Juniper Cafe hosts close-out sale, selling recipe book to continue legacy of community
Edmontonians lined the street outside a south-central cafe Saturday for a chance to purchase baking, furniture, and small wares and say farewell to the popular community gathering place.
Juniper Cafe & Bistro hosted a sale selling everything from baking, mugs, cups, wall decor, to tables and chairs as a final fundraiser to help owners Kenny Dario and Enid Dufresne-Dario.
The cafe announced earlier this year that it would close its doors for good after the property owners initiated plans to redevelop the Strathearn Centre strip mall.
"It's just been seven years of amazing stories and lots of emotion," Enid told CTV News Edmonton. "We visioned that this would be a place where neighbours would meet other nieghbours, and it happened on a daily basis.
"There were neighbours who lived by each other for years and never gone for coffee before," she added. "And they had their first coffee together here."
Enid shared how the cafe helped create new social bonds between community members, with several having first dates or getting married at the bistro — with even one woman starting to go into labour while enjoying her breakfast.
"We love community," Enid said. "We are just so grateful for the support."
Kenny shared how the local coffee shop had several years of difficulty, starting with LRT construction disruptions to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have decided (now) to just step back and regain our composure if you will," Kenny added. "Just going to breathe for a minute."
"Now, we just need to sell some things, get some debt paid off, and see what the next chapter looks like," Enid echoed.
The cafe is creating a recipe book that shares stories and how to make its signature dishes.
"(It will have) the recipes, the exact ones they cooked with, and pictures of it," said Tanni Cyr, who is helping with the project.
"There's so many things that have happened at Juniper," Cyr added. "We want to keep this community going. We may not have a location, but we still have the community."
Visit Juniper's website to share a memory from the cafe or pre-order the recipe book.
Cyr said she was surprised to see the large turnout for the final sale of the bistro's wares.
"The support has been amazing," she added. "We have people wanting to buy little bits of Juniper just to remind them and remember the feeling of community when they would come here."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.