The Children's Storefront, a beloved community institution, is in search of a new home after a fire engulfed its site at 1079 Bathurst Street on Saturday, Oct. 31.The early-morning blaze gutted the building, which was declared unsafe for entry and slated for demolition.
While no one was believed to have been hurt in the fire, the impact it will have on countless families in the area is immeasurable.
The fire was believed to have started in an apartment above the Children's Storefront, but moved down and caused irreparable damage to the community organization itself.
The Children's Storefront served as a child-parent centre for the past 35 years, with books, toys and a backyard play area. The Children's Storefront also featured a clothing exchange, community dinners and family supports.
The fire destroyed nearly everything in the Storefront, with the exception of a few photos from the facility's past.
"It's enormously devastating," said Children's Storefront executive director Roona Maloney. "I practically raised my own kids there, so it's devastating for me as the director and devastating for me as someone who remembers what it was like for my own kids."
The site was originally a play centre and children's library, but it quickly evolved into something more.
"People would come and make a home for themselves there," Maloney said.
Thousands of books - some of which are now out of print - as well as countless toys and furnishings were lost in the fire, but even more devastating is the loss of a home. Maloney estimated it would cost around $100,000 to get the centre up and running again.
"Getting into a new building, renovating it so it's suitable, getting all the books and toys back - that's huge," she said.
Nonetheless, organizers are already making plans to find a way to resurrect the facility in a new home. That should come as some solace to the roughly 10,000 families who typically used the Children's Storefront each year.
A Facebook account has been set up under the name "The Children's Storefront Needs a New Home" and many have already vowed to help out. A charitable bank account is being set up to accept donations, details of which will soon be available when supporters start up a website at www.childrensstorefront.com early this week.
Dufferin Grove Park offered its rink house for one day, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, so that donors could drop off toys and books and families could enjoy some of the features the Storefront provided at its Bathurst Street location. In addition, a community meeting was set to take place at St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club at 843 Palmerston Avenue from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.
Maloney is working diligently in hopes of having good news to share at the meeting.
“I’m hoping we’ll be able to make an announcement that we’ve found a temporary location on Friday,” she said.
Ruth Rosenblood, who has used the centre and is now helping with the fundraising push, said the loss is great, but shares Maloney’s optimism in hoping that it will only be temporary.