A new business has opened in Canora with the goal of providing something the owner thinks is desperately needed: a place to relax.
“A few months ago, I came through Canora and wanted to sit down to just enjoy a pastry,” said Maria Cole-Gayle, who said she had become increasingly frustrated to find that there was nowhere to sit and relax.
Inspired to meet the need for a place to sit and socialize while enjoying coffee and pastries, Cole-Gayle rented space in the Canora Mall to create Maria’s Cozy Café and Store, which opened on November 15.
Cole-Gayle, who originally owned Maria’s Jamaican Store in Yorkton, said she wanted to add a café to her establishment for years, and finally found the opportunity in Canora. After four years of running the original store, Cole-Gayle moved the establishment to Canora.
Maria’s Cozy Café and Store provides many of the same items that were sold at Maria’s Jamaican Store. She sells mainly Caribbean foods, including spices, seasonings, soups, and snacks, as well as beauty products and giftware, such as toques, carvings, blankets, and decorations. She also sells Bath and Body Works products through her store.
The new café section will allow Cole-Gayle to serve pastries, pie, cinnamon buns and muffins, as well as drinks such as tea, hot chocolate and decaf coffee.
“I’m very health-conscious,” Cole-Gayle explained as to why she is not providing regular coffee in the hopes that people will try “better” drinks.
Drinks and food can be enjoyed in the seating area, which includes tables for people to sit and socialize at. Cole-Gayle also has a room she dubbed the “cozy corner” with sofas for people to relax in.
“I really think this will meet the needs of a lot of people,” she said, adding that Canora has a lot of senior residents who could use an area like this.
Maria’s Cozy Café and Store is currently open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, though she has plans to extend the hours and set up tables outside the shop to give people plenty of options for a place to sit.
Cole-Gayle is a business instructor at the Parkland College, and she thinks her experience is necessary when opening a new establishment.
“I have a lot of plans,” she said. “You don’t start a new business without making a lot of plans!”
