Lyle and Karen Cressman opened the historic Puddicombe House Restaurant, Spa and Inn in 2006. But, that isn’t where their story begins.
Lyle and Karen have lived and worked in the community of New Hamburg all their lives. They were born and raised here. This is their home. This is why Lyle and Karen started their business in New Hamburg. “It would have been here or nowhere,” says Lyle Cressman about opening the Puddicombe House in the beautiful downtown of New Hamburg.
Recently, the Cressman’s have noticed the impact of the housing crisis on people and businesses in their beloved community. They experienced this themselves with some of the staff from immigrant families working at the Puddicombe House.
One standout example for Lyle and Karen is a housekeeper who has been working at the Puddicombe House for over ten years. She immigrated from Columbia and, up until recently, has been living in New Hamburg in an apartment. The Puddicombe employee lives with her husband and two children and they love the community. However, the apartment quickly became too tight for the family of four, so they started searching for larger accommodations. They were frustrated to find that there was nothing attainable in New Hamburg and the closest viable option was twenty-five minutes away in Stratford. Lyle recounts emotionally, “[New Hamburg] couldn’t provide housing for the family.”
This is the struggle that many businesses face in New Hamburg. There is work to be had but there is no housing for the workers. This reality makes it harder for businesses to attract workers. And, the workers they can get, commute long distances.
Because of this struggle, Lyle and Karen are excited for what LYNC’s Mill Block Community means for small businesses in New Hamburg. It means attainable housing for those who work, play, shop and learn in our community. It means more options for people who love and give back to this community. It means community coming together to help those who are struggling.
Lyle and Karen experienced community first-hand recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns and restrictions had a huge impact on restaurants across Canada and the Puddicombe House was no exception. The Cressman’s were touched by the extreme generosity of the community. “People supported Puddicombe through COVID and we want to pay it forward,” says Lyle. In addition to all the community support during COVID, Puddicombe House was blessed with a business boost grant from Canada Life for $10,000. This grant was only one of ten grants given in Canada. When they received the grant, the Cressman’s decided they would give it back to the community after the restrictions had lifted and the Puddicombe House was bustling again.
They decided to give back to LYNC knowing that this would help the most vulnerable in the community while also supporting the people and businesses that supported them through a tough time. We are so thankful for the Cressman’s generosity and support of LYNC as well as their continued support for many other initiatives throughout the community.