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Coffee-drinking parents in NDG have a new venue on the horizon — Biscuits & Confetti, a café-and-more, is landing on Sherbrooke West in mid-April.
Jennifer Podmore — a barista-trained doula who spends plenty of time with her six-year-old niece — is the woman behind it. She tells Eater she sensed a demand for a family-friendly space in what she calls a neighbourhood packed with strollers.
“Is there a place where we can go where they’re not going to throw a fit and where I’m not going to have to sit on bubbly metallic chairs and watch them scream all day?”
“So I figured, ‘you know what? It doesn’t exist, I’ll make it and people will come.’”
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The café is taking over part of the former Rocky Montana fruiterie, and because of the hefty 2,300 square foot space, it’ll be a four-in-one operation: as well as the café, there will be a play space, an activity studio for classes and workshops (from fitness to cookie decorating), and a boutique. Podmore says the mix should be appealing to parents.
“Sometimes a coffee shop for parents is not enough, you need something more than just food and drink. If your kid is just sitting there they’re going to get bored.”
It’s worth noting that some parts will be segmented off into separate rooms, so café customers won’t (for example) be sipping an allongé in the middle of an arts and crafts class.
Podmore says third wave coffee will be the focus on the café side — having trained in coffee out west, 49th Parallel and Phil and Sebastian will be the beans used. NDG’s coffee scene is pretty small, with just Melk and Italian spot de’ Mercanti as the main players right now, so there’s space for a newcomer.
Baked goods sourced from bakers around town, and grilled cheeses (with adult-friendly and kid-friendly cheese options) will round it out.
“I found some of the best cupcake bakers I could find, maybe gained ten pounds in the testing process.”
Between wood countertops with pastel colours and some kid friendly design (see the wallpaper above), the space looks to strike a balance where kids will be happy, but adults won’t feel like they’re trapped in a jungle gym — Podmore adds that this is deliberate, as she wants people without kids to feel like they can stop by. That means there will be wifi, and parents and students alike with laptops are welcome.
“The only thing I ask is no laptop power cords...I’m not trying to clothesline a kid, that’s not happening.”
Expect Biscuits & Confetti to open April 14 (Easter weekend Friday) at 10 a.m. — it’ll be open seven days.