Defunct home improvement mag leaves subscribers holding the bag

The publisher of a defunct home improvement magazine — that had ties to TV handy man Mike Holmes — has apparently closed its Toronto office leaving thousands of subscribers waiting on refunds and owing its landlord rent money.

Rubbing salt into the wound is the fact the same company — Dauphin Media Group — has recently launched the new NFL Magazine out of New York City with subscriptions at just under $20 for 12 issues.

The high end, glossy football magazine — with contributors such as former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason and high profile sports writer Jason La Canfora — is a monthly publication that launched in Dec. 2011 with its March edition on magazine racks now.

It bills itself as the official magazine of the National Football League.

The home improvement publication — Holmes, the Magazine to Make it Right — ceased late last year after the Mike Holmes Group had a dispute with Dauphin.

Liza Drozdov, director of communications for the Mike Holmes Group, says the actual day-to-day business was farmed out to Dauphin with the Holmes group regulating a portion of the editorial content.

Drozdov says that due to the nature of the business agreement the Mike Holmes Group is not responsible for recompensing payments

“Mike feels terrible about it,” says Drozdov. “But it’s not his fault … he didn’t get any of that money.”