Sherbrooke St. in N.D.G. is down, however not out

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On Monday, John Zampetoulakis was already effectively on his solution to emptying out Kokkino, the café on Sherbrooke St. W. close to Harvard Ave. in N.D.G. that he ran for the previous 15 years.

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Saturday was the final day for Kokkino, a tragic second for a lot of within the neighbourhood who beloved hanging out within the intimate area chatting, engaged on their laptops, sipping espresso, munching on Zampetoulakis’s tasty sandwiches and listening to his continuous wry commentary on the world round him.

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“I’m joyful,” Zampetoulakis stated, including that he’s wanting ahead to a well-deserved break along with his household after years of working lengthy hours on the café, the place he was the lone staffer.

He stated the owner wished him to pay virtually half of the town taxes for all the constructing, which incorporates one other enterprise (the pet retailer Doghaus) and 6 residential models. With the taxes plus the hire, he couldn’t make ends meet.

“Do I remorse (closing)? No,” Zampetoulakis stated. “Am I mad? Sure. They didn’t simply harm me — they harm the group. It was a gathering place, a spot of safety. You’re going after senior residents, people who find themselves dwelling by themselves.

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“I promote espresso,” he stated. “I’m not a veterinarian. How am I alleged to make $75,000 a 12 months (as the general price of operating the enterprise) with espresso?”

Kasra Taghavi, the constructing supervisor, stated the town taxes are happening this 12 months however conversations between the owner and Zampetoulakis didn’t progress to creating a deal for the approaching 12 months.

“We tried to elucidate it to him, however he wasn’t listening,” Taghavi stated. “He was a superb tenant, however he determined to go away.”

The tip result’s another closure on a strip of Sherbrooke St. that has a number of empty storefronts, notably the massive area at Wilson Ave. that has been empty for years because the Salvation Military moved into smaller quarters a number of blocks to the west. One other well-liked café, Shaika, on the nook of Outdated Orchard Ave., closed final 12 months and that area continues to be empty. It doesn’t assist issues that the previous Empress Theatre throughout from N.D.G. Park has sat empty and decaying for many years, an eyesore that hardly makes the neighbourhood extra enticing.

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Different latest closures within the space embody specialty dessert store Sandrini Confections and the vegetarian restaurant Nation Burrito.

However there are new companies arriving, like Micro Espresso, a really small espresso store that simply opened a block west of Kokkino. Micro Espresso proprietor Simon Massaglia has one other café with the identical title in Outdated Montreal and stated he has had nice response since opening in N.D.G. He likes the neighbourhood.

“It has character,” Massaglia stated. “It has a pleasant group really feel.”

However with simply eight seats at two counters, this high-end outlet, which additionally sells espresso beans, received’t be the identical form of hangout as Kokkino or Shaika. Massaglia stated he has heard from pals who reside close by that they really feel the neighbourhood lacks providers like cafés, upscale bars and smaller meals shops.

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“I do know a number of bankers, medical doctors and dentists (who reside within the neighbourhood) and so they all complain about every thing closing down and the dearth of consideration this road is getting,” Massaglia stated.

Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, stated she is conscious that the strip of Sherbrooke St. W. has points. She stated there at the moment are 27 empty storefronts on Sherbrooke between Claremont Ave. and Cavendish Blvd., down from 33 a 12 months earlier.

Kasoki Katahwa pointed to the success of café-restaurants like Café Toranj and Entre Deux. She famous that Sherbrooke has a really totally different identification than Monkland Ave. to the north.

“I’m very delicate to the truth that the retailers on Sherbrooke and the residents need to preserve that distinctive identification, that they don’t need to grow to be Monkland,” Kasoki Katahwa stated. “Sherbrooke is a road individuals like strolling on and it’s clear that we’ve to enhance it. However there’s actual potential.”

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Jaeran Lee, who owns Mate Latte, one other well-liked café on the identical strip, stated she is considering not renewing when her lease ends in December. She stated the largest concern is the rise in meals costs.

Final August, Jonah Ribkoff opened the small café-restaurant Beetz subsequent door to the bar Honey Martin. He stated it’s going effectively, although the winter was somewhat slower.

“I’m an authorized holistic way of life coach and a chef, so mainly I wished to make a spot the place you’ll be able to are available in and eat wholesome but in addition have it style tremendous good,” Ribkoff stated. “There’s a giant concentrate on group. It’s a loving area for individuals to get collectively.”

For Zampetoulakis, it was all the time about individuals getting collectively, not about pushing gross sales.

“I used to be offering an area for the group,” he stated. “It was for individuals who reside alone. We’d like human intercourse. Everybody goes on social media, however they don’t see one another.”

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