Caffe Fantastico, a key player in the evolution of Quadra Street Village from a rundown commercial strip to thriving little business core, has plans to double its footprint.
Owner Ryan Taylor is working with city staff on plans that would see the cafe and roastery expand into the former Camas Bookstore and add a small office on the rooftop of the building at the corner of Kings Road and Quadra Street.
Taylor, who has operated Caffe Fantastico there for 15 years and bought the 1950-era building in 2009, said the expansion would include rooftop solar panels, extra bicycle racks, a sidewalk composting centre, more efficient space for coffee roasting, a tasting area and increased seating — something he says is needed to enhance the café as a neighbourhood “gathering place.”
“This project will allow us to engage more actively in our community and better meet the desires of our neighbourhood,” said Taylor. “When we first opened here, we were more of a drive-to destination or takeout. But over the last five years, as the neighbourhood has [evolved], customers are walking or riding here and looking for a place to sit down. As the neighbourhood progresses, people need more spaces to gather.”
Improvements will also include continued upgrades to the Sparkle Bright Launderette, located in the same building, and a service that Taylor said the community uses often and considered “a neighbourhoud asset.”
He said it would have been easier to close the laundromat, put an office there and forget the rooftop expansion.
Quadra Village, stretching from Bay Sreet across Hillside to Topaz Avenue, has experienced a renaissance over the past decade, with traffic-calming measures, improved landscaping, colourful banners and a mix of businesses that range from anchor grocery Fairway Markets to accountants, hair salons, a gluten-free diner and halal butcher.
Customers at Caffe Fantastico include nearby residents, employees at surrounding businesses and students from CDI College, which occupies the former Blanshard elementary school.
The cost of the expansion was not disclosed, but Taylor said financing is in place. He’s hoping to start the 945-square-foot expansion into the old bookstore on Quadra Street in the coming weeks. A wall will be knocked down to expand the seating and open a tasting area. The 500-square-foot rooftop addition will go from planning staff to city council and then to public hearings.
So far, Taylor said response from the neighbourhood has been positive. Seating most mornings and around lunch time is often at a premium with a mix of tradespeople, students and residents all vying for seats. Some take their cups and snacks into the neighbouring park.
Taylor and his wife, Kristy, are residents of the neighbourhood, living just two blocks away. Their two young children attend George Jay Elementary. Taylor has been involved in the village improvements, serving on the transportation committee that brought centre boulevards and streetscape improvements.
Taylor started Caffe Fantastico from a cart on the Inner Harbour causeway in 1993. From the start, the pursuit has been for quality coffee and a business plan based on environmental issues and sustainability. The business has grown from the flagship on Kings Road to satellite cafés at Dockside Green and the Parkside in the Humboldt Valley, both LEED developments. The payroll is nearly 40 staff.
The company also wholesales its coffee to places such as Devour, Wildfire Bakery, The Lunch Kit, Moon Over Water and the Township Coffee Company in Gordon Head.
“Having a successful business with ethical practices is key to Caffe Fantastico,” said Taylor.
The solar panels on the rooftop will be used to reduce the company’s reliance on the power grid, and high-efficiency boilers are being installed. New furniture and other fixtures inside will be made from repurposed lumber. Caffe Fantastico has also been part of the car-share co-op for five years and uses an electric Grumman cub van to make its deliveries. A charging station was installed at King’s Road earlier this year.
