store, the Rosefinch Mercantile &amp; Tea Room, in Port Medway, Nova Scotia. (Photography by Darren Calabrese)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_buyers\"><\/span><b>The buyers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Audra Williams, a 47-year-old communications officer at a public sector union, and Haritha Gnanaratna, a 36-year-old shopkeeper<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_budget\"><\/span><b>The budget<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$450,000<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_backstory\"><\/span><b>The backstory<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gnanaratna emigrated from Sri Lanka to Toronto with his family in 1990, while Williams made her way to the city from Ottawa in 2011. The two met via a dating <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a> in May of 2018 and, by November, they\u2019d moved into an 800-square-foot apartment, spread over two floors in an old Victorian home in Toronto\u2019s Parkdale neighbourhood. Both had steady jobs: Williams was a freelance communications specialist and Gnanaratna worked in events. They also ran Temperance Tonics, a non-alcoholic cocktail business, on the side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams and Gnanaratna loved their urban existence, but by 2020, they\u2019d started to feel like Toronto didn\u2019t love them back. Their monthly rent held steady at $1,800, but the cost of living forced many of their good friends\u2014and their beloved brunch restaurants\u2014to high-tail it elsewhere. \u201cOur evening wind-down activity was looking at real-estate listings and daydreaming,\u201d Williams says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><strong>READ:\u00a0The Move: Two die-hard digital nomads finally settle at a former parsonage in Nova Scotia<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After running out of new local listings, the couple expanded their search wider and wider. In April of 2021, they found a listing for a 4,000-square-foot, $450,000 commercial building in Port Medway, Nova Scotia, complete with a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> store, commercial kitchen, top-floor apartment and an acre of land. The commercial kitchen seemed like the perfect place to run Temperance Tonics, but Williams and Gnanaratna weren\u2019t ready to get real about moving. \u201cI was seven years behind on filing my income taxes and we had no down payment saved,\u201d Williams says. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, the pull of the Port Medway building was strong. Williams had lived in Annapolis, Nova Scotia, while working as an ASL interpreter in her 20s, but Gnanaratna had never ventured east of Ottawa.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That September, they toured Halifax, the Annapolis Valley and Nova Scotia\u2019s South Shore to see whether or not coastal life agreed with them. \u201cAs a white lady, it wouldn\u2019t have been as much of an adjustment for me to move somewhere that\u2019s less diverse than Toronto,\u201d says Williams. \u201cWe decided we\u2019d go wherever Haritha felt most at home.\u201d Gnanaratna took a liking to South Shore\u2019s temperate weather and welcoming vibe. Within three months of the couple\u2019s tour, he\u2019d secured a job as live-in manager of a caf\u00e9 in the town of Mahone Bay, which came with free room and board.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The couple bade farewell to their Toronto rental\u2014still well below market rate\u2014in January of 2022. Within six weeks of their arrival out east, however, Gnanaratna\u2019s<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">employment situation fell apart. The caf\u00e9 owner had unexpectedly decided to sell the business, which meant that Gnanaratna and Williams no longer had a place to live. Their new life had suddenly crumbled before their eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_hunt\"><\/span><b>The hunt<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For several months, Williams and Gnanaratna bounced around Nova Scotia, couch-surfing at friends\u2019 houses until they could find a more permanent living situation. In April, they took a drive, only later realizing how close they were to Port Medway, the tiny village that housed that dreamy general store. They popped by for a visit, and soon noticed the property was still on the market\u2014at the same price as before. \u201cAs soon as we got out of the car, Haritha\u2019s whole demeanour changed,\u201d says Williams. \u201cHe started talking about what we would do if we got the place, which I thought was the most absurd idea. But then, I decided: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will not let this man have another disappointment<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1257988 size-full lazyload\" alt=\"A photo of a bookshelf next to a light blue door. Atop the bookshelf is a sign that says, &quot;WE SHALL NEVER REBUILD HALIFAX UNLESS EVERYBODY WORKS&quot;\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_273.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_273-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_273-844x562.jpg 844w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_273-1000x666.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams didn\u2019t let the couple\u2019s lack of a down payment deter her. She found the sellers on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> and sent what she calls \u201cthe most unhinged message possible.