Car totals tea shop window.
Michele Kelly and Joanne Woerlein, owner and manager, respectively, of the Victorian Garden Tea Room toast their continued business March 16 despite the fact that a car smashed through their front window Monday night.
Staff photo/CYNTHIA REASON
It was almost business as usual for Michele Kelly's Victorian Garden Tea Room Tuesday afternoon, despite the fact that an out-of-control car smashed into the shop the night before, taking out the entire front window and display with it.
With serene harp music playing over the sound system, customers of the gift shop continued to browse and patrons in the back "garden room" went about enjoying their high tea. The only, albeit obvious, evidence that anything nearly disastrous had happened less than 20 hours before were the sheets of plywood covering the entire front window of the store.
"I was a bit upset when I came in and saw everything this morning, but I'm okay now," said Kelly, who will celebrate four years owning the gift shop and tea room on April 1. "The cleaners were here all morning sweeping up bits of glass and debris, but we've been open as usual."
The crash, reported to have taken place just after 8:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15, allegedly occurred when a female driver lost control of her vehicle at Burnhamthorpe and Martin Grove roads, careening into the gift shop and tea room, located on the northwest corner of the intersection.
Police were not available to comment on the cause of the accident, nor to reports that another vehicle was involved in the accident. The driver of the vehicle was reportedly taken to hospital with what were believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
"Both the police and ambulance were here last night," Kelly noted. "My husband stayed until 3 a.m. trying to get everything sorted out."
Kelly said the shop was closed at the time of the crash, so luckily there were no injuries among her patrons or staff. The only casualties inside the store, in fact, were a box full of plush teddy bears too covered in glass slivers to sell anymore, along with an additional six boxes full of a whole host of irreplaceable antique china plates and other giftware destroyed in the crash.
"That front window was always so pretty, pretty, pretty, so to see it all boarded up like that is a shock to many," lamented store manager Joanne Worlein.
"We haven't had the damages assessed yet," Kelly added, "but we need all new windows up front. (The impact) also shifted the wall a bit, and did a number on our entrance."
Still, the boarded up windows did nothing to dampen the spirits, nor the concern, of neighbours and patrons of Victorian Garden.
"I've been getting calls and people dropping in all day long," Kelly said. "Everyone is shocked. They think we had a fire at first, with all the boards. But I keep telling them we're still open."