A LONG, LONG TIME AGO

I’d have to say this story began a long time ago, when I was just finishing up my university degree. *

* which, of course, has no relation to my current career/job/life – heads up future grads, don’t be surprised where life takes you.

Finch's Market

And it began with coffee. It really did. Back in the mid-90’s I was studying in a teensy town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, it was1.5 hrs down a rough, gravel logging road so supplies were limited. My ‘mostly hot chocolate with a splash of drip coffee’ eventually became all coffee and I was hooked. Completely and utterly. A love affair was born.

Or you could say it began with stumbling upon small shops around the lower mainland, the island and the sunshine coast. I loved their neighbourly, warm, inviting feel. I extra-liked the ones with wood floors, vintage signs, wicker baskets, old photos, you know what I mean… right?

And you could definitely say it began at school. When we were picking a school for our wee 5 year old we decided on the smaller school a little farther from our house. And what I discovered there was a terrific group of parents – grounded, funny, a mixed bag of great people. And so many ‘doers’ who wanted to make the school community this positive, caring place for all families.

I got myself involved and never looked back. I loved feeling a part of something, of creating this community where people felt included and accepted, with lots of humour and positivity.

And then one night, a bunch of mom’s were having a ‘girl’s night’ when this idea bubbled up. I’m not even sure anymore where exactly from… maybe we simply wanted more convenient coffee? Maybe one of the ladies was wishing the local store wasn’t so sketchy? Maybe I mentioned my obsession with Pinterest? I don’t really remember.

I know I had been thinking for a little while about a few things – the fact that fresh coffee was MILES AND MILES away from school. That at 9:02am, with your kids carefully handed off to an earnest teacher, there we were this rag tag bunch of parents CRAVING a hot coffee with no where to go. It was a tragedy.

And that the only store within a ten-minute walk was a less-than inviting corner shop with bars on the windows that were covered in old posters and lottery info. Not to mention that their selection of goods was really, really basic. And sometimes not the most fresh.

And then there was the idea of creating a new place for our community, a place where parents and families could gather – a hub for this small east side neck of the woods, tucked between the highway and the PNE, a pocket of hard working families and a strong community spirit.

So one day I drove past said corner store and thought – hey, what about that place?