\u201d She explained how much they loved the building and the potential they saw in it: as a living space, as a headquarters for Temperance Tonics and as a community hub where the couple could throw events. Eager to sell, the owners agreed to let them tour the property two days later, on Easter Sunday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the next four months, Williams and Gnanaratna managed to secure a loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after submitting a robust business plan and five years of financial projections.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The couple also received funding <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to reopen the former grocery store and post office <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> FarmWorks, a community economic development fund in Nova Scotia.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With extra donations cobbled together from family and friends, they finally amassed their down payment, taking possession of the Port Medway property in August of 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong>SIGN UP TO READ THE BEST OF MACLEAN\u2019S:<br \/>Get our top stories sent directly to your inbox twice a week<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After moving in, Williams and Gnanaratna learned that they\u2019d need to bring the building\u2019s commercial portion up to the province\u2019s accessibility code before they could officially reopen with a sit-down c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">af\u00e9<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Gnanaratna managed the day-to-day renovations, while Williams took on a full-time job at the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada to support them financially. With no construction background to speak of, Gnanaratna levelled the floors and rebuilt the outdoor ramp that stretched across the building. \u201cI would go downstairs and he\u2019d be watching a YouTube video about how to knock down walls,\u201d Williams said. Before installing the new yellow and cherry-red checkerboard floors, Gnanaratna also had to tear up what he described as a multi-layered \u201clasagna\u201d of carpet, linoleum and laminate flooring, which had been laid down by previous owners over the past 50 years.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1257987 size-full lazyload\" alt=\"A photo of a general store setup. The floor is patterned with maroon and yellow checkers.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_266.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_266-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_266-844x562.jpg 844w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_266-1000x666.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Slowly, the couple\u2019s dream of owning and operating a quirky, modern general store began to take shape. Rosefinch Mercantile, the result of their hard work, opened last September. (The name comes from the common rosefinch, a bird found in both Wales and Sri Lanka, flicking at the couples\u2019 respective ancestries.) The decor is cheerfully retro, thanks to its buttery yellow and pale pink walls, interspersed with green columns. The grocery store-meets-gift shop-meets-caf\u00e9 carries staples (like eggs), seasonal specialties (like eggnog lattes), as well as eclectic homewares, like artisanal soaps and tea towels bearing the likenesses of actor Viola Davis and Tommy Douglas, father of universal health care.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<img data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1257985 size-full lazyload\" alt=\"A photo of a &quot;ROSEFINCH MERCANTILE AND TEA ROOM&quot; sign, advertising fresh coffee, tea and cocoa, baked treats, curios and gifts, and groceries.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_110.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_110-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_110-844x562.jpg 844w, https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_110-1000x666.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"\/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each morning, Gnanaratna navigates his way past the couple\u2019s five-strong clowder of cats\u2014Trixie, Cinnamon Bun, Leo, Evie and Nadia, two of which they adopted in Nova Scotia from a nearby vet\u2014then opens the shop for 10 a.m. Some days, Williams, who works from home in the second-floor apartment, will take a break to steal a snack (and a kiss from Gnanaratna). The couple still has more plans, big and small, for their new shop. For starters, they need to find an accessible door handle for their new seating area. After that, they plan to turn the Rosefinch into a community events space, one that hosts intergenerational skill-sharing classes and alcohol-free pub nights and nurtures a community garden. \u201cIt all just feels right,\u201d says Gnanaratna. \u201cIt\u2019s a very bucolic life.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/economy\/realestateeconomy\/the-rosefinch-port-medway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Audra Williams and Haritha Gnanaratna wrote an unhinged letter, chased government funding and pulled up what they call \u201ca lasagna\u201d of carpet to realize their dream: Rosefinch Mercantile and Tea Room in in Port Medway, Nova Scotia\u00a0 Audra Williams, left, and Haritha Gnanaratna, right, in front of their home and store, the Rosefinch Mercantile &amp;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":605323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/EDIT_DBC_211-750x422.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[71226,129352],"class_list":["post-605322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-real-estate","tag-the-move"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}