Stories of a storied house

Nick

Wolochatiuk

Dances With Words

NUTHILLTOO@GMAIL.COM

It started as a simple log cabin on a oneacre lot in Glengarry. During the next 130 or so years it had many owners, underwent many changes, and grew sideways and upwards.

It was posted for sale one day in 2001. The very next day, someone asked me to check it out and give them my opinion on it. Five minutes after going inside I said, “I’ll take it.” I did not even want to enter into the traditional offer, counter-offer, counter offer to the counter-offer routine.

It was the warmth of the wood stove in the cozy room adjacent to the kitchen that clinched it. There was even a cubbyhole of split-to-size firewood next to it.

I didn’t hire a professional inspector to go over the condition of the building’s electrical, plumbing, basement or roof. I made every possible mistake a potential home buyer could make. It was as if a voice was crying out from within the walls, “We’re made for each other. Take me!”

Pauline, my new next-door neighbour, presented me with aerial photographs that been taken of the house in 1950 and 1960. Through them, and her stories, I learned of how it had evolved over the years.

I named my 1976-2001 first home in Glengarry ‘Nut Hill’. I called this one ‘TLC’, another double-entendre name.

The 1950 photo shows TLC as a one-storey, exposed log structure, with a towering elm tree and a school bus in front of it, a barn and

Marc Lafleur speaks at Youth Entrepreneurship event

KRYSTINE THERRIAULT ktherriault@seawaynews.media

Hundreds of students travelled to Aultsville Theatre on March 8 to attend the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre’s first Youth Entrepreneurship in Action event. The event was organized to help students learn about the benefits of starting their own business, and coincided with the launch of applications for this year’s Summer Company Program.

Students heard from several speakers including Shauna Baggs and Sydney Smith, who spoke about the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre and the Summer Company program.

Mayor Justin Towndale took to the stage to share few words, stating, “If any of you have any entrepreneurial spirit in you, give it the opportunity to grow. There’s always an idea, a great thought that you may have that could blossom into something fantastic.”

St. Lawrence College’s Michael Jackson spoke about the college’s school of business, and Tracy O’Brien, Superintendent of Education for the CDSBEO introduced the event’s main speaker – Marc Lafleur.

Marc Lafleur is a Holy Trinity graduate who co-founded an ecommerce meat delivery company, truLOCAL, in 2016. A successful pitch on Dragon’s Den in 2017 sent truLOCAL on the path to being a company with $20 million per year in annual revenue. In 2020, the company was acquired for $16.7 million.

“I think the single biggest thing and the single most important factor in getting high school kids or university students or younger into business is exposure,” said Lafleur, “When I was in school, I didn’t even know that business was an option. I had no idea whatsoever. It wasn’t until

I got to university and I heard that Snapchat got offered $3 billion dollars for their company that I was like, oh, okay. I think this is probably something that I want to get into.” a modest shed nearby. A line of clothes is hung out to dry. A wire fence separates the front yard from the gravel county road.

After selling his company, Marc wrote a book called True Founder, which details his experiences and provides actionable tips for anyone looking to start a business. Marc now does a lot of public speaking, sharing his knowledge in the hopes that he can help others get on the fasttrack to launching a successful startup.

The 1960 photo shows the barn and the shed both having a large extension. An ornate shelter has been built over the well. Things are going well. Two school buses are parked near the house. The towering elm tree is still standing. A modern bungalow has been built on the adjacent property. A cedar hedge separates the front yard from the now paved road. A hydro pole is at the corner of the oneacre lot. (Actually, the deed says, “Property is 0.99 acre.”)

Next week’s I’ll tell you about how things at TLC changed even more.