Whether it was cheddar, gouda, brie, gorgonzola or harvati, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Cheese Secrets was there seven days a week to offer up its curated selection of cheeses — by the wedge, wheel or board — to locals and visitors alike.
Now, the artisanal cheese store that occupies a small slice of Market Street in Old Town is closing up shop after being unable to keep up with the rising price of rent for businesses downtown.
Cheese Secrets’s last day open will be Friday, Aug. 7. The shop opened at 38 Market St. in 2009 and has been run by the Allard family since 2018.
“It’s sad that it’s coming to an end,” said Xavier Allard, head cheesemonger and operations director, adding that everyone involved feels lucky to have run the business for eight years.
He says the landlords who own the property wanted to renew the lease last month at an “outrageous” rent price.
“Other businesses have had the same or similar challenges in town,” he said. “The landlords seem to not really care about the businesses that are part of Niagara-on-the-Lake, that make it what it is.”
Annie Allard ran the business with Xavier, her son. She said they tried to negotiate a lower rent, which did not work. They told the landlords they wouldn’t be able to pay the new rate — Cheese Secrets would have to close. They were given an extra week to stay open.
“You can’t work miracles,” she said. “It takes money to make money and you run out when things are too expensive.”
Xavier was there seven days a week, guiding customers through the variety of Canadian-made and imported cheeses for sale, as well as running the show behind the scenes, hosting cheese tastings and offering catering services.
Alongside these features, Cheese Secrets had a monthly cheese tasting subscription service, called the Cheese Club, and sold a curated package of cheeses, charcuterie and sandwiches that could be ordered ahead of time and picked up at the shop, called Picnic Experiences.
The best part of running the business, he said, was being a part of the community and getting to know his customers who came back time and time again, whether it was NOTLers or visitors from outside of town returning because they remembered visiting and buying cheese from Cheese Secrets during their last trip to NOTL.
“Being a staple part of Niagara residents’ traditions, the food that gathers them around the table is something I’ve been part of for eight years and [that] I’m so grateful for,” he said.
“It’s being able to provide and being the one behind those moments that bring family together and make Niagara what it is, which is having that wine and food culture, the beautiful landscape, the rich soil, and tying it in with food and cheese and providing my community with that.”
Xavier said the family is going to take August to figure out what to do next with Cheese Secrets — they hope to have an update for everyone on the future of the business in September.
He wouldn’t share details as to what he thinks the business may do next. It “most likely” won’t be in Old Town, but they hope to stay in Niagara, he said.
