Toronto cafe and bar shares vulnerable post about its fight to stay open
The future of a Toronto neighbourhood café and bar hangs in the balance, as months of low foot traffic and high rent prices have made its survival past 2026 an uncertainty.
Buvette Pacey, located near Queen Street East and Parliament Street, is a cozy, Queer-owned coffee-to-cocktails shop known for its seasonal drinks and community events, like sapphic wine nights and Wednesday chess club.
Until 6 p.m., the hybrid café-bar (and might we add, a quintessential gathering space for the neighbourhood's four-legged friends) serves up coffee shop staples like espresso, tea lattes, and special seasonal drinks, from Mexican hot chocolate to miso-caramel apple cider and banana cardamom lattes.
"It's 5 o'clock somewhere" is most definitely the motto here, as beer and wines that lean heavily toward the low-intervention side are served all day. Despite all its offerings, the shop's owner-operator, Shabri Kapoor, took to Instagram last week to transparently share some of the struggles the business has been facing.
To the dismay of its regular customers, Kapoor revealed that if things don't pick up in the next two months, the business might be forced to shut its doors in 2026.
"We know it's a struggle for everyone right now, but anything you can afford to spend with us will help towards keeping us open and part of this community," the candid post reads.
While there is a combination of factors hindering the business, Kapoor tells blogTO that the top two elements preventing the business from thriving are its location and its high rent.
"Being in the east end, on a side street, and not in the hustle and bustle of the west, the lack of foot traffic is definitely an issue. People sometimes think 'at least there's no competition around,' but the truth is, most of the time, having other similar businesses around increases the chances of spillover into your business, and greatly increases foot traffic to the area," she explains.
"On the other hand, our rent is quite high compared to other businesses in the area, and our landlord owns a bunch of other buildings in the city so they're not rushing to lower our rent any time soon. The cost of goods are also increasing but people's incomes aren't really, so I think people are less willing to pay higher prices for coffee, drinks, etc."
Despite this, all hope is not lost, and the business could come back to the surface if more folks share its profile and information over the next few months.
"The support so far has been so incredibly overwhelming and it's already made a difference with this past weekend being so busy! But unless it continues in this direction, we'll be facing the same problem again soon," Kapoor says.
By the end of this week, the shop is hoping to get its holiday wine packs and retail shirts available through its website, which, Kapoor says, could be a great way for people all over the GTA — who can't necessarily make it all the way out to the shop — to support the business from afar.
Although the shop has a long way to go, Kapoor says the 48 hours after sharing her Instagram post were some of the busiest days the business has had all year.
"Seeing the sheer number of views and reposts, especially from so many accounts that we admire and were already fans of...it's been unimaginable," Kapoor tells blogTO.
"More than anything though, seeing the kind words from existing clients who have said such genuine and encouraging things; that's what's really given us the push to keep going and fighting through this for as long as possible, knowing that our space matters to people and that we've accomplished — at least in terms of vibe and vision — what we set out to do."
Kapoor, who is a Queer person of colour, says Buvette was always about much more than drinks; it was a space with subtle warmth and genuine hospitality, inspired by her father's approach to running his own restaurant.
"When I dreamt up this business, the goal was to create a space that's unique, but where the 'special' quality is subtle, almost understated, and is felt more than seen," Kapoor said.
"After posting on Instagram last week and seeing the responses, and all the people who commented on how special they've felt in our space and how much we've meant to them... I dunno... even if we don't survive this, I'm still always going to be proud of what we achieved."
Buvette Pacey is located at 141 Berkeley St.
Buvette Pacey
