7 Small Businesses In Greater Moncton That Opened Or Expanded During The Pandemic
MONCTON – The Covid-19 pandemic may have dampened the spirit in the business community across the province, but that didn’t stop some entrepreneurs in the Moncton region from moving ahead with their business projects.
With Small Business Week upon us, we thought we’d shine a light on the entrepreneurs who have displayed the courage and resilience of the business community across Greater Moncton.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of small businesses that have opened or expanded in the Greater Moncton area:
Jassy Boutique & Tea Room
This antique-themed café on 130 St. George St. started as Kane Kang’s way of storing wife Jassy Kim’s antique china collection.
The café opened on September 1, offering beverages like matcha latte, high-end loose teas, and espresso. It also offers macarons, cookies, and sandwiches. They also began offer an afternoon tea set in the beginning of October.
They decided to close briefly when Moncton returned to the orange level of recovery, but reopened on Tuesday, according to their Facebook page.
Read more here.
India King
Sandeep and Rupali Sanai, newcomers from India, opened their restaurant on 369 St. George St. in July as they sought to be closer to son Karan, who lived in Ontario.
The restaurant offers dishes from North India, South India, Mumbai street food, a dedicated Halal menu, and many vegetarian options.
“Right from day one it has been super busy on weekends and extremely busy on weekdays, which we did not expect,” Rupali said of the restaurant’s popularity.
Karan has since moved to Moncton to help run a new Indian grocery store the Sanais are opening across from the restaurant at the end of the month.
Read more here.
Halo Donuts
Halo Donuts is a pop-up donut store by restaurateurs Susan and Gene Cormier, and donut maker Jacques Allain. Located on 110 St. George St., the shop is open from October to December this year.
It offers freshly baked raised and cake donuts with various flavours, as well as some basic coffee offerings.
“We eventually would like Halo to become a café,” Susan said. “But we know now what people are interested in and it’s maybe not sitting inside right now. So for us, this made total sense having a retail outlet for people to be able to pick up and go.”
The shop has been extremely popular, selling out within a few hours of opening on most days.
Read more about it here.
HS Empire
HS Empire had to close its Moncton shop when the pandemic led a lockdown in March, but it re-opened in a new, bigger location in Dieppe earlier this month.
The business is how Hossam Sif Aldin rebuilds his dream life in Moncton following tragedy due to war in his home country Syria.
While he initially only offered electronics accessories and repair, Covid-19 has led him to pivot and add clothing, and international food items and giftware in his store.
Read more here.
Epoch Chemistry
Co-founders Conor Conway and Matt Symes originally wanted to open a coffee shop alongside a tasting offering. But they changed direction when Covid-19 forced cafés to close.
Epoch Chemistry opened in July, offering coffee tasting experience for groups of up to 12 people within the same bubble, by reservation only.
It also sells coffee brewing gear and premium coffee from around the world, and roasts its own brand for sale. The company also offers wholesale coffee to other businesses in the city, and consulting services.
Read more here.
Holy Whale Beer Garden
Alma-based brewery Holy Whale couldn’t open their shipping container cafe and bar at the Chocolate River Station’s parking like other years. With physical distancing requirements, they decided to go bigger and open a beer garden instead.
They moved that container to the deck, back-dropped by a large mural commissioned by Festival Inspire on one side and the river on the other. It’s allowed to hold up to 150 people per the fire regulations, but it accommodated fewer than that at one time to allow for physical distancing.
The beer garden has closed for the season, but owners Jeff and Peter Grandy will move into the Chocolate River Station to create a beer hall.
La Station
Dan Gillis and business partner Mylène Després took the down-time they were forced to have when Covid-19 hit to renovate and move ahead with an expansion plan that would fulfill their vision for a community hub at Botsford Station, home to co-working space La Station.
The pair is launching a community incubator and rooftop garden in 2021 as part of La Station.
Not only will the newly renovated 3,300-square-foot third-floor space increase capacity for dedicated private offices, it will also add shared spaces, and rooms that are “malleable” to fit the needs of the user, Després said.
Next year, members will be able to grow plants in the community rooftop garden. They’ll also be able to work or relax on the third-floor patio or on the rooftop. Gillis and Després plans to have a type of elevator from the basement to the roof to make it accessible for wheelchair users. They also plan to power at least a section of the third floor with renewable energy, primarily solar.
The community incubator will be based around four pillars – youth, sustainability (including renewable energy), food security, and culture. The pair says those themes emerged from the types of organizations and individuals who are already members at La Station.
Alliance Française moved its office there in August.
Read more here.