It was a long time coming, but The Hive co-owner Karla Ferster says it will be well worth the wait.
The Hive, which is occupying the former Doc’s Pub location in Canoe, plans to open June 24, nearly a year after first anticipated.
Held up by remediation at the former gas station site, zoning, as well as juggling her coffee business, Frog Friendly Wild, not to mention four children, Ferster says the doors will be open Saturday.
“I know the community is impatient, they are as excited as we are.”
In addition to Ferster, the business is going to be run by her husband Frank Murphy as well as her business partner and longtime best friend Jennifer Jesten.
Plans are to run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to start, with expanded hours after the first month. The intention is to open to catch the morning coffee and breakfast crowd, right into the evening for the dinner and lounge patrons. There will be a big screen TV so customers can watch their favourite games while enjoying a meal or beverage.
Like the name suggests, Ferster says the establishment intends to become a hub of the community.
“The Hive is energetic, it’s community, it’s where things are happening,” says Ferster. “No matter what walk of life you come from, The Hive is a place you can come and feel welcome.”
She is envisioning the senior having breakfast and a coffee while playing crib, the young moms bringing their kids to have a coffee and relax, and the after-work crowd relaxing with a meal or beverage in the lounge. The food concept is farm-to-table, with a casual gourmet style. The chef is coming from Vancouver to run the made-from-scratch kitchen, which will feature items like beef from Armstrong, sausages from Sedo’s and local wine, beer and spirits.
“We’re only going to be using products I would feed to my own kids,” Ferster says. “And of course, it’s going to have the best coffee in town.”
A part of The Hive will be devoted to the roasting of the Frog Friendly Wild coffee, which will be moving to Canoe from the current locations in Delta and Calgary. There’s even a nod to the business’ roots in coffee, as all the beans used to seed the new roasting equipment have been used as mulch in the Hive’s outdoor landscape beds.
Ferster is also passionate about the community of Canoe, which she sees as having untold potential.
“Why wouldn’t you want to live here? It’s got the beach, great trails, the docks, friendly people, a great school. When we were looking for a place, Canoe just spoke to us.”