New Owners Dig In At The The Oaks On Crow Lake

Apr 25, 2013

Anyone who has driven past The Oaks Cottages on Crow Lake recently may have noticed two new friendly faces there. They belong to Karen and Dan Lahey, the new owners of The Oaks, the cottage rental property and resort located in Crow Lake village on the north shore of Crow Lake.

The Laheys have been busy sprucing up the seven cottages and the waterfront grounds in the last many weeks after taking ownership of the business from former owners Ludwig and Marion Ratzinger, who ran the business for over a decade.

It was early last July that the Laheys of Kingston came across the property online and decided immediately to go see it. “We fell in love with it there and then”, Karen Lahey said this week, “and we both knew that this was exactly what we wanted to do in our retirement… Within ten days of seeing it, we put in an offer and we haven't looked back since.”

Karen is a semi-retired nurse who specialized in cardiology at KGH and Hotel Dieu and Dan is a former power and stationary engineer. The two are no strangers to the hospitality business. While living in Kingston, for 16 years they opened their home to international students and they both feel the experience has prepared them well for making their customers at The Oaks feel comfortable and welcome. “Looking after people and caring for them is something that we love doing and have been doing for a long time so this business seems just the right fit for us”, Karen said. “When we first saw it, it was like a light bulb went off and we both felt, 'This is it.'”

The couple have been busy sprucing up the cottages inside and out and Karen says the business is perfect for her since she loves cleaning, decorating and gardening. “I've been busy painting and redecorating and Dan has been replacing sinks and counter tops and doing many of the more difficult jobs around the property.” The business includes a main central house and office and seven individual cottages that are fully furnished and equipped for visitors. The Laheys are looking forward to meeting The Oaks' regular customers who have been coming back year after year and are also hoping to attract newcomers. “We really like people so meeting everyone will be a lot of fun for us.” They are also planning to keep the business up and running well into the fall season and will be accepting bookings right up until Thanksgiving. “Fall is such a beautiful time up here too so we plan to stay open so people can enjoy the area at that time of year too,” Karen said.

They are planning to officially open on May 11, just in time for the opening of pickerel season. Both said that they are feeling very welcomed by the community and are very grateful for the generosity of the Ratzingers, who have been showing them the ropes. “They (the Ratzingers) have been just great and theirs has been the overall attitude of the people out here so far which has been exceptional and very welcoming,” Dan said.

The Laheys plan to promote local businesses in the area and are also planning to hire local service providers. As far as the challenges that face them, Karen admits that time is by far the biggest one. “We are both very fit and healthy and so we're are trying to get as much done now as we can so that we can also enjoy ourselves as well.” For Dan the challenge has been organizing the business end of things and taking care of things like advertising and marketing. Dan also makes and fits custom golf clubs.

The couple will be bringing a few new additions to the business including microwaves and new barbeques to the cottages, and they also plan to offer bike rentals to their clients along with a more expansive playground area for kids. They are inviting local businesses in the area to contact them directly since they plan to provide their clients with up to date information about local businesses and services. For more information visit www.theoaksresort.com or call 613-634-6093 or 613-279-2986.