On December 18, 2010, long-time Sweet Thrills owner Ok-nam Yang passed away suddenly. While his family and friends were shocked and saddened, they wouldn’t let the popular Roncesvalles Avenue candy store close over the crucial holiday season.
“It’s what he would have wanted,” explains Ok-nam’s brother-in-law, Michael Kang, from behind the colourful counter he has helmed since taking over three months later in March of 2011. “By the night of the 19th, we had over 10 families who had volunteered to run the store for us,” he recalls. “So they asked us for the key and basically ran the place all through Christmas.”
How does Michael explain the outpouring of community support? “I think the reaction came because of the person who ran the store,” Michaelhe says. “Everybody knew him, they called him the ‘Candy Man.’ All my nieces and nephews went to Howard Public School across the street, so the family was a big part of the community.”
