TEMPO
Love for empty building finds big success
by Judi McLeod
January 28 - February 14 2000
Ever since he was a boy, there was something about an empty building that made Romolo (Rom) Cimaroli, sad.
The forlorn sight of a long-time empty building in his own neighbourhood kept him awake nights before taking pen to paper on a one-man revitalization project. His mission was not only to restore the building to life, but to nurture it along as an integral part of the community.
The boy from the 'hood who didn't like the sight of empty buildings had grown up to be a 38-year-old man of vision, with a reputation for getting things done.
They say that every house has a tale, and a derelict building was the opening chapter of the now hugely successful St. Clair West Flea Market.
Located in an economically depressed neighbourhood, 404 Old Weston Road had been closed up and vacant for two years when Rom Cimaroli went walking by one day.
For area residents, there is little more discouraging than an an empty building, which is like a landmark advertisement of neighbourhood decline. Built by the enterprising Darrigo family, the building on Old Weston Road had served as four different supermarkets before Cimaroli's dreams for it began.
"At the time, I had my real estate licence, was and still am a non-stop kind of guy," Cimaroli told Toronto Free Press.
"In the sense of community, the area was changing and whatever was going to go there had to be something that reflected the neighbourhood," he said.
As things turned out, Cimaroli was part of the building before it found new life as the permanent home of the St. Clair West Flea Market.
Searching out a client who would take over the building, the sound of hammer and saws were music to Cimaroli's ears. Enthusiasm and passion saw the building fully rented by August 29, 1992.
Indeed, not only was Cimaroli putting action behind his words to make the dream of a neighbourhood flea market come true, it would take another five real estate salesmen just to handle the paperwork for several hundred market merchants, who lined up.
Like anything complex but worthwhile, St. Clair West Flea Market would go through a period where adjustments would have to be made. After a year and a half, the market peaked too soon. It started to lose its strength; its capacity fell to half and it was left to the new general manager--the boy from the 'hood--to come up with viable changes.
"Sure I was worried, but I came up with a strategy to start building from the strength we already had," he said.
By staying the course and refusing to give up, Cimaroli, over time, was able to bring the market back up to 80% of where it had been at starting point. "Within the next two years we'll be back up to the 100% mark," he says.
The never say die son of the neighbourhood admits that it"s always easy to start up a new business, much more difficult to sustain it.
"When we started out, there were the naysayers. Two other area flea markets went out of business and we were told by almost everyone that the flea market industry is a very tough trade to sustain."
But the non-stop Cimaroli was always ready for a challenge. As a high school student, he maintained good marks to make time to attend music school when he wanted to learn guitar. He went on to study jazz before forming his own rock band, and getting out there to perform live.
Aware of his enthusiasm, family and friends warned him not to set his sights too high when he went off to work with the North York Parks and Recreation department. Not only did the excited youngster prove that patience was his long suit, he worked himself up to the level of management before going off to try other fields.
Other pursuits saw Cimaroli getting a license to teach driver education to even the most undisciplined of his friends. It was life in the fast lane when he earned his living driving a taxi cab in Toronto.
In addition to the challenging job of managing the St. Clair West Flea Market, Cimaroli makes time to be vice president of the Vitanova Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to drug rehabilitation. He shouts himself hoarse as a proud sponsor of the Annette Community House League Baseball, Villa Charities and Downsview Pee Wee Hockey Select.
Being surrounded by youngsters has reinforced his belief in feeding young imaginations. In his private life, he surprised his eight-year-old daughter by taking her to Disneyland for her birthday. This spring he intends to surprise his 12-year-old son with the same trip.
At the flea market, he believes that surrounding himself with the right staff took him a long way towards reaching success. To this day, original staffers Tea Calamie and Agnes Salmon remain at his side.
Rom Cimaroli's dreams to fill an empty building on Old Weston Road took wing. Like watermelon on a hot summer's day, St. Clair West Flea Market is an undeniable big draw.
"We maintain a 60 to 70 percent draw from the community. The other 30%, who visit the market on a regular basis come from all over the world, including Paris, France."
The vibrancy of the building is drawing other business to a once economically depressed area. Since the flea market started conducting brisk trade, Canadian Tire and Home Depot have set up shop in the area.
Not only has Cimaroli's dream to breathe life back into 404 Old Weston Road been realized, he's got the kind of job "that keeps charging my buttons".
"Toronto is the one North American city made all the more interesting because of its ethnic diversity. St. Clair West Flea Market is a sort of micro of the city. It is there where all ethnicities are represented under one roof."
Think of it this way, he says: "I thought I was making life more interesting for my neighbourhood, but a dream for a derelict building made my life so much more interesting."
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