Toronto corner store that almost closed over anonymous complaint is in limbo again

An independent corner store and cafe in Toronto that was nearly forced to shut down last summer after an anonymous licensing complaint is still, more than a year later, hanging in the lurch without the guarantee of a long-term operating permit.

It was in early June 2024 when news started getting around that the Finch Store near Bloor and Ossington was on the verge of closing, its future contingent upon the City's response to a single grievance regarding a grandfathered permit to serve refreshments.

"Despite a number of businesses operating at this address over the years, an anonymous complaint based on technicalities — the provision of cups and the operation of an espresso machine — has put the store at risk," stated a change.org petition to save the small business, which was launched by locals to bolster a small in-person petition that the owner herself, Yana Miriev, had started.

While support from community members and the local councillor led the City to eventually allow Finch Store to continue operating as is, no tenure was set in stone and no new permit was granted, as leaders were in the midst of reassessing the zoning rules surrounding such side street businesses in general.

But, that study is lagging, leaving the shop dependent upon precarious short-term extension after precarious short-term extension, the most recent of which is up at the end of August.

People fight back over anonymous complaint that could close Toronto corner store https://t.co/NHcfhB9hLG

— blogTO (@blogTO) June 11, 2024

"I don't know what the limitations are to extend the licence — the previous one was extended for a year, expired in June, and then extended from June to August," Miriev told blogTO during a phone call on Thursday.

"I was told that there wouldn't be any problem getting an extension, and that there's a high possibility the issue will be resolved and the zoning changes passed at council before that. But it doesn't look like it now."

While she said she doesn't fear the establishment having to shutter after the August 31 date, she is worried about the few, but vocal naysayers who are opposed to having small retail on non-major streets in their neighbourhood.

"The decision keeps getting delayed as they consult some groups that are opposing the changes. The approximate timeline is now the fall, but it depends if those opposing groups will be opposing again," she says.

"Meanwhile, I'm still hanging in the air, not here, not there, and won't have a licence if they don't extend the old one. It's a situation of uncertainty."

Drama around Toronto corner store that may close over mystery complaint continues https://t.co/ZaQSoSpghM

— blogTO (@blogTO) June 13, 2024

While Miriev added that she completely understands certain local concerns about certain businesses in residential zones — such as vape store or bar patio immediately adjacent to a school — she knows that there are also a lot of residents who feel that indie shops and cafes enrich the fabric of communities, making them more walkable and enjoyable.

As one person stated amid the original Finch Store ordeal, "these types of little corner stores are fantastic, it's hard to believe anyone would want them gone."

As the City deliberates on its Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) Neighbourhood Retail and Services Study — which has a goal to "support walkable, diverse and complete neighbourhoods by providing new opportunities for small-scale retail, service and office uses" — another recent motion aims to make it harder for grievances from just one or two individuals to impact a bar, restaurant or cafe so significantly.