A restaurant and six apartments are coming to the west end of downtown Orillia’s main street.
Chris Montgomery, a Toronto-based architect who grew up in Orillia, bought the former Swinton building at 27 Mississaga St. W. and got to work on renovations earlier this year.
The ground floor will mostly be taken up by The Common Stove, a new restaurant. There will be an accessible apartment unit at the back of the building. On the second floor, there will be two two-bedroom apartments and three studio/bachelor-style units.
In April, Montgomery was granted $62,500 from the city’s Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan to help with renovations, including facade improvements.
“It was a great initial injection of funding that kickstarted our private investment,” he said.
The project has been going well, though there have been some challenges.
“We have to remember that this was built in 1903 and it hasn’t had any significant upgrading done to it from a Building Code point of view,” Montgomery said, referring to fire safety. “Given the existing wood, heavy-timber construction, it’s difficult to achieve that.”
However, all of the approvals have been obtained, so attention is now being given to construction and renovations.
“The city has been very responsive and helpful,” he said, adding, “Our focus right now is getting the ground floor ready for the restaurant.”
Orillia residents Darcy MacDonell and Simon MacRae are co-owners of The Common Stove. They were on site Wednesday afternoon, putting some signs in the front windows, and took a break to explain the concept of The Common Stove.
It is inspired by a traditional practice in Slovenia. About two-thirds of that country is covered by forest, and residents of three small villages in a remote area would walk to a clearing in the woods, where there was a kachelofen — a wood-fired stove.
“They’d walk with bread loaves ready to bake. They’d walk with stews ready to be warmed up,” MacRae explained. “It’s kind of what we want to do here — gather people together for some great food.”
There will be two main sections. One will include a menu of steaks and a variety of other proteins and dishes, while the other side will have a more vegetarian and vegan focus.
The wood-fired stove will essentially be the centrepiece of the restaurant.
“Pretty much everything is going to be touched by the wood-fired stove,” MacRae said.
He and MacDonell have experience in the hospitality industry, and when they learned of Montgomery’s plans for the building, they saw an opportunity.
While they praised the culinary diversity in the city, MacRae said, “There isn’t anything like (The Common Stove) in Orillia.”
“We are looking to provide Orillia’s more premium offering — accessible but premium,” MacDonell said, noting there will be something for everyone, whether they’re looking for a burger and a drink or a full-course dinner.
The block of Mississaga Street West between West and Andrew streets was, for years, “a block too far” for many, Montgomery said. With his project as well as Creative Nomad Studios next door, Eclectic Café a few doors down and the transformation of the former Orange Hall into apartments, it is no longer being considered a block too far.
“That’s changing,” he said. “Every person I talk to is saying there’s a severe lack of rental apartments if you want to live in downtown Orillia. Living in downtown Orillia is becoming an exciting prospect for a lot of people.”
The response to his project has been so positive, Montgomery is looking at other potential development opportunities in town, both renovations and new construction.
“It’s really building confidence that more good things can happen,” he said.
He hopes to have the apartments move-in ready by April.
As for The Common Stove, the plan is to have it open “ASAP,” MacDonell said.
“Hopefully, it will be a Christmas present for Orillia.”
Find out more about the restaurant here.
Information about the overall project at the former Swinton building can be found here.
