Village Bakery friends rally round
Fans create Facebook page
January 04, 2010
John Burman
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/697778
The future of The Village Bakery in Dundas may be up in the air but its friends are out in force.
While city engineers probed the bakery’s bones Monday after a devastating fire which caused $750,000 to $1 million damage to the King Street West business, other merchants and friends of owner Susan Preston met to see what can be done to help.
A Facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=...d=236374977041 - has sprung up dedicated to support for Preston and the bakery with longtime customers and friends pledging support.
Judy Boswell, executive director of the Downtown Dundas Business Improvement Area (BIA) said the community wants “to see how we can help.”
There have been offers to hold of benefit concerts and other fundraising activities and the BIA would play a part, she said.
Preston, who won the award for best frontline service in the City of Hamilton, Tourism Awards in 2008, was not immediately available for comment.
“That’s her whole life,” Dundas BIA chair Phyllis Kraemer said after the fire. “She did nothing but work her tail off to get that business going.”
The fire, caused by an electrical short in the Christmas lights on the bakery’s real tree, burned out the landmark bakery and two upstairs apartments at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Hamilton Emergency Services fire prevention officer Bob Simpson said Monday the blaze did not damage the buildings on either side of the bakery.
“There was minimal water and smoke damage to the adjoining buildings,” said Simpson.
Fire officials believe stout brick firewalls and 911 calls within seconds of the fire starting prevented damage to the adjoining buildings and a major threat to the downtown’s quaint streetscape.
City engineers were inspecting the bakery building Monday morning to see if the structure is sound.
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