By Jenna Mohammed
Since its inception on April 1, 1995, House Warmings continues to serve Oakville residents with the best quality, Canadian-made home furnishings. Founders, Michele and Leon Hatziioannou began their business endeavours 25 years ago when they moved from Toronto to Oakville.
At the time, Leon played in the CFL, and Michele was an event coordinator at the University of Toronto. As Leon was approaching retirement from sports, the couple decided it was time for a lifestyle change and began mulling over ideas to start their own business.
Michele and Leon frequently visited friends in Oakville and fell in love with the quaint and charming suburb. In the early stages of their plan to open House Warmings, the couple purchased a home in Oakville, intending to renovate. After looking for furnishings for their new home, Michele noticed the market for stylish, casual, and comfortable home furnishings was limited, and thus posed an opportunity for the soon-to-be-open store.
With a focus on Canadian-made, high-quality home furnishings, House Warmings originally opened its doors in downtown Oakville. It began with a small shop offering a selection of local pine, pottery, and wrought iron items. Two years later they made the move to their Lakeshore Road location, tripling in square footage. In 2012, the store expanded to a 6,500 square-foot showroom on Speers Road, where customers can find a more diverse selection of home furnishings, decor and accessories.
As Oakville continued to develop, Michele partnered with a home builder to furnish new builds, which ultimately launched their design services. As House Warmings grew, so did its team. Today, they offer a complete line of custom home furnishings, lighting, drapery, area rugs, and home accessories. Everything you need to create your dream living space.
As for future operational plans, a new lifestyle boutique is in the works. The Lakeshore Rd. location will soon carry unique clothing, jewelry, accessories and home décor pieces.
For more information, visit housewarmings.ca.