West Edmonton cafe competes with the big boys

By Mathew White

EDMONTON — There was a time when every neighbourhood had a spot; somewhere the community could call their own.  Those times have long gone, but one west end business is doing their best to put the ‘neighbour’ back in ‘neighbourhood cafe.’

“The community’s been really excited to have us here,” said Simon Taylor, one of two owners of Café Rista.  “They’ve all been saying stuff like ‘we’ve wanted something like this for a long time.’ “

Café Rista, which sits in the Grovenor neighbourhood at 14213 103 Ave., was opened on September 27, 2010, by husband and wife, Simon Taylor and Erica Sorrell.  The couple decided to make the business leap after being put onto the location by a friend in the building.

“It literally fell into our laps,” said Sorrell.

With a strong background in the hospitality business, Taylor knew that running a café was well within his means, so when the opportunity came about where he and his wife could get the space and funding they desired – and after taking a couple months to think it over – they decided to go for it.

“We saw the opportunity to be a little neighbourhood café for the community and that’s what did it for us for sure,” said Taylor.

The fact that Starbucks was interested in the spot didn’t hurt either.

“If Starbucks wanted a location here, it must be a good location,” said Taylor.  “They basically did our research for us.”

According to Taylor, business at the café has been steadily increasing since September, and he hopes it will continue to do so over the summer, especially when the patio, which is dog friendly, opens up.

The future

Now, although there isn’t a lot of competition in the neighbourhood at the moment, it’s still high on the couple’s minds.

With a new complex being built on the corner of 142 Street and Stony Plain Road, Taylor said that it’s only a matter of time before the corporations move in.  Besides the food and great coffee – which comes from Milan – Sorrell said they plan on thriving by catering to those who aren’t looking for a big chain.

“We’re very community orientated and community driven,” said Sorrell.  “We want to be a part of wherever we are.”

The café is also planning to acquire a liquor license by the end of the month in hopes of increasing the nighttime crowd.  The liquor, however, will be limited to beer, wine and a few select liqueurs to go with the coffee.

“We want it to be where mom and dad can come out and have a glass of wine and their 10-year-old kid can have a soda and everyone’s happy,” said Taylor.

Once they have the business at the level they want and have paid off their finances, the couple said the next step is to open another location.

“I think there’s lots of opportunity for this kind of place in neighbourhoods in the city,” said Taylor.

“Our ultimate goal is to be the little neighbourhood cafe.  We want to be that place.”