Toronto Estonian House is closing eStore - ENG / EST
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Norbert12 Apr 2018 05:32
Oi-oi. EM juhatus källe kinnitab kuivõrd head tööd nad on teinud... sellega, et sulgevad uksed, mitte ei otsi lahendust. Ning miks saime me teada (aktsionärid) EM aastapeakoosolekust alles selle nädala kolmapäeval posti teel, mitte netis, kui AK on nädala pärast, st 18-dal? Kas viivitamisega loodetakse peita kalevi alla vigu, oponentidelt võtta aega ettevalmistuseks?
It's a pity!12 Apr 2018 06:26
It also reflects a reality: that "eestlus" (beyond Estonia) is dying before our eyes.
What's next? The Estonian House (old or new), perhaps?
What can be done about it? .... Not much, alas, at this late date.
hmm12 Apr 2018 07:08
Don't confuse mismanagement with eestlus dying out. We have each year had greater number of children in lasteaed and Eesti kool, choirs are growing again... sometimes demographics also play a role in participation. Mismanagement however can make things appear differently.
Rahamees12 Apr 2018 07:42
Kas EM juhatusel on uus üüriline juba olemas? Isegi kui eStore ei too raha sisse, pole ju mõtet poodi niisama kinni panna. Sest kuigi kasumit ei tule, ei lähe selle peale ka raha. Uut üürilist on kindlasti raske leida lühikeseks ajaks, aga kui on olemas, siis on ok.

Aga kui pood pandi kinni ilma uue üürilise olemasoluga, siis on selle taga midagi muud.
another observer12 Apr 2018 08:29
Most businesses have sales or income which is how they operate if there is a plan to pay for expenses such as wages incurred. I am at a loss to understand how this store should or could stay open without this basic input. Perhaps a "Rahamees" could explain otherwise?
Rahamees12 Apr 2018 09:27
Vastavalt EM avaldusele on eStore puhaskasum olnud $2200. Samal ajal on EM kaotanud potentsiaalset üüritulu võimaliku parema üürniku pealt. Jah, eStore peaks kinni panema kui uus üüriline on olemas, üüriline kes maksab turuhinda selle pinna eest. Kui aga pood pannakse kinni ilma uue üürituluta, siis pole sellel ju mõtet. EM ei teeni praegu mitte midagi poest, aga samal ajal ka ei kuluta midagi. Las see pood siis olla niikaua kui EM veel olemas on.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Rahamees (07:42)
another observer12 Apr 2018 10:30
Thanks for the answer, but I still don't understand from the article there seems to be a Net Revenue (after all expenses) of $2200 from 2012 until 2017. The Net Revenue is over a period of 5 years this works out to +/- $440.00 per year which does not seem like a sum required to keep a viable business open.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: another observer (08:29)
spill the wine12 Apr 2018 10:38
This is a good example of commerce only working when there is an owner whose own livelihood depends on success. The manager of the store, whether it was "owned" by EKN or Eesti Maja, was paid a salary, regardless of sales or profit. There was little or no incentive for the manager to push the envelope, work extra-long hours or try stuff that the manager wasn't personally interested in or excited about ...

There was probably (and maybe still is?) some market for an esto-theme store in Toronto: Food, imported candy, books, dvds, (maybe) some arts and crafts, knick-knacks, souvenirs - not to mention some sort of specialized freight forwarding/customs brokering and courier service. Quick, efficient, custom-ordering of Estonian products (I've had my eye on this for a while: http://huum.eu/ - there is an e-bay source but crazy expensive! Ordering direct and arranging one-off shipping, customs brokering, etc etc is just silly - Maybe buy one next time I am over and figure out some way to ship it back -maybe pay the business class airfare premium for the extra luggage allowance? under my personal customs exemption?)

If its at E Maja you have regular captive audiences Saturday mornings, Tuesday evenings and somewhat on Thursdays as well - 8 months a year. The rest of the time is the same 15 - 20 people who work there regularly 9-5 and a trickle of their visitors (and peie peod, of course). - THat isn't enough to sustain a retail business! Why should anyone sit there all day when the only traffic is some lost courier that needs to know where the Credit Union is, or some "neighbour" looking for the free neighbourhood garbage bins they have heard about?

You need to have a destination draw of some sort, something to inspire customers to go THERE even if they had no other business at E Maja (or wherever the store is) ...

The place would have had to be OPEN for business ! Long hours, six or even seven days a week! Even better if someone who made the trip could sit down and have a coffee, snack, even a beer and maybe have access to subscribed Estonian media services for a small fee, while they were there... (and not in a dingy dark subterranean bunker down the stairs at the back of the building...)

But its such an awful building on Broadview - There is no "storefront" there's just that isolated single level at grade - you have to go out one side or the other and then up or down stairs and around corners and through doors to get anywhere else in the building - the old Jarvalt office is just plain weird, (and weirder still now - wow) if you wanted to expand anywhere - there is no plumbing on that floor (if you wanted to do a cafe there) - we heard the bank wanted to move their retail space down there, but E Maja juhatus wouldn't go for it because it would have orphaned the space upstairs (or a bunch of it) even more than it already is and permanently deep-sixed any hope for a public "welcome! Come in please the Estonia House" presence on Broadview...

