The original location of a dessert spot that's been a favourite in Toronto has permanently closed its doors.
The 12 Cumberland location of Dessert Lady is closing for good. They've been popular for their cookies and baked goods, but the brand as a whole has become known for making some of the city's best wedding cakes.
A post announcing the closure of the location attributes it to several reasons: They were not able to get the loans from banks they needed to stay open, there was "non-stop construction" on Cumberland, the majority of that location's business was from corporate and events orders and the landlord would not agree to reduce the rent.
"No one goes back to work, no birthday parties, no meetings or events, no large cakes, which really hurt the business," owner Mandy Kan tells blogTO.
"We see how broken the system is," reads the caption to Dessert Lady's Instagram post announcing the Cumberland closure.
"They always forgot one important thing is that, everything starts as a baby stage before they grew to an adult! When there are no babies (small biz), there will be no future in the economy!"
Kan says the landlord initially agreed to postpone rent and helped out with the first round of subsidy, but eventually refused to end the lease at Cumberland and says Dessert Lady is stuck with it until they can find a new tenant.
"I hope the banks, government would spend more time to listen to small businesses and come up with better options and solutions to help all of us," says Kan.
"They need to re-evaluate the existing loan programs, are they really helping small businesses? Why would majority of them go rejected? We all need help now, not when everything is well."
The business is survived by a more recently opened location at 1 Sultan St. where they promise to combine their task force for longer hours. They'll be increasingly focusing on their savoury offerings like breakfast, lunch and dinner, but will still be doing cake.
The last day for the Cumberland location of Dessert Lady will be June 6.
Kan's plans for the future include minimizing losses and paying the debts incurred during the pandemic using sales from the 1 Sultan St. location, and also possibly writing a book about her experiences as a chef, bakery owner and entrepreneur.
"Please continue to support us, support the neighbors, support the community," the Instagram post concludes.
"Be kind and nice to each other! Together is how we can make changes and differences, and make a big comeback."
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