The New Café emphasizes local products

The Felice Café has only been open for a month and local vendors are already seeing a boost in business thanks to this.

Owner Michelle Brouwer left the medical field at the top of the cafe.

“We love good food, live music, local support and I brought it all together in a cafe,” Brouwer said.

“There have been a lot of lessons to learn, but so far it’s been really great and positive.”

She wanted to create a space where everything from food to drinks and other products on the shelves was focused on local support.

“We love Stadium Yards’ philosophy of supporting and fostering the community,” Brouwer said. “They wanted someone in this space who would get people out of their apartments to get involved and be part of their community and that’s exactly what we wanted to do here.”

Brouwer said she comes from a family of entrepreneurs and knows firsthand the positive impact local shopping can have on a community.

“One of the good things coming out of COVID is that people have changed their outlook and they’re looking to support locals,” Brouwer said. “To make it easier for them, it made sense.

“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response so far.”

Market for local vendors at Felice Café. Friday, May 27, 2022 (CTV News Edmonton)

In addition to coffee and food, the cafe also offers a market where local vendors can show off their wares.

“I don’t have a physical retail space that I operate from so it’s really great to be a part of this space, it’s so beautiful and they really foster community support,” said Titi Fueston, owner of Tikkhu Jewelry. “Supporting locals is very important in Edmonton and growing. »

“We don’t have too many opportunities to showcase our product without opening our own showcase, which is a huge investment that few of us are able to make,” added Alysia Lok, owner of Caramunchies.

“Foot traffic and everything, just general exposure, people learning about our products and then seeing us in markets or online. The more they see us, the more they will end up trying it and falling in love with our product.

Fueston and Lok plan to continue selling their products from the Felice Café for as long as they can.

“That has been the most fun part of this journey so far, interacting with the other business owners, because they bring such a different perspective. We often discuss how we can better support each other,” Brouwer said.

With files from Nahreman Issa of CTV News Edmonton

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