Yeah, the vainglorious scheme to renovate everything and tack some sort of "National Gallery" ramp along the south side of the building from Broadview up to a "Grand" new foyer between a much-reduced kristall saal and suur saal - Really? Where can I get some of that acid, man? You still won't have lavatories accessible without stairs or elevators. You still won't have a decent cafe space. The commercial space would be even weirder still - add a ramp to the stairs, corners, doors and then more stairs, corners, doors, oops, up and now down again...
Norbert12 Apr 2018 12:27
Spill the wine makes reference to the manager who used eStore as a personal sandbox. Ordered books and CDs from Estonia that did not move from the shelves. He is the one who should be looked at. Not the hardworking volunteer who had board members take the keys from her on Tuesday, effectively evicting someone, who was keeping a social hub in Eesti Maja open. First the kohvik, baar, then the store.... great business acumen, wonderful way of shutting the E House down as a meeting place. Thus clearing the way for the not-so-clear, opaque glass housw on Madison.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Norbert (05:32)
another observer12 Apr 2018 13:35
In reference to the Kohvik it was always a for profit organization which could not turn a profit, hence turnover in ownership
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: another observer (08:29), another observer (10:30)
Ingrid Tanner12 Apr 2018 10:05
Wow... no new tenant ready to rent.
what was the urgency on terminating the store?

So many people (Estonians and Non Estonians) would pop into the store. Ingrid would explain about the Estonians in Toronto and the great rental spaces at the Estonian House. As we know the community does rent the halls at the Estonian House. Ingrid was a great spokes person for the Estonian House... and Estonians in general. She gave her time to promote reading and worked to enhance seniors to have a place to sit since the Koffik was closed.

this is a sad day indeed... and the way they did it... One day's notice! What was the urgency?
The electrical will need updating, the heating is not good... you will have to pay a lot of money to get someone to rent a space with no water access. businesses are not keen to lock doors to get to the bathroom.
Mismanagement12 Apr 2018 10:49
One day's notice? That is highly unprofessional. To do that shows that they had no respect for the person running the store. Smacks of people not having the time to manage a community centre making decisions willy-nilly. Why not let the store be if there is no potential alternate tenant? Why potentially stir up a hornet's nest of ill will in the community when you have better things to do?

They are snuffing out the community before a new structure can be built.

Strategy and track record to date:

- tick off a vast majority of seniors (potential donors for a new structure) with an attitude that "you don't matter since we are building a centre for the young" ... many are seething angry and are vowing to never set foot in the Madison building

- do nothing to make the downstairs cafe inviting and then close it down, so that there is no place for people in the community to "chill"

- close down the estore, which has turned into a gathering place for young and old

What's next? Can't wait.
another observer12 Apr 2018 13:46
Perhaps we should stick to facts and check out who the previous 2 managers/operators of the Kohvik were, it was a for profit they could not make a go of it. Many of their clientele used the facility but did not support it financially by bringing their coffee and foods(lunches, snacks etc.) from outside but found it a convenient venue to use as their living room.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: another observer (08:29), another observer (10:30), another observer (13:35)
Sad12 Apr 2018 16:38
What a sad state of affairs.
First the kohvik, now the store. Sure feels like the Esto House is intentionally being made an unappealing ghost house.
As to facts, the question should be asked of the board why they haven't accepted and put into place the offers that have been made to run the kohvik. If maximising rental & retail space is the goal, then the continued vacancy of the kohvik remains a mystery.
To sad14 Apr 2018 05:01
Do you want to start a cafe or restaurant in the basement of a building with no foot traffic and where previous owners, despite valiant attempts, have been unable to turn a profit from the pateons within the regular visitors?

Who is supposed to pay to support keeping businesses open that dont make enough money to support their proprietors? Who can afford such goodwill?

The Estonian house board is just making fact what people have been doing for years - either spending elsewhere and coming by to chat or simply not coming at all. It is sad, but not how you imply.
Sad14 Apr 2018 16:49
Well, if there are willing applicants ready to take on the challenge to run the kohvik space, why not take them on? If rent is willing to be paid, how is this a problem to the EH? The question still stands, why not allow the space to generate income?

As to the store, the loss of potential income was brought forward. But there is no new tenant in place, so why shut it down?

These actions sure don't look like an effort to attract renters or support community activities.
Self fulfilling prophecy comes to mind.
Ingrid Tanner18 Apr 2018 09:30
As for the Koffik...
It can be rented out for smaller events.. and Ulle is still the preferred caterer at the Estonian House. And from my experience... she sets up a table in the hallway were we all eagerly purchase food from her. She is really better off in the hallway since her overhead is less.

I just checked that the coffee shop is NOT being marked as rentable space. Thus, it might be under used... but the possiblity is there.

There is finally nicer photos.. but the ad is stagnant... no changes in ads means lower down the line in terms of google searches... static ads are not effective.

Robust updates and tips will keep the ad at the top of the list if anyone is interested
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Ingrid Tanner (10:05)
Please let Ingrid in18 Apr 2018 09:47
Present EH board: pls let Ingrid Tanner in to beef up rentals by letting her in as a board member with equal standing to board meetings. Board, stop playing petty politics. You are squandering the present EH as a resource of the community.
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