Toronto's newest coffee shop is also a laundromat
Toronto is home to so many quirky business concepts that sometimes it's surprising to realize that not everything under the sun has made its way to this fair city. Case in point: the coffee shop laundromat.
While cafe-laundromat hybrids have gained popularity in the US, the trend hasn't taken hold in Toronto just yet. That could be about to change, though.
The soon-to-open Laundry and Lattes at Dufferin and Wallace is set to marry an espresso bar with a laundromat. It used to be your average neighbourhood coin op, but the front of the space will soon function as a third wave indie cafe.
Husband and wife team Kevin Ferreira and Nicole Da Cunha-Ferreira have taken over the space via Kevin's father, who used to run the laundromat here. Their inspiration is less to be trend setters than to create a welcoming space.
"Kevin’s father used to own the coin laundromat," Da Cunha-Ferreira explains. "One day while he was watching the place he realized how great it would be if we could make the mundane task of laundry a little less tedious."
What if, she muses, "instead of watching the endless cycle, laundry goers could sit and have a coffee, treats, and enjoy a break - at least until the folding process."
Local places like Yummi Cafe Laundromat and the now defunct Eco Laundry Room and Cafe have waded into this territory before, but what sets Laundry and Lattes apart is that the cafe component won't be secondary.
On the contrary, it's sure to cater to folks merely looking for a caffeine fix rather than freshly washed clothes. For those who are dealing with the slog of multiple loads of clothes, there will be Wi-Fi and even desserts to enjoy.
"We hope to see people stopping by for coffee with or without their laundry bags," Da Cunha-Ferreira confides.
There's still plenty of work to be done to renovate the existing laundromat at 1152 Dufferin Street, but a peek in the door while the co-owners were hard at work reveals a wooden espresso bar coming along very nicely.
There's no official launch date for Laundry and Lattes yet, but they tell me to expect an opening in about a month.
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