One store owner is reopening his doors following the historic January fire in downtown Orillia, which burned a century-old building near the intersection of Peter and Mississaga streets. Dr. Comics, one of many shops that went up in flames last winter, held a soft launch on Saturday in its new home - the Orillia Square Mall. Carmine DeSanto, owner of Dr. Comics said the day, has been a long time coming. “We’re happy to be here but we are going to miss downtown,” said DeSanto. “But we are bigger and better.” The winter fire destroyed the entire building that Dr. Comic was situated in, and the majority of the belongings held inside the store were lost. A few valuable pieces survived and are now kept as mementos in the new and improved location. “It was probably over 100,000 pieces in the store there and stuff I will never see again in my life,” explained DeSanto. “That display in the front just tells people that was our phase one in life.” Community members are thrilled to see Dr. Comics back in the City of Orillia. “We are really excited for him to have this opportunity and the store looks amazing,” said Sherry Johnson, who visited the store Saturday morning. “Everyone will soon say ‘hey you have to go to Orillia Square Mall there’s comics there too’. DeSanto adds the store will be full in the coming weeks. “It is unbelievable to be back but there’s a lot of hard work to do,” said Desanto. “If you came to our old location, you could not see any wall space because everything was jammed to the ceiling and its going to get there eventually.”
