Independent Coffee Shops in Vancouver
Coffee shop competition in Mount Pleasant
As a young undergraduate, I first discovered the Main and Broadway neighbourhood in Vancouver (commonly known as Mount Pleasant) and I regularly frequented the Cuppa Joe coffee shop. I indulged in their mochas, where fresh chocolate shavings were placed atop chocolate whipped cream atop chocolatey caffeine goodness.
COFFEE SHOPS ON VANCOUVER'S MAIN STREET
Cuppa Joe is still there, but in the last 10 years, Bean Around the World, Our Town, Kafka's Coffee, and Gene Cafe have popped up in a one-block radius of Main and Broadway. The much-maligned Tim Horton's arrived mid-2010 on the southwest corner of Main and Broadway. A Cuppa Joe employee informed me she had counted eight independent coffee shops between 8th and 16th Avenues. But I ask myself - can so much caffeine in so small an area be sustainable?IMPACT OF TIM HORTONS ON MOUNT PLEASANT'S COFFEE SHOPS
At Cuppa Joe, I talked to Dmitri, who owns it with his partner Kyrylo. Cuppa Joe is an old-timer, having moved into the neighbourhood in 1988. Our Town Cafe is another old-timer and was built 8 years ago by owner Henry Lee. When I ask Cuppa Joe staff if Tim Horton's arrival in 2010 affected their business at all, one of the long-time employees states that it might have initially affected business, but coffee sales quickly bounced back.Cuppa Joe's clientele is different from Tim Horton's, more "taste-driven" and less "grab-and-go". One Cuppa Joe staff member states, "[Tim Horton's] fills more of a need; [Cuppa Joe] fills a want." Henry has a similar opinion, noting that although Tim Horton's may have affected business, neighbourhood customers are loyal to local businesses; after the initial sales impact, Our Town still managed to build up business. Both Cuppa Joe and Our Town serve specialty pastries and quality coffee, and have friendly staff, wi-fi, and couches - these coffee shops are places where people can sit, chat, and drink quality coffee.
I talked to staff at other cafes, getting the same story. Each coffee shop brings something different to the neighbourhood. There are coffee shops with wi-fi and comfy chairs (Waves, Bean Around the World, and many more) for those who like to chat and procrastinate on projects; coffee shops open 24 hours for night-owls (Bean Around the World, Waves); and coffee shops with arts and community mandates, providing space for musical performances and poetry readings (Rhizome Cafe and Our Town Cafe).
COFFEE SHOP CUSTOMERS IN THE MOUNT PLEASANT NEIGHBOURHOOD
Although some may want to paint Mount Pleasant with a homogenous hipster brush, the neighbourhood is more diverse than you might think. Construction workers, the working class, and the elderly live and work here alongside artists, musicians, and university students. I noticed a higher frequency of construction workers at Tim Horton's, in keeping with Tim Horton's grab-and-go mindset. The sometimes surly staff at Kafka's and Gene Coffee serve a youngish, mainly hipster clientele. Meanwhile, Cuppa Joe and Our Town's statuses as two of the older coffee shops in Mount Pleasant have enabled them to build a loyal clientele of neighbourhood folk of all different demographics and backgrounds.There's a coffee shop for everyone. I'm a fan of Cuppa Joe and Our Town for their staff's ability to serve quality coffee without any airs or pretension. Perhaps this welcoming atmosphere, as well as neighbourhood loyalty to local businesses will stave off the impact of Tim Horton's, enabling these coffee shops to survive as well as thrive. It looks like this coffee shop equilibrium will be sticking around, at least for a while.
... and there's lots more:
(Thanks to Urban Spoon)
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1$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Sandwiches/Subs, Vegetarian 245 E Broadway
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2$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Tea 2525 Main St
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3$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Bakery, Coffee/Tea, Sandwiches/Subs 53 W 5th Avenue
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4$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Bakery, Coffee/Tea, Sandwiches/Subs 228-216 East 4th Avenue
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5$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 3010 Main Street
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6$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Bakery, Coffee/Tea, Desserts/Ice Cream 606 E Broadway
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7$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Italian 3136 Main Street
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8$$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Desserts/Ice Cream 88 E 1st Ave
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9$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 156 W 8th Avenue
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10$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 2404 Main Street
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11$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 311 E Broadway
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12$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Bakery, Coffee/Tea 1605 Manitoba Street
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13$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Sandwiches/Subs 2408 Alberta Street
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14$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 189 - 175 East Broadway
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15$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee/Tea, Middle Eastern 363 East Broadway
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16$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 55 Kingsway
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17$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 1 - 111 West Broadway
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18$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee/Tea, Sandwiches/Subs 456 W Broadway
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19$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 2035 Yukon Street
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20$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Donuts, Fast Food 2501 Main St
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21$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Sandwiches/Subs, Vietnamese 779 Kingsway
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22$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 112 W Broadway
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23$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 644 Kingsway
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24$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 639 East 15th Avenue
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25$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Desserts/Ice Cream, Bubble Tea 9 - 701 Kingsway
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26$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 2980 Main Street
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27$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, French, Sandwiches/Subs 402 w 8th avenue
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28$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee/Tea 4 W 7th, Vancouver,
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29$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea 2528 Main Street
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30$ Mount Pleasant/Main Street - Coffee/Tea, Tea, Smoothies 2588 Main St
