Edmonton couple opens cafe in historical John T. Ross Residence, maintains homey atmosphere

EDMONTON -

A new coffee shop in downtown Edmonton promises a neighbourly experience in one of the city’s historic buildings.

After years of dreaming of doing such a thing, Caleb and Stephanie Kan opened Stopgap Coffee on the main floor of the John T. Ross Residence in March.

The home in Oliver is a cornerstone of the community, having been built in 1909 and designated a municipal historic resource in 2007, standing as an example of popular design trends of the early 1900s even as highrises like The Hendrix and The David Thompson went up around it.

After serving as a residence, the building housed a psychologist’s office and then sat partially vacant until the Kans decided during the pandemic to pursue their dream.

Caleb Kan makes a coffee behind the barista bar of his newly opened Stopgap Coffee cafe on April 20, 2022. “[It] was really encouraging to see how people, even during this time of chaos or uncertainty, would still choose to support local,” Caleb said of the impetus behind their decision.

“We wanted to be in a community where we could create friendships and have regular conversations with people, and so we love this spot for that reason,” Stephanie told CTV News Edmonton.

It was Caleb’s idea to name the cafe Stopgap, which describes a temporary way of dealing with a problem or satisfying a need.

“He thought that is a perfect definition of what coffee can do,” Stephanie recalled.

Stephanie Kan and husband Caleb Kan opened Stopgap Coffee in Edmonton's historic John T. Ross Residence in the Oliver community in March 2022.

But the couple actually considers coffee their secondary focus to fostering community.

“The conversations that come with that cup of coffee are what we look forward to,” Stephanie said.

Save the barista bar, the cafe doesn’t look much like a cafe. It has a dining room table and living room just the same as the average home.

“What a better way to create or welcome community than having a living room to serve people with?” Caleb asked. “It feels like I’m giving someone coffee in my living room and just having a chat.”

Stopgap Coffee opened in Edmonton's John T. Ross Residence in the Oliver neighbourhood in March 2022.

Customer Linh Lu says the Kans have successfully created a homey and cozy experience.

“I just love that I get to feel like I’m just going to my neighbour's place,” she told CTV News Edmonton.

And the coffee is good: “They have the best cortados in the city.” 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's John Hanson