Squamish’s beloved Zephyr café to close at the end of summer

It will soon be last call for a popular café in Squamish, B.C., that’s become a beloved community hub.

The Zephyr Café has announced it will be shutting down permanently at the end of September.

The closure stems from a dispute with the landlord over renegotiating the lease. The lease will not be renewed in October.

“I really appreciate that its become so important and such a lynchpin to Squamish. There’s nothing I am prouder of,” café owner Adrian Blachut told Global News.

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Global News has reached out to the Zephyr’s landlord.

The Zephyr opened in 2009, and Blachut took it over in 2013. In its nearly 15 years in business, it’s become a centre for arts and culture, and a meeting place for the community.

“I cried when I read the post. Zephyr is home for me, it’s where I see all my friends,” café regular Zali Stipanicev said. “It is the place I come if I want to chill, I want to work, if I want to bump into people I know. It is my home. I’m from Australia so when I have community, it’s really nice to actually have that.”

Blachut said the café is still making money, though acknowledged the industry is getting harder — particularly in recent years.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and wage pressure have all challenged the hospitality industry.

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Annie Dormuth, B.C. provincial affairs director with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said governments at all levels need to step up the help they’re offering to small business owners.

Municipalities can look at property tax relief, while the provincial government has tools such as changes to the employer health tax threshold or WorkSafeBC rebates, she said. She’s also calling on the federal government to extend the repayment period for the Canadian Emergency Business Loan to the end of 2024.

“It is truly heartbreaking to hear these stories,” she said. “It is definitely not singular to B.C. We’re hearing it from small businesses across the country.”

Back in Squamish, some members of the community are rallying to try and save the café.

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A petition supporting the business has racked up more than 3,600 signatures in just four days.

“Zephyr for me, for the past five years, it’s been my second home, a place for me to have a sense of belonging and community. It’s very sad what is happening,” café regular Raquel Nicolau said. “We need places like that where arts, and music and gathering people together.”

Blachut, meantime, has his eyes focused on the future. He and business partners have purchased the Brackendale Art Gallery with plans to transform it into a cultural hub that hosts music, has a café and can be used as a wedding venue.

“We just want to go out and thank everybody for all the good times,” he said. “We also have to understand that things do come and go and there are going to be more community hubs. This is an end of an era, but it’s not the end of Squamish.”