08/13/2026
As we get closer to opening I did a walk about last night before closing up I walked around the shop and the sheer amount of work we did is incredible. I remember the first day I came to see this brick and mortar and it smelled like an old museum that had been sitting empty for years and all the water lines were blown and there was no heat. I will do a before and after video at some point.
My friend Winona was with me that day and not once did she say I was crazy.
We wanted to embark on this journey and the goal was to provide something nice for our community because we deserve something nice - but we wanted no loans. And I have business partners who embrace that vision. No debt, no loans and let's provide people with a cool place to gather and connect.
None of this would have happened without Tammy and Lorin and our silent partner who knows who she is. Our team is incredible - we blend perfectly with our strengths and weaknesses and they have been absolute in their vision and stubbornness to never give up.
Opening a shop like this with no loans is not impossible but it takes a village and do we ever have an incredible community! Our kids, friends and loved ones put in a lot of hours for free and we also relied on talented tradesmen to help us along the way, especially Tammy's husband Jayd - I loved watching him teaching and showing my boys how to do stuff and he put in so many long hours to make this place beautiful. We also had the good fortune of turning to the handy talents of Dan the handyman, Clayton the plumber, Jared Smallchild who is the fastest and cheekiest carpenter, Dave the king of all trades, Scott the electrician, Joe Almightyvoice who isn't afraid of heights, and Lorin's boys who would load I don't know how many loads to the dump for us.
Tyler and Kashtin put in so many hours and never asked for anything in return. Tyler is stubborn and dedicated to this place and takes pride in it and Kashtin was always encouraging me - always here helping and he shares my passion for making drinks and merchandise. Kata brought her friends to help and Hayley is so full of ideas and vision I now have to take out a notepad and write all her ideas down! 🙂 Keestin lent his commentary and humour and he and my mom never wavered in their belief that this can work.
We aren't even open and this place is already where everyone comes to check in with one another (I love that). It feels like family.
We have so many plans but phase one is simply opening - not everything will be perfect but we think we have made people wait long enough and so we will continue to work on the exterior of the building after we open. The Cafe will open alongside the already operating salon and spa. The kitchen and bigger gathering room are phase two and will be done end of October.
I want to talk about why we didn't want loans for a minute. I did the research and an overwhelming number of cafes go out of business in the first year, especially in smaller communities. This is because they take out big loans. We want to ensure we are here to stay. So we went the opposite route - no debt. So our chances of success is greater and we intend to stay for a very long time. Plus being in a lot of debt is really not enjoyable and we intend to have fun with this place - it will never be a place of stress for us.
I would NEVER have attempted this loving crazy boujee vision without the seeds planted by my father - Ken Robinson. He was a beautiful dreamer and the first day I entered this building I could feel his presence and hear his voice saying, "do it Tracey."
We will announce our opening date once the inspections are done and staff are hired and trained.
Love,
T.
