Three Ottawa cafés close.

In Ottawa, cafés are going away.   During the past week, three popular landmark coffee shops and restaurants have closed, leaving many without their favourite place to eat, study, and meet friends.  Two of the establishments may re-open at other locations, but that remains uncertain.

Mello’s Diner, with its distinct neon sign, interior, and menu that was the best exemplification of a greasy spoon closed yesterday after 73 years in the same location on Dalhousie Street.  For over seven decades, the grit and glamour of the By Ward Market and Lowertown has changed around it.  Mello’s has fallen victim to that change.  A couple of years ago, the hipster set got hold of the place and was running it as a trendy supper club in the evenings, an ironic antithesis of the bacon and eggs and hot beef sandwiches on the Mello’s menu during the rest of the day.  The final blow came when the landlord decided not to renew the lease and instead gave the space to the busy Mexican restaurant next door for expansion.  The owner of Mello’s is hoping to re-open somewhere in the neighbourhood but it is not known when, where, or if it will happen.

On Sunday, December 20, TAN (The Alternative Network) Café on Wilbrod Street at Friel closed after five years.  TAN was not an upscale coffee house, but it was comfortable and friendly.  I was a regular customer for the past four years.  In the Sandy Hill neighbourhood, it attracted a mix of students, senior citizens, intellectuals, activists, and those down on their luck.  I’ve done a lot of studying and writing there myself.  I’ve seen others who appeared to be running small businesses from their table and support groups for family of those with serious illnesses meeting there.  The food was always fresh and the service always friendly.  Erin, the owner, always seemed to have unlimited energy running her popular little café.  Unfortunately the lease was not renewed and TAN has closed.  Erin hopes to have a new location soon but no announcement has yet been made.  TAN was the only independent, locally-owned café in Sandy Hill.  It was affordable and unpretentious.  It didn’t have that formulaic and homogeneous atmosphere that is always omnipresent at that big Seattle-based chain, or its close Canadian competitor.

Another popular café, although I only ever visited it twice, closed on December 20.  The Raw Sugar Café on Somerset Street, next to the landmark gate to Chinatown had been open for seven years.  The shop had that lived-in look.  The furniture was all second hand and included a couple of pianos and electric organs, giving the place the look of a cluttered 1960’s living room.  The hot chocolate was among the best I’ve ever tasted.  Raw Sugar was a popular destination for moody hipsters and avant garde progressives.  It often featured musical acts that appealed to both of those segments of society.  The quirky little café will be missed.  It was impossible to notice on a corner surrounded by Chinese restaurants and grocery stores. 

The three places that have closed were all independent, locally-owned businesses.  They each had character and individuality that was distinct to each of them.  It’s unfortunate that corporate coffee chains and restaurants are difficult to compete with and that customers are more willing to support them because of their familiarity.  I am not feigning innocence in saying this either as it is a consumer choice I frequently make too.  Local businesses and their owners are part of the communities we live in, unlike corporate chains that although may be present in the community, are controlled from offices far away.