The rehabilitation of the facade of the Carr-Millar-McMillan building on Front Street is moving along swiftly. Last week the original door opening of the building was discovered. Says Zahra Anzza, one of the new owners of the building, “We found the originally opening of the door which is actually really gorgeous. Slowly we are trying to give (the building) back its own memories, its own character.”
The facade renovations, which are guided along by the Heritage Thorold LACAC commitee, are carried out and overseen by contractor Owen Juhlke. Says Juhlke, “What we’re going to do is recreate this door. This door originally had panels that came all the way down to the ground. It’s amazing the work they put into the details.”
Juhlke says he has a little bit of a connection to the building and its columns made by the Dobbie Foundry. “I’m also a distant relative of the guy who made these columns, Dobbie. Not close, but he was my fourth cousin, four times removed, going through my grandmother’s side. So we share a common ancestor about eight generations back.”
Anzza and her husband Juan Asenjo will be opening a French bakery in the building once the renovations are complete. Says Anzza, “We do croissants, macaroons and all that. We studied French pastry so we try to do as much as we can and we see from there what the people say.”
The couple used to run a French bakery in Hamilton for 9 years before recently relocating to Thorold. Says Anzza, “We had our bakery before in Hamilton and with Covid, and all the side effects it has on all of us, we had to close our bakery and we started looking for a place to relocate. We studied the area here a little bit and we see that there’s potential.”
Right now, the couple is waiting to finish the facade of the building before taking care of the inside. Says Anzza, “We have to finish the work outside, then we work in the inside to finish it and to get it ready so we can open. We are hoping by mid September but with construction you’re never sure when exactly it’s going to be. We are pushing, we are helping to get it done. We’re living upstairs and we go down and help with the construction.”
This unwavering dedication to their new venture is nothing new for the couple. Says Anzza, “We are passionate about everything we do.”
