'They really foster community support': New café with a focus on supporting local
Felice Café has been open for just one month and local vendors are already seeing a boost in business because of it.
Owner Michelle Brouwer left the medical field to open the café.
“We love good food, live music, supporting local and I just wound them all together in a café,” said Brouwer.
“There has been a lot of lessons to learn but so far it's been really great and positive.”
She wanted to make a space where the focus of everything, from the food to the drinks and other products on the shelves, was supporting local.
“We love the Stadium Yards' philosophy about supporting community and promoting community,” said Brouwer. “They wanted someone in this space that would bring people out of their apartments to be involved and be part of their community and that’s exactly what we wanted to do here.”
Brouwer said she comes from an entrepreneur family and knows first-hand the positive impact shopping local can have on a community.
“One of the good things coming out of COVID is that people have changed their perspectives and they’re looking to support local,” said Brouwer. “To make that easier for them just made sense.
“We’ve had an overwhelming positive response so far.”
Market for local vendors at Felice Café. Friday May 27, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton)
In addition to the coffee and food, the café also features a market for local vendors to show off their goods.
“I don’t have a physical retail space that I operate out of so it’s really great to be a part of this space, it’s so beautiful and they really foster community support,” said Titi Fueston, the owner of Tikkhu Jewelry. “Supporting local is really big in Edmonton and it’s getting bigger.”
“There’s not too many avenues for us to showcase our product without opening our own storefront, which is a huge investment that not many of us are able to do,” added Alysia Lok, the owner of Caramunchies.
“The foot traffic and everything, just exposure in general, people coming across our products, and then seeing us at markets or online. The more they’ve seen us, they'll eventually try it and fall in love with our product.”
Fueston and Lok plan to keep selling their products out of Felice Café as long as they’re able to.
“That’s been the funnest part of this journey so far, interactive with the other business owners, because they bring such a different perspective. We chat often about how we can better support each other,” said Brouwer.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.