Why this couple is selling their trendy cafe and leaving Toronto behind

Just a year after their grand opening, the couple behind one of the hottest new restaurants in Toronto is making the decision to quit while they're ahead, selling their business and moving out of the city entirely.

Toronto is crazy about our coffee shops, and the city's residents are as faithful to their go-to spots as our neighbours in the U.K. are to their local pub, but that doesn't keep the odd unicorn from breaking through.

The Junction's Coffee by Joy proved to be one such cafe in 2025.

Founded by real-life couple Monika Novakova and Tomas Vitmajer, the minimalistic coffee shop has found itself the setting for an innumerable number of TikToks and Instagram posts during its first year in business.

Coffee by Joy is one of the most talked-about cafe openings of 2025. Photo courtesy of Coffee by Joy.

In August, months after the cafe officially opened in December of 2024, the couple also opened a gallery space in the cafe, turning the cafe itself into a speakeasy-style concept behind the gallery space.

It's exactly the business that Monika and Tomas always dreamt of operating, and it's only been steadily gaining in popularity over the past year, but they're now ready to give the whole thing up.

So, why are Monika and Tomas choosing to step away just months after realizing their dream?

"We feel like [the business is] on top right now, which is also, I think, a nice time to say goodbye," Monika tells blogTO.

Primarily, Monika and Tomas have been toying with the idea of moving back home to the Czech Republic for some time now, and, after accomplishing their ultimate goal of opening the gallery space in the cafe and accomplishing major success, they think it's the best time to do it.

"We are kind of desiring there more than here, even though the business is great. We have a stronger desire to just go back home," Monika says.

And though they contemplated staying on as part owners, making business decisions from afar, Monika and Tomas ultimately came to the conclusion that, if they can't give their complete attention and energy to the project, it's better to hand it over to someone who can.

"We want to sell the whole thing because we need somebody who will take care as we did, and that needs, like, 100 per cent focus," Tomas says.

Photo courtesy of Coffee by Joy.

Ultimately, for as difficult as it is to walk away from the business as it soars to new heights, Monika and Tomas view this as an exciting change, both for them, as they prepare to move back home, and for the future of the cafe.

"I think we are, of course, looking for a person who will be our type of person, [but] there is obviously space where he can change things. I think the base is awesome, and then the new person can just, like, develop it kind of his own way," Tomas says.

While Monika and Tomas haven't found that perfect person to take over the business just yet, they are welcoming anyone interested and who believes they're a good fit to reach out and learn more.

Coffee by Joy is located at 163 Sterling Rd.