Café Tour #4 - The Bloor Street Café (600 Bloor St. W)

(Rotate up to see the place.)

The Bloor Street Café was fated not to be a stop on my coffee crawl of Bloor Street between Christie and Spadina.  Before I got around to paying it a visit, it closed.  Its last day of business was at some point late last week or early this week.  This is therefore a non-post, but I'm counting it anyway.

The whole situation is a shame, because the Bloor Street Café was one of the places I was most looking forward to writing about.  Solely on the basis of what I was able to observe through its front window, I can say that it was completely unique among the many cafés on my chosen stretch of Bloor.  Sadly, its uniqueness was its downfall.

What distinguished the Bloor Street Café was that it wasn't fighting for the same clientele as any of its ostensible competitors.  Places like Aroma, Lettieri, and even those internet-bogarts at the Green Beanery are after students and professionals, since those are the types of people who typically have money to spend on things like coffee and expensive sandwiches.  To lure this coveted clientele, cafés spend money on niceties like good espresso machines, or soy milk, or fancy decor.  The Bloor Street Café, meanwhile, served bubble tea and hot dogs, and was decorated like a hospital waiting room.

As a result of this, the customers who frequented the place were an entirely different breed of café rat.  Every time I peered into the front window, I saw what appeared to be the same group of older men, all fraternizing and slapping each other on the backs ("hanging out" would be too hip and youthful a phrase for what these guys were doing).  They'd spill out onto the sidewalk on warm nights, and smoke their cigarettes.  If I had to speculate, I'd say they were probably hiding from their wives.  They didn't seem like a bad crew, per se, but they did seem pretty insular, and the Bloor Street Café was theirs.  Nobody female or under the age of forty was going have anything to do with the place as long as they were still in it.

It was easy to see that the owners of the café weren't entirely pleased with the community they'd attracted.  There was a big, professionally-printed placard on the front wall, visible from the street, which read: "Counter and Table Patrons: 20 Minute Limit."

My assumption was that having such a dedicated following would have been good for business, but that was not the case.  I spoke to the owner of a nearby café (whose identity I'll protect, since she doesn't know I'm writing this), and she seemed utterly spooked by the notion that the Bloor Street Café crowd was now homeless, and might choose her shop as its next nesting place.  Other business owners have been telling her stories, and word is that the loyalty of the Bloor Street Café's ex-customers is surpassed only by their cheapness.  They order a single cup of coffee and stay until they're kicked out, displacing paying customers like a pack of café-devouring wolverines.

I hope they don't come for any of my favorite spots.  Although with my wi-fi leeching proclivities, I imagine it would be difficult to seize the moral high ground in any kind of café turf war.

Comments

[holy land tours]

The Bloor street cafe is unique in all other cafe.Althought its uniqueness doesnt go in its favour.Its a place for the old people.they a regular customers of the cafe.This place is far away from wi-fi.this cafe dont have very good income.They gives very few varieties in their menu also.Its not the place for young professionals..