waterfront coffee shop with the 'feel of a living room' in the works for bedford's mill cove
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melissa peneycad and spouse daniel roukema are seen outside what will be their coffee shop, basin commons cafe, that is projected to open this fall in mill cove in bedford.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
daniel roukema always wished bedford had a laid-back, neighbourhood coffee shop, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
the entrepreneur from middle sackville is working toward opening basin commons cafe in a large ground-floor space in one of the glass and brick waterfront buildings beside dewolf park on mill cove.
“the reason that this became of interest to me is i actually own mdr strategy group, which is a consulting firm directly beside it, so i rent two units now side-by-side,” roukema said.
“after being in this building for our first year, and before i bought my own coffee machine in the office for all of my staff, we would have to get in the car and we’d have to drive to get coffee. and being the entrepreneur that i am, having owned the other business, i started to think about solutions.
“the foot traffic in the area is very high. it’s not just for traffic from the residents of the almost dozen apartment buildings in the immediate area, it’s also visitors to the park and people who just walk up and down that boardwalk. there’s just a constant stream of people,” he continued.
“i also started to do a demographic analysis and noticed that a lot of the people, i would say probably 75 per cent, are over the age of 40, so that presents not only an opportunity but also really a disappointing reality that it’s something for them that does not exist. and i’m talking about more than just coffee, i’m also talking about a place where they can just hang out. so i decided that this was the right option.”
people walk along the boardwalk at dewolf park on bedford’s mill cove.
saltwire file
bedford doesn’t have many pedestrian-focused shopping or eating districts, and the block of buildings where roukema’s business is located doesn’t have any retail storefronts at the moment. but the waterfront at dewolf park is a popular destination and connects to a section of shore drive widely used by runners and walkers.
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the area already has a vibrant community scene that roukema wants to incorporate into his shop’s atmosphere to make it a grassroots gathering place.
the way he describes it, his goal is for the shop “to have the look and feel of a living room. that’s really what we want. we want people to come, hang out, have great conversation, meet great people, and with it have really good coffee and have great pastries.”
“one of the things that we’ve always been deeply committed to, and that’s what my consulting firm is about, has been social impact,” he added.
“so we’re opening this cafe, recognizing first and foremost that the residents in the area have no place to go. in the evenings, there’s really nothing to do unless you get into your car. we’re committing, because of the demographics, to hire at least 50 per cent seniors to work in the cafe. what that does is it becomes representative of the demographics that we see, but also in response to senior isolationism and loneliness.
“there’s an opportunity to get out of the house. there’s an opportunity to be active. there’s an opportunity to communicate and hang out with your neighbours in an established location. so this was kind of the essence of it. and so far, so good. you can see on the facebook page, and also from our instagram page, there’s been a lot of interest in this occurring sooner than later.”
the logo for basin commons cafe. – supplied by basin commons cafe
roukema continues to work through permit processes and the other usual moving parts of launching a new business but is hopeful the doors to the shop will open in november.
he described how the space will run from the parking lot side of the building over to the boardwalk, where there will be a patio and a picturesque south-facing vista highlighted by the mill cove pier.
“the vibe is absolutely critical,” roukema said.
“i’ve lived in halifax on and off since 1990 and i’ve seen dramatic change, especially along the waterfront. i have been impressed with the new establishments that are being opened there. i’ve been very carefully examining the demographics of people who go there, recognize that there’s a similar demographic in the bedford area, and there’s nothing (here) that speaks to them that has that same vibe and opportunity that the halifax waterfront has. so that has really been an inspiration to us.”
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another part of roukema’s vision is to have evening openings for social gatherings. the shop won’t have a liquor licence but he said he’s struck a deal with the annapolis valley’s benjamin bridge to sell non-alcoholic beverages, along with the shop’s regular coffee service from premium italian supplier illy.
“i’m one of the few people that can drink caffeine 24 hours a day and still sleep, but we recognize that most people won’t,” he joked.
“so there’s going to be a slightly different offering in the evening so that we’re not going to be responsible for a whole community that can no longer sleep.”
melissa peneycad and spouse daniel roukema are seen outside what will be their coffee shop, basin commons cafe, that is projected to open this fall in mill cove in bedford.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
“the coffee shop is intended to close at around five o’clock in the evenings, and then it will be open for community groups, either people who want to do art or people who want to have a guitarist or some music or something,” he said.
the new website also says, “basin commons will offer a thoughtfully designed private room for small groups of up to 12 guests. available by advance booking, the space provides a refined and comfortable setting for both personal and professional gatherings.
“whether you are planning a board game night, hosting a birthday celebration, gathering for a book club, or bringing people together for a community conversation, the room is being designed to feel relaxed, flexible, and welcoming. it will be equally suited for team meetings, client discussions, small workshops, or quiet working sessions away from the usual office environment.”